OLD IS NEW AGAIN: A FREEDOM FIGHTERS HISTORY

[MattBrady]

by Troy Brownfield

Talk about your storied histories: they start at one company, move to another, get assigned to an alternate Earth, move to the main Earth in their own book, get cancelled, come back in the past, learn about a previous doomed version of their team, move Earths for the first (second?) time, get merged into one Earth with everyone else, fall off the radar, regroup in a crossover special, only make guest appearances in someone else’s book for a couple of years, then get fairly slaughtered in the first few pages of the biggest crossover in twenty years, reappear in completely different forms in a new mini, take a detour through a Brave New World, then land again in their own title. Of course, we’re talking about the Freedom Fighters. And all the twists and turns aren’t even the strange part. The question has to be, “How does a team that didn’t start as a team go through so many changes and still resonate with fans?” Let’s look . . .

[Note: As per usual, this does not pretend to be completely exhaustive…]

A Certain Quality: The story of the Freedom Fighters actually begins in the late 1930s at Quality Comics. Quality was merely one of dozens of companies at the time that were cashing in on the super-hero craze, propagating characters amid a variety of anthology titles. Notable titles included Police Comics and G.I. Combat, and the sizeable stable of characters featured luminaries like Plastic Man and the Blackhawks. Eventually, Quality began to suffer financially and, by the 1950s, they went under. National (later DC) bought their slate of characters and titles, transferring some over into use immediately (like G.I. Combat and Plastic Man) and keeping others in the drawer.

First Fighters: Writer/editor Len Wein tells the story of how the Freedom Fighters first came to be in the intro to Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 3. Within the pages of Justice League of America, the team-ups between the JLA of Earth-1 and the JSA of Earth-2 had become an annual tradition. For the 100th issue of JLA, which happened to be the first part of the tenth annual team-up, writer Wein had gone nuts, throwing in the Seven Soldiers of Victory as well to make for a thirty-three character party.

The tale sold extremely well. So well, in fact, that JLA editor Julius Schwartz asked Len who else was going to join the JLA/JSA fun in the next team-up, slated to begin in issue #107. Wein decided to go to that backlog of Quality characters and pick a few to represent the “third group” for the team-up. Knowing that their primary exposure was in the World War 2 era, Wein put together a scenario where the group of heroes, led by Uncle Sam, lived on a world where the Nazis had won WW2, but where the heroes had never quit fighting. He dubbed this Quality conglomerate “The Freedom Fighters”.

(Historical Note: Wein, in keeping with most of the team-ups having “Crisis” as part of their name, originally forwarded the idea of calling the story “Crisis on Earth-[Swastika]”. Schwartz flatly rejected having the Nazi symbol in the title, but counter-proposed that the new world be simply called “Earth-X”, joining the previously established Earths 1, 2,3 and S.)

When “Crisis on Earth-X” ran, beginning the September-October 1973 cover-dated issue #107 of Justice League of America, fans instantly warmed to the team. In addition to Uncle Sam, there was The Ray, Black Condor, Doll Man, Human Bomb, and Phantom Lady. It should be noted the Phantom Lady as a concept has a long and winding history; though the familiar version did indeed first appear in Quality’s Police Comics, a number of publishers have laid claim to the name in different versions and titles over the years. The character even ran in her own title from Fox Feature Syndicate in the ‘40s. The full story would merit its own article, which, since I’ve suggested it, I am now sure that Matt will ask me to do.

Regardless, some brief background on the membership as originally forwarded by Len Wein and artist Dick Dillin:

Uncle Sam: First appearing in (appropriately) the July issue #1 of Quality’s National Comics, Uncle Sam was a super-strong version of the personification of America that appeared on the army recruiting posters that featured the art of James Montgomery Flagg (yes, I said Flagg). He’s the obvious team leader.

The Ray: Lanford “Happy” Terrill’s basic powers of light and energy have subsequently been expanded upon in the The Ray ongoing series of the ‘90s. In his earliest appearances, he essentially flies and shoots force blasts. Happy, who first appeared in Smash Comics #14 from 1940, is the father of Ray Terrill, The Ray II, who has served as a member of the Justice League Task Force, Young Justice, and the early 2000’s version of the Freedom Fighters.

