Issue Description

The excitement continues for Aztek, the newest hero of the DC Universe, as Green Lantern guest-stars! Everyone in Vanity is wondering about the city's mysterious new adventurer, Aztek, especially the underworld bosses who run the city. Anxious to nip this troublesome hero in the bud, the gangs deploy their own metahuman to deal with Aztek. And if that wasn't enough, Major Force hits town, demanding a piece of the action.

With Bloodtype dead, criminals try to rob one of Vanity City’s banks. They are stopped by Major Force, who kills three of the four robbers. He leaves a message for the fourth to carry to the Vanity City underworld: he wants in. The crime bosses call in Synth to arrange a meeting, after Synth is to dispose of Mindy Falconer.

At St. Batholomew’s Hospital, Aztek is trying to adjust to his role as Dr. Curt Falconer. While there, he neatly avoids supervisor Julia Frostick while unknowingly making a date with nurse Joy Page. Aztek takes to the skies, continuing his search for college student Mindy Falconer.

Meanwhile, the appearance of Major Force in Vanity City draws Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. Rayner is still after Major Force after the major killed Rayner’s girlfriend Alexandra DeWitt. Rayner meets with the Vanity City P.D., who believes Major Force to be dead. Rayner decides to continue to investigate, and heads off to find either Major Force, or Vanity City’s newest hero Aztek.

Rayner finds Aztek, and encases him in a plasma bubble. Aztek escapes the bubble, and somehow manages to take Rayner’s power ring. Aztek offers it back if they could act as friends, not enemies. Rayner agrees, and gets his ring back. Aztek asks Rayner to come with him to help find Mindy Falconer.

They find Mindy Falconer, but she is now allies with Major Force. Aztek and Rayner continue to spy, and find out that Major Force is not actually Major Force, but rather a shape-changing Synth. Synth and Mindy have decided to take over the Vanity City criminal underworld, and have set up this ambush. We find out Synth had the ability to be either super-intelligent or super-idiotic every other day.

Aztek, Rayner, and the Vanity City P.D. break in, and subdue the villains. During the fight, Synth’s super-IQ turns off, and he accidentally shoots Mindy Falconer through the heart. Aztek and Green Lantern part as friends, and the Vanity Press name their new super-hero Aztek.

Aztek: The Ultimate Man (1996)

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

Aztek: The Ultimate Man was the brainchild of writers Mark Millar and Grant Morrison and artist N. Steven Harris. The ongoing series was designed to debut a new hero of the DC universe. The series followed the anti-hero Aztek; a hero whose big picture mission meant he took unusual solutions to solving the small problems. Aztek: The Ultimate Man featured an unusual city, unusual villains, and the supporting cast of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.
 
Throughout its run, Aztek: The Ultimate Man had counted Millar and Morrison as its writers, and Harris and Keith Champagne as its artists. Famous DC cover artist Steve Lightle lent his pen to the majority of covers of the series.
 
While Aztek: The Ultimate Man was a critical success (it was rated one of the top 10 books of 1996 by Wizard Magazine), it was not a commercial one, and Aztek: The Ultimate Man was cancelled after ten issues. With its cancellation imminent, Aztek creator Morrison brought Aztek into one of the other comics he penned at the time: JLA. The final issue of Aztek has the titular hero joining the Justice League.
 
Over the years, we would never go back to get a glimpse of Vanity City, and Aztek would eventually die at the end of Grant Morrison’s run on JLA, in issue #41. 
  Collections and Reprints The entire series is collected in the JLA Presents: Aztek: The Ultimate Man trade paperback (2008)

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