The Further Adventures of U.S. 1, Part 4

Noel

THIS IS THE LAST ONE, I SWEAR.

Unless a few more appearances accumulate in the future, in which case, I'll be back.


Ghost Rider #34 "Trials and Tribulations, Part 2: On the Road Again"

According to the "previously on" page at the start of the issue (which I'm so glad Marvel started using instead of Jim Shooter's annoying insistence on cramming recaps into each story itself, as chronicled in previous posts) the angel Zadkiel, the one truly responsible for turning Johnny Blaze into Ghost Rider, tricked Blaze's brother, Danny Ketch, into gathering the power of Ghost Riders from around the world, which the Angel used to conquer Heaven. Wow, I've missed some big happenings in Marvel.

The Further Adventures of U.S. 1, Part 3

Noel


The Sensational She-Hulk #44 "Cognito"

Our last issue brought up mention of the Asparagus People, and when I vaguely recalled them being a thing from Byrne and Chris Claremont's time on X-Men, Al Lobama commented that they were the inhabitants of the world Dark Phoenix destroyed. Byrne goes a few steps further, not only recounting Dark Phoenix and what she did, but going all the way back to Avengers #4, where Captain America first woke up, found the Avengers turned into stone statues, and encountered an Asparagus Person (actual name, the D'Bari) who'd been stranded on Earth for thousands of years, and whose green sprout head and petrification ray gun formed the basis for the Medusa myth.

The Further Adventures of U.S. 1, Part 2

Noel


The Sensational She-Hulk #39 "Date Worse Than Death"

Almost three years have passed in the publishing world since where we left off. Again, having not read this series before, I don't know what all has gone on in Jennifer "She-Hulk" Walters' life between then and here, but she's now in a relationship with Wyatt Wingfoot, the old college roomie of Johnny "The Human Torch" Storm. Having reached mid-1980 (where Byrne's infamous run is about to begin) in my read-thru of the Fantastic Four, I'm thrilled to see Wyatt here as he's always been a favorite.

The Further Adventures of U.S. 1, Part 1

Noel

And you thought we were done with U.S. 1, didn't you! DIDN'T YOU! BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-oh lord what have we unleashed this day....


The Sensational She-Hulk #4 "Tall Dis-Order"

Let me state up front that, while it's a book I've always been curious to check out, I've never read any of John Byrne's She-Hulk before, so I'm diving into this without any knowledge of prior established threads or characters. But these aren't going to be full reviews anyways, focusing more solely on the aspects that somehow feature the leads from U.S. 1. Which will only be referred to as U.S. Archer in titles from this point, as the numeric is part of the deal they had with TYCO, which had since expired.

U.S. 1 - Final Thoughts

Tony

My first draft for this post simply read "It sucked." But this is a final thoughts piece, so I grabbed my trusty thesaurus and set about finding how many different ways I could express this particular sentiment without being too redundant. Let's see how I did.

U.S. 1 - The Toyline

For additional information on this line, as well as photos, please visit the TYCO U.S. 1 Trucking fansite.

Tony

The late 70s and early 80s saw a resurgence in the popularity of semis and large trucks, and naturally, toy companies tried to cash in. Companies like Tonka, Nylint, and Buddy L filled toy shelves with large, well made metal trucks of all types, and kids snatched them up just as fast as they could make them. TYCO clearly wanted in on the big rig fad, and thus U.S. 1 was born. But if you were hoping to pick up your very own Wide-Load Annie action figure on eBay (Noel), I've got bad news for you. While, in true 80s fashion, Marvel's U.S. 1 was based on a toy line, that line didn't really have a "concept". There was no U.S. Archer, no Highywayman, no alien invaders, or old greedy white bankers. There were electric truck sets and
their various accessories. That's it.

U.S. 1, issues 11 & 12

Issue 11 "Transmissions from Space"

Ulysses stares, stunned at his revealed, raging brother, who turns violent when he sees the aliens arriving. They pull Jeff off Ulysses with a tractor beam and haul both drivers and bigrigs into the air with promises to explain once they're back at the Short Stop.

