Obscurity of DC Presents: Obscure Book Club, Week 52 (March 5-March 11) --- AZTEK THE ULTIMATE MAN (Pt 2)

[Jurisdiction]

Why hello there, @ObscurityofDCClub and other members of the DC Community! Welcome to Week 52 of Obscurity of DC’s Obscure Book Club! This week, we’ll be concluding a 2-week focus on…

AZTEK: THE ULTIMATE MAN!!!
AGE SUGGESTION: 12+

Number of Issues: 5 — Please only read issues 6-10 (unless you haven’t read 1-5; then, read those first)

Not-So-Brief description from comicvine.gamespot.com: “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.”

Now that that’s over with, here are some discussion questions:

1. What impact do you think Aztek’s unique abilities and background have on his character development and storylines, and how might they continue to evolve over time?
2. What impact do you think Aztek’s unique costume design has on his character and storylines, and how does it contribute to his identity as a superhero?
3. In your opinion, how does Aztek’s portrayal in comics reflect broader societal attitudes towards indigenous cultures and peoples?
4. What are some potential challenges or limitations that Aztek faces as a superhero, and how do these impact his character development and storylines?
5. How do you think Aztek’s cultural identity and background impact his character and storylines, and what does it add to the larger DC Universe?

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[Jay_Kay]

1. What impact do you think Aztek’s unique abilities and background have on his character development and storylines, and how might they continue to evolve over time?

After seeing more of the Q Foundation and what is behind Aztek, he almost feels like a human version of Red Tornado or Marvel’s The Vision – a sort of unwitting spy created by super-villains to destroy the Justice League from the inside. They talk about this dark god they’re trying to have him stop, but we don’t really see any of that so it almost feels made up.

2. What impact do you think Aztek’s unique costume design has on his character and storylines, and how does it contribute to his identity as a superhero?

Uh…he looks cool? That’s really about all I felt it contributed. I did find it funny how it made Aquaman uncomfortable because Aztek’s mask looked similar to Orm’s.

3. In your opinion, how does Aztek’s portrayal in comics reflect broader societal attitudes towards indigenous cultures and peoples?

I don’t know if he does, honestly. Aside from the name and some mentions of Aztec gods, he kind of just feels like a standard at best superhero.

4. What are some potential challenges or limitations that Aztek faces as a superhero, and how do these impact his character development and storylines?

I guess the organization he’s part of being compromised by being connected to people like Lex Luthor and undoubtedly similar unsavory types?

5. How do you think Aztek’s cultural identity and background impact his character and storylines, and what does it add to the larger DC Universe?

I think if it does, it’s less to do with the character himself and more what comes afterward. This Aztek crawled so the Aztek in Steve Orlando’s Wonder Woman run could fly.