Issue(s): Wonder Man #28, Wonder Man #29
Cover Date: Dec 93 - Mar 94
Title: "Life is a tale told by a maniac" / "Nightmare at the dream factory"
Credits:
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning - Writer
Anthony Williams - Penciler
Colin Fawcett - Inker
Bambos Georgiou - Editor

Review/plot:
Gun Runner and Gale Patric fly to Gun Runner's spaceship, the Warbird, and meet its pilot, Oracle.

They then go around and collect the other members of the Gun Runner's squad of genetically enhanced soldiers, who are creatively named The Enhanced. First up is Smith, who is of minor interest since he previously appeared in another Marvel UK series, Battletide.

Next is Heavy Duty.

I don't know, i feel like all these character designs are recycled. Gun Runner reminds me of one of the Super Soldiers, and if Heavy Duty wasn't a Warhead, she should have been.

Speaking of which, the final Enhanced, Lure, is this Sabretooth-looking dude.

He's the violent, feisty one.

To be fair, though, he's got one pretty unique quality (well, unless you want to bring up Monark Starstalker).

Gun Runner learns that during the two centuries he was in stasis, the Enhanced's home plant of Vassyra was wiped out. We also learn that the Cynoids, who were thought defeated, were able to return because they have cloning technology, so they are actually clones of the originals (with transferred minds/souls, i assume).

They get into fights with these guys a couple of times.

They're called the Zoo, they work for the Cynods.

The Enhanced debate searching the universe to see if there are any Vassyran survivors or going to Earth to fight the Cynoids. They decide on the latter when Gale Patric passes out. It turns out the Cynoid leader Shakata has activated something called the Synergist which will turn all Earthlings into Cynoid zombie slaves.

It's spreading from where the Cynoids are based, in the western US, but it nonetheless affects Gale out in space (i mention this in case you want to do some fan fiction where some other Marvel characters are affected by it).

The Enhanced face the Synergist.

And the Cynoid leader is killed by Smith.

But then Smith is killed by the Synergist as it is dying.

Lure's falcon, Gyre, is also destroyed during the fight (resulting in a psychic shock for Lure, but he recovers).

At the end, Gale Patric returns to her casino to hand over ownership to one of her employees, and then she heads out into the stars with the Enhanced.

I mean, at least the series got to reach conclusion. And Lure, if he gets his awesome metal bird back, has a fun enough design that i'd approve of him joining Dark Guard or something. But there's really nothing to recommend here. No fun and generic.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: I allowed space in between issues #2-3 to account for space travel. Of the characters appearing in this series, only Gun Runner himself will appear again (miscolored, in a crowd scene, in Annihilation: Ronan #3).

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A