Black Condor: First appearing in it-would-never-be-named-that-now Crack Comics, Black Condor could fly and later sported a ray gun and minor mental powers. The most distinctive thing about this character is perhaps the fact that he was a U.S. Senator. The most disturbing thing about this character is that he was actually an imposter; though good intentioned, Richard Grey Jr. actually took over the life, name and girlfiend (!) of murdered senator Tom Wright.

Doll Man: Able to shrink from six feet to six inches in height due to a formula of his own creation, Darrell Dane kicked off his career in Feature Comics #27. His girlfriend later became Doll Girl, which prefigured the later Ant-Man/Wasp relationship. Though modern readers might snicker at the name a bit, Doll Man had a great pedigree; among the artists who drew his adventures were Will Eisner and Lou Fine. Remarkably, Doll Man actually headlined Feature from his first appearance until the final issue #139 in 1950 (that’s 112 issues!). He also had his own 47-issue quarterly series that lasted from 1941 to 1943, took a break, then picked up again from 1946 to 1953.

Human Bomb: When evil agents try to steal your father’s chemical formula, should you swallow it? Roy Lincoln did, and discovers that his hands can make things explode. He develops a costume that looks like Homer Simpson’s work outfit. The Bomb was one of a number of characters debuting in Police Comics #1, and he’s there pretty consistently through #58.

Phantom Lady: As I said before, her full history is pretty complicated. But Sandra Knight, her infamous suit, and her black light ray (which can cast darkness and turn her invisible) go back to Police Comics #1. Much has been made about her revealing costume and other, er, endowments; interestingly, the cut-outs and expanded bosom came during the disputed Fox Feature Syndicate period and the art of Matt Baker (in fact, it was an issue of this run that is cited in Frederic Wertham’s book, Seduction of the Innocent for its depiction of bondage and . . . wait for it . . . “headlights”. That’s right; the guy that nearly ruined comics repeatedly refers to big breasts as “headlights”. You should read it if you ever get the chance; it’ll make you tear your hair out).

So these were Wein’s chosen six. In Justice League of America #107, members of both the JLA and JSA are caught in a transmitter accident and land on Earth-X. They meet the Freedom Fighters and become embroiled in their effort to defeat the Nazis. By the next issue, the combined group have disrupted planet-wide mind-control and won the war. Yay! The JLA and JSA head home to rest up for the next crossover, and the Freedom Fighters sit around for a few years.

A Whole New World: In the mid-‘70s, DC launched a metric ton of new titles. Unfortunately, DC eventually wound up canceling an equal or great numbers. During the expansion period, the Freedom Fighters got their own series. It was 1976, and the crew migrated to Earth-1 because hey, they were bored. You read that right: with the Nazis defeated, the FF didn’t feel like there was much left to fight for. So they headed to the mainstream DCU Earth because hey . . . plenty of fights.

Very quickly, the team made a mortal enemy in Silver Ghost and would do battle with him and his machinations repeatedly throughout their run. Firebrand, another Quality character, the original male version, joins the team in issue #12. Unfortunately, the series ended up getting whacked at number 15. Once again, the characters faded quietly into the background, making only minor appearances for a few years.

Though the series is uneven in several respects, it’s a rather fun read and features art by the likes of Rik Estrada and Ramona Fradon. Emphasis points include Human Bomb’s plight (who becomes completely explosive upon his arrival on Earth-1), Phantom Lady’s new power (intangibility), and the Phantom Lady/Ray romance.

Freedom Goes Retro and/or Retcon: The Freedom Fighters came back in a big way in the pages of All-Star Squadron #31 in 1984. Written by Roy Thomas, All-Star Squadron covered the adventures of the larger expanse of DC’s World War 2 era heroes, including the JSA, the core All-Stars, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and others. The action took place on Earth-2, which initially made the book somewhat unique (spin-off Infinity Inc. would also be based on Earth-2 until Crisis on Infinite Earths; more on that later).

