High Noon Tex: Difference between revisions
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|nextx={{TF|Wanted:_Galvatron_—_Dead_or_Alive!|»}} |
|nextx={{TF|Wanted:_Galvatron_—_Dead_or_Alive!|»}} |
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|image=High Noon Tex.jpg |
|image=High Noon Tex.jpg |
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|title="Death's Head!"<br>a.k.a. "High Noon Tex" |
|title="Death's Head!"<br>a.k.a. "High Noon Tex" |
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|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] |
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] |
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|published in=[[The Transformers issue 167]] |
|published in=[[The Transformers issue 167|''The Transformers'' issue 167]] |
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|date=21st May 1988 |
|date=21st May 1988 |
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|coverdate=28th May 1988 |
|coverdate=28th May 1988 |
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|colourist=[[Steve White]] |
|colourist=[[Steve White]] |
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}} |
}} |
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'''For every job that must be done, there's an element of fun...''' |
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==Synopsis== |
==Synopsis== |
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The door to [[Death's Head]]'s office is kicked off its hinges by [[Tex]], who is out for revenge on the <s>bounty hunter</s> freelance peacekeeping agent for killing his brother. To Death's Head, it was nothing but routine business – and since nobody's paying him to kill Tex, he can at least try and make fun out of his self preservation. |
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Instead of Death's Head, Tex finds himself confronted by a full-size replica filled with explosives. A speaker grille built into the bombs announces it is "High noon, Tex!" – and Death's Head hits the remote detonator switch from the safety of the street. The office explodes, and as Tex's hat sails through the air, Death's Head reflects that Tex would've laughed if he'd had a sense of humour. |
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==Featured characters== |
==Featured characters== |
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==Quotes== |
==Quotes== |
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"In my case, if I can't kill for '''profit,''' I at least have a '''laugh!'''" |
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:—'''Death's Head'''. |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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*After creating Death's Head for the ''Transformers'' story {{TF|Wanted:_Galvatron_—_Dead_or_Alive!|"Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!"}}, Simon Furman and [[Geoff Senior]] saw the potential in the character and wanted to retain ownership of him for adventures without the Transformers. The story goes that this was achieved by publishing "High Noon Tex" in any Marvel comic series that had the space for it in advance of his ''Transformers'' debut, thereby avoiding him falling under the blanket ownership of Hasbro. '''''But...''''' this story falls apart under scrutiny, as the earliest known printing of "High Noon Tex" was in May 1988, a whole ''year'' after "Wanted: Galvatron", and when the strip was reprinted in the Furman-curated Titan Books collection ''Fallen Angel'' (see [[#Reprints|below]]), Bryan Hitch's artist signature was quietly edited to remove the "88" date. We're not saying Simon Furman basically blagged his way into having Marvel retain the rights to Death's Head, but if he did, then it's a move that'd make the freelance peacekeeping agent proud. |
*After creating Death's Head for the ''Transformers'' story {{TF|Wanted:_Galvatron_—_Dead_or_Alive!|"Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!"}}, Simon Furman and [[Geoff Senior]] saw the potential in the character and wanted to retain ownership of him for adventures without the Transformers. The story goes that this was achieved by publishing "High Noon Tex" in any Marvel comic series that had the space for it in advance of his ''Transformers'' debut, thereby avoiding him falling under the blanket ownership of Hasbro. '''''But...''''' this story falls apart under scrutiny, as the earliest known printing of "High Noon Tex" was in May 1988, a whole ''year'' after "Wanted: Galvatron", and when the strip was reprinted in the Furman-curated Titan Books collection ''Fallen Angel'' (see [[#Reprints|below]]), Bryan Hitch's artist signature was quietly edited to remove the "88" date. We're not saying Simon Furman basically blagged his way into having Marvel retain the rights to Death's Head, but if he did, then it's a move that'd make the freelance peacekeeping agent proud. |
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*Even more scandalous is that this comic has never actually officially been titled "High Noon Tex", being advertised only as "Death's Head" by issue 167's Transformation and other reprints since. |
*Even more scandalous is that this comic has never actually officially been titled "High Noon Tex", being advertised only as "Death's Head" by issue 167's Transformation and other reprints since. |
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*The bullet points separating the names of the creative team are done up in the {{Marvel|Dragon's_Claws_Vol_1|Dragon's Claws}} style, as this |
*The bullet points separating the names of the creative team are done up in the {{Marvel|Dragon's_Claws_Vol_1|Dragon's Claws}} style, as this strip also served as promotion for that series' upcoming {{Marvel|Dragon's_Claws_Vol_1_1|first issue.}} |
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===Artwork and technical errors=== |
===Artwork and technical errors=== |
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[[Category:Death's Head comic stories]] |
[[Category:Death's Head comic stories]] |
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[[Category:The Transformers issue 167]] |
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Revision as of 16:06, 9 September 2023
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 What's good and bad and ugly all over? | ||||||||||||||||
| "Death's Head!" a.k.a. "High Noon Tex" | ||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | |||||||||||||||
| Published in | The Transformers issue 167 | |||||||||||||||
| First published | 21st May 1988 | |||||||||||||||
| Cover date | 28th May 1988 | |||||||||||||||
| Writer | Simon Furman | |||||||||||||||
| Artist | Bryan Hitch | |||||||||||||||
| Colourist | Steve White | |||||||||||||||
| Letterer | Zed | |||||||||||||||
For every job that must be done, there's an element of fun...
