UNCANNY X-MEN #273 - February 1991

Too Many Mutants! (Or Whose House IS This, Anyway?)
Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Whilce Portacio, Klaus Janson, John Byrne, Rick Leonardi, Marc Silvestri, Michael Golden, Larry Stroman, & Jim Lee (pencilers), Scott Williams (inker), Tom Orzechowski (letters), Joe Rosas (colors)

Summary:  Following the Genoshan battle, the united X-teams regroup in the underground complex beneath Xavier’s mansion.  Storm, Cyclops, and Marvel Girl debate what to do next, while Cable makes his case for leading the united teams.  Later, Marvel Girl uses Cerebro to locate the missing X-Men.  She’s ambushed by the Shadow King and narrowly rescued by Psylocke.  Eventually, the X-Men emerge in new uniforms, ready to follow Storm.  Shortly after Cyclops and Marvel Girl say goodbye, Lila Cheney arrives and teleports the team away, claiming Xavier needs their help.

Continuity Notes: 

• Gambit “officially” joins the X-Men this issue, in the sense that Storm refuses to leave with him, so he decides to stick around.  At the end of the story, he’s wearing an X-uniform with the rest of the team.  Gambit’s casual decision to stay probably ties in to Claremont’s rumored original plan to reveal Gambit's a spy for Mr. Sinister.
• This is the issue that ignited the long-running fan speculation that Gambit was a reincarnated Longshot.  While Wolverine and Gambit are sparring in the Danger Room, Wolverine remarks that his moves are similar to Longshot’s.  On the next panel, a hologram of Lady Deathstrike emerges and attacks Wolverine.  In an altered word balloon, Jubilee questions who turned that sequence on.   The scene then cuts to Gambit smiling with his left eye glowing, much like Longshot’s.
• Wolverine is barely able to keep up with Gambit during their duel, which continues Claremont’s subplot regarding Wolverine’s slow recovery after the Reavers’ attack in Uncanny X-Men #251.
• Marvel Girl, yes still “Marvel Girl” at this point, only has telekinetic powers and must rely on Psylocke to rescue her from Shadow King.  Her telepathy will return a few months later in X-Factor.
• Wolfsbane and Havok are still in Genosha following “X-Tinction Agenda.”  Forge is working on a way to reverse the “Mutate transmodation” Wolfsbane’s endured.  He speculates that the longer she’s a Mutate, the harder it will be to cure her.
• Psylocke says the Hand used “magic as well as science” to physically alter her into their assassin.  The readers will receive a much, much more complicated explanation years later.

Creative Differences:  With eight pencilers, it’s not surprising to learn this issue had deadline problems.  John Byrne had this to say on his website years ago:
"Bob Harras, then the X-Editor, called and asked if I could do six pages for this issue. I was up to my eyeballs in work, so I declined. So he asked if I could do three. I agreed, and they sent me a plot. I drew the three pages
and sent them in. Then Bob called and said 'You drew three pages! That plot was for one page!'

Woulda bin a real time saver if they'd updated me on that before they sent me the plot! "

Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  When Marvel Girl takes a shower (right in front of Psylocke), Joe Rosas colors in the steam to match the contours of her body.  This is the first time I ever saw a colorist attempt to make comic art racier than originally intended.  Within five years, colorist-added nipple pokes will be all the rage.

Review:  Is this the first “quiet” post-crossover X-comic?  I believe it is.  Just think of all of the variations of this issue the X-office published in the ‘90s following Claremont’s departure.  Everyone knows that the numerous subplots and mysteries were inspired by Claremont’s work, but it’s easy to forget that even the downtime issue that followed almost every crossover has its genesis in Claremont’s initial run.  I can’t imagine Claremont thought he was starting a trend; he was probably just looking at the cast following “X-Tinction Agenda” and asking the same question the characters ask this issue -- what to do with all of these mutants?

