Book Review: The Executioner #342 Double Play

            This book started out like the typical Mack the Bastard storyline from the mafia wars days.

            After the seduction and assassination of Chicago's Lieutenant Chief of Police by a beautiful assassin, Hal Bragnola enlists the Executioner to hunt down the Elements of Death a mostly female carde of assassins not unlike the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad branded by Quentin Tarantino.

            In order to get close to the ring of female assassins, Bolan, posing as the arms dealer, Frankie Lamb goes into a safe house for the mob and assorted criminals. However, the assassins suspect that he's not who he claims and when they turn on him, Bolan has no choice but to kill his target. Part of the plan was to capture and replace the assassin with a decoy from the FBI. Bolan is reluctant, but Brognola informs him that he's already taken the initiative and recruited the Fed.

            The Elements of Death see through this plan before it even gets off the ground and they don't fall for Agent Maddy Tighe's disguise, no mater how vicious she's become.

            After their first hit on a drug and arms shipment, Bolan and Tighe draw the attention of the Elements of Death and Columbian smugglers. Seeking backup they fall back to a safe house manned by Stony Man armorer "Cowboy" Kissinger and Phoenix Force Sniper Gary Manning.

            While I've been disappointed by past "team ups", Manning and Kissinger are there to play ball. They get plenty of action without stealing the spotlight from the title character and while they are special operators at the top of their game, we're still reminded why its Mack Bolan who's earned the moniker, "the Executioner"

            Once they've brought the full wrath or the Elements of Death, things turn truly Apocalyptic with helicopter gunships raining down fire, Greenriver mercenaries descending on the battlefield, and the Elements' deomlitionist popping of grenades from an M-203 launcher at everything that moves.

            Given the level of aggression and resourcefulness of the Elements, it becomes evident that these are some of the toughest and most organized foes that Bolan has ever faced, even with the Stony Man backup. None of them get out unscathed.

            There are also some cameo appearances from the rest of the Phoenix force team when they show up to escort an informant and narrowly save her from an assassination attempt.

            It's especially poignant that this campaign takes place on the streets of Chicago where the author reminds us that the Windy City has some of the most oppressive firearms laws in the United States. In this story the villains are funding arms shipments into the city to drum up support for their anti-gun politician.  The master mind is angling to get promoted to Governor of Illinois through assassinations and political pressuring. He flat out says, "gun owning civilians are only one step above the criminals." I can't think of a more believable villain that the kind we as civilians face every day. Men who desire to steal our rights, while telling us it's for our own good.