Manix
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Manix was both the title and main character of a comic series published in the British comic book Eagle, from issue 24 (dated September 4, 1982) to at least issue 93.
It was written by Alan Grant and John Wagner. His early adventures, like many of the strips then published in Eagle, were made up of black-and-white photographs featuring models and actors, with text boxes and speech and thought balloons. The photography was by Sven Arnstein. When Eagle moved to a drawn format the art was provided by Manuel Carmona.
[edit] Plot
Manix was a robotic secret agent (and originally assassin) constructed for British Intelligence, designed as the ultimate agent - not only programmed to obey any issued order without dissent, and with a precise, logical machine intelligence, he possessed superhuman strength, speed, and durability. He also possessed extensive sensors inside his artificial eyes, internal cavities to hold weapons and equipment, extensive data banks (ranging from designs of security systems to hand-held combat techniques), and was covered in synthetic skin which gave him the appearance of a normal man. In fact, his outer appearance could be modified from one mission to the next.
His first mission after being activated was to assassinate his creator, Professor Manix. This was because his controller, Colonel Cameron, wished for only one robot agent to exist, which he could then monopolise for his own self-serving ends. Manix undertook various missions, all designed to subtly entrench Cameron's position; he realised that his long-term survival was jeopardised by Cameron's actions, but was unable to disobey them. When ordered to assassinate Sir Orville Walther (or "O"), the head of British Intelligence, Manix was able to make his own survival impulse logically override his orders and become a "rogue robot", removing the self-destruct device Cameron had implanted and delaying the assassination long enough for Cameron to be defeated.
Thereafter, Manix undertook further missions directly underneath "O" himself, including eliminating a clone of Adolf Hitler living in South America, and impersonating the footballer Smithson Johns during a tour behind the Iron Curtain. A persistent opponent proved to be the terrorist organisation S.M.O.G. (or Society for the Militant Overthrow of all Governments).
During the course of the strip, the Manix robot was destroyed and then replaced several times: the original 'perished' whilst pursuing a Mafia don by falling from the don's exploding helicopter into Mount Etna, and his replacement being captured and re-programmed by S.M.O.G., prompting a third, improved Manix to capture and destroy the 'brainwashed' second robot. There was also a Mini-Manix, a foot-high miniaturised version of Manix complete with dragon tattoos and extensive Kung Fu skills, but which ultimately proved unreliable in the field.
The strip ended with Manix completing a mission involving Russian death squads, with him returning to Britain to await another assignment.
Manix is also a noun used to describe the 10" 2' tripod ninja
