A Suspended Animation classic review from 2000, by Mark Allen.

JLA Presents Aztek The Ultimate Man TPB

Aztek, published by D.C. comics.

Back in 1996, D.C. Comics began a series called Aztek. Aztek was Curt Falconer, a man raised by monks and trained by an outfit called the "Q Foundation," to be their champion against the shadow god "Tezcatlipoca," who they believed would one day threaten Earth. He was also the latest in a line of "true believers," dating back centuries, to wear the Aztek costume, which was powered by a fourth-dimensional power source, making him a fairly powerful individual.

Suspended Animation
Aztek showed a lot of promise as a superhero book. The combination of an intriguing lead character with a solid supporting cast, set in a brand new city in D.C. lore (Vanity), gave the book the best foundation any new comic could have. The creators also had Aztek encountering other popular D.C. heroes (Green Lantern, Batman, The JLA), and sparring with some of it's most threatening villains (Joker, Parasite, Amazo, and string-pulling by Lex Luthor). Of course, none of the above is surprising when you consider the creators of Aztek; Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, of JLA fame.

The art on the book was also very good. Penciler N. Steven Harris showed a dark, moody style which fit the series perfectly. Ken also penciled all ten issues of the book without a stand-in, which seems to be an unattainable ability to most new artists today.

And yet, despite having everything going for it, Aztek's sales figures deemed it unworthy of continued production, and it was given the ax by D.C. Aztek went on to join the JLA, but was hardly ever used in the book, and recently died in JLA #41, the culmination of the "Mageddon" storyline. Once again, given the ax.

All ten issues of Aztek can most likely be found in back-issue boxes at your local comic shop, for quite reasonable prices. They will entertain and mystify many who have never read them. Unfortunately, they will also leave those readers wishing for more. Alas, it would seem that this is not to be.