I thought it would be interesting to look back at the era post-“X-Tinction Agenda,” as it paves the way for the 1991 revamps of the titles (the revamps that nudged me towards X-completism).  What stands out about this issue is Claremont’s ability to write the characters as rational adults, people capable of having a thoughtful conversation about how they’ve reached this point and how to go forward.  Storm acknowledges that faking the X-Men’s death was likely a mistake.  Cyclops is bothered that no one’s truly replaced Xavier and mentored the third generation of mutants.  Marvel Girl is concerned that Magneto has apparently reverted to villainy (not that she ever bought his conversion.)  Cable’s annoyed that the others can’t see that they’re in the middle of a war, and throws his hat in for leadership of all of the X-teams.  And as absurd as this might sound in a recap, Claremont handles the scene remarkably well.  Claremont writes Cable as more of a grouch than Louise Simonson has so far, but he's still rational, falling in more with Claremont’s “noble warriors” than the cheap Punisher clone he’ll soon turn into.  Cable’s position doesn’t come across as unreasonable at all, and even Storm questions if he’s right.

When the story isn’t focused on the main philosophical debate, Claremont has some fun with the rest of the cast.  Iceman and Boom-Boom get into a prank war, Archangel and Cannonball introduce the Danger Room to anyone not around since issue #225 or so, Gambit gets to outmaneuver Wolverine (something that almost never happened in these days), and a few of the ongoing subplots get touched upon.  As much as this issue might be remembered as “downtime,” there are three action sequences and a cliffhanger ending.  Two of those action scenes even advance ongoing subplots, which is a reminder of just how tight a plotter Claremont can be.  And even the pages that don’t tie in with the dozen or so subplots Claremont’s juggling are entertaining in their own right, as he’s clearly having fun writing characters he hasn’t touched in years.

Regarding the artist jam, the pages do have some level of consistency, since Scott Williams was somehow able to ink the entire issue.  I definitely thought this was a strange looking issue as a kid, but I never thought it looked rushed or shoddy.  The oddest pages to me were Michael Golden’s Gambit/Wolverine fight, although today they’re my favorite.  It’s also cool to see Scott Williams giving Rick Leonardi and Marc Silvestri highly polished inks, considering how rarely they’re inked in that style.  Compare this comic to some of the jam issues the ‘90s will later bring us and it’s practically art.  This is an issue that could’ve easily been a mess, but I enjoyed it a lot as a kid and I think it holds up very well.

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #20 - #22, November 1986 - January 1987

Little Wars!

Credits: David Michelinie (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Rick Parker (letterer), (inker and colorist are unknown)

The Plot: Peter and Joy arrive in England to cover Margaret Thatcher’s speech on terrorism. At the airport, IRA Provos stage a terrorist attack. After Peter helps the police capture the terrorists, he investigates IRA activities in London. Spider-Man rounds up another group of terrorists and stops an attack at Thatcher’s speech. Peter and Joy decide to travel to Ireland to investigate more IRA activity.

The Subplots: Joy shows some romantic interest in Peter, but pulls away. Her actions hint that she still suspects he’s Spider-Man. Both Peter and Joy uncover the phrase “Red Hand” while investigating the IRA. Joy is also looking into Roxxon’s practices in the UK.

Production Note: There are no credits listed in this issue. Comics.org doesn't know the full credits, either.

I Love the ‘80s: Well, the IRA…Margaret Thatcher…

Creative Differences: The IRA, or at least someone claiming to represent them, didn’t take kindly to this story. Christopher Priest says on his website that someone called in a bomb threat to Marvel’s offices after this story ran, which he thinks might’ve contributed to his removal as Spider-editor.

Review: It’s more of the “gritty realism” that showed up in many of the Spidey titles in the mid-eighties (although I think Tom DeFalco mostly stayed away from it in the main book). If seeing Spider-Man take on a real-life terrorist group isn’t enough for you, the story ends with the revelation that a little girl injured in the bombings has just died. See, Web is different from the other books because Spidey fights fewer supervillains and there’s always the chance that a kid will die. In hindsight, this is perhaps trying a little too hard to be serious and important, but it’s still a well-crafted action tale. Michelinie throws in a few “Spidey moments,” such as his guilt over worrying about his secret identity while civilians are dying, and his growing relationship with Joy Mercado. It seems like Michelinie was going with the angle that Joy knows Peter’s Spider-Man, respects him for it and is perhaps attracted to him because of his selflessness, but is reluctant to get involved with a superhero. Of course, it’s hard to discern where any of this was going, since virtually all of these storylines are either dropped or carried over much later into Amazing Spider-Man.

