Whether you’re looking to learn more about who (or what) the Deathlok character is, or dive into a different take on the character, this nice little 10-issue run from Nathan Edmondson in 2014 is a fun little place to start, and kind of sort of takes on both questions nicely. Deathlok was one of those ancillary characters in the Marvel universe back when I was a kid. No one was reading it, and I don’t remember me or any of my friends actually knowing who it was. I just remember the kickass action figure they made, and because no one seemed to know who Deathlok was, there were always about a million of ’em on the shelves at every Toys R Us and KB Toys we went to back in the day.
But, the heart of this character is something terrifying and deeply sad. Imagine waking up one day only to discover that you’re actually just a robot version of your dead self. Yeah – there’s some heavy psychology to process when you’ve essentially become a weaponized zombie. There’s not a whole lot of Deathlok literature out there, really. Since the character’s introduction back in 1974, he’s only really popped up here and there. It’s hard to take a character like that and put a compelling story together, but I think that’s exactly what Edmondson did here.
Courtesy of Goodreads: “After his debut in Original Sins #1 (2014), and his debut in the hit-television show Agents of SHIELD, the all-new Deathlok Henry Hayes takes center stage in his own ongoing series!”
Damn, I completely forgot about that Deathlok run on Agents of SHIELD. That show was a lot better than people gave it credit for, but I’ll be damned if it’s not forgettable all these years later. Nonetheless, what Edmondson does is accurately paint the picture of life as a Deathlok – at any given moment, it feels like anyone or anything can pop out and take you on. Henry Hayes struggles with memories of his past life cracking through the cybernetics. There’s drama with SHIELD, with Biotek, and even another Deathlok or two. There’s plenty of action, and big time showdowns. But, I thought the subtle espionage tie-ins, and watching the mystery unfold for Hayes as the story develops were the real highlights of this run.
I found the first five issues of this run in graphic novel form at Books-A-Million for $5. It can be a crap shoot going for discounted volumes on tertiary characters, but I very rarely find it not worth rolling the dice at all. I liked Volume 1, Control. Alt. Delete., so much that I immediately hopped on Amazon and bought Volume 2 of Edmondson’s run: Man Versus Machine. The conclusion felt a little flat after what was essentially nine issues of action and intrigue. But, it fits, and it doesn’t derail the story so much that it makes it less enjoyable. I came away from this run wishing someone would take another deep dive storyline into this character. Per my grading scale here on Bargain Bin Finds, Edmondson’s Deathlok gets the coveted grade of perfect for a rainy afternoon.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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