In issue #31, we see the first attempt at gathering most of the operating “mystery men” for a meeting. Dozens of heroes show up, including Phantom Lady (active since the early issues of the series), Black Condor, The Ray, and more. After the meeting begins, Uncle Sam arrives and tells his tale: he was fighting oppression on another Earth (obviously, Earth-X) and found a vortex that brought him to Earth-2. He attempted to recruit several heroes to go back and fight the Axis on his world. This proto-version of the Freedom Fighters include Hourman I, Neon the Unknown Magno the Magnetic Man, the Invisible Hood, Red Torpedo and Miss America (all of whom, with the exception of Hourman, were former Quality characters).

Unfortunately, Sam’s first team was killed trying to prevent the events of Pearl Harbor. The All-Stars debate whether or not to send a delegation to help protect the other Earth, or whether their responsibilities should be focused on Earth-2. Sam also reveals that there will be an Axis attack on California simultaneously on both Earths. Eventually a group decides accompany Sam; wouldn’t you know it, that group consists of Phantom Lady, The Ray, the Human Bomb, Black Condor, and Doll Man, plus another Quality holdover, the Red Bee.

Eventually, the group discovers that Hourman is still alive and a prisoner of Baron Blitzkrieg. Though the Freedom Fighters are captured, the Red Bee sacrifices himself to buy them time to escape. The vagaries of dimension travel only allow three heroes to cross back to Earth-X when the mission is done, so Sam, The Ray, and Black Condor return to Earth-X to keep fighting. This whole tale ran from #31-35 and contains some great Rich Hoberg art.

[Quick Note: In subsequent stories, post-Crisis, Miss America and Red Torpedo are also revealed to have survived; Red Torpedo’s story is covered in the ‘90s Starman series, and Miss America gets used to explain continuity issues surrounding Wonder Woman and Fury in the JSA’s timeline in issues of Young All-Stars, though that retcon has since been abandoned.]

Crossover during Crossover: Issue #50 of All-Star Squadron, cover-dated October of 1985, catches us up on some of the events from Crisis on Infinite Earths as Firebrand II is recruited by Harbinger for the Monitor’s universal defense efforts. As that’s going on, Uncle Sam returns to recruit more heroes for Earth-X to fight alongside him, Black Condor, and The Ray. A number of former Quality stars make the jump, including Phantom Lady, Doll Man, Human Bomb, Plastic Man, the Blackhawks, Alias the Spider, Jester, Midnight, Manhunter (Dan Richards) and his canine sidekick Thor.

The “classic” core line-up shows up later in the Crisis series. They clash with other heroes under the control of Psycho-Pirate, but later shake it off and join in most of the major battles throughout the rest of the series. After the events of Crisis #10, Earths 1, 2, 4, S, and X merge into the Post-Crisis Earth. The Freedom Fighters are shown to have existed in World War 2, and did indeed fight alongside the JSA and All-Stars. However, there was never any between-world travel, and several of their earlier adventures were therefore wiped from existence. In Young All-Stars, it would be revealed through photos that heroes like Midnight, Jester and Quicksilver (later redubbed Max Mercury) were considered to be part of the team in the later World War 2 years.

Intermittent Times: I won’t attempt to catalog the various and sundry appearances that individual Fighters made in the late ‘80s and throughout the ‘90s, since the characters were fairly active. The Ray found the time to father The Ray II, who starred in the The Ray: In A Blaze of Power mini and his own ongoing in the early to mid-‘90s. Likewise, the Black Condor appeared in the pages of the short-lived series belong to his successor, Black Condor II.

We recently found out through the pages of Manhunter that Phantom Lady and Iron Munro of the Young All-Stars had a relationship. Their child becomes the father of Kate Spencer, the heroine now known as Manhunter. In fact, in the late ‘90s, Munro and the Human Bomb were roommates on a houseboat. Also, Phantom Lady mentored a successor, Dee Tyler, who debuted in Action Comics Weekly #636 in 1989. Uncle Sam also put in some appearances during this low tide, including a Spectre story where briefly had a new identity: The Patriot.

Our Worlds at War!: During this massive 2001 crossover event, the JSA was tasked by President Luthor with attacking the Imperiex mothership. Chairman Sand called in all of the active reserves. Once the objective was reached, teams were assembled for various missions. The Patriot was assigned a group that consisted of: Phantom Lady II, The Ray II, Black Condor II, Iron Munro, and Damage, a young hero with powers very like The Human Bomb. Repeatedly in the adventure, Patriot refers to his team as his band of “Freedom Fighters.” This all took place in the JSA:OWAW special.

