Steve (From down Under)

One of my Faveorite Able Team Books, Not really a great story, not bad, but run away action, simple escapism. Haven't read a Able Team Book in years, but this is one of the first I think of, It also signaled the beginning of Carl becoming IronMan, more of the Pycho warrior and less of the LAPD Cop.

The Begining, The Executioner, tough but still with a heart, is such a big character, Still enjoy the first dozen stories, because each is like a jigsaw they fit together to form the bigger picture. And "War against the Mafia" is the raw beginnings, Mack makes more mistakes in one story than in the bulk of the rest of the series (1-38) Having just watched the "Punisher(04)" I had repeatedly said rip off! If I looked hard enough I can see where the few good parts had origins in the Executioner Series, the parallels between Mack torching the Loan Slips and the raining money scene are very good example. As repeatedly stated in other reviews not perfect, but as the Start, it would be nearly impossible to improve, because part of the charm of the series was the character growth.

Blitz This one has it all, the speed, the fury of a Bolan Blitz. "Tell them I'm here.... Tell them somebody knows why!" Could have made a signature phrase to equal Arnies "I'll be back!" Action, emotion, a plenty. DP uses Johnny & Val as the perfect foil, this is one of the few where it is really personal, most times Mack is a in control soldier on a mission, but here it is so personal. And the rage is unleashed. Probably my absolute favorite, scene from any Bolan book is the confrontation with the hoods in the car who just left him the 'turkeys' RAW.

The Death Squad, picked it up by accident, was looking for westerns, loved the characters, espaecially Gunsmoke Harrington. Took a few more books to get me hooked, but have collected all of the Mafia wars, and all the original Stony Man issues, proves it worked. Love most of the first 38 but this is still one of the best, I've re-read it probably seven or eight times. Don teased with the squad, as most of the reviews have stated a few more stories would have been good, but I think the real hook is that characters that really didn't get that much time, are so missed. "Dirty War" tried but didn't quite capture the same magic.