The book-length Manhunter 2070 story, "D.O.A." is written and penciled by Mike Sekowsky and inked by Frank Giacoia (a huge improvement over the initial Manhunter 2070 inker Vinnie Colletta). While entertaining two women in the resort city of Janus, Starker sees a wanted poster offering a reward of 100,000 credits for his death and posted by the Brotherhood of Space. He decides to leave immediately, as to not endanger his companions. As they head back to Starker's place he tells the story of why the Brotherhood hates him so much.
He recounts how as a teen he used to mine asteroids with his father and how one day his father finally struck it rich, finding an asteroid rich in Didanium, only to have a band of pirates show up and jump his claim, killing his father. They were going to kill Starker too, but Slops, the cook asked for them to spare Starker so that he could have a galley helper. Starker's life became one of brutal beating at the hands of the pirates as the years slowly went by. He watched them loot and kill and he watched them train during their off times and his hatred for them grew.
He learned the ship from top to bottom an set up his own training area in a remote storage room. He practices his fighting skill, learning from the pirates. In front of them he cowered, but in his storage room he became an expert with a knife, built a weight set and honed his body. Shortly after turning 18, Starker had had enough of Slops and attacked him. He threw his unconscious body at the pirates and declared, "This is your new waiter and dish washer and I'm the new cook. Anyone object?" Given how bad a cook Slops was, the pirates had no issues with the change in status.
He remained their cook for two years, before he made his move against them. He disables all of the life boats on board and then one by one, hunted down the five men who killed his father. He dawned a space suit and flooded the ship with
paralyzo-gas, knocking out all bet a few of the leaders, who he then hunted down one by one. Two days later he turned the pirates over to the authorities, along with the dead bodies of those who had killed his father. As a result, he became the richest bounty hunter in the system and an enemy of the Brotherhood of Space.
This is followed by a one-page "Wonders of Space" text feature and a full-page ad for the next issue of Manhunter 2070.
Edited by Mike Sekowsky.
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