Freak Force

Issues 1 - 5 (1993)

Image

Writer - Erik Larsen, Keith Giffen

Pencils - Victor Bridges

I collected these around the time they came out and my collection started at issue 12. Recently I got given a stack of books and 1 - 11 were there. Complete run! Please don't start me on that path.

Freak Force are a team of heroes, based in Chicago and they consist of Dart (the leader), Rapture, Richochet, Barbaric, Mighty Man (labled as the most powerful man in the world), Superpatriot and Horridious. Already there is a bit of a gap as only two of the team appear as 'Freaks'. The rest of the team seem like normal humans.

The team is set up and established as something of a 'heroes for Hire'. They start by being paid to take down an Eco-terrorist called Major Disaster. Dart bemoans their lack of co-ordination and they start to look for a headquarters building.

The second issue has a cover of a man with the head of a shark. Dart is having trouble hiring help to run their outfit. The villains in this issue are 'The Coven' and they hire a team of goons (which includes a very close match to my own nemesis 'Doom Squid') to kill Superpatriot. Another stoush ensues which Freak Force wins quite easily.

Onto the third which is yet another fight, which the Freak Force easily wins again. The villain in this one is in the background, developing her set-up to take down the team. She is making replicas of Freak Force. Superpatriot and Mighty Man have a chat and Mighty Man has a secret he can't divulge. The villain creates her replicas and sets themto destruct downtown Chicago. She is using Mighty Man, Richochet and 2 Barbarics. There is mass destruction as a gas main bursts and the fake Richochet is blown up along with a lot of innocent civilians. The ladies of the team confront fake Mighty Man, who holds the real Richochet hostage.

The ladies fight the fakes, with help from another Image hero who was record shopping. They finally take the powerful bad guys down as they turn into protoplasmic jelly when they take too much damage. At the end of the issue the villain behind the plot turns up and takes the receptionist/Office job at Freak Force headquarters.

The fifth issue has the team explaining that they are not evil and the city was attacked by clones. There is a random attack in the office by a villain with matter control. Mighty Man finds 'his' car stolen, arrest the perp, but then drops the car.
Superpatriot is randomly attacked by another goon squad, this time the Fantastic Force. Again, easily defeating them. It was all a set-up for Absorbing Junior who touches Mighty Man and sucks out his power. He beats Superpatriot to a pulp before Mighty Man revelas his big secret - which is in the next issue.

These issues are nicely drawn and coloured. The stories are great for leading into each other, with threads starting and finishing. Keith Giffen had a long run I liked on Justice League. With lesser heroes with no history the going is a little tougher. Although it's called Freak Force, three of the ladies are human with two being typically tall, lithe beauties, even if one is Afro-American. They both wear very hugging costumes. The big reveal is that Mighty Man is a woman with the hero powers and this adds to the narrative. There was lots of potential on this one and although enjoyable it lacks that real killer punch.