Issue(s): Sleepwalker #7
Cover Date: Dec 91
Title: "The ties that bind"
Credits:
Bob Budiansky - Writer
Bret Blevins - Penciler
Michael Bair - Inker
Kevin Kobasic - Assistant Editor
Don Daley - Editor

Review/plot:
Without a doubt, the best thing about this issue is the fact that it opens with Sleepwalker taking Rick Sheridan's dog Rambo for a walk, after learning "how important" these walks are, presumably because Rambo peed (or worse) all over Rick's apartment floor.

The reason it's not Rick walking the dog is because Rick is one of the people that disappeared when Thanos killed off half the universe. So even though it seems like a calm morning in the scene above, people are actually pretty rattled and soon start attacking the strange demon walking down their street. Sleepwalker returns to Rick's apartment, only to be chased out by Rick's parents, who have come looking for Rick. Sleepwalker promises to find Rick, and hurriedly rushes out the window. Instead, he winds up helping victims of Thanos' shockwave from Infinity Gauntlet #2 and then the overflowing corpse of Eon from Quasar #27. He gets the lowdown from Dr. Strange.

You would think that a tie-in with Infinity Gauntlet, including a team-up with Marvel's other new or lesser heroes like Darkhawk, Deathlok, Her, and the Squadron Supreme would make for enough of an issue. But all of that stuff is glossed over in favor of the introduction of the latest entry in Sleepwalker's sad rogues gallery. 8-Ball, Bookworm, and Crimewave too awesome for you? How about the Chain Gang? They're just like Hammer and Anvil, even with the same Defiant Ones racial tension, except there's four of them and they all have names with "Link" in them.

The idea is to parallel their "links" to the link between Sleepwalker and his home dimension, which happens through Rick. So while Rick is "dead", Sleepwalker is weak enough to be pushed around by these losers. But thanks to the tears in reality (like we saw in Infinity Gauntlet #5, when Annihilus came to Earth), a portal opens to the Mindscape. Sleepwalker takes the Chain Gang in there and is able to easily defeat them.

It's not clear what happens to the Chain Gang. They are 'boxed up'...

...and then the next narration panel only says "With the Chain Gang no longer a threat.." as Sleepwalker turns to the decision of whether to stay in his home dimension or return to Earth. He decides on the latter, so that he can continue to help humanity.

In contrast to Hulk #384, at the end of this issue, when Nebula resets continuity, we actually see the events of the day getting wiped away.

That doesn't seem to affect the origin of the Chain Gang, though. They'll still be in the Mindscape when we see them next in issue #19. A note in the lettercol of issue #10 explains that being in the Mindscape puts them "beyond the reach" of Nebula's reset (which doesn't sound plausible to me).

Bret Blevins' art seems rushed in this issue. You'd think there would be a lot for him to work with, between Eon and the other threats of Infinity Gauntlet and what should be the weirdness of the Mindscape. But everything is a little bland, and looser looking than usual.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: We saw Rick Sheridan disappear as one of the people wiped out by Thanos in the epilogue at the end of last issue. But that epilogue took place "a few days" after the rest of the issue. Beyond that, this issue begins the day after Thanos wipes out half the universe, and ends after Nebula restores everybody. So it lasts pretty much the entire length of Infinity Gauntlet, and i've therefore placed it after the main series is concluded.

References:

• Everybody disappeared in Infinity Gauntlet #1.
  
• The events that rattle Earth were shown in Infinity Gauntlet #2 and Infinity Gauntlet #3.
  
• The Eon situation was shown in Quasar #27.
  
• Nebula resets everything in Infinity Gauntlet #6.

Crossover: Infinity Gauntlet

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Hammer and Anvil are killed by Scourge...only for these losers to show up? Why not just keep Hammer and Anvil around to fight Sleepwalker to not just waste the space?

Again, where's the Ice Age??