There's no doubting the imaginations that made David Michelinie and Bob Layton such successful figures in comics in their heyday. It's clear that they've put a lot of thought into the world in which Mac Flint lives and the people who surround him. The problem here is that the extensive nature of that background is rather overwhelming so early on in the title; in other words, there are way too many characters being thrown at the reader all at once. But the flip side of this issue is the flashback that allows the reader to get to know the main character so well.
The staff at Flint Technologies have been hard at work since the fiasco of the first test run of the human-computer mind transfer, and for good reason, since their boss -- the disabled Mac Flint -- is anxious to take another shot at the project. In the process, he hopes to achieve a lifelong dream: independence and feeling. Meanwhile, a competitor has set his sights on Flint's genius, and he's dispatched an agent named Sirocco to take it, all decked out in a special suit of armor.
Bob McLeod takes over on the pencilling side of things, but the overall look of the book is consistent since former penciller Dick Giordano is now on inks. His design for the robotic body depicted on the cover has a charming retro look, but ultimately, it's not that convincing. The Sirocco armor, on the other hand, boasts a more plausible look. McLeod's and Giordano's simple styles are in keeping with the kids-friendly atmosphere of the book, but it seems to me that tht tech-oriented nature of the plot calls for some sleeker designs and linework.
Layton and Michelinie have achieved an excellent balance between achievement and disability in their protagonist, but then again, I'm a prime audience when it comes to a character like this. I have a younger brother who has cerebral palsy and is, for the most part, confined to an electric wheelchair. He's a law professor and is on a tenure track... in his mid-20s. He's the same age as most of his students, and his background is one of academic excellence. And I know he'd give anything for a chance to play a game of one-on-one hoops. In the first issue, I saw Mac Flint is little more than a cookie-cutter, one-dimensional Stephen Hawking knockoff, but here, there's a lot more to him.
Unfortunately, the writers stretch the disability a bit too far. They would have us believe that Mac not only lacks mobility, but lacks emotion, for the most part. It takes the disability out of realm of the believable and into the fantastic. Which is too bad, because I needed that fragile humanity to balance the sci-fi side of the story.
