Codename: Genetix (subtitled Nature of the Beast) is a 1992 comic miniseries published by the Marvel UK imprint of Marvel Comics, starring the titular Genetix team. It's written by Graham Marks and Andy Lanning and largely illustrated by Andy Lanning and Phil Gascoine.
The series is set in the shared Marvel Universe and linked to some of the other Marvel UK comic books being published at the time.
The Genetix are five superhuman teenagers (Base, Vesper, Stinger, Ridge and Shift), genetically enhanced and tutored by the Gena-Sys organisation (a front company for Marvel UK's recurring Evil, Inc., Mys-Tech). They're supervised by Mrs Mullarkey, the scientist who also created the antihero Killpower.
But, at least to start with, the teenagers are oblivious to all this. They believe that their mentors have their best interests at heart. And when Mrs Mullarkey's past comes back to threaten her (as does guest star Wolverine), they're determined to help save her. In doing so they uncover some long buried secrets about their mentor and themselves.
As well as Wolverine, the series guest stars Ka-Zar and much of the action moves from London to Marvel's Lost World, the Savage Land, midway through the story.
The series was successful and a sequel, simply titled Genetix, was also published. The Genetix also co-starred in the Death Metal vs Genetix limited series and made guest appearances in other Marvel UK titles.
The first issue was published November 24, 1992.
Tropes in Codename: Genetix include:
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: Several fight scenes take place in London's sewers, which are spacious enough for the whole team to battle (with ceilings high enough for Stinger to fly).
- All There in the Manual: The real names of the Genetix team are never mentioned in the comic, only in the data pages (which also provide ages, nationalities and more details about their powers). The only exception is Ridge, who remains a mystery.
- An Arm and a Leg: Wolverine severs Prime Evil's right arm when they first fight. After he escapes he simply drains a captive's life force and regenerates it, though.
- Animal Eyes: Exaggerated. Ridge has huge convex eyes on the sides of his head, a bit like a humanoid fly. It’s not clear whether they're actually compound eyes as well.
- Artistic Licence: Applied to maths. Prime Evil, the former test subject Number One, comments that he's still number one - "once a prime number always a prime number". One isn't actually a prime number.
- Badass Longcoat: Stinger wears one over her leotard and armoured vest.
- Barrier Warrior: Prime Evil is a villainous example, able to put an almost unbreakable force field around the Gena-Sys lab. It doesn't seem to take concentration to maintain, and it's only breached when Wychwood adds his own black magick to the physical attacks.
- Stinger and Base both start to experiment with defensive barriers once their power limiters are removed. Stinger finds that she can shape a force field with her energy powers, whereas Base can use his air elemental powers to create a wall of hard air.
- The Berserker: Ridge slips into combat rage at several points, at least partly because he's picking up overspill from Prime Evil's Telepathy.
- Big Bad: Prime Evil, the escaped 'Number One' test subject from Mullarkey's 1970s project.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: As well as his claws, Ridge has a row of retractable barbs along each forearm.
- Blob Monster: The very vaguely humanoid fungal thing called Sporr, which the Genetix fight in the sewers of London.
- Blow You Away: Hard air punches are one of Base's favourite elemental attacks. Once the power limiter's gone he also starts experimenting with Barrier Warrior variations, using a wall of hard air to shield himself from energy attacks.
- Body Horror: Downplayed, but when Prime Evil's body becomes unstable in the final issue, faces start forming in his flesh as his personality splinters and the different beings used to create him manifest.
- Born as an Adult: At least some of Prime Evil's servants are created this way (e.g. the Dino-Men).
- Cavalry Betrayal: Justified. Martinez's Mys-Tech security squad save two civilians from a couple of the Pride, actively helping a taxi driver to escape his wrecked and overturned car. Then Wychwood calls and advises that it'll be simpler if there are no survivors.
- Codename Title: It's Codename: Genetix.
- Coincidental Broadcast: The sanitation team in the sewers hear a radio report of a violent death that might be a murder - or might be an animal attack - just as they're ambushed by the Pride.
- Combo Platter Powers: Prime Evil is a huge, physically imposing brute who can regenerate via Vampiric Draining, has a Mind Control touch, can create Force Fields, can open Teleportation Portals and seems to have some sort of vague low-level Telepathy.
- Comic-Book Time: Averted, as often happened in 1990s Marvel UK titles. The flashbacks to Mrs Mullarkey's previous experiments are dated as 1977 and 1978 - and the present day is identified as summer 1992. Data pages also give a year of birth for three of the four Genetix.
- Continuity Nod:
- The organisation experimenting on the McCloud Penal Institute's insane prisoners in 1977 is Haldane Labs. Prior to his death, Ranulph Haldane was the seventh member of the Mys-Tech board (and Dark Angel's father).
- Wolverine phones Dark Angel, who he's already met in other Marvel UK series, for a quick briefing on Mullarkey and Gena-Sys.
