Peacemaker only ever got one mini-series in the 80's and that was a four-issue extended story which pitted him against a "Yellow Peril" villain named Tzin who commanded an army of super soldiers. In this series by Paul Kupperberg and artists Tod Smith and Pablo Marcos Christopher Smith is given a more solid footing as an anti-hero, and not just a psycho.
We are treated to some elaborate text items in each issue which reveal Peacemaker's origins which differ from the Charlton version. He's the son of a Nazi officer and as such had quite the troubled upbringing. He was part of a prison experiment along with others and was only one of two people to survive. This treatment gave him enhanced physical skills but also a madness which presented as the ghost of his demanding and quite evil father.
As Peacemaker makes use of his vast military arsenal to combat a small but deadly army of villains, he's given a more charitable presentation and even something of a potential love interest. His chateau doubles as his base of operations and is filled with support staff including a grumpy blind mechanic of impressive talent.
All in all this was a much better take on the character. He's still presented as unhinged, but still heroic. He's a man who is forced to battle demons both from without and from within. Something we can all identify with.
Rip Off
No comments:
Post a Comment