Slow Build: Clearly, JSA writer Geoff Johns had some ideas about using the Freedom Fighters. The modern group appeared again to fight the triple-threat of Mordru, Obsidian, and Eclipso during the “Princes of Darkness” arc. Other brief appearances showed the group operating in a capacity of government agents. Frequently, fans asked about a Fighters mini or spin-off. Well, the fans were about to see the group on DC’s biggest stage, but not quite in the way that they may have wanted.

Infinite Crisis #1: In the opening salvo of Infinite Crisis, the core of the recast Freedom Fighters were ambushed by the Society. Phantom Lady II, Human Bomb, Black Condor II, and Uncle Sam all perished. The Ray II was captured alive to be used in Alexander Luthor’s grand plan, and Damage was severely injured. The Ray would later escape (and be seen, healthy and in costume, during the recent “Up, Up, and Away” arc in the Superman titles), and Damage was noted to be recovering in the hospital later in IC. At the time, many were skeptical about the permanence of Sam’s death, and that skepticism appears to have been rewarded in the pages of Brave New World, as Uncle Sam has emerged from the Mississippi, ready to kick somebody’s un-American ass.

Wait, Wasn’t THAT Uncle Sam?: Granted, we were already given the reasonable expectation that Uncle Sam may have been reincarnated as lookalike Father Time, who showed up in the Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Bludhaven mini. Father Time, who bears a striking resemblance to Sam, is working for secretive organization SHADE, a prime mover behind some plot points in the Seven Soldiers event. Interestingly, the character referred to as Father Time in that story looks completely different, so perhaps something occurs in the delayed Soliders #1.

Regardless, Father Time has congregated new versions of The Ray, Phantom Lady, Doll Man, and Human Bomb. While they bear physical and powered similarities to the originals, their actions and demeanor are very different, even cold. Simultaneously, a new Firebrand, essentially a “man of the people” has emerged, and he’s been recruited by Uncle Sam for an as yet unseen purpose. Certainly, all these character seem primed for a collision in the impending Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters mini-series.

Dissecting Appeal: So why do the Freedom Fighters continue to resonate? Excellent question. I have great fondness for the group myself, and I’m not quite sure why. Perhaps it’s the earnestness that they’ve always displayed. Perhaps it’s the somewhat goofy nostalgic kick of having a military recruiting symbol be team leader. Certainly, all the characters have individual qualities that inspire readers; witness Doll Man’s lengthy run in his original form. The early story, that of a group of heroes fighting a war that’s already been lost, definitely holds some power.

But really, I think that the subtle appeal to most people is that these are heroes that were never intended to work together, but meshed surprisingly well. They represent different facets of comics at the time (super-science, high fantasy, potent nationalism) and give an almost innocent twist to super-heroics. Granted, the new versions are very dark . . . and I think that’s the point. The rising of Uncle Sam (in fact, the use of Uncle Sam) may seem silly to some, but it does make sense, given that our own society (and the world at large) is in turmoil, and comics have always reflected their times. These heroes have lost their way, and Uncle Sam may be looking to inspire them to something better. I think that’s a worthy story to tell.

Troy Brownfield writes regularly for Newsarama.

[SpyGuy]

I don't know about everyone else, but I really wish DC would collect the '70s FREEDOM FIGHTERS series into a trade paperback or two. ALL-STAR SQUADRON too, now that I'm thinking about it.

[rock334]

This is a dream come true. Now if DC will collect the original Freedom Fighters run in a tpb, that would really make my day...
Billy

[FireLight]

I'm one of those looking for a resolution on the whole The Ray thing. I hope Ray - The Ray - Terrel is still around somewhere...

[onestar]

I dunno. I didn't see the need to kill off the Freedom Fighters in the opening pages of IC, just to reintroduce dang-similar duplicates just a few months later.

Yeah, like Troy said, these are colder, "edgier" characters "for a new generation", but I'm also of the mind-set, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

I read the Battle for Bludhaven miniseries, and was not impressed. I saw the first issue of the new mini yesterday at the comics shop, and lemme tell ya, I didn't pick it up, and I've no intention of getting this series.

