by tonydoug wright

Last year, I dove into the $.25 bin at my favorite comic book store, chose four comic books at random, and the end result was a $1.00 well spent. A few weeks ago, I tried my luck again, and picked out four comic books at random with hopes of finding some gems in the bargain bin.

The Nam #4 (Marvel)

Writer: Doug Murray
Pencils: Michael Golden
Letters/Colorist: Phil Felix
Editor: Larry Hama

The Vietnam War was a televised conflict that exposed the horrors of combat to American families during the evening news. At times upbeat and at times critical, television crews delivered a glimpse into the world of American soldiers serving their country. Television played a key role during the Vietnam War, mainly fueling anti-war sentiment. A television correspondent joins a village surveillance mission in issue #4 of The 'Nam titled “Six O’Clock News”.

Sergeant Top, a menacing figure, informs his soldiers that Dennis Lawrence will be filming an upcoming mission for a major network. The soldiers are excited about being on television, and maybe their families will see them in action. Top leads a fleet of helicopters into a supposed Viet-Cong (VC) friendly village, but Top seems to be more interested in getting good shots for Lawrence instead of focusing upon the mission. Lawrence, portrayed as an effeminate figure that is out of place in the masculine world of war, is excited about the great footage Top is providing. A surprise attack by VC forces destroys a few helicopters which leads to the rest of the helicopters landing in the middle of heavy gun fire. After regrouping and calling in an air-strike, the soldiers evacuate leaving the village in flames. Although the soldiers survived a chaotic battle, their efforts were not filmed due to a technical mistake by Lawrence.

The 'Nam was one of the underrated greats in the comic book universe. It did not act as pro-American propaganda, but instead gave a somewhat gritty and unapologetic glimpse into the Vietnam War. “Six O’Clock News” is a good story by writer Doug Murray featuring great penciling by Michael Golden who is able to create a cartoon like visuals that do not come across as silly or childish. Overall, this issue was definitely a bargain.

Deathmark #1 (Lightning Comics)

Writer: Steven Zyskowski
Pencils: Terral Lawrence
Inker: David Mowry
Letters: James M. Anderson

The Vietnam War theme continues with the adventures of Michael Dillon (a.k.a. Deathmark) who is asked by a smarmy businessman named Red to track down Roger Sullivan, a soldier who went MIA in Vietnam after killing his unit. Sullivan killed his own men after he overdosed on a handful of experimental pills known as “The Lift”. After he took the pills, Sullivan turned into a paranoid killing machine. Deathmark is ordered to take out Sullivan, who is hiding in New York City trying to uncover the true identity of Deathmark in this first issue titled “Death Threat”.

Writer Steven Zyskowski’s story is interesting and this first issue is for the most part a well-written effort. Deathmark is introduced in the first few pages, but the focus immediately shifts to Sullivan. It’s difficult for a first-time reader to connect with a title character when they are not the main focus of the story. Terral Lawrence’s penciling is a nice but clean black and white style. All of the characters are well-drawn and the panels are not cluttered with unnecessary artwork. A slight criticism for Deathmark is that visually Deathmark’s costume resembles the old Bullseye costume with a similar Punisher skull logo. The first issue of Deathmark was a good bargain bin purchase.

The Deadly Duo #1 (Image Comics)

Writer: Erik Larsen
Pencils: Andy Smith
Inker: Randy Elliott
Letterer: Chris Elipopulos

Published in 1994, The Deadly Duo #1 was released two years after the founding of Image Comics. Writer Erik Larsen, one of the partner owners for Image Comics, has had a very successful career with Image and Marvel. Larsen is best known for his work with on Amazing Spider-Man and The Savage Dragon.

Kill Cat is an older but tough-as-nails super hero who fights crime in Detroit. Having the typical tormented bad-attitudes of Batman and Wolverine, Larsen’s Kill Cat comes across as a hero that does not need a sidekick to defeat the super villains who run wild in the city. Enter Mark Osborn, a super hero from the future who makes his way to Detroit to fight crime. Enamored with the past, Osborn attempts to become part of society and ends up battling Cement Man, one of Kill Cat’s foes. While Osborn battles Cement Man, Kill Cat arrives on the scene to assist the newcomer. From there, a partnership is created between the two super heroes.

The Deadly Duo #1 is a humorous look at the world of super hero duos. Larsen portrays Kill Cat as a narcissistic hero who takes his crime fighting job very seriously while Mark Osborn is a sarcastic adventurer who relies upon 70s lingo to communicate with everyone. Comparable to The Tick, The Deadly Duo is a fun parody of the super hero universe where things can get a little too dark and somber.

Youngblood: Strikefile #1 (Image Comics)

Writers: Rob Liefeld and Eric Stephenson
Pencils and Inks: Jae Lee
Lettering: Kurt Hathaway

Like Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld is an Image Comics founder. Some comic book readers consider Liefeld a controversial figure due to his artwork, which to some features ridiculously drawn characters involved in some sort of poorly written storyline. Love him or hate him, Liefeld’s contributions to the comic book genre will be debated for many years.

Youngblood: Strikefile #1 features two stories in one comic book. The first story is about three agents named Chapel, Simmons, and Duke who infiltrate an enemy facility near St. Louis only to be ambushed by an evil crime boss named Giger. The reason behind their mission is unclear, but the three agents take out an army of defenders. The second story involves three super heroes named Die Hard, Super Patriot, and Glory battle the Nazi’s during World War II. Their story ends years later as Glory recounts her days as a hero.

Both stories in Youngblood: Strikefile #1 are action-packed but lack engaging writing to bring the reader back for another issue. Liefeld critics will have a field day with the overdrawn and disproportionate characters that face panel after panel of battles, which goes on ad nauseam. Sadly, Youngblood: Strikefile #1 does not get the bargain bin thumbs up, but three out of four is not bad.