- The Genetix wear bio-armor incorporating proto-silicon, the same substance that's key to Digitek's origin.
- When Bisley and his security team are sent into the sewers after the sanitation squad go missing, he reassures Mullarkey by saying that most of his men have done Warheads duty, so this is a simple job for them. He's horribly wrong.
- Deadly Force Field: At least two Mys-Tech guards are fatally sliced when Prime Evil raises a force field bubble around the Gena-Sys lab.
- Death by Transceiver: Mullarkey, still in her lab, watches the video feed as the Pride tear Bisley's security team apart in the sewers.
- Decapitation Presentation: Wolverine gets involved after Lightfoot shows him a photo of a severed head and explains about the slain Canadian hunters.
- Dishing Out Dirt: One of Base's preferred options, as earth and rock are usually available to support his elemental powers. Trapping foes in reshaped earth, rock or brick is a favourite. Once he's rid of the power limiter he can even call up molten lava in the Savage Land.
- Domesticated Dinosaurs: Once the action reaches the Savage Land, the team finds themselves facing opponents riding dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
- Elemental Baggage: Base can control the four classical elements, but he can't create them. Fortunately, he can usually rely on earth and air being available.
- Elemental Powers: Base can shape and control the four classical elements: air, water, fire and earth.
- Elite Mooks: Prime Evil's original batch of minions, the wolf men he calls the Pride, are a credible threat to the heroes - and pretty lethal against almost anyone else.
- Energy Absorption: According to the data pages, Stinger can absorb almost all types of energy, although that's mostly an Informed Ability for this series.
- Escaped from the Lab: Prime Evil started as one of Mullarkey's Canadian experiments, then escaped to freedom.
- Evil Is Bigger: Prime Evil towers over the other characters. In the last issue Ridge comments that he seems to be getting even bigger - at that point he's about twice Wolverine's height (which may also double as Foreshadowing for his genetic instability).
- Fake Memories: Base's memories of being raised by noble warrior monks in Japan are fakes implanted by Mullarkey (something which Wolverine immediately suspects when Base talks about his childhood). It’s implied that the rest of the team have similarly false childhood memories.
- Fights Like a Normal: Vesper and Shift initially fight this way, mostly relying on guns. Once their power limiters are removed they find some very different options, though.
- Flying Firepower: Stinger's role in the Genetix. She can fly and she throws energy bolts.
- Foreshadowing: The data pages refer to the teenagers as the "current" batch of Genetix, and in the last issue Wychwood and Mullarkey mention of a "Tektos" project. All of which is followed up in the sequel Genetix1993 series.
- Forgot About His Powers: After the final battle and the destruction of the Gena-Sys building, the immortal magician Wychwood's injured and bandaged. Other comics have established that his particular Deal with the Devil means that he automatically becomes intangible when anything is about to harm him.
- Forgotten Fallen Friend: Slightly downplayed. Wolverine gets involved because he's there when one of Prime Evil's minions kills Lightfoot, and he acknowledges his friend's death when he first meets the Genetix. But there's no further mention of Lightfoot after that.
- Fun with Acronyms: Mullarkey's old lab in Alberta was Haldane Encephalographic Laboratories Ltd.
- Hammerspace: Part of Shift's powerset. He can store weaponry and other items in a pocket dimension.
- Hand Blast: Stinger can throw energy blasts. So can Vesper, once her power limiter's removed, although they don’t seem to pack quite the same level of punch.
- Hydra Problem: Any surviving part of the fungal Blob Monster Sporr can potentially grow into a new creature.
- I'm Melting!: Mullarkey sabotages Prime Evil's new minions, the Dino-Men, and they start melting away almost immediately after they come to life.
- Internal Reveal: The first issue immediately makes it clear that Mullarkey, Gena-Sys and Mys-Tech are villains (which many readers would already know from other Marvel UK titles), but the Genetix themselves only really discover what's been done to them towards the end of the series.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Mullarkey mentions that the Genetix have been subjected to several very specific mindwipes.
- Leave No Witnesses: After Martinez's squad saves two civilians from the Pride, Wychwood tells him that there should be no survivors. Cue Cavalry Betrayal.
- Lizard Folk: Prime Evil's latest race of minions are Dino-Men, but broadly in this category. Then again, we only get to see them briefly, because they've also been sabotaged.
- Lost World: At the end of the second issue, much of the action shifts to the Savage Land (and guest star Ka-Zar joins the fight).
- Mad Doctor: Mrs Mullarkey is actually Doctor Mullarkey, even if she's not often addressed that way, and she's made a career out of unethical experimentation on humans.
- Maker of Monsters: Prime Evil and Mullarkey have both made their share of monsters, although (at least in this series) most of Mullarkey's are in her backstory.
- Making a Splash: Part of Base's elemental powers. If there's water available he can call up waves and surges to sweep opponents away.
- Mind Control: Prime Evil can corrupt and control others with his touch.
