SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP #4 (1976)
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Pencils: Herb Trimpe & Jim Mooney
Yet another change in direction for the series, with Bill Mantlo writing just this story.
Herb Trimpe will remain the regular artist for a while… unfortunately.
Last issue, Namor was beginning to realize that his alliance with Doom was shaky since he saw him kill in cold blood.
But enough about subtlety because in THIS story Namor immediately wants nothing to do with Doom!
Also Doom, who went through significant character development over the previous 3 issues, immediately hates Namor again.
Their fights attracts the attention of a nearby ship.
Super-scientist Captain Ryker works on this ship and I’m immediately lost.
I’m not big on Deathlok’s history, but the original version is a cyborg from an alternate future. If you’re not reading Deathlok’s book, Captain Ryker comes out of nowhere.
Heck he comes out of nowhere even if you DO read Deathlok because this is technically his first appearance!
You see, Ryker is building a robotic super-soldier. And he’s doing this on a ship because… I’ve got nothing.
So… are Doom and Namor going to do anything besides fighting each other and arguing?
I guess not. This is a story about a random Navy ship now.
Doom crashes through the ship’s hull, but he manages to take down Namor with his energy blasts. Then this happens:
Doom finds Ryker disappointing, and rightfully so.
He’s lucky that Doom is in a good mood.
So… remember all those great scenes with Doom re-evaluating his past strategies and vowing to be Namor’s ally and friend?
Apparently we’re not doing that anymore.
And remember Namor placing the search for a cure for the Atlanteans above his pride?
Yeah, we’re not doing that either.
I swear this series is more bipolar than Namor…
Doom significance: 0/10
Captain Ryker shows up once more and doesn’t meet Doom again.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
On the Marvel scale. Randomly running into a Navy ship carrying a super-scientist working on a robot solider, honestly…
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10
This story suuuuucks. Not only it throws away everything done in the previous issues, not only it resets both Doom and Namor’s characterizations, not only Ryker suchs both as a villain and as an adversary… but we get page after page of Doom and Namor stuck in an extremly boring fight.
It was a Doombot all along
Considering this has to be the same Doom of the previous issue, I’m inclined to believe it’s the real one. No matter how much I wish it was just a robot.
Take over the world & Destroy the FF!
I have no idea of what Doom even wants in this story, but definitely it isn’t one of those things.
Crazy tech
Another reason why this story sucks: Doom doesn’t even use a single crazy weapon, just generic blasts and force fields!