Astonishing Tales #34
Astonishing Tales #34 is the penultimate chapter of Rich Buckler's pioneering cyborg saga — the first major cyborg narrative in mainstream American comics — and delivers one of the Bronze Age's earliest depictions of mind-versus-mind combat inside a computer network, an idea that would not enter popular culture broadly until the cyberpunk era more than a decade later. The issue marks the first in-story appearance of the CIA within the Earth-7484 Deathlok continuity and formally introduces Teresa Deveraux, anchoring the espionage infrastructure that would define the final arc of the run. As the issue that sets up the climactic showdown between Luther Manning and Simon Ryker in cyberspace, it represents the moment Buckler's otherwise meandering dystopian plot finally crystallized into a coherent endgame, cementing Deathlok's place as one of the most conceptually adventurous Bronze Age creations.
In *Astonishing Tales* #34 (1976), Deathlok—damaged and desperate after an explosion severs his bionic arm—becomes the target of a new mission when the CIA reprograms him to stop the ruthless Simon Ryker. With his body rebuilt and his mind pushed to the edge, he confronts a chilling revelation: a second Luther Manning clone, carrying the soul of the surgeon who first forged him. Together, they attempt to reach the Omni Computer, where Deathlok’s mind may finally face Ryker’s in a battle that could redefine what it means to be human. Written by Bill Mantlo and Rich Buckler, with art by Rich Buckler and inks by Klaus Janson, the cover by Buckler and Janson captures the tension of a man caught between machines and memory.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Deathlok feature was conceived by Rich Buckler, who originally developed the character as a novel concept before bringing it to Marvel; the series launched in Astonishing Tales #25 (August 1974) after Marvel's negotiations for The Six Million Dollar Man television adaptation rights collapsed. For issue #34, Buckler held an unusual 'Produced by' contract credit — a phrasing deliberately evoking the classic Stan Lee/Jack Kirby billing — which was intended to give him creative and editorial control over the strip, though Marv Wolfman remained the official editor of record for the color comics line. Bill Mantlo served as scripter for issues #32–35, with Buckler providing the plots; Klaus Janson handled both inking and coloring, giving the issue the gritty, atmospheric quality that distinguished the later entries in the run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: March 1976; on-sale date: December 9, 1975. Published by Marvel Comics as part of Astonishing Tales Vol. 1, the series' penultimate Deathlok chapter before the book's cancellation with issue #36.
- Creative team: plot by Rich Buckler, script by Bill Mantlo, pencils and cover by Rich Buckler, inks and colors by Klaus Janson, letters by Karen Mantlo (Gaspar Saladino credited in George Olshevsky's Marvel Comics Index #7B), editor Marv Wolfman.
- First in-continuity appearance of the CIA within the Earth-7484 Deathlok universe, as well as the introduction of CIA agent Teresa Deveraux, per the Marvel Database character index.
- Story title: 'And All the King's Madmen... Couldn't Put Deathlok Back Together Again... Or Could They?' — Deathlok loses his bionic arm to Hellinger's bomb, is retrieved by Mike Travers, rebuilt and reprogrammed by the CIA, then plugs his mind into the Omni-Computer to confront Simon Ryker, now fully merged with the computer as the Savior Machine.
- A second Luther Manning clone appears, revealed to contain the transplanted mind of Dr. Wilcox, one of the original surgeons who built Deathlok — a plot twist deepening the series' Frankenstein-influenced body-horror themes.
- Rich Buckler held a special 'Produced by' contract credit on the Deathlok feature — unusual for Marvel at the time — which was meant to convey creative and editorial authority over the strip, though it did not grant him ownership of the character.
- The issue contains a full Spider-Man Hostess Cup Cakes promotional comic strip ('Spider-Man and the Cupcake Caper,' featuring Peter Parker and Man Mountain Marko) and a house advertisement for the Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man treasury comic, as well as a promo for the Stan Lee-narrated album 'Reflections of a Super-Hero!'
- The entire Deathlok Astonishing Tales run, including issue #34, was collected in Marvel Masterworks: Deathlok Volume 1 (November 2009, 352 pages) and in Deathlok the Demolisher: The Complete Collection (October 2014).
Cast · 36 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
When Deathlok is unable to escape the explosive attached to his wrist his bionic arm is blown off and the rest of his body is damaged. Mike Travers manages to extract his body and the CIA fixes the damage and reprograms him to stop Simon Ryker (the Savior Machine). Deathlok goes after Simon and encounters a second Luther Manning clone with the mind of the surgeon that created him. With this clone's help Deathlok plugs his mind into the Omni Computer to confront Simon's mind.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).