Thanks for the nice review, Troy. It's always great to read these.

[Spider-Bob]

Phantom Lady using her "headlights" to blind the bad guys - now that's a comic that would sell.

[c_andrew_s]

I am looking forward to this!!!! I have always liked them, I even have some of the issues from the 70s... but a collected version would be sweet

[Troy Brownfield]

Originally Posted by FireLight

I'm one of those looking for a resolution on the whole The Ray thing. I hope Ray - The Ray - Terrel is still around somewhere...

As I noted above, Ray has already appeared alive and well in the pages of the "Up, Up and Away" arc of the OYL Superman titles. What role, if any, he has with what's coming up is yet to be seen. Geoff Johns remarked elsewhere that he specifically wanted to save Ray, so we'll see what happens.

[little kon-el]

Just a little bit more of history. It seems that Freedom Fighters are a popular group in different universes too:

Roy Thomas created a Marvel version of the Freedom Fighters pastiche called the Crusaders.

Spirit of 76 - (based on Uncle Sam)
Captain Wings - (based on Black Condor)
Dyna-Mite - (based on Doll Man), later became the Destroyer
Ghost Girl - (based on Phantom Lady)
The Spirit of '76 - (based on Uncle Sam)
Thunder Fist - (based on the Human Bomb)
Tommy Lightning - (based on the Ray)

Ed Brubaker created a Wildstorm pastiche version of the Freedom Fighters called the Sons of Liberty:

Paul Revere (super-strength and 'broadcast empath'--Based on Uncle Sam
Minute-Maid (super-strength)--Based on Phantom Lady
Johnny Rocketman (supersonic flight)--Based on the Ray
Human Hand-Grenade (with the power to shrink, explode, and re-constitute his own body)--Based on the Human Bomb and Doll Man.

- little kon-el

[Grimm22]

I wont be picking up the new Freedom Fighters series.

Even though there is definitly somthing cool about Uncle Sam going around and punching villans in the face

[O.J. Flow]

Originally Posted by SpyGuy

I don't know about everyone else, but I really wish DC would collect the '70s FREEDOM FIGHTERS series into a trade paperback or two. ALL-STAR SQUADRON too, now that I'm thinking about it.

Absolutely.

[jmyoung]

Originally Posted by little kon-el

Just a little bit more of history. It seems that Freedom Fighters are a popular group in different universes too:

Roy Thomas created a Marvel version of the Freedom Fighters pastiche called the Crusaders.

Spirit of 76 - (based on Uncle Sam)
Captain Wings - (based on Black Condor)
Dyna-Mite - (based on Doll Man), later became the Destroyer
Ghost Girl - (based on Phantom Lady)
The Spirit of '76 - (based on Uncle Sam)
Thunder Fist - (based on the Human Bomb)
Tommy Lightning - (based on the Ray)

Ed Brubaker created a Wildstorm pastiche version of the Freedom Fighters called the Sons of Liberty:

That was part of one of DC/Marvel's unofficial crossovers. An Invaders analog team appeared in Freedom Fighters as well. I remember the Barracuda for the Submariner. Cannot remember the rest.

[Scarlet Mage]

I hated the Freedom Fighters buying it in the early pages of IC but at least most of them were the already half baked replacements. I DESPISED the Bludhaven mini and only bought every issue for the same reason people slow down driving past an accident. With every issue, I was stunned at how much lower the quality would drop. Now I'm expected to read the FF mini? I don't think so. I'm curious about how bad it will get and how another Morrison concept will prove to have only been cool to editorial staffs but I'll use Wikipedia for that. Why buy an issue and maybe encourage DC to award this crap an ongoing? The art has already hurt my eyes enough in ads and Brave New World so why give it a chance to do more damage?

[OcCaM]

Yeh I'm up for an All Star Squadron trade or two.

To be honest there was only 6 book I ever liked from DC post Crisis. All Star Squadron, New Teen Titans, Perez era JLA, Levitz' Legion and GL and Flash more for concept as a kid than stories to be honest.

