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Force
Seven
From The Independently Minded, Yet Versed
in Tradition, Guys At Lone Star Comics
Review by: Trey
Stone
More info at: http://www.lonestarpress.com
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In this day and age, many critics of the industry, which is
admittedly in the doldrums from a sales point of view, blame
comicdom's woes on the proliferation of the superhero archetype.
Warren Ellis, one of the comics' most gifted writers, especially
is noted for this (you should hear him when he gets into his
nurse novel comparison). Of course, the irony is that some of
the best superhero tales, possibly ever, and certainly in recent
history, are Ellis's: Planetary, The Authority,
and his run on Stormwatch, show the possibilities the
genre offers when well written. They are terrific stories by
any comparison, not just superhero tales. For those of us who
love the superhero archetype, however, those tales are a particular
joy. So, when Warren Ellis gets off on one of his tears about
superheroes, it is somewhat exasperating. Because for all the
crap that is out there in said genre, and believe me, there
is (Joe Quesada, I love a lot of what you have done to revamp
Marvel, but you replace too many lame X-titles with, what, more
lame X-titles? Please. DC, the JLA is a standard setting book
now, but can you back up a bit on all the friggin' mini series?
Some great, some suck, but too many), you can sift through,
and you can find some genuine gems. Tips on superhero treasure
hunting? Two approaches are possible that can guarantee that
you will find those treasures.
First,
you can base your search on writers. There are names that
you realize, after time, will more often than not give you
quality. Ellis is one, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Mark Waid,
and Kurt Busiek are guys who all know/love superheroes and
have unique takes on the genre. Bill Willingham and Chuck
Austen are two relatively unknown writers, but their quality
and range is amazing. I have more on the both of them later.
The
second is to take your chances on independent and self publishers.
This brings us to the subject of today's review. May I present
Lone Star Comics and their first ongoing superhero team book,
Force Seven. Lone Star is a label edited by Bill Williams
of Austin, TX, the one lone spot of true culture and art in
Texas,(the rest of the state, except for hidden enclaves,
is a conservative cultural wasteland, and seems to take pride
in it). Austin is also the home of Bill Willingham, and he
is doing work through them, including the almost concluded
apocalyptic maxi-series Pantheon, and the ongoing anthology,
Strange Heroes.
But
Mr. Williams, not to be outdone, and with tales to tell of
his own, has begun his own. The team is an eclectic bunch,
yet a salute to tradition, with all the bases covered. You
have powerhouses, ranged attackers, a speedster, a stealth
type, etc. Specifically, Amazon who is Team Leader and a brunette
bombshell from another planet. Winter's Knight is the team's
field commander from another dimension
and possesses cold powers along with years of experience,
coupled with a mysterious past. Diva is the baby of the team,
age wise. She has heightened athleticism. Relay, the group's
speedster, and Tower, the resident big guy, are former members
of another team called Western Justice. In the first issue,
we also meet the two brand new members of the team, those
being Curve, force field generator, and Blackbird, their stealth
guy.
So
far, the team has dealt with some traditional threats, in
the way of aliens, threats from parallel worlds (one where
Amazon's people have conquered Earth), a plotting supervillain,
terrorists, and a recruitment drive (in fact, I hope some
of those they turned down will show up again, because they
were really cool). And some of the personality dynamics are
starting to come thru. Amazon, capable leader, nonetheless
is a little aloof and standoffish. Winter's Knight has some
suspicions about her. Tower apparently has a controversial
past of some sort. Friendships are forming, opinions are coalescing,
concerns are starting to be made manifest.
Force
Seven
is sort of bucking the trend, in that it is an unabashedly
idealistic comic, in that it isn't gritty or dark in mood
or characterization. Yes, there are some mysterious agendas
and untold secrets, but the overall tone is a sense of responsibility
that comes with powers above and beyond. And these individuals
are there to act accordingly. I love some of the darker, grimmer
books, to be sure, but a book like this that celebrates the
simplicity of the superhero, individuals that are there to
try to change the world through helping folks and dealing
with extraordinary threats, is a worthy read.
Three
and a half bananas. Stoney says check it out.
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