The Enemy Unknown!

Credits: Larry Lieber (script/pencils), Vince Colletta (inker), Rick Parker (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist)

The Plot: While on the boat ride to Ireland, Peter reflects on a previous adventure. Gymnast Ron Corbett blamed Spider-Man for his father’s death, after he was killed by robbers fleeing from Spider-Man. Ron and his brother decided to ruin Spider-Man’s reputation by having Ron impersonate him and commit crimes. Spider-Man tracked the brothers to the Roosevelt Island Tram, where he publically defeated Ron and restored his reputation. After Spider-Man saved Ron’s brother from falling, Ron forgave him.

The Subplots: None.

I Love the ‘80s: The mayor of New York, Ed Koch, makes a cameo.

Review: Are you kidding me? In the middle of an “important” terrorism storyline, we get an inventory story by Stan Lee’s brother? The feeble setup has Peter sneezing on the boat, then reflecting on the last time he had a cold. Coincidentally, a new Spider-Man emerged that week and began a crime spree. It’s not as hokey as the cover would have you believe, but this is clearly a reminder of the days when shipping late wasn’t an option and something had to go in-between those pages, even if it had been sitting in a drawer for a while.

Profit of Doom

Credits: Jim Shooter (plot), Len Kaminski (script), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Art Nichols (inker), Rick Parker (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist)

The Plot: Peter and Joy arrive in Belfast and are shocked to discover the city in ruins. After evading another terrorist attack, they meet a local named Liam. He reveals that terrorists with no discernable agenda, the Black Hoods, have arrived in Belfast. Liam suspects they’re connected to his brother Rory’s disappearance. Soon, Peter and Joy are kidnapped by the Black Hoods. They learn that Roxxon created the group to foment fear in the populace, which will help the corporation sell a new weapon to the British government. Liam helps Peter and Joy escape, but is shocked to discover the Black Hood he killed in battle was his brother. After Roxxon’s plot is exposed, Roxxon kills the executive in charge of the project.

The Subplots: Aunt May is afraid her boarders are abandoning her. I don’t think this goes anywhere, since the boarders stick around until 1990, when she asks them to move out.

Production Note: For the second time in three issues, the credits are missing. There actually is a significant change in the credits this month, as this would’ve been Jim Salicrup’s first credited issue as editor. The regular writer is also gone this month. A future issue reveals the credits for this issue in the letters page.

Review: Wow, this storyline started with a “ripped from the headlines” IRA plot, diverged for an inventory issue, then concluded with a new, fictional terrorist group sponsored by the all-purpose evil corporation, Roxxon. And what of the mysterious “Red Hand” that was teased in the first chapter? It’s been forgotten, except for a brief mention as Peter remarks that he’s heard of a “Red Hand” but not the Black Hoods. Plus, that teaser scene with Solo was never resolved. Obviously, something happened behind-the-scenes over the course of this arc. I don’t know if it was the phony bomb threat that inspired Marvel to backtrack, but this is clearly not where this storyline was supposed to go.

Last issue’s inventory story was probably needed to cover more than just a blown deadline; it reads as if Big Jim Shooter stepped in to show the incompetents how to write a story that doesn't inspire death threats. The first chapter did have Joy investigating Roxxon, so maybe they were always supposed to work with this story, but I can’t imagine this was the conclusion Michelinie had in mind. Because everything has to be resolved in twenty-three pages, the plot is rushed and the conclusion feels anti-climatic. Peter and Joy barely even do any investigative reporting, as Roxxon conveniently kidnaps them and their helpful executive spells out their sinister plot in fine detail. Shooter doesn’t have a lot of options if he wants to work all of this into one issue, but the scene is rather ridiculous. And, c’mon, this is clearly a copout. We start with the IRA, and end up with made-up villains and their giant death ray? That’s lame.

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #18-#19, September-October 1986

The Longest Road!

Credits: David Michelinie (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Kyle Baker (inker), Rick Parker (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist)

The Plot: In Appalachia, Spider-Man narrowly avoids the mine explosion but his costume and web-shooters are ruined. He hitchhikes towards New York penniless, and is eventually arrested for stealing food. A corrupt cop sends him on a work detail to a millionaire’s mansion, where the prisoners are hunted for sport. After stopping the madman, the deputy allows Peter to leave. He eventually makes his way to New York, and tells his story to Mary Jane.