At the diner, our supporting cast is still reeling from events, surrounded by the statues of the hypno-frozen truckers and Nazis in mid-grapple. When the hero and villain arrive, everyone is equally stunned at the revelation of Jeff as the primary alien joins everyone on the ground. He lifts the hypno freeze off of the others, zapping Baron von Blimp and his Nazis away as the truckers leave, blaming the ill effects on bad food, which is quickly pounced on by LeGreed and his fellow bankers as they get the truckers to start spreading word against the Short Stop.

U.S. 1, issue 10 "Good Man in the Clutch"

The Highwayman continues to gloat before the shocked cast of the Short Stop. Ulysses first tries to attack him with Midnight's whip, then the mind-controlled U.S. 1, but both prove ineffective, especially as the Highwayman also has a psychic link with his jet black semi. Ulysses demands to know what happened to his brother, Jeff, but just before the Highwayman can respond, Baron von Blimp swings out of his zeppelin on a rope ladder, sword between his teeth, as he personally joins the fight. Only to slip off a rung and hit the ground. As everyone looks down on him, he spots a shadow in the sky as a large flying saucer drops down and hovers over the Short Stop, the aliens within debating the outcome of the pending battle.

The Highwayman recognizes the aliens and bolts to his truck, with Ulysses hopping into U.S. 1 and roaring on his tail. Not only is the Highwayman outmaneuvering him, but every trick and gadget Ulysses has up his sleeve is deflected by the Highwayman's superior technology: tire spikes hit impenetrable wheels, heat-seeking missiles hit an electromagnetic force field, an oil slick dodged as the enemy semi casually lifts into the air and flies.

U.S. 1, issue 9 "Big Mack Attack"

Our heroes continue to gape at Midnight, who stands over the lifeless body of Taryn and gloats at how she caused these friends to turn on one another. As a few civilians walk out of the Short Stop, U.S. shoves them into Midnight, sending everyone into the pool of oil*, where a big free-for-all brawl breaks out, during which Midnight's whip accidentally cracks into Taryn, the electric shock bringing the dead woman back to life. She joins the brawl.

[* Which was thoroughly spread and established in the previous ish --Know-It-All Noel!]

U.S. 1, issue 8 "Heart-Brakes"

Poppa Wheelie and Retread are running like hell as the cab of U.S. 1 roars down the road behind them. No matter where they turn, it sticks to their heels, and just as it's about to run them down, pulls a dime stop with the help of a grappling hook. U.S. pops out of the cab, thrilled at how even more finely tuned and responsive the controls have become now that his CB skull has formed a link with U.S. 1's computers.

U.S. 1, issue 7 "Semi-Intelligence"

Ulysses arrives back home at the Short Stop, collecting the payment for his haul and turning the money over to Poppa Wheelie, with apologies for not doing his part to keep their home running. When LeGreed shows up again with police, everyone's worried Wideload will start another fight, but unknown to everyone else, she's still under the hypnotic trance of Midnight and instead calmly apologizes. LeGreed begrudgingly accepts the mortgage payment and decides to drop all charges, but leaves with a warning that he'll still gladly foreclose should payments slip behind again.

U.S. 1, issue 6 "Iron Mike, King of the Bike"

As U.S. pulls up to the Short Stop, he's greeted by the familiar sight of someone being flung through the window. Only instead of a brawl, the man is banker Phil LeGreed, who's threatening to foreclose on the property to a fuming Wideload Annie. As the man flees, U.S. and Retread overhear as Poppa Wheelie and Wideload talk about their financial woes, having put all their money into U.S.'s medical bills and retrofitting U.S. 1 in his battle against the Highwayman. U.S. is furious at himself for having overlooked their sacrifice, and admits it's time to set his journey aside for a bit.

