| Freak Force | |
 Cover to Freak Force #1, December 1993. Pencils by Vic Bridges, inks by Karl Kesel. Karl Kesel (born 1959 is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| First appearance | Savage Dragon #4 (September 1992) |
| Created by | Erik Larsen |
| In story information | |
| Member(s) | Horridus, Rapture, Barbaric, Dart , Superpatriot, Ricochet, Mighty Man Star |
Freak Force is the name of a fictional team of superhuman bounty hunters operating out of Chicago, Illinois. Image Comics is an American Comic book publisher It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. Events in September It is the start of the academic year in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Erik J Larsen (born December 8, 1962) is an American Comic book writer artist and publisher Horridus is a fictional Superheroine created by Erik Larsen for his Image Comics series The Savage Dragon. Rapture (real name Sharona Jackson) is a fictional super heroine created by Erik Larsen for his Image Comics series Savage Dragon. Dart (Jill August is a fictional Image Comics superhero Created by Erik Larsen, she first appeared in 1992 in Savage Dragon #2 (ongoing SuperPatriot is an Image Comics Superhero created by Erik Larsen in 1992 Mighty Man is a fictional hero created by Erik Larsen some years before he began drawing professional comics possibly in his adolescence Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. They originated in the Image Comics series Savage Dragon, but subsequently went on to star in their own series. Image Comics is an American Comic book publisher It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their Savage Dragon is an ongoing American Comic book series created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics. All the characters were created by Erik Larsen, many during his adolescence. Erik J Larsen (born December 8, 1962) is an American Comic book writer artist and publisher
Contents |
Premise
With the exceptions of Superpatriot and Mighty Man, all of the team were part of a failed "freak force" program, in which the Chicago Police Department attempted to recruit super-powered police officers. Mighty Man is a fictional hero created by Erik Larsen some years before he began drawing professional comics possibly in his adolescence The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of the City of Chicago, Illinois Dart, a vigilante from Detroit, was among the first recruited. Dart (Jill August is a fictional Image Comics superhero Created by Erik Larsen, she first appeared in 1992 in Savage Dragon #2 (ongoing Horridus joined soon after the Dragon rescued her from abusive captivity in her parent's basement. Horridus is a fictional Superheroine created by Erik Larsen for his Image Comics series The Savage Dragon. Ricochet and Barbaric were led to the program from a meeting with the Savage Dragon, although Ricochet was rejected as too young to be a police officer. While sulking, she helped rescue Rapture from a homicidal pimp. Rapture (real name Sharona Jackson) is a fictional super heroine created by Erik Larsen for his Image Comics series Savage Dragon.
Their tenure as police officers was brief and fraught with disaster. Barbaric almost killed members of the Vicious Circle criminal organization during a prison escape. The Vicious Circle is a criminal organization of Mutants, Cyborgs, Monsters, assassins, and magicians that serves as the primary opponents Dart gravely injured the villain Cesspool, who later filed a lawsuit. The police department also wanted the crew to wear standard police uniforms, instead of superhero costumes. The heroes complained that this would restrict their fighting ability. This, and other factors, soon led to the team leaving the police department.
The Series
The initial Freak Force series ran for 18 issues, from December 1993 to July 1995.
Issues #1 mostly set the scene and introduced the team's downtown headquarters as well as a shambolic fight against a nuclear powered character Major Disaster, and issue two tying into the long-running Covenant Of The Sword sub-plot that would not be resolved until the 75th issue of Savage Dragon some years later. Savage Dragon is an ongoing American Comic book series created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics. Chelsea Nirvana, the daughter of Mighty Man's old villain Dr. Nirvana, tricks her way into becoming the secretary for the group.
Issues #3, #4, and #5 featured the series' first story arc, with Chelsea Nirvana using one of her father's old inventions to clone Mighty Man, Ricochet and Barbaric (twice, after failing to remember Superpatriot was mostly robotic) resulting in a public battle between the clones and the originals. Vanguard, an ally of the Dragon, was sucked into the fight. Vanguard is a fictional alien hero created by Gary Carlson and Erik Larsen for Carlson's self-published anthology Megaton. During clean up, Mighty Man, Barbaric and Ricochet were attacked by Inhabitor, who was able to stretch inanimate objects, mostly floors and walls.
Issue #6 detailed the origins of Mighty Man and Rapture, and so in turn, the fate of Chelsea's father, who was killed during experimenting on Rapture. This is the incident that gave Rapture her superpowers. Issue #7 featured an appearance of the dangerously insane Detroit hero Killkat (later of the Deadly Duo) who is obsessed with Dart. Chelsea and Inhibitor team up.