The Subplots: With his original costume ruined, Peter declares that he’ll stick with the black costume. While waiting for a train in New York, a mystery figure evades Peter’s spider-sense and pushes him on to the tracks. Years later, we learn this was Venom.

I Love the ‘80s: The Spider-Man editorial office now has a computer for keeping track of freelancers and using a modem to call them.

Review: Following the Appalachia storyline, Peter is now stuck in “Backwoods, USA” virtually naked and penniless on his way back to New York. It’s a great premise to start from, and thankfully Michelinie goes through all of the obvious ideas in one issue and doesn’t stretch things out. My favorite moment is Peter stealing a blueberry pie out of desperation, only to be caught by the police a few minutes later. He has no idea how to panhandle, the only trucker willing to pick him up talks all night and keeps him awake, his spider-sense prevents him from sleeping on his prison cot, he swallows bugs while riding on top of a semi-truck, and of course, Peter has to fight off prison rape while in the county jail. If these events were stretched over several months, the story would get old fast, but cramming all of the misery into one issue makes it fun.

Humbug!

Credits: David Michelinie (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Bob McLeod (inker), Rick Parker (letterer), Nel Yomtov (colorist)

The Plot: Humbug debuts, committing robberies to pay for his entomology research. The professor’s incompetence almost gets him killed, and makes him an easy victory for Spider-Man.

The Subplots: Spider-Man is enticing criminals to attack him in order to test his spider-sense after the previous issue. Vigilante Solo kills a group of terrorists in Germany. Aunt May is unsure of her relationship with Nathan, because she feels he’s grown cold-hearted. Jonah Jameson is sending Peter and Joy Mercado on an assignment to cover terrorist activities in Europe.

Web of Continuity: Solo makes a cameo, although he doesn’t make a full appearance until Michelinie’s Amazing Spider-Man run in 1989. Since this story is supposed to be leading to Spider-Man facing terrorism in Europe, and Solo’s gimmick is “While I live, terror dies!” he was probably supposed to show up in the next issue.

*See _________ For Details: Peter mentions that Flash Thomspon is on the run from the law, and Aunt May and her boarders were recently held captive in their home. A footnote points toward recent Amazing and Spectacular issues.

Review: This is the first appearance of joke villain Humbug, although I’m sure this issue was supposed to be significant as the debut of Marvel’s latest psychotically violent, gun toting vigilante Solo. Since Solo isn’t seen again until years later, it seems like there’s still a decent amount of behind-the-scenes chaos going on. Several pages are also devoted to Spidey testing his spider-sense, which ties into Venom’s first appearance, another story that isn’t resolved until years later in another title. Humbug is a goofy reminder of the days when you can get away with a character like this, and I’m guessing he’s either been killed off in a giant crossover or only shown up in Dan Slott comics in recent years (cripes, looking at Wiki, apparently he's been decapitated). He’s not a classic, but he kills a few pages rather well as the growing subplots continue to develop.

SPAWN #25 - October 1994

Tremors

Credits: Todd McFarlane (story), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Batt & Billy Tan (inkers), Tom Orzechowski (copy editor & letterer), Brian Haberlin (colors)

Summary: The mysterious Tremor tries to instigate a gang war with Spawn’s friends. Spawn initially ignores the threats, but later decides to locate Tremor. During their fight, Spawn learns that Tremor is a former hitman who was mutated into a monster by Tony Twist. Spawn hands Tremor the file he stole from Twist’s accountant, hoping that he can bring Twist down. Elsewhere, Wanda promises to help Terry find the answers behind his manhunt, while Sam brags to Twitch about the file he’s been given on Chief Banks.

Spawntinuity: This is the first real appearance of Tremor, although McFarlane never gets around to naming him this issue. He previously appeared under a different name in the Image #0 comic, apparently.

Todd Talk: In the letters page, McFarlane reveals that Tom Orzechowski “will, at times, make my writing flow far better on terms of semantics and structure.”

