Nick Peron

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Nomad (vol. 2) #4

Nick Peron

Dead Man’s Hand Part II: Neon Knights

Credits

This story continues from Daredevil #307…

On the run from the government, Nomad has agreed to take a job for SHIELD to eliminate the drug dealer known as the Slug in order to get the feds off his back.[1] This has taken him to Las Vegas, Nevada where members of organized crime are meeting up. With him is Legs, a prostitute that works for the Underground, a group of informants that Jack gets information from. Legs uses her connections to get a date with Troy Donahue, who is there representing California drug dealer Lotus Newmark.[2]

Little does anyone suspect that Troy is in a spat with his wife over custody of their child or that his ex has hired the mercenary known as Bushwacker to get the child back. Bushwacker follows Troy and Legs into a casino and threatens them when they sit down to watch a show. Luckily, Nomad steps in to save their lives. While Bushwacker is distracted, Troy and Legs flee. Noticing they have fled, Bushwacker starts shooting at innocent casino patrons, forcing Nomad to shove people to safety, allowing the assassin to get away as well. With no idea where Legs might have gone, Jack notices that she left her purse behind. Searching it he finds a matchbook that came from the local Hilson Hotel.

Troy and Legs have fled back to that very hotel but Donahue only sticks around long enough to have a drink to calm his nerves before he heads out for the big meeting. When Legs complains that they were supposed to spend the night together, Troy tosses money in her face and tells her to get lost.

Heading to another nearby hotel, Troy heads into one of the meeting rooms where various members of organized crime have shown up. They have all been gathered together by a woman calling herself the Word. She is a representative of the Red Skull and has called the various mob leaders so they can discuss carving up the Kingpin’s former empire in a civil matter.[3] Among those gathered include Hammerhead and Tombstone of the Maggia, Andreas Von Strucker representing the Fenris, his half-brother Werner Von Strucker representing Hydra, corporate entrepreneur Justin Hammer, the enigmatic European arms dealer known as Tolliver, Jonin of the Hand, representatives for the Secret Empire, Tatsu’o of the Yakuza, and Miami drug dealer the Slug. Unfortunately, keeping things civil will be difficult as those gather take issue with the fact that the Red Skull is not here in person and many of those gathered have grievances with one another. The Voice suggests that they put aside their differences and work together as warring between one another to fill the vacuum created by the Kingpin’s departure will be very costly.

Meanwhile, Nomad finds Legs at the Hilson and tells her to pack her bags as things are getting too dangerous for her or Bucky to stay in Los Angeles.

While outside the city at a cheap hotel a man in a trench coat and hat emerges from one of the rooms. A car speeding down the highway then passes by kicking up enough wind that it blows the man’s hat off, revealing that he is none other than the cyborg known as Silvermane. Annoyed, Silvermane picks his hat back up and gets into a car and drives toward Las Vegas.

A short time later, the meeting between the mobsters has been ended for the day and Troy Donahue is returning to his hotel room. Little does he know that he is being followed from the rooftops by the masked mercenary known as Deadpool. When Troy enters his apartment he is ambushed by Nomad who demands to know what’s going on or else Bushwacker will be the least of his worries. Before Troy can talk, Deadpool comes crashing in through the window mouth flapping and guns blazing. As Jack is busy fighting the merc-with-a-mouth, Troy flees into an elevator. Monroe is no match for the mercenary who is much stronger, can teleport, and has a healing factor to boot. Pinned up against the elevator door, Jack allows Deadpool to pound into him while he presses the call button. When the doors open behind him, Monroe tosses one of his stun discs into Deadpool’s face before rolling into the elevator. Annoyed by all of this, Deadpool teleports away.

By this time, Troy has made in onto the street where he is once again attacked by Bushwacker who demands to know where the child has gone. Unaware that Nomad send Legs to the airport with Bucky, Troy tells Bushwacker that he sent his prostitute to the airport with “his child”. This is enough to send Bushwacker away. Moments later, Deadpool appears before Troy and shoots him pointblank in the head, killing him instantly. Deadpool’s employer Tolliver then pulls up in his limo to pick the merc up and drives away.

A short time later, Legs is at the Las Vegas International Airport washing up in the bathroom when Bushwacker comes up behind her and shoots.[4] He then grabs Bucky and leaves.

Meanwhile, Nomad has returned to his run down hotel room to clean himself up and regroup after the beating he took from Deadpool. He know knows about the meeting and has also heard that Daredevil is in town as well.[5] He hopes the Man Without Fear will keep the other mobsters busy while he deals with the Slug. However, he is already starting to have doubts on if it is worth taking another life after he vowed to stop killing.

… This story continues in Punisher War Journal #45.

Recurring Characters

Nomad, Bucky, Bushwacker, Hammerhead, Tombstone, Andreas Von Strucker, Werner Von Strucker, Justin Hammer, Tolliver, The Hand, Secret Empire, Tatsu’o, Slug, Silvermane, Deadpool, Legs

Continuity Notes

  1. The government has been pursuing Jack since he screwed up their attempt to build a cybernetic gun in Nomad #1-4.

  2. For more on Lotus Newmark and her drug operations in California check out Avengers Spotlight #30-36 and Wonder Man (vol. 2) #4, 6, 10-11, 13 and 16-25.

  3. This story takes place shortly after Daredevil took down the Kingpin in Daredevil #297-300. He’ll be back in charge in New York City in Spider-Man/Kingpin: To the Death #1.

  4. This scene leaves us to believe that Bushwacker killed Legs but, as we’ll learn next issue, she was only grazed on the side of the head with the bullet.

  5. Daredevil has been in town since Daredevil #307.

Topical References

  • Outside Nomad’s hotel room he can see the marquees for The Mirage and Ceaser’s Palace Casinos. These should be considered topical references as these are real world casinos. Particularly in the case of The Mirage which was sold in 2022 and will be renamed Hard Rock Las Vegas when it reopens from renovations in 2025.

Dead Man’s Hand Reading Order