Yes Mr. Head, you certainly will be. Especially with those who picked up your own comic. That particular new monthly from Marvel UK was due to begin a month after this issue’s release. In fact its premiere issue would go on sale the same day as the next Dragon’s Claws. So it was time to introduce him, or reintroduce him to those who’d followed his exciting and funny adventures thus far in Transformers and Doctor Who.
We get a mention of his appearance from the end of the previous issue’s story in the FastFax and it also gives us some interesting information on The ‘Pool (Liverpool of the 82nd century) and the make up of England in this apocalyptic time. In the real world of the 80s the north of that country had felt generally neglected by the main UK government and this is clearly being played up to here. At the time of publication this would’ve been particularly pertinent to readers there.
This blog is named after the hilarious 80s comic OiNK which was produced in Manchester, and I think the editors of that particular riotous publication would be rather happy with the north of England being described as an area with an “anarchic nature”. The dates at the top of the FastFax don’t seem to be making sense anymore. In #1 it seemed to refer to the date of the (original) release of the issue, only thousands of years into the future. That’s no longer the case so I can only assume it was never actually meant to be a date.
While last month’s Next Issue page was drawn by the upcoming Death’s Head comic’s Bryan Hitch, Geoff Senior remains on art duties for his and writer Simon Furman’s Dragon’s Claws, with the regular team of letterer Annie Halfacree, colourist Steve White and editor Richard Starkings all present and correct. The story begins with Death’s Head’s arrival spotted by Game team members who think he’s The Evil Dead’s reinforcements, so they decide to take him down before he can meet up with them. Bad idea.
Death Nell’s hiring of Death’s Head is initially somewhat disappointing because we immediately think it’s going to be a contract to take out Dragon but instead it’s for some other Game team that’s become an annoyance to The Evil Dead. That disappointment doesn’t last long. Then, when we catch up with Dragon’s Claws we see the beginnings of a new base of operations for them as the early pieces of a long-running comic series continue to be put in place.
It brings up the question of who is really running the show
With a new Headquarters cue the heroic Saturday morning cartoon-esque call to action! But not before Dragon and N.U.R.S.E.’s Stenson have had a bit of a barney. Stenson let’s it slip that the World Development Council has only just fully endorsed the team’s reactivation after last issue’s rescue of their ambassador, and Dragon isn’t happy as this is yet more evidence N.U.R.S.E. isn’t telling them the whole truth.
It brings up the question of who is really running the show. Just how corrupt are N.U.R.S.E. and the W.D.C. and is the former actually lying to the latter rather than being in cahoots? Dragon also starts to bring up what The High Father is meant to have told him after #2’s story but unfortunately he gets interrupted by Deller and the Claws have to leave for The ‘Pool.
Back up north Death’s Head is about to be sent in to wipe out the Jones’ Brothers team when we get a quick insight into one of the background plots we know Stenson is up to his perfectly tailored neck in. The inner thoughts of one of the Joneses laments the fact it’s come down to them killing each other, yet he knows they have no choice, that some “non-payment” will have been noticed and that they can expect retaliatory action soon. But from who?
As the fight nears his further thoughts confirm my suspicions. Despite being so heavily armed and more than capable of taking on The Evil Dead (of all people), he’s terrified of N.U.R.S.E.! This is because of how they came after the ‘Dead with Dragon’s Claws. It’s N.U.R.S.E. he’s meant to be paying. The conspiracies, back-stabbing and politics of this comic have got me hooked.
“Government enforcers, peace-keeping agents, bounty hunters – all mean the same thing, yes?”
Death’s Head
Deller, the jealous man who wants to take over the Claws from Dragon and a stooge of Stenson’s, knows a lot more than he’s letting on too as you can see above when he admits he’s hiding calls from Dragon’s wife, Tanya. He goes along with the team and as usual tries to take over the situation to further his own cause, until Dragon finally explodes at him about his so-called ’sources’ at N.U.R.S.E., just before they see a certain fan-favourite character for the first time.
I love this moment and at this point I actually changed my mind about Death’s Head being given a contract for Dragon, that would’ve been too predictable. As Death Nell helps the still-recovering Slaughterhouse out of their safe house to make a run for it, more plot points are established. He has some theory about the Claws’ role in recent events and by having both the Claws and Death’s Head out for the Jones’ Brothers they can be certain of success for now.
