BARNEY

Thrills
2000AD: 3

Covers
2000AD: 3

Mambo

Created by David Hine,

FIRST APPEARANCE IN 2000AD

Mambo

The New Flesh 8 episodes (Progs 889 to 896) 48 pages
Script: David Hine, Artist: David Hine

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE IN 2000AD

Fleshworks 9 episodes (Progs 1014 to 1022) 54 pages
Script: David Hine, Artist: David Hine

STARRING
Rachel Verlaine

STATUS
Detective

DATELINE
Middle of the 21st Century

LOCATION
New York

WEAPONRY
Her own body is Mambo's most powerful weapon! She can mutate it at will, shooting deadly tentacles from her skin and manipulating non-organic matter. She also has psychic talents that enable her to 'see' what others cannot

PARTNERS
Jay Dee, the sole survivor of the New Flesh; Captain Rickard, Rachel's boss

BACKSTORY
The planet Maldoror was colonised by an alien species calling themselves the New Flesh. While on Maldoror, the New Flesh became able to mutate their bodies at will, to bond with and manipulate non-organic material. Then the planet was 'acquired' by Earth's powerful Ventris Corporation in a bloody battle that nearly wiped out the New Flesh.

The head of the corporation, Dorian Ventris, had Maldoror turned into a factory planet. He ordered his scientists to find a way to replicate the New Flesh's now-fading abilities in humans. Leader of the scientists was Dr Verlaine, whose wife died after giving birth to their daughter Rachel on Maldoror.

When she was ten, the New Flesh took Rachel and her father before the Mambo. The dying Mambo implanted a parasite known as the Omuli inside Rachel's mind. Now she had the paranormal powers of the New Flesh, now she was their Mambo! But the experience left her face horribly scarred, which her father concealed with a special mask that also keeps the Omuli in check.

Rachel's father sent her to Earth to conceal her from Ventris and she became a cop, unaware of her latent abilities. Her hidden psychic talents gave her the highest clearance rate of any detective in New York. Eventually, the past caught up with Rachel and she returned to Maldoror to face Dorian Ventris.

He defeated her but was absorbed by the planet itself, which turned into a living entity, a being of pure ego. The New Flesh was also all absorbed, except for Jay Dee who learnt his English from a book of modern slang - published in 1968!