Mark Hazzard MERC #2 - Video Review by 80s Comics

Welcome back to 80s comics. You know what they say, the new universe from Marvel is terrible. And for the most part that's true. It's awful. Except Mark Hazzard MERC. Mark Hazzard MERC is very good. And we're going to check out issue number two. Enjoy. Welcome back to 80s comics for the review of Mark Hazzard MERC issue number two from 1986. Now this is a cover that draws you in when the other team starts mouthing off.

Don't take it Hire Mark Hazzard MERC That's not exactly what happens but we meet the three teammates here, the three members of the merry band of mercenaries from the first issue, Mark Hazzard, Mal Rossi, and Louis Treetop Barrington. He's the pilot. And these two are just maniacs. In fact they're all maniacs. And here's the creative team. The artwork in Mark Hazzard MERC is very cool. This is really unusual. It's gritty. If you like The Punisher you're gonna love this one.

Actually this is a pretty good issue. This is better than I expected from issue two. I thought issue one was good but it left some room for improvement. This one is solid and it's intense. And Mark's not a very nice guy. Chain smoking, has very little respect for life, beats the crap out of somebody within the first couple pages for basically just wanting his boombox back. We get a sweet laser tag ad. Here's the deal. We learn in the first issue that Mark Hazzard is divorced. He's got a 12 year old son.

His ex wife Joan doesn't really like him very much. His ex wife's new husband hates his guts. In fact he hates him so much he hires this guy to kill him. He's fairly insecure it would seem. So they're gonna try to assassinate Mark Hazzard at his kids' little league game. That's the entire issue. I love that he's drinking whiskey while playing with his guns, figuring out which guns he's gonna take to the game. He actually chooses no guns. He goes unarmed.

And without giving away the ending he does not leave unarmed. I'll just say that. The gritty art style compliments the writing nicely and the storytelling and storyboarding is really good too. I like this part where Mark Hazzard is one of these jerk dads who's very upset that the coach isn't playing his son Scott. So he just stares him down until he does play. Until he does play him. It's the kind of guy he is. And of course Mark Hazzard is a professional mercenary. So he notices this guy who doesn't belong there that his ex wife's husband hired to kill him.

or one of his goons tries to shoot him in the bathroom but Mark Hazzard is prepared. Also he's a bad role model. He's chain smoking in front of the children.

and he starts shooting people. But to be fair they were shooting at him first. Mark Hazzard MERC issue two has a nod to Rambo and also it feels a lot like Lethal Weapon. It's got a Lethal Weapon vibe to it. Mark Hazzard really just doesn't care. He's gonna get the job done one way or another.

We think his wife still has feelings for him. It's funny, I wouldn't necessarily classify Mark Hazzard MERC as a kid's comic, what with all of the violence, assassination, and whiskey drinking while loading weapons and chain smoking, but apparently Gumby does. So I'm gonna take away from that that Gumby's into all that stuff, which is pretty cool. So Mark Hazzard MERC issue number two, recommended by 80s comics. This series is better than you might expect. The art style's cool. If you like The Punisher, if you like G I Joe, I think you'll enjoy Mark Hazzard MERC.

And that is a fun cover. Just Ah the 80s.