Review: It’s Image-X Month, which means all of the Image founders have switched books. This gimmick is probably only remembered for Erik Larsen retroactively deciding he wanted a complete run on Savage Dragon, so he produced another issue numbered #13 of his book. Some of the creators allowed the guest artists to also write their books, but McFarlane remains as the writer this time (in case you’re wondering, McFarlane drew Cyberforce during this month). Allegedly, this story is supposed to be about Spawn becoming a more public hero after his actions in “The Hunt.” However, after a few pages, it’s obvious McFarlane is only using this idea as a setup for a new character to call out Spawn. Later, we learn that the turf war was always a “diversion,” and that Tremor has wanted Tony Twist the entire time. What? If that’s the case, why did he target Spawn in the first place? That’s shaky, even by Spawn standards. The ending is even worse, as Spawn just hands over another manila file that’s supposed to solve everything (which is exactly how the last issue ended).

The story reads as if McFarlane already decided to use Tremor in the issue, and just made up each page as he went along. Termor appeared in the first wave of Spawn action figures, which were being released at this time, so I can see why McFarlane would want to use him in the book (he also has Spawn use his toy’s accessory, a broken piece of wood, during a fight for the second time in three issues), but what a flimsy setup. Years later, McFarlane would continue to produce imaginative toys with great designs, but would refuse to introduce the characters into the comic. Paradoxically, the comic by this point had grown pretty stale and actually needed the new characters. He didn’t seem overly interested in using Tremor after this issue, so maybe this story turned him off from doing toy crossovers in the future. As bad as this story is, I wouldn’t have minded McFarlane trying again with some of the later toys (anything would’ve been better than another issue of Spawn moping around the alleys, or hiding in the shadows while other people actually do things). While the story’s feeble, Marc Silvestri at least shows up as the artist. It seems as if he’s specifically doing a McFarlane riff for much of the issue, but he makes it work.

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #16-#17, July - August 1986

Underworld!/The Magma Solution

Credits: David Michelinie (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Kyle Baker/Vinnie Colletta (inkers), Rick Parker (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist)

The Plot: Peter Parker and Joy Mercado are sent to cover labor unrest in rural Virginia for NOW Magazine. After getting harassed by locals, they meet Charla, whose son Seth has been kidnapped by mysterious men. Peter and Joy learn that Seth is an idiot savant, whose math skills enable him to work calculations faster than a computer. He’s being used by Magma and the Roxxon corporation, who have teamed up to explore new energy sources. Spider-Man frees Seth, but his battle with Magma causes the installation to collapse. After an explosion, only scraps of Spider-Man’s costume remain.

The Subplots: Joy suspects Peter is Spider-Man after Spidey emerges to fight Magma.

Web of Continuity: This Magma isn’t the New Mutants member; he’s a villain from Marvel Team-Up. He created his suit to fight environmentalists who stood in the way of his development of cheap energy.

*See _________ For Details: Peter is under the impression Flash Thompson is secretly the Hobgoblin, which is a reference to one of the many red herrings during that storyline in Amazing. Aunt May’s Social Security checks are being delayed and Peter doesn’t know why. There’s no footnote connected to this, but I assume it’s referring to a storyline in one of the titles. Spidey thinks about a civilian’s death during his battle with the Sin-Eater in Peter Parker#108, and Joy Mercado remembers seeing Peter in a fight in Peter Parker Annual #3.

I Love the ‘80s: Peter isn’t able to find any clean clothes, so he’s stuck wearing a Strawberry Shortcake t-shirt. Seth is referred to as “retarded” by Peter, which is a term that probably wouldn’t be used in these more politically correct days.

Review: So, sixteen issues into the book’s run, the original premise of “Peter Parker travels the globe while on assignment for NOW Magazine” finally begins. We’re even helpfully notified that this is the FIRST ISSUE (of a new direction) on #16’s cover. Marc Silvestri and Kyle Baker arrive as the new artistic team, although Vince Colletta is brought in very quickly for a fill-in. Like his previous issue, I don’t really see anything that portrays the rotten reputation he’s garnered over the years, but he’s certainly a comedown after seeing Kyle Baker inks. Silvestri and Baker are a solid team, bringing a combination of fluidity, energy, and grit to the title. There is a sense now that Web is going to be more than fill-ins, although this bold new direction doesn’t last long.