- Muggle Sports, Super Athletes: When playing table tennis, Shift uses his powers to bombard his opponent Ridge with extra balls from Hammerspace. Ridge uses his enhanced agility and peripheral vision to hit them all anyway.
- Multinational Team: Base is Japanese, Shift was born in Jamaica, Stinger was born in Wales. Vesper's of South Asian heritage, but her nationality's not provided. And Ridge's background is a mystery. Although most of this is only detailed on data pages - Base is the only one who has any background given in the story itself.
- Name Amnesia: Ridge's real name has been lost somehow. Judging by data pages, Gena-Sys don't know either.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: When Stinger's relaxing in the Genetix's quarters she wears a leotard with a cut that shows off her cleavage and then goes all the way down to her belt. She wears something a little less revealing for missions.
- Playing with Fire: Discussed, as it's part of Base's elemental power set, but as he can only control the elements that are already around him, we never see it in action and it remains an Informed Ability (he does call up molten lava in the final issue, once his power limiter is removed, but that's seemingly due to his Dishing Out Dirt power getting boosted).
- Playing with Syringes: Mullarkey took genetic samples from insane prisoners and used them to experiment on animals, uplifting them to sentient but feral humanoids.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Downplayed, as Prime Evil and and the Genetix would presumably clash anyway, but Wolverine is only drawn into events because his friend Lightfoot's killed.
- Power-Upgrading Deformation: The data pages confirm that Ridge's monstrous form (with hairless blue skin, claws and barbs, huge convex eyes and digitigrade legs) is a consequence of Mullarkey and Gena-Sys modifying his powers, not tied to his original abilities.
- Punny Name: Mrs Mullarkey's previous alias was Ms. Tique. Not to be confused with Mystique.
- Prime Evil probably qualifies as well.
- Raised Hand of Survival: The final panel of the last issue shows Prime Evil's hand emerging from the water.
- Recursive Creators: Prime Evil, created by Mullarkey, is now becoming an Evilutionary Biologist on his own terms and creating his own army of minions.
- Send in the Search Team: Bisley and Martinez's squads are both search teams reacting to Pride attacks. Bisley's comes to a bad end in the sewers, whereas Martinez has better information about the enemy and the advantage of range when they clash, so comes out victorious.
- Shout-Out:
- The immortal sorcerer Wychwood mentions that he knew George Bernard Shaw
- It's not directly named, but Vesper is clearly using her powers to liven up a game of Sonic the Hedgehog.
- Wolverine comments that the remains of the hunters killed in Alberta would "give Freddy Krueger nightmares".
- When Bisley's squad find the remains of the sanitation team, they compare the carnage to something from Sweeney Todd's basement.
- Speech Bubbles: Prime Evil speaks in jagged, angular bubbles with a heavy border and a green background.
- Stripperific: Downplayed with Stinger and Mullarkey. Stinger wears a leotard and seems to leave her legs mostly bare, but does (usually) wear a less skimpy armored vest over it, plus a Badass Longcoat. Mullarkey dresses in a scientist's white outfit, but it's very form-fitting and has a surprisingly short skirt. Averted with Vesper, who wears a modest and practical armored uniform.
- Superhero Packing Heat: Shift uses a wide variety of guns. Vesper has an energy pistol powered by her armor. Eventually, once their power limiters are removed, they start to move away from this trope and directly attack with their powers.
- The Svengali: Mullarkey has given the Genetix False Memories and Laser-Guided Amnesia, lied to them, drugged them and genetically modified them to shape their powers. She's also equipped them with restraints and monitoring devices while claiming that they're power limiters needed for safety reasons.
- Super-Senses: Another Informed Ability. The data page reports say that Ridge's vision goes well beyond the human range, but it never really comes up in the story.
- Technopath: The core of Vesper's powers. She can mentally interface with computers and electronics. Her armor includes bio-circuitry that extends into machinery she touches and lets her make the necessary physical connections.
- Telepathy: Prime Evil doesn't seem able to read minds, but he does have some sort of telepathic connection to his Pride (which also starts affecting Ridge at various points). He can seemingly get some level of mental feedback - perhaps closer to empathy than telepathy - when using his Mind Control touch, though.
- Thinking Up Portals: Prime Evil can mentally open portals for teleportation. Once his power limiter's removed, so can Shift.
- Two Girls to a Team: Vesper and Stinger are the two women on a team of five.
- Vampiric Draining: Prime Evil can regenerate by touching a human and draining their life.
- Wall Crawl: According to data pages, Ridge's claws mean that he's an excellent climber and can easily cling to walls. However, it's more of an Informed Ability in this series.
- Weaponised Teleportation: Once his power limiter's removed, Shift can create teleportation portals for people, not just Hammerspace pockets for storing objects. And he swiftly learns that he can create portals under opponents to completely remove them from the fight.
- Wolf Man: Prime Evil's original pack of minions, the Pride, seem to be wolflike.
