I thought Mac would've survived if Heather hadn't opened the door; that her showing up delayed him just enough that he wasn't able to finish disconnecting the power supply.  In my head if she didn't open the door, he'd have finished disconnecting the power pack and thrown just in the knick of time.

It's great how open to interprtation the scene is.

I thought Mac would've survived if Heather hadn't opened the door; that her showing up delayed him just enough that he wasn't able to finish disconnecting the power supply.

+++++++++++

"But it's still overheating. I may not..."

This was the first issue of AF I read, picked up at a 7-11 spinner rack on a camping trip in Virginia.  I was just looking for something to read.  It made quite an impression on me, to say the least.  I was just blown away by the story.  JB, you really know how to suck a reader in.  It didn't matter that I didn't know any of the characters, or their relationships with each other.  Everything was easily explained and made sense.  This issue became one of my favorite comics, one I read over and over again.

Many years later, this comic took on an all new meaning for me. I shared this issue with my wife one evening, several years ago.  She never read comics, but found the story to be interesting.  It prompted a discussion about death, and how it might feel to lose a spouse.  About a year later, my wife died unexpectedly, right in front of me.  I don't want to get ahead of the discussion here about JB's run on AF, but the issues immediately following this one remain close to my heart, as JB perfectly captured the shock, sadness, and grief one feels after a loss such as this in his portrayal of Mac's wife, Heather, and these issues played a significant role in my recovery from my own loss.  For that, JB, thank you.

I think JB depicts very convincing villains, who are sympathetic while still being wholly evil.

Also, I like that from Lex Luthor (Silver Age origin) to Doctor Doom to Jaxon, most villains lack the ability to take responsibility for their own actions and must blame others. It's interesting that Jaxon laments having lost all control and power over his life yet essentially surrenders it to the man who "ruined" him, rather than just accepting the loss. Good stuff.

"But it's still overheating, I may not..." 

To me, the "I may not" is what always left open the possibility of Mac getting out of the situation with his life, in typical super-heroic fashion. 

Sounds a lot more like Mac realizing that he "may not" be able to stop the pack from blowing.

And, seriously, can someone scan page 37? I've gotta know what panel 4 is supposed to be! It's been nagging at me for years!

Yeah...this blew my lil' brain away when I read it as a kid.

The bursts of violence and shock ending really impacted on me back in the day.

An effective and unforgettable story.