Fortunately, Titans has been getting beaucoup amounts of love with tpbs and Archives. The JLA/JSA team-up tpb's will get to some Perez stuff soon enough, and even Legion has the Darkness Saga out. And the GL/GA stories are out in tpb.

That leaves no love for All Star Squadron and Flash. Ok those Barry Allen stories weren't that great, I'd like to see the Reverse Flash saga in its entiriety perhaps but otherwise forget it.

But All Star Squadron stories still read pretty well. Oh well I suppose a couple issues will hit trade when the JLA/JSA Crisis on Multiple Earths tpb's hit the All Star Squadron x-over, but it's not enough!

Didn't I read Didio doesn't really like All Star Squardon is that why they aren't getting any love there?

And I'd read those Freedom Fighter stories if they'd put them in tpb. I regret never having bought them in the 1st place to be honest. It's funny how I loved that particular JLA/JSA xover and even the JSA xovers in general but never bought the JSA and Freedom Fighter series as a young'un. Ah well at least that earlier JSA series is getting some collected love soon.

[Squashua]

Originally Posted by onestar

I read the Battle for Bludhaven miniseries, and was not impressed. I saw the first issue of the new mini yesterday at the comics shop, and lemme tell ya, I didn't pick it up, and I've no intention of getting this series.

Bold-Blued for truth. I read 90% of Battle; I did not bother to even pick up the last issue, it was so bad. And I didn't pick up Fighters either. The art is terrible and the story is quite hackneyed. It wants to be too much with too many new characters that I don't give a fig about.

Knights, direct analogous replacements of pre-existing characters, a full-on agency, and way too many supervillains. I'll stick with Shadowpact as my crappy read of choice for now.

[Brenticles]

Originally Posted by Scarlet Mage

I hated the Freedom Fighters buying it in the early pages of IC but at least most of them were the already half baked replacements. I DESPISED the Bludhaven mini and only bought every issue for the same reason people slow down driving past an accident. ...Now I'm expected to read the FF mini?... The art has already hurt my eyes enough in ads and Brave New World so why give it a chance to do more damage?

But an accident on the highway is free, and unavoidable. I just don't get comic fans, does anyone else know of another group of people that pay for stuff they hate? And then complain about it? And you aren't expected, or forced, to do anything. That's another attitude of comic fans I don't understand.

Originally Posted by Squashua

And I didn't pick up Fighters either. The art is terrible and the story is quite hackneyed. It wants to be too much with too many new characters that I don't give a fig about.

Wait. You didn't pick it up which means you didn't read it, right? So how do you know the story is "quite hackneyed" and all those other flaws? If you didn't read it then you don't, that's just your perception of it or your expectations. But not really based on any substantial information, which would be the story itself.

Personally I am excited about US&tFF. I really like the preview art and I have loved all of the covers that Acuna has been doing. So far I have really liked Battle for Bludhaven. I haven't read #6 yet but I am looking forward to it.

[veritech]

Can someone please post a brief plot recap of Battle for Bluddhaven?

[Freedom Fighter]

I've been aching for a return of the FF for years now. So I'm happy to have them back (sort of) Daniel Acuna's art looks amazing and I'm enjoying what I've seen so far. Obviously I loved the 70s team, it's not every day that an entire superteam is on the run from the law for supposedly killing a supervillain. Too bad the story was never resolved (at least outside of the Cancelled Comics Cavalcade)

Thanks for the historical summary Troy! Great job!!!!

----Kevin

p.s. Plug plug: check out my signature: today's our 7th Anniversary at the Freedom Fighters Foundation! This book is an awesome anniversary present.

[jrvandore]

I would have bought a series with the 90s versions of Ray, Black Condor, Firebrand, Phantom Lady, Damage, Uncle Sam, and a Doll Man (one appeared in a Titans Secret Files, btw), and I might even have bought one with the same concept as the Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters mini, but the writing of Palmiotti and Gray is unreadable, and the new characters introduced in the Bludhaven mini do nothing for me, so I'll pass.