Issues 8 & 9 introduced Jake Farrel, a government agent and old 'acquaintance' of Superpatriot, who enlists them to defeat metal eating ants that crash landed in Brazil. The story again guest-starred Vanguard, and was a cross-over with Cyberforce. Cyberforce is an Image Comics Super-hero team created by artist Marc Silvestri and writer Eric Silvestri in 1992. Issue #10 was the only issue to feature The Dragon in any major way, in a stand-alone story featuring a bullied and abused teen Joey Finklebarr who wakes with incredible strength and murders his abusive father and classmates. He defeats Freak Force, but is talked into surrendering by the Dragon.
The final issues were divided up into three major story-arcs. 11, 12 and 13 had Jake Farrel once again drafting Freak Force, this time with two members of Superpatriot's old team The Liberty League Mr Big and Hornet to remove The Cosmic Cops, who had commandeered New York with intentions of taking the populace. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Horridus was revealed as being half extra-terrestrial. She accidentally sabotages the Cosmic Cops, who flee. However both Mr Big and Hornet perish and Rapture's leg is broken. Annoyed at the team's performance Dart quits. Issues 14 and 15 feature Bludgeon, who was given powers by Johnny Redbeard. Mighty Man and Ricochet are in comas and it is Joey Finklebarr who saves the day. Dart and Mighty Man's friend, Phyllis Deeder, are captured by Chelsea and Inhibitor.
Issue #16 has a further confrontation with Chelsea, Redbeard and various other characters. Freak Force disbands, some of the group perform a rescue mission at a super-freak detainment camp and Chelsea changes genders.
This story continued on into the regular Savage Dragon series. Chelsea and Inhibitor’s gang, made up of her henchmen and other freed prisoners continued on with villainy. The Nixed Men, further creations of Johnny Redbead, joined up. She-Dragon mistook Chelsea Nirvana for Johnny Redbead, for Chelsea had changed into that form. Amy Belcher, also known as Sensation and mostly as She-Dragon is a fictional 'superfreak' and later police officer created by Erik Larsen for his series Savage The gang-lead Cyber-Face killed a number of Chelsea's men, then had Negate, who could remove powers, neutralize Chelsea. She ended up looking exactly like her father. Chelsea later gained some measure of revenge by killing Mighty Man's human host. Dart soon gained Mighty Man's powers.
Mini-Series
Concurrent with the end of the initial series, there was also a three-issue Freak Force mini-series, set after the "Mars Attacks Image" event, that ran from April 1995 to July 1995. Larsen was again involved overseeing the project, which was written by Larsen (with Eric Stephenson as co-scripter) and illustrated by Andy Kuhn.
The Mini-series had one story, that of the attack of the 'Frightening Force', a new team of enemies organised by Chelsea Nirvana, now a normal powerless man attacking the group out of revenge shortly after they became funded by Peter Klaptain, a rock singer who likes to insinuate he is the vigilante Star (when in fact it was a policeman Chris Robinson, who was his bodyguard, and in this story, his Limo driver) and added Star to the team's roaster, there is one sub-plot that of a prison break by a villain Ultimatum that releases Joe Finklebarr, Finklebarr is essential to ending the battle between Freak Force and Frightening Force, killing Inhibitor and Star. Negate takes Finklebarr's powers from him returning him to a normal boy.
Dart is not part of the major story, she is on holiday with her lover Justice, one of Superpatriot's children, the other, Liberty appears heavily pregnant, having been impregnated by Martians during the Mars Attacks Image event, Ricochet is also revealed to be pregnant.
Freak Force were absorbed into The Dragon's S. O. S project, a government sponsored team replacing Youngblood who were killed during the Mars Attacks Image event (in truth Rob Liefeld creator of the team was no longer part of Image Comics after being voted out by his co-founders) Barbaric and Ricochet were married in Savage Dragon issue 41 to help a lucrative merchandising deal, Rapture was killed an issue later while on an S. Rob Liefeld, (born October 3 1967) is an American Comic book writer illustrator and publisher Image Comics is an American Comic book publisher It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their O. S mission and Dart was crippled in issue 47, she later gained the powers of Mighty Man.
This Savage World
After killing Damian Darklord, The Savage Dragon caused an alternate Earth to exist, and the Earth the previous Freak Force inhabited was destroyed. However all of the Freak Force existed on this world:
Superpatriot has been the most featured, along with Mighty Man, originally under the control of the villain Cyberface, who was now running America. He is now a major support role. Anne Stevens, alive in this reality, had never realized she could become Mighty Man, and had to be shown by The Dragon and has been gradually getting more adept at superheroics.
Dart was recently killed during a battle between Mako and The Savage Dragon.
Barbaric and Ricochet were part of a gladiatorial arena that also included Madman. Madman is a comic book series set in one of the many parallel worlds existing in the Multiverse Rapture was shown to be morbidly obese.
External links
- SavageDragon.com - Larsen's official site
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