The art was stunning. Let's start with that. Incredibly well done, and Medina brought something new to the table with Deathlok.

Now, I remember picking up that first Astonishing Tales issue with Deathlok by Moench and Buckler, and completely falling in love with the character, despite the often thin storyline. I always wished—and I still do—that someone would come along that really gets Deathlok and could finally write him the way he's always deserved.

While this collection approaches that, there's still too many issues for me to be happy with this incarnation.

I know Huston was completely going for over the top with the play-by-play commentary, and the entire war-as-a-spectator-sport thing, but it got old fairly quickly. As did the deleted cussing. If you're going to have the characters swear, then let them fucking swear, not ####### swear. It's irritating as hell to read.

But how about Deathlok? While it was an interesting take, it was still the same old story. Deathlok is created, then he remembers his wife and kid, and his new mission parameter is to get home. It's shown up in every damn incarnation of the character I've read from the Astonishing Tales debut to the horrible version in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Can't we get past that and give poor Luther Manning something else to fight for?

So, while I applaud Huston for building an entirely new world around Deathlok, in the end, it's still the same old same old.

There's some good elements in there, but not enough. This is still not the version of Deathlok I'm looking for. ( )