Synopsis
The door to Death's Head's office is kicked off its hinges by Tex, who is out for revenge on the bounty hunter freelance peacekeeping agent for killing his brother. To Death's Head, it was nothing but routine business – and since nobody's paying him to kill Tex, he can at least try and make fun out of his self preservation.
Instead of Death's Head, Tex finds himself confronted by a full-size replica filled with explosives. A speaker grille built into the bombs announces it is "High noon, Tex!" – and Death's Head hits the remote detonator switch from the safety of the street. The office explodes, and as Tex's hat sails through the air, Death's Head reflects that Tex would've laughed if he'd had a sense of humour.
Featured characters
Quotes
"In my case, if I can't kill for profit, I at least have a laugh!"
- —Death's Head.
Notes
 |
 |
- After creating Death's Head for the Transformers story "Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!"
, Simon Furman and Geoff Senior saw the potential in the character and wanted to retain ownership of him for adventures without the Transformers. The story goes that this was achieved by publishing "High Noon Tex" in any Marvel comic series that had the space for it in advance of his Transformers debut, thereby avoiding him falling under the blanket ownership of Hasbro. But... this story falls apart under scrutiny, as the earliest known printing of "High Noon Tex" was in May 1988, a whole year after "Wanted: Galvatron", and when the strip was reprinted in the Furman-curated Titan Books collection Fallen Angel (see below), Bryan Hitch's artist signature was quietly edited to remove the "88" date. We're not saying Simon Furman basically blagged his way into having Marvel retain the rights to Death's Head, but if he did, then it's a move that'd make the freelance peacekeeping agent proud. - Even more scandalous is that this comic has never actually officially been titled "High Noon Tex", being advertised only as "Death's Head" by issue 167's Transformation and other reprints since.
- The bullet points separating the names of the creative team are done up in the Dragon's Claws
style, as this strip also served as promotion for that series' upcoming first issue.
Artwork and technical errors
Continuity errors
- So does Death's Head have a lot of full-size dummy replicas hanging around or...?
Continuity notes
- No time frame or location is given during this story, but later stories featuring Death's Head would place it more concretely in continuity:
- In The Incomplete Death's Head issue 1, Death's Head considers the events of this story as one of his earliest memories, learning the tricks of the trade on Scarvix.
- In the comic story "Death's Head Revisited", D.H. gives the address of his office as being on the third floor of the Lang Building.
- In The Incomplete Death's Head issue 12, the Doctor admits to sending Death's Head into the "robot universe", meaning that – although we didn't know it when "High Noon Tex" was first published – this story takes place in a world without the Transformers, in which Death's Head is only about seven feet tall rather than his usual 30.
- In The Incomplete Death's Head issue 1,
Real-life references
- "High noon" is an idiom referring to an pre-arranged time to meet one's nemesis, originating from cowboy times (and popularised by cowboy movies).
- Death's Head's office, meanwhile, owes more to private investigator cliches.
- D.H. shares a building with the offices of Marvel Comics Ltd, which is a floor or two below him.
Reprints
(As an in-house Marvel UK ad, it is likely impossible to list all the times this page was reprinted.)