LeGreed returns with a squad of cops, insisting assault charges be pressed against Wideload. Another actual bar brawl breaks out, with neither the patrons nor the cops wanting to see the beloved Annie in cuffs, and she's rushed off to join U.S. in his wonder truck. Retread tries to tag along, too, but falls behind in the fracas.

U.S. 1, issue 5 "Amazed"

As the Baron and his Blimp limp away from the last issue in fuming defeat, U.S. and Retread complete their haul of Finger Lickin' Chicken to Colonel Chicken, who surprises both by revealing they've lost the race. Seems Taryn O'Connor worked her way into the race as a secret contender, which has U.S. crying foul as she and he start chewing away at one another. It's decided to add another leg to the race between the two trucks, this time delivering diced chicken parts to the company's distributor.

Things start off with a hitch as Taryn finds her distributor wire disconnected, and blaming the sabotage on U.S., she pulls ahead of him and tricks him down a faux detour. Things take an unexpected turn for U.S. and Retread, as they find rocks plummeting from the sky, glaciers sliding into their path, dust devils and flames and all sorts of nasty things they just barely scrape past by the skin of their teeth. Their CB's been jammed, so U.S. connects to a weather satellite where he discovers they're in a maze, with each sector containing its own natural disaster for them to face.

U.S. 1, issue 4 "Hot Air and Chicken Feathers"

After using his metal skull to break up yet another bar brawl at the Short Stop, U.S. Archer is shocked to see a giant dirigible descending over the establishment. Within is the rotund and flamboyantly European Baron Von Blimp, who has heard of U.S.'s wonder truck and, with a slap of his glove across the young man's cheek, challenges him to a competition: blimp vs. semi.

The Baron says he wants to once again establish the dominance of dirigibles as haulers of loads across the country, but U.S. is suspicious, wondering if this is the same blimp which attacked him during his last battle with the Highwaymay. He agrees to the competition, hoping it'll ferret his foe out.

U.S. 1, issue 3 "Rhyme of the Ancient Highwayman"

On a ridge in the fiery pits of Hell, U.S. and his truck are being battered mercilessly by the Highwayman and Midnight. U.S. shoots up in his bed, crying out. Poppa Wheelie, Wide-Load Annie, and Mary McGrill are quickly at his side, comforting him until he can clean up and join them at the Short Stop counter for a cup of coffee. As they fill Mary in on the events of the first issue, an old trucker at the end of the counter locks onto their mention of the Highwayman, and tells them a story he heard long ago. Back when semi-trucking began in the 1910s, one rider quickly rose out of the then meager ranks as the top of the pack. As the years went by and he and his truck grew older, they found themselves left behind by the emerging industry. He scoured the world, seeking mystical figures who could restore his youth (cameos from the Ancient One and Genghis) ultimately selling his soul to a dark spectre (implied but not confirmed to be Mephisto). "Now he travels the road at night, hunting for souls to send his evil master."

U.S. 1, issue 2 "After Midnight"

A big goon rolls into the Short Stop and starts roughing up the place. Poppa Wheelie, Wide-Load Annie, and their clientele hit him with everything they've got - fists, furniture, skillets - and when Ulysses Solomon Archer arrives, even he has trouble landing a blow that means anything. Until the goon injures his hand on U.S.'s steel skull, which the young man starts swinging around in a series of headbutts that sends the goon fleeing. As he stumbles to his truck, the goon is confronted by Midnight, a costumed villain in the payroll of the Highwayman. She used her hypno-whip to gain control over the goon and send him to learn what he could about how U.S. fights. This done, she sends the dazed goon on his way as she slips into the shadows and sheds her disguise.

U.S. 1, issue 1 "U.S. 1, Comin' At Ya"

We open as the bright red and blue big-rig U.S. 1 races past Ed "Poppa Wheelie" Wheeler, a retired drag racer who runs the Short Stop rest stop for truckers. Poppa turns to us and tells the story of U.S. 1's driver, Ulysses Solomon Archer.