Tag: Dean Zachary

A Look Back at Prototype #15 (1994)

A Look Back at Prototype #15 (1994)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, comic book collectors and fans of Malibu Comics! Today, I’ve decided to take a break from the Hostile Takeover storyline of the Ultraverse and focus more on the Prototype monthly series. Last time around, a new chapter in the life of Prototype pilot Jimmy Ruiz started and in the corporate world, he took a job that paid so much less than before.

What exactly will happen to Jimmy? We can all find out in this look back at Prototype , published in 1994 by Malibu Comics with a story written by Len Strazewski and drawn by Dean Zachary.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins inside a top-secret facility somewhere in the city of New York. A black man is going through the painful processes of cybernetic enhancements. His name is Donovan Jones and he is told by a shadowy figure that he is a failure and only their organization can turn him into something else…more than a human loser.

“You always were an ultra, Jones…and UltraTech knew this! But they never revealed this toyou,” said the shadowy figure.

Donovan Jones expresses his hatred for UltraTech. He also expresses his intention to destroy Prototype.

Elsewhere, a long vehicular bridge has been damaged. Helping the victims were Ranger (Bob Campbell) and Prototype (Jimmy Ruiz) trying to ensure that they could balance the bridge to prevent cars from falling over the edge. They managed to solve the problem paving the way for things to go back to normal. The affected people express their thanks and admiration to them.

As they fly away together, Bob and Jimmy talk about matters related to being ultra heroes. A short time later, Jimmy takes the train going to New Jersey as a civilian. He arrives at the facility of Direct Contact which is a division of NuWare. It turns out this is his first day of work with them and he is still struggling with the drastic changes now that his huge perks and privileges with UltraTech are no more…  

Quality

Jimmy Ruiz in a tough situation in front with his new boss on his first day at work.

I really like the story and the way Jimmy Ruiz was portrayed. This is really fine writing by Len Strazewski and it seems he organized a plan to not only redefine the protagonist but also change the status quo around him. I liked the way Strazewski set up the first-day-on-the-job struggles of Jimmy which really showed how fragile he is as a person without the armored suit to help him. His boss really was hard on him and made things a bit complicated for him as far as the use of Prototype is concerned under the control of NuWare. I also like the way Jimmy was portrayed in trying to be very responsible about his domestic life and the future ahead of him and his pregnant darling Angella.

Apart from the in-depth characterization, there is a good amount of superhero action to keep fans satisfied. The action was nicely drawn by Dean Zachary.

Conclusion

Prototype and Ranger.

Prototype (1994) is a lot of fun and pretty engaging. In fact, this comic book is a nice pay-off following the build-up that was done in issue . To see Jimmy Ruiz redefined as a person without the armor is compelling and the story was nicely structured by Len Strazewski. For serious Prototype fans, this is one comic book that is worth reading again and again. Lastly, this one has a very intriguing ending that you have to read and find out.

If you are seriously planning to buy an existing hard copy of Prototype (1994), be aware that as of this writing, MileHighComics.com shows that the near-mint copy of the comic book costs $14.

Overall, Prototype (1994) is highly recommended!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

A Look Back at Prototype #13 (1994)

A Look Back at Prototype #13 (1994)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero geeks, comic book collectors and fans of the Ultraverse. In this latest Ultraverse-related retro comic book review, we will check out what happened to Prototype and his companions after the events that took place in issue #12. I personally enjoyed that particular comic book and it has been almost three months since I last reviewed an issue of Prototype.

Now we can start this look back at Prototype , published in 1994 by Malibu Comics with a story written by Len Strazewski and drawn by Dean Zachary.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins with TV news coverage of an explosion that happened at one of the buildings along Wall Street. The TV newscaster reports that another battle between ultras rocked the headquarters of Ultratech in downtown Manhattan which sparks rumors of corporate infighting.

Behind the scenes at the corporate tower, Jimmy Ruiz/Prototype, Bob Campbell/Ranger and Felicia Campbell discuss matters in front of the robot Prototype 2000 (the same machine responsible for the loss of Bob’s arm) which projects an image of Ultratech chairman Gordon Bell as its head. They noticed that the robot thinks and acts like Gordon Campbell, even going as far as calling the name of a secretary who left the company some years back. Felicia believes the robot has some sort of body detachment syndrome. For Bob, it does not matter as Gordon Bell still owns a controlling interest in the corporation.

After some intense talk, Jimmy uses his Prototype armor switch off Prototype 2000 but got blasted by energy which pushed him back to Bob and Felicia. Prototype 2000 then shows the virtual Gordon Bell telling “Katie” to turn the TV on so he can see how the company stock is performing…

Quality

How do you you deal with a machine that actually thinks and acts like a human?

I can declare that Len Strazewski really ramped up the corporate intrigue several notches high in this particular issue. There is a lot of corporate world talk and the good news here was that nothing ended up being boring. The most notable aspect of the story was the presence of Prototype 2000 with the mind of Gordon Bell really reacting to the corporate developments. Of course, there was still sufficient focus on the protagonist Prototype piloted by Jimmy Ruiz. At this stage of the Prototype series, Jimmy has gone through not only many battles using the powered suit of armor but several setbacks in his personal life. Apart from the turmoil at Ultratech, Jimmy not only has to keep his job but also save his reputation. Not to be outdone is Bob Campbell (the original Prototype pilot) whose relationship with Felicia got developed a bit more and their exchange of dialogue was nicely written.

Within the story is a major twist that really added a whole lot of depth into the narrative. It’s a twist that I did not anticipate and I strongly recommend you discover it yourselves once you read this comic book. Oh, and there is a certain supporting character from the Mantra series who also appeared here.

As for the art, Dean Zachary did a descent job visualizing Len Strazewski’s script and capturing the typical smooth sequencing of Prototype in action scenes. There is enough scenes of spectacle here to keep you entertained.

Conclusion

Jimmy Ruiz, Bob Campbell and Felicia discuss matters in the presence of virtual Gordon Bell.

I can say that I had a blast reading Prototype (1994). To put things in perspective, this one is just a part of the Hostile Takeover storyline that eventually connected with other characters of the Ultraverse such as the Night Man and The Solution (a heroes-for-hire team). The writing of Len Strazewski is so good, this one is worth reading all over again. It should be noted that topics like corporate intrigue or business world internal affairs got presented with a strong flavor of superhero stuff that prevented the story from turning into a bore. This is one intriguing and compelling read. Lastly, I should state that this comic book is one of those Ultraverse Premiere flipside issues, the other side of which contained short stories about Iron Clad, Pixx of UltraForce, Flood and Lady Killer of The Strangers.

If you are seriously planning to buy an existing hard copy of Prototype (1994), be aware that as of this writing, MileHighComics.com shows that the near-mint copy of the comic book costs $8.

Overall, Prototype (1994) is highly recommended!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com