In terms of motivation or gimmicks, Magma isn’t that great of a villain, so it’s not surprising to me that he’s been lost to obscurity. I get the feeling Michelinie knows he’s a bit of a dud, which is why the story has so many other elements, such as the labor unrest, Joy’s suspicions, and the story of Seth thrown in. Magma doesn’t even appear until the final page of the first chapter. He does present a decent challenge during the fight scenes, and Silvestri makes his armor seem less ridiculous than the average artist probably could. The combination of the art and the various distractions from the main story prevent this from becoming a Spider-Man vs. Generic Villain storyline. However, I do think the “traveling photographer” premise is pretty weak, and it’s the type of idea you dream up when you’ve already decided Spider-Man stars in enough books. Even if this is a spin-off, I think there is an expectation that Peter Parker’s supporting cast will play a role in the stories, which requires most of the storylines to take place in New York. Traveling for NOW might be a part of Peter’s job, but it’s not really his life. If you’ve made the series so “different” it doesn’t feel like a Spider-Man book anymore, what was the point?

IMAGE COMICS WEEK - CYBERFORCE

CYBERFORCE #1 – October 1992

The Tin Men of War - Part One

Credits: Marc Silvestri (artist), Eric Silvestri (writer), Mike Heisler (letterer), Joe Chiodo (colorist)

Summary

Ripclaw and Heatwave save a teenage girl named Velocity from a group of cybernetic hunters from Cyberdata, led by a woman named Ballistic. Meanwhile, Stryker, Cyblade, and Impact stop the assassination of a mutant mayoral candidate. Velocity is brought to a secret base where she meets Chip and his robot friend Timmie, who looks like a little boy. There’s a sudden explosion, and Ballistic appears with a new group of cyborgs.

Imitation & Flattery

Stryker is a no-nonsense military man with a cybernetic eye and arm(s), just like a certain Rob Liefeld creation.

Mutants are feared and persecuted in the world of Cyberforce.

Review

Did you ever think that X-Men comics would be better if they only had more cyborgs? If so, Cyberforce is the comic for you. The original Image creators were heavily criticized for just knocking off old Marvel concepts, and this complaint had some validity. Cyberforce is shamelessly taking the “mutants as a persecuted minority” concept, and applying it to a book about…cyborgs. A blue-skinned mayoral candidate (actually named Perry Bluestone, I swear) is attacked by a group of assassins who don’t want to see the “freak” win. The member of Cyberforce protecting the mayor has a lot of “can’t we all just get along?”-type thought balloons. Later, a group called the “Mutant Liberation Army” firebombs city hall as a response to the assassination attempt. It’s like someone took an X-Force script and used “Find and Replace” to change the names to Cyberforce characters. I almost admire how shameless they are about it.

As an action-oriented story, it’s more fun to read than the other Image books I’ve reviewed so far. There’s a lot of cliché dialogue and (very) unoriginal ideas, but so far, it’s not as cluttered as WildC.A.T.S and doesn’t stall the way Spawn does. Silvestri’s art is great, bringing a lot of energetic action with clear storytelling. Amongst artists, Silvestri tends to be labeled the best artist of the original Image Seven, and I agree. He seems to favor energy over slickness, which is probably why Jim Lee became more commercially successful. The Top Cow house style of today seems to be a heavily exaggerated variation of what he’s doing in these issues.

Many of the editorials in the Image first issues were filled with resentment towards Marvel (I remember Liefeld’s editorial in Supreme #1 as being particularly harsh), but Silvestri doesn’t have any bad words to say. He says that he joined Image because it seemed like a good idea, and then thanks the people he worked with at Marvel, calling them friends. Classy.

CYBERFORCE #2 – March 1993

The Tin Men of War - Part Two

Credits: Marc Silvestri (artist), Eric Silvestri (writer), Mike Heisler (letterer), Joe Chiodo (colorist)

Summary

Cyberforce face Cyberdata's soldiers, the S.H.O.C.S. They want to take Velocity back with them, but Cyberforce forces them to retreat. With their base destroyed, Cyberforce moves into an underground bunker hidden beneath a gas station. After grocery shopping with Velocity, Timmie runs into the path of a van being driven by outlaw mutants. The mutants take Velocity and Timmie hostage, but are stopped in their getaway by another S.H.O.C.S. member.