They leave to recruit new players and Slaughterhouse calls the Claws N.U.R.S.E.’s “little puppets” which leads nicely on to a verbal, rather than physical (to begin with anyway) confrontation between the Freelance Peace-Keeping Agent and Dragon. When Dragon saves him from the last of the brothers, Death’s Head isn’t happy and accuses him of wanting to split the bounty. Dragon explains he was trying to help and that they’re not bounty hunters but “legally appointment government agents”, after which is this interesting retort.
That’s Deller sneaking in at the bottom to take out Death’s Head from behind for no other reason than to stitch up Dragon. But this isn’t someone easily taken out, even from behind and he soon gets the upper hand, shooting Deller in the shoulder and grabbing Dragon by the throat, falling for the ruse that Dragon was allegedly keeping him talking while Deller tried to kill him.
Most interestingly here, after Death’s Head says the team “sure sound like assassins to me”, we see Mercy being told by a dying Jones brother that the Claws are being used by N.U.R.S.E. as their hired killers and she just doesn’t care! It seems she’s the most bloodthirsty of the team and I hope we get a chance to see her character develop, as I think this could put her at odds with the rest of them, in particular Dragon and the honourable Steel.
“Times like this, I’m glad I don’t have to explain myself to an accountant!”
Death’s Head
Back to the moment at hand. Steel and Digit attack Death’s Head, freeing Dragon before he orders them to back off and takes aim. The Peace-Keeping Agent mocks him, asking if he really thinks he can hurt him with such a little gun, and after I turned the page the answer to that is more shocking than I ever couldn’t imagined!
It seems his entrance on the last page of #4’s strip wasn’t the only moment we’d see inspired by the Terminator films. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see him in this state, that’s for sure! Even in the face of possible death though, both when blown up and when he’s about to get crushed on the next page, he’s still able to make quips. Moments like this are why I’ve been so looking forward to reading his own comic and it’s almost here. The hype is very real for me right now and I’m sure Marvel UK were hoping for that.
They tell the captured Game player that due to non-payment their entire family will be killed and he’ll be taken prisoner. Harsh.
He was to get a bit of a redesign for his own monthly, a fresh lick of paint after a few years circulating around other peoples’ comics and this sets that up nicely. It’s strange they didn’t take the opportunity to mention the new comic coming just one month from now anywhere within this issue though. Anyway, as usual the final page of the strip is left to hint at stories to come, with the final remaining Jones brother being taken before the real leader of N.U.R.S.E.
We don’t see this person other than in silhouette as they tell the captured Game player that due to non-payment their entire family will be killed and he’ll be taken prisoner. Harsh. Then the order is given to Stenson to do the same with Dragon’s family before they interfere with their plans, and that’s where it’s left. The letters page also looks to the future, not least by offering subscriptions, none of which would be completely fulfilled.
Some hints about the contents of future issues are dropped too and, just like when Havoc began answering readers’ queries there’s that heartbreaking realisation that all of this potential will come to a premature end. Let’s just hope we get some of it realised in the second half of the comic’s run (yes, we’re already halfway through). There’s so much promise here, between the development of Dragon himself and the slow burning story arcs. I just want to see where it all leads.
We began this read through comparing the first couple of issues to the best 80s action flicks, with some added characterisation for good measure. Dragon’s Claws has successfully emerged from the shadow of its big screen contemporaries to establish itself as an original, absorbing story with plenty of action, some good laughs and characters I already feel like I know pretty well. Not a small feat when it’s only five issues in.
This back page seems to combine more than one subplot too. Deller has been sent to eliminate Dragon’s family while Kurran has caught up with him at the exact same moment. Kurran is the man whose brother was killed by Dragon in #1, and who then found out Deller had paid his brother’s Wildcats team to take on Dragon, knowing they’d be outmatched. Who the woman is I have no idea yet. Questions to be answered and most likely many more to be asked in #6, then.
The release day of the next issue was a particularly exciting one and so it will be again on the OiNK Blog. There’ll be two real time read throughs published on the exact same day, for #5 of Dragon’s Claws and the premiere issue of the brand new Death’s Dead, the only issue I ever read as a child and one which I’m eager to reacquaint myself with after 35 years. So remember, remember to come back to the blog on Sunday 5th November 2023.
FOR DRAGON’S CLAWS:
iSSUE FOUR < > iSSUE SiX
FOR DEATH’S HEAD:
OiNK Blog 