I think Milgrom is a very underrated penciller, generally.

Agreed with all of the above, but my favourite inker for Milgrom's pencils might just be Jim Mooney. That combo turned out some very good work in the early '80s issue of Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man.

Astonishing Tales #27 (December 1974)



"Dead Reckoning!"
Script: Rich Buckler (credited) (concept, plot, script); Doug Moench (credited) (plot)
Pencils: Rich Buckler (credited)
Inks: Pablo Marcos (credited)
Colors: George Roussos (credited)
Letters: Desmond Jones (credited)

Grade: B


Whereas Moench co-plotted and scripted the first two appearances of Deathlok, Buckler takes over the scripting for this and the next issue. Moench is still listed as a co-plotter this issue, but not next issue. As Buckler explains:



So it's safe to assume that Buckler had enough time to tackle this issue on his own, and that Moench is credited as co-plotter because Buckler is still using plot points he generated along with Doug prior to this issue. So leat's break down the major plot elements of this issue to determine what portions may have come from Moench:

1. Deathlok's friend's brain has been put into the body of a mutated wolf.



Seems far too silly to have come from Moench.


2. Ryker is now an over-the-top maniacal villain



This is not at all consistent with what Moench was writing in the last two issues.


3. Ryker tells Deathlok his friend's brain is inside of the Warwolf, only to later reveal that he lied for no particular reason, only to later brag that he lied again and the brain is safely stored away.





Honestly, this feels like something two eight year olds on a playground would come up with. Almost certainly not Moench.


4. Deathlok is hesitant to battle and kill his own friend.



This could easily be Moench. Several of his early stories for Warren were about people trying to subdue their inner monster/murderous impulse in order to protect those they cared about.


5. Deathlok attempting to contact his wife.



This is so damn powerful, even if Buckler's script doesn't quite do it justice. It's such a sharp contrast from the cartoon simplicity of much of the rest of the issue. I'm going to argue it came from Moench.


6. The subsequent moment in which Deathlok considers whether or not to meet his son for the first time:



Again, it's so much more sophisticated and emotionally complex than the Ryker garbage. I'm thinking Moench again.


7. And, finally, the moment where Deathlok attempts to end it all, only to discover he can't even do that.



The entire idea of creating tension between Luther and the computer side of Deathlok was attributed to Moench by Buckler himself in the back of Tales To Astonish #25. When Buckler attempts to depict this tension earlier in the story, it comes off (again) as simplistic and almost childish:



Buckler doesn't seem capable of imagining the irony of Deathlok not being able to kill himself because the computer cannot comprehend his not acting in the interest of self-preservation.


There are a number of somewhat conflicting statements by Buckler and Moench attempting to properly credit who created which aspects of Deathlok(1)(2)(3). When you lay them all out and find the points on which they agree, it looks like Buckler conceived of a half-man/half-machine killer that becomes self-aware, as well as the entire look of the character and the name "Deadlok". He then worked with Moench for an extended time to flesh out the rest of the story, where Moench definitely changed the name and created the conflicted relationship between Luther and the computer. I would argue Moench also pitched the ideas of Deathlok visiting his wife (and terrifying her), debating about whether or not to meet his son, and then attempting to kill himself only to have the computer prevent this. Buckler takes clear credit for the original concept but doesn't seem to mention much beyond that. It seems like he needed a writer to help him decide what to do with the character more than to write the scripts. Without Moench, we likely would have gotten the same visually striking character fighting a mutated wolf and an obsessive-to-the-point-of-insanity general Ryker in this issue. It seems logical to credit the rest (really, the most memorable parts beyond the compelling look of the character) to Moench.


Thus, this issue feels very much like the result of two very different artistic visions clashing. The simplistic Warwolf and General Ryker stuff is insultingly awful, while Luther discovering that he can't go home again and can't die either is incredibly powerful, even if Buckler's script doesn't quite keep up and his art feels rushed too. I suspect Deathlok has endured through so many rebirths across the decades primarily because Buckler's visual look for the character is brilliant. For me, personally, it's always been the more sophisticated elements (the power struggle with the computer, Luther's tragic efforts to return home and to die) that really make this property memorable.


Minor Details:

1. There's that cinematic pacing again that we've seen Moench's stories repeatedly use ever since teaming up with Buckler for the first Deathlok story:



Moench outright credits Buckler for teaching him this approach in Foom #5 (2). Even still, I feel like Moench paces the dialogue better across panels than Buckler does here.



Doug Moench's scripting from this month's Master of Kung Fu #23


2. Talk about Buckler's over the top characterizations. Check out this exchange between Luther and Ryker while Ryker was his commanding officer and had done nothing to inspire Luther's mutinous attitude yet:




3. Speaking of which, here's where we are first shown that Luther was indeed white:



I still maintain that everything about him, from the color of his rotted skin, to the texture of his dead hair, to his dialect and rage at the establishment, to the very name "Luther" all heavily suggested that this character was Black. I'd love to know who decided to change that. Of course, we're still close to a year away from either Marvel or DC introducing any Black American superheroes. At DC, at least, it's been suggested that DC feared introducing a Black American superhero would hurt sales in the southern states. Maybe that same fear prompted someone at Marvel to decide Deathlok needed to be white.






(1) Guion, R. (2014, November 17). Astonishing tales 25 and the birth of deathlok, with insights from Rich Buckler! Giant-Size Marvel. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from www.giantsizemarvel.com/2011/02/astonishing-tales-25-and-birth-of.html

(2) Moench, D. (1974, March). Buckler & Me & Deathlok Makes Three. Foom, 1(5).

(3)Thomas, R., Moench, D., & Buckler, R. (1974, August).Mindlock...x3. Astonishing Tales, 1(25).

I have to disagree' or, at least, present a counter-argument to your assessment of Luther's race. The skin tone reflects rotted flesh, "Locked in Death," suggesting decay. Rotting meat turns grey, hence the coloring. Secondly, the name Luther is no more suggestive of a racial background than George. Depending on the era, people used similar inspirations for naming their children. The names of famous politicians or similar figures was one (my great grandfather was named George Washington Nettleton and his father was Thomas Jefferson Nettleton). There is also the biblical inspiration, such as Jacob or Ruth, or even Moses. My very Protestant grandfather (the one whose father was named after the Father of Our Country) was named Wiley Moses. Many people would assume, hearing Moses, that he was Jewish, but he was a Baptist preacher and farmer. Luther was not uncommon, especially with Protestant families, due to the history of Martin Luther and the separation from the Catholic Church.

This brings me to my real argument that Luther Manning is depicted white to send a very subtle message about a mixed race family. Why does Luther Manning have to be black to have a black wife?

My recollections of the interviews I have seen, related to Deathlok, neither Buckler nor Moench ever addressed the original intent of Luther's race; so, this is just supposition; but, the other possibility that comes to mind is that maybe Luther was intended to be African-American, at the design stage; but, in discussing who he was, the idea of depicting a mixed marriage as part of the norm, in this future world (and remember, this is set in the future), was thought to be a great hook and they went from there.

Did Buckler's script establish that War Wolf was a mutated wolf? I remembered him as just another cyborg.

Stan Lee and Gene Colan had introduced the Falcon in 1969, and he'd been sharing cover billing with Captain America since 1971.

Hmmm. No one used the word "mutated," but if he is just a cyborg, then why is he also a giant wolf?



Fair point. I see Falcon as more of a sidekick in this era, but you're technically correct.

Marvel had also been publishing Luke Cage, Hero For Hire since 1972.