Issue Description

Bloodtype...Synth...Death Doll...the Lizard King--all formidable foes, all fought and defeated by Aztek. Now the Joker's hit Vanity on a short "vacation" from his activities in Gotham City, taking the Ultimate Man to the next level of mayhem! Batman cameo.

While the Joker is killing a bus-load of Vanity City citizens, the doctors at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital are dealing with Aztek and the desiccated body of Joy Page. In a private room, Aztek reveals his identity to Julia Frostick, who has already figured out his identity. Before Aztek can explain further, they get work of the Joker’s massacre. Aztek leaves in search of the Joker.

The Joker meets up with Fixit, where he scares the technologist into supplying the crown prince with whatever technology he needs. The Joker uses it to go after the “local supermuscle” Aztek.

Aztek meets up with the Vanity City P.D., where chief Perrier shows him the Joker’s attack sites all mark out an “A” on the map. Aztek searches the city, until he hears a ticking. Landing, Aztek meets the joker, who has at his feet dancing mechanical crickets. He triggers the crickets, which generate a hallucinogenic flash. Aztek shrugs off the hallucinations, and the Joker reveals that he has hidden these crickets all across Vanity City. Aztek rushes across the city to find them all.

Aztek tracks them all down, including one that is affecting Dr. Cleveden at St. Bartholomew’s. While at the hospital, Aztek hears that Vanity City P.D. has captured the Joker. Aztek arrives as the police are taking Joker away. Joker mentions that getting caught was “just the first part of my game.” Aztek, worried, heads off to the air, where me unexpectedly meets up with the Batman.

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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