The Bludhaven mini's plot had to do with Captain Atom being used for nefarious purposes in Bludhaven by a shadowy government agency headed by Father Time, but it was all so convoluted and overpopulated with Major Force, The Nuclear Family, the Teen Titans, the new Atomic Knights, and Hal Jordan, not to mention the new members of the upcoming Freedom Fighters, that every issue had an entire text page trying to explain the plot.

[niveKswoB]

Originally Posted by Brenticles

But an accident on the highway is free, and unavoidable. I just don't get comic fans, does anyone else know of another group of people that pay for stuff they hate? And then complain about it? And you aren't expected, or forced, to do anything. That's another attitude of comic fans I don't understand.



Wait. You didn't pick it up which means you didn't read it, right? So how do you know the story is "quite hackneyed" and all those other flaws? If you didn't read it then you don't, that's just your perception of it or your expectations. But not really based on any substantial information, which would be the story itself.

Personally I am excited about US&tFF. I really like the preview art and I have loved all of the covers that Acuna has been doing. So far I have really liked Battle for Bludhaven. I haven't read #6 yet but I am looking forward to it.

Finally, someone who has a brain.

Anyhow. I'm looking forward to the new series and I enjoyed the Battle for Bludhaven. I can see why some people didn't like it since it was a more character driven story.

I'm always up for new team books and hope that the new series continues the excellent track record that DC has had this year.

[Kolimar]

Great article as usual, Troy. I already knew most of it in general but this refreshed a lot of details for me. Thanks.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by jmyoung

That was part of one of DC/Marvel's unofficial crossovers. An Invaders analog team appeared in Freedom Fighters as well. I remember the Barracuda for the Submariner. Cannot remember the rest.

The rest were:

Americommando - Captain America
Rusty - Bucky
Fireball - Human Torch
Sparky - Toro

And both teams were called the Crusaders. I love that kind of stuff.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by little kon-el

Ed Brubaker created a Wildstorm pastiche version of the Freedom Fighters called the Sons of Liberty:

Paul Revere (super-strength and 'broadcast empath'--Based on Uncle Sam
Minute-Maid (super-strength)--Based on Phantom Lady
Johnny Rocketman (supersonic flight)--Based on the Ray
Human Hand-Grenade (with the power to shrink, explode, and re-constitute his own body)--Based on the Human Bomb and Doll Man.

- little kon-el

More information for The Complete List of Inter-Company Homages, Parodies, Versions, Cameos and the like. Emerald Guy had mentioned them but he didn't specify the names and I forgot to make a search.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by Brenticles

But an accident on the highway is free, and unavoidable. I just don't get comic fans, does anyone else know of another group of people that pay for stuff they hate? And then complain about it? And you aren't expected, or forced, to do anything. That's another attitude of comic fans I don't understand.

I half agree. A lot of people buy stuff because they like the characters first and foremost. So they buy it even though they don't like it because reading a story with those characters can be better for them than reading nothing. I also think buying something gives you more right to complain about it. At the very least, you can say you read the story and you're not complaining based on flipping through it at the store (which not everyone is allowed to do), previews, articles, wiki or posts talking about the story. IMHO, a good reading with time to properly digest it is necessary. And for some even a second to take in all the details.

Originally Posted by Brenticles

Wait. You didn't pick it up which means you didn't read it, right? So how do you know the story is "quite hackneyed" and all those other flaws? If you didn't read it then you don't, that's just your perception of it or your expectations. But not really based on any substantial information, which would be the story itself.

Very good point.

[Brenticles]

Originally Posted by Kolimar

I half agree. A lot of people buy stuff because they like the characters first and foremost. So they buy it even though they don't like it because reading a story with those characters can be better for them than reading nothing. I also think buying something gives you more right to complain about it. At the very least, you can say you read the story and you're not complaining based on flipping through it at the store (which not everyone is allowed to do), previews, articles, wiki or posts talking about the story. IMHO, a good reading with time to properly digest it is necessary. And for some even a second to take in all the details.




Very good point.

Yes, complaints by someone that has actually read the story are far more valid than those that have not. And I get what you are saying about favorite characters; Jade is one of my all-time favorite characters and I'd buy a series on her written by Austen and drawn by Liefield. Well, okay, maybe not...but I'd be really torn. :-) However, if a person continues to buy a limited series they hate after the first three issues, well...that's just silly.