Issue - 6-8
Title - Guns, Gems, Robots and Terrorists
Writer - Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti(6-7), Zeb Wells(7-8)
Art - Al Rio
Summary:
Billy, a young boy, hires Heroes for Hire to find his robot friend who has been kidnapped by super-villains. Humbug is given the assignment under protest. Travelling to the boy's hideout, Humbug discovers that Billy's robot Vic is in fact a malfunctioning Doombot. The super-villain group called Headmen has reprogrammed the Doombot to serve them. The villains capture Humbug and remove his head in order to give the body to one of their members. Eventually Orka and Shang-Chi rescue him, though the Doombot kills Orka. Blinded by rage, Shang-Chi mercilessly retaliates against the Headmen and destroys the Doombot.
Comments:
I've never been into Heroes for Hire in any of its incarnations. This 3 issue arc hasn't piqued my interest either. The tone of the comic somewhat humorous, but in a Die Hard, Lethal Weapon kind of way. A lot of jokes are borderline PG-13 / R if you ask me. The Doombot dialogue is funny. I suppose if you are looking for a fun, not so serious story with an edge, this will be your thing. Considering that a malfunctioning Doombot also showed up in the pages of Punisher War Journal the same month, one has wonder what was with that? Coincidence? I guess now one can make the argument that they are probably one and the same. As funny as the story is at times, unless Doombots is your thing...Bottom Line: * out of 5
Notes:
The exo-suit technology that Heroes for Hire come across was exported from Latveria. Perhaps this is a left over pipeline from when Lucia von Bardas was funding super-villains? See Secret War
Another malfunctioning Doombot appeared in Punisher War Journal 4, possibly the same one. If this were the case, the events in Punisher War Journal would precede those in Heroes for Hire.
Collected in Heroes for Hire
Volume 2: Ahead of the Curve
