Mark Hazzard: Merc

Mark Hazzard
Cover to Mark Hazzard: Merc #1 Art by Gray Morrow
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Mark Hazzard: Merc #1
Created by	Archie Goodwin
In-story information
Alter ego	Mark Hazzard
Abilities	West Point graduate Years of combat experience

Mark Hazzard: Merc was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics under their New Universe imprint. The series ran for twelve issues in 1986 and 1987, plus one Annual, which ended the series.

Fictional character biography

Backstory

Mark Hazzard's father was a career soldier who was very demanding of Mark; although Mark was generally very successful academically and as a football player, his father was perpetually disappointed in him for not being "the best." In high school, Mark met and fell in love with his future wife, Joan. After graduating from high school, he went to West Point, where he was a cadet officer. Fed up with his father's disapproval—notably his disapproval of Joan—Mark dropped out, got married, and enlisted in the United States Army. Hazzard spent three tours in Vietnam ironically enough discovering something at which he was, finally, among the best: combat. While "in country," Hazzard met his future accomplices Louis "Treetop" Barrington and Sgt. Major Peel. Returning home, Mark and Joan produced a son, Scotty, but Hazzard coundn't find work. Mark finally became a mercenary, then a mercenary commander. Under Hazzard's leadership, his mercenary crew tended to be more scrupulous than most in its choice of clients. Mark was happy, but his wife wasn't; she gave him an ultimatum, to choose between his life as a merc or their marriage.

The series

The series ran for 12 regular issues and one annual.

After their divorce, Joan married a lawyer named Gordon, who had a strained relationship with Hazzard. Jealous, Gordon arranged for Hazzard to be sent on a mission in Iran, expecting him to die. Hazzard was rescued by his merc crew, and then investigated his betrayal. Tracking it back to Gordon, Hazzard strangled him but not before Gordon was able to inflict an ultimately fatal injury on Hazzard. Taken to a hospital, Hazzard was removed from life support at Scottie's request; Scottie believed his father would prefer it that way.

An eight page special was printed in February 2006 as a backup story in Amazing Fantasy #18 as part of a Untold Tales of the New Universe event, which was created to commemorate The 20th Anniversary of The New Universe and would also serve as a preamble to Warren Ellis' newuniversal. It was written by Tony Lee with art by Leonard Kirk.

Mark's Shop

• Louis "Treetop" Barrington - Pilot during the Vietnam War.
• the Doc - South Vietnamese army field medic, after the war she moved to America.
• Lincoln "Stryker" Griffin - former Navy S.E.A.L., during the Vietnam War, now used his skills with Mark Hazzard.
• Sgt. Major Peel - a man who found himself in mercenary work after the Vietnam War. Hired Mark Hazzard to help teach Afghanistan insurgents to fight in 1980's
• The Priestess - a fourteen years old runaway whose life was saved by Mark Hazzard.
• Ritter - ex-Air Force who now used his skills for personal profit.
• Mal Rossi - Mark Hazzard's oldest and best friends, a New Zealander who couldn't deal with "regular" life, became alcoholic and lecherous, but was saved by Mark - who gave him a regular paying job using his combat skills.

Creators

Writers

• Peter David - Mark Hazzard: Merc #1-4 (November 1986-February 1987)
• Doug Murray - Mark Hazzard: Merc #5-12 (March 1987-October 1987); Mark Hazzard: Merc Annual #1 (1987)
• Tony Lee - Mark Hazzard: Merc Amazing Fantasy #18 (February 2006)

Art

• Gray Morrow - Mark Hazzard: Merc #1-2, 8, 10-11 (November 1986-December 1986, June 1987, August 1987-September 1987)
• Alan Kupperberg - Mark Hazzard: Merc #3-4 (January 1987-February 1987)
• Mark Beachum - Mark Hazzard: Merc #5 (March 1987)
• Vincent Giarranno - Mark Hazzard: Merc #6, 12 (April 1987, October 1987)
• Val Mayerik - Mark Hazzard: Merc #7 (May 1987)
• Andy Kubert - Mark Hazzard: Merc #9 (July 1987)
• Vincent Waller - Mark Hazzard: Merc Annual #1 (1987)
• Leonard Kirk - Mark Hazzard: Merc Amazing Fantasy #18 (February 2006)

References

• Merc at the Comic Book DB

External links

• Technohol webpage on Mark Hazzard: Merc