Production Note

According to the cover dates, this issue came out five months after the previous one. Who needs editors?

Review

And now Cyberforce falls into the “creator introduces every cool character he’s come up with since the fifth grade in one issue” trap. The opening fight scene looks nice, but who are these guys? There’s no real introduction given to anybody, they’re just there to fill pages in a fight scene. I get the idea that Cyberforce and Cyberdata are mortal enemies, and that they fight in a G.I. Joe/Cobra, Autobots/Decepticons way, but throwing even more villains out there without any introduction doesn’t work. Calling them S.H.O.C.S., when they work for Cyberdata, is needlessly confusing. This is only the second issue, but the bad guys already have their own sub-division of members. Later on, yet another group of mutant villains debuts without a proper introduction either, making this issue as cluttered as the early WildC.A.T.S stories.

Like a lot of the early Image books, this reads as if it ought to be the two hundredth issue of the book instead of the second. Following Marvel’s lead, the creators want to give all of these characters extensive backstories with one another, but without the benefit of Marvel’s decades-long continuity. This doesn’t work, you can’t just have someone shout, “It’s the S.H.O.C.S!” and expect us to care.

CYBERFORCE #3 – May 1993

The Tin Men of War - Part Three

Credits: Marc Silvestri (pencils), Eric Silvestri (writer), Dan Panosian, Marc Silvestri, & Trevor Scott (inks), Mike Heisler (letterer), Joe Chiodo (colorist)

Summary

The S.H.O.C.S. fight mutants Slam, Wyldfyre, and Splitzkrieg in order to kidnap Velocity, and steal some disks stolen from the Megasoft Corporation. The disks have been swallowed by Timmie, who is soon captured by the S.H.O.C.S., along with Velocity. Cyberforce traces their stolen van to the mutants’ hideout, where Pitt is coincidentally spending the night. The S.H.O.C.S. set a bomb to blow up the van and attack. Pitt, the mutants, and Cyberforce team up to fight the S.H.O.C.S. Meanwhile, Stryker, working undercover, joins Mother May I’s mutant terrorist group.

Imitation & Flattery

The mutant terrorist group is lead by Mother May I, a blue-skinned female who looks exactly like Mystique.

Review

More characters you don’t know anything about fight each other. And then something called Pitt shows up. It still looks nice, even if some of the storytelling is getting shaky, but it’s exactly what you would expect from an early Image comic.

CYBERFORCE #4 – July 1993

The Tin Men of War - Part Four

Credits: Marc Silvestri (pencils), Eric Silvestri (writer), Scott Williams (inker), Mike Heisler (letterer), Joe Chiodo (colorist)

Summary

Cyberforce invades Cyberdata’s skyscraper in order to save Velocity and Timmie. Mother May I is using the virus inside the stolen disks to destroy New York’s power grid. Her relationship with Cyberdata comes to an end when her jilted lover Kimata shoots her. Before she dies, Mother May I reveals that she is Velocity and Ballistic’s mother. Cyberforce defeats the S.H.O.C.S. and Cyberdata’s men, stopping the virus and taking Velocity back home with them.

I Love the ‘90s

Timmie the robot sends an e-mail to the team. This is the first reference to e-mail in any of the books I’ve reviewed so far.

Gimmicks

This issue has a cardstock, metallic cover, for a $0.55 higher cover price.

Review

It’s the big fight finish (as opposed to the big fight beginning and middle). Just like WildC.A.T.S, Cyberforce is filled with too many characters and too much action. At least this issue doesn’t introduce too many new characters, except for the mystery man behind Cyberdata (the mysterious group we know nothing about in the first place). I was hoping to at least enjoy these issues as fun action comics, but they turn out to just be a cluttered mess.

Cyberforce never really caught on (I can’t even remember if it’s published today; I know that Pat Lee was drawing a revival but I haven’t heard much about it sense). Even if there were a full-scale ‘90s nostalgia boom, I wouldn’t expect Cyberforce to really take off. Marc Silvestri introduced Witchblade in 1995, setting up Top Cow’s future as a publisher of dark fantasy titles, with no shortage of T & A. It seems to have worked out for them.