Child's Play
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"Child's Play" | |||||||||||||
Publisher | IDW Publishing, Ted Adams | ||||||||||||
Published in | M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand Annual 2017 | ||||||||||||
First published | March 15, 2017 | ||||||||||||
Cover date | February 2017 | ||||||||||||
Written by | David A. Rodriguez | ||||||||||||
Art by | Robert Atkins | ||||||||||||
Colors by | John-Paul Bove | ||||||||||||
Letters by | Gilberto Lazcano | ||||||||||||
Editor | David Hedgecock | ||||||||||||
Editorial assistant | David Mariotte |
The origins of Cliff Dagger!
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
As he's pummeled by his opponent, undefeated champion Body Bags, rising MMA star Cliff Dagger has a flashback to his childhood, remembering when he was awoken late one night and beaten by his drunken father after he learned that Cliff hadn't fought back against a bully at school. As he remembers what his father told him about beating and humiliating anyone who tries to take advantage of him like that again, Cliff knocks Body Bags off his feet and is able to gain the upper hand before having another flashback to when he put his father's lesson into practice during his time in Juvenile Hall. Though Body Bags is soon able to wrestle Cliff into a hold and threatens to break his leg if he doesn't tap out, this only reminds Cliff of the last time someone told him to give up; when he was captain of a ship that had been overrun by pirates that he refused to back down against even after their leader had cut out one of his eyes. With a punch to the neck and a knee to the face, Cliff is able to stagger Body Bags long enough to wail on him until he's knocked cold!
As the fight draws to a close and Cliff is crowned the new champion, this stunning upset has turned out to be quite profitable for Miles Mayhem, who placed a last second bet on Cliff Dagger under the recommendation of Big Boa. As Miles promises him a cut of the 26 million dollar payout, Boa notes that Cliff has endurance and brute strength like he's never seen and that while he might not be the brightest, if Miles were to treat him like the son he never had, he'd be in the palm of his hand. Satisfied with Boa's findings, Miles asks him to bring Cliff Dagger to him, thinking he'd make a fine addition to the team...
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
Characters in italic text only appear only in flashback.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
V.E.N.O.M. | Others |
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Quotes[edit | edit source]
"Endurance and pain threshold is off the charts. His hand-to-hand skills are the most lethal I've ever seen come through here. Not that I can identify any actual technique. But a grizzly bear doesn't need to know jiu-jitsu to rip your damn throat out."
- — Big Boa on Cliff Dagger
Notes[edit | edit source]
Continuity notes[edit | edit source]
- This issue is set prior to or around the events of M.A.S.K.: Revolution, as Miles Mayhem is seen looking at a roster of the Project Spectrum recruits.
- He might not look like it, but the Big Boa working with Miles Mayhem is actually the third seen in IDW continuity, after the security trainer met (and killed) by Chuckles back in Cobra II and the female Cobra Youth trainer fought by Roadblock in G.I. Joe vol. 3. Compared to his predecessors, this version of Boa is the closest to his classic design.
G.I. Joe References[edit | edit source]
- The name "Body Bags" was previously used for a Cobra agent in Devil Due Publishing's G.I. Joe comics.