This issue features the fourth and final Missing Man story from the 1980s, the 18-page "Am I Maro, Roma, or Raem?", scripted by Robin Snyder. Security consultant Syd Mane happens to be on-hand when a conflicted half-robotic man attacks the offices and computers of Mr. Wrds, which Syd manages to minimize both as the Missing Man and as himself, fighting the attacker and using his computer skills to prevent a programming contradiction that threatens the integrity of the data in the computers. The half-robot turns out to be a former employee of Wrds, Raem Lanet, who has been in an accident which destroyed half his body and introduced a contradiction in his mind, and Syd has to see if he can be stopped and if he can be saved.
A nice little story, I think my favourite of the Missing Man tales, with a nice integration of Ditko's favourite philosophical themes (with a nod to Aristotle and the Law of Identity) with a solid action story with a lot of clever visuals, including Missing Man's design and a very effective use of close-ups and lettering effects in the climax.
All the original Missing Man material was reprinted with some revisions (adding some shading for the black and white reprint) and some new stories in the
still available 1999 collection.
I loved the look (or non-look) of the Missing Man and would have liked to see Ditko do more stories with the character.
ReplyDeleteNick C.
Ha! I can think of lots of people who might write a story about a man split into a thinking, unfeeling, robot half, and an emotional, human half... but only Ditko would make the robot the good half! (Not that he's necessarily wrong...)
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