Issue(s): Nomad #5
Cover Date: Sep 92
Title: "Suicide kings"
Credits:
Fabian Nicieza - Writer
Pat Olliffe - Penciler
Mark McKenna - Inker
Mike Lackey - Assistant Editor
Glenn Herdling - Editor

Review/plot:
We left off with Chainsaw and his Pretorians confronting the Punisher. Bucky has been changed back into her regular costume between issues.

Unlike Daredevil, Punisher doesn't recognize Bucky. But he does make sure to save the baby with some kind of joust routine.

We'll see that scene again in Punisher War Journal #46, but it'll be a little different. We won't see that skull-shaped wound on his chest, and he'll be holding his face instead. In fact, the whole scene will be a little different. You'll notice (the) Viper (imposter) isn't around at all, whereas in that issue she'll be fighting the Pretorians alongside the Punisher. We'll learn that even Silvermane got in on the fight. I don't know why they chose to depict the scene in two different issues, and in a different way each time, but it may have something to do with the scheduling snafu that caused this issue to be part four of the crossover instead of Daredevil #308.

Chainsaw and the Pretorians flee. Feh.

Later, Nomad is attacked by Hand ninjas. After fighting Deadpool, he's beefed up his costume so that he can block swords with his arms. Note also that he's using scattershot, not real buckshot.

Nomad is freaked out to see the ninja disintegrate.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Legs was just grazed by Bushwacker last issue. She's taken to the hospital. Bushwacker is still running around Vegas shouting about the baby he's looking for. Nomad is wandering the city trying to decide if he wants to get involved in the larger criminal happenings going on in Vegas, or if he even wants to really kill the Slug for the government after swearing off killing. But he notices Bushwacker and attacks him with a ninja sword, cutting off his gun hand.

As Bushwacker's hand grows back, Nomad learns that Bucky has been taken. Then the Punisher shows up and plugs Bushwacker full of bullets.

But Bushwacker is pretty resilient, and he flees. Nomad tricks Punisher into handing Bucky back over to him before he chases him.

No offense, Nomad, but i wouldn't hand a baby over to you.

Nomad locates Legs at the hospital and takes her and Bucky to the airport to make sure that they actually get out of town this time. The Punisher shows up; it turns out that he had a tracer on Bucky. He's also done his research and has learned that Nomad is wanted by the government. But Nomad convinces him that he's legitimately trying to take care of the baby. Punisher lets Legs take Bucky out of Vegas. Punisher then gets into a fistfight with Nomad, which Nomad correctly determines is his way of getting back at him for tricking him, but more importantly he's confirming that Nomad can take care of Bucky.

But they don't Team-Up. Punisher leaves, stranding Nomad four miles from the Vegas strip. That's actually one of the more interesting aspects of this crossover. Nomad has encountered both Daredevil and Punisher so far, but the story doesn't immediately join forces to fight the bad guys.

While this is happening, the criminal conference is still going on. Hammerhead is suspicious of the Hand (their fight with Nomad happened on the roof of the building where he is staying) and the Word has to remind everyone that the point of the conference is to avoid a war.

As i said earlier, the Red Skull actually has an alliance with Hydra at this time. I already spoiled the fact that Werner von Strucker is secretly working with his father (who is pretending to be dead). If you didn't know that Werner was working for the Baron, you might think that Werner was running a renegade faction of Hydra, which would make the above conversation make a little more sense. But since that's not the case, it's a little strange. Unless they're playing out some kind of ruse for the others at the table, but that's never confirmed (nor is there any reason given why they would need to do that). I also already noted that Fenris are kind of pathetic during these meetings. I don't know why they are here, and neither does anyone else, really. Why does Fenris think that they should be given any kind of special treatment? It almost seems like they're hoping that the Word will arbitrate their dispute over ownership of Hydra, which is way out of the bounds of what the meeting is about.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part four of Dead Man's Hand. Part five is in Daredevil #308.

References:

• This story picks up where Punisher War Journal #45 left off.
  
• Nomad has been taking care of Bucky (loosely speaking) since the original Nomad #3.

Crossover: Dead Man's Hand

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A