M.A.C.H. 1

M.A.C.H. 1 was a comic strip that ran in the British science fiction comic 2000 AD. The strip was created by writer Pat Mills and illustrator Enio. It debuted in the first issue of 2000 AD, which was published in February 1977, and ran nearly continuously until issue 64, dated 13 May 1978.

Development

Pat Mills has said the idea was a deliberate ripoff of The Six Million Dollar Man after kids said they wanted to see that in a comic, and the concept of a computer brain as a partner was taken by John Wagner from Marvel Comics' Deathlok. The name came from Doug Church while Mills, according to Church, came up with the acronym on the spot.

Mills credits the early survival of 2000 AD down to M.A.C.H. 1, stating that for the first year of the comic's publication, M.A.C.H. 1 was by far the most popular strip, helping the comic find its feet until Judge Dredd took over as the leading strip.

Premise

Initially, M.A.C.H. 1 ("M.A.C.H." stands for "Man Activated by Compu-puncture Hyperpower") thematically resembled the Six Million Dollar Man, but with more graphic violence. As the strip continued the tone became increasingly dark. This contrasted directly with The Six Million Dollar Man, who began as a killer, but was progressively softened by the TV networks until it fitted into family entertainment. Probe's physical reaction to compu-puncture changed as the story progressed - early strips (such as "Probesnatch") showed that without action the hyperpower would build up in his system and he would need to physically exert himself to burn it off, whereas later strips (especially highlighted in "Return to Sharpe") dictated that unless Probe received regular doses of compu-puncture he would burn out and die through lack of energy.

Plot

John Probe is a British Secret Service agent at first engaging in missions against Communists, terrorists and organised crime.