Astonishing Tales #36
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAstonishing Tales #36 is the final issue of a six-year Marvel anthology run and closes out the first—and, at the time, only—extended solo series for Deathlok the Demolisher, Rich Buckler's dystopian cyborg creation who predated the RoboCop archetype by more than a decade. The issue marks the first appearance of Godwulf, the enigmatic time-manipulating ally whose transportation of Deathlok into Earth-616's present tense would fuel the character's subsequent guest appearances across multiple titles and keep the franchise alive despite the cancellation. Because the intended follow-up issue (#37) was already completed when Marvel pulled the plug, this book ends mid-story—a cliffhanger conclusion that forced Marvel to resolve the narrative nine months later in Marvel Spotlight #33, making #36 an object lesson in Bronze Age publishing turbulence and the precarious commercial position of creator-driven genre experiments at 1970s Marvel.
"Confessions of a Demolished Man!" in Astonishing Tales #36 (1976) delivers a gripping, introspective tale from Gene Colan and Rich Buckler, with inks by Steve Leialoha and Keith Pollard. The story unfolds through the fractured memories of a man haunted by his past, set against the moody, atmospheric artwork that defines the era. Cover by Rich Buckler captures the issue’s brooding tone with stark, dramatic lines.
In the aftermath of a collapsed world, Deathlok—caught in a mission deep beneath the earth—encounters the enigmatic Godwulf, who abruptly transports him away. The sudden disappearance triggers a chain reaction: the CIA, believing Deathlok dead, halts the transcripts tracking his actions, and with them, the operation led by Teresa Devereaux comes to an end.
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Bill Mantlo had scripted issues #32–35, but for this finale Rich Buckler stepped back in as solo writer-penciler-cover artist, with Keith Pollard on inks and Marv Wolfman as editor of record—the third editor the feature had cycled through after Roy Thomas and Len Wein. The title was cancelled abruptly alongside Amazing Adventures and Jungle Action, which editorial regarded as Marvel's lowest-selling books at the time, with the decision arriving so suddenly that the completed pages for issue #37 were shelved rather than published. Buckler later stated in interviews that he had experienced significant creative interference in the feature's later issues, including pressure to integrate Deathlok more deeply into the shared Marvel Universe against his original vision of a self-contained future-world narrative.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Final issue of Astonishing Tales (vol. 1), which ran 36 issues from 1970 to 1976; cover-dated July 1976, released April 13, 1976.
- First appearance of Godwulf, the primitive-looking but cybernetically enhanced time-manipulator who transports Deathlok out of Earth-7484 in the closing pages, setting up all subsequent Luther Manning storylines.
- Rich Buckler served as sole writer, penciler, and cover artist—his only scripting credit on the Deathlok run, as Bill Mantlo had written the previous four issues (#32–35).
- Keith Pollard inked Buckler's pencils; Marv Wolfman was the editor of record, the third editor the feature had under its belt.
- Issue #37 was fully completed at the time of cancellation (evidenced by a photostat reproduced in Marvel Masterworks: Deathlok Vol. 1); its story and cover were eventually published in Marvel Spotlight #33 (April 1977).
- The issue was released in two cover-price variants: the standard 25-cent edition and a 30-cent edition (both variants exist for this final issue, as they did for #35).
- Story titles within the issue are 'Confessions of a Demolished Man!' and 'What To Do After the Apocalypse!' / 'The Godwulf Principle!'; the plot involves Deathlok battling a radioactive Luther Manning clone created by Hellinger before Godwulf intercepts and displaces him.
- The entire original Deathlok run including this issue was collected in Marvel Masterworks: Deathlok Vol. 1 (November 2009) and Deathlok the Demolisher: The Complete Collection (2014).
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↩ Reprints [Marvel Hostess Ads] #8 (1976)
Reprinted in Frankenstein #13 (1979), Star Wars Weekly #115 (1980), Star Wars Weekly #116 (1980), Star Wars Weekly #117 (1980), Biblioteca Marvel: Deathlok #[nn] (2003), Marvel Masterworks: Deathlok #1 (2009), Deathlok the Demolisher: The Complete Collection #[nn] (2014), A Coleção Oficial de Graphic Novels Marvel: Clássicos #31 (2017), Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов #134 (2018)
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