Freak Force
| Freak Force | |
|---|---|
Cover to Freak Force #1, December 1993. Pencils by Vic Bridges, inks by Karl Kesel.
|
|
| 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. They originated in the Image Comics series Savage Dragon, but subsequently went on to star in their own series. All the characters were created by Erik Larsen, many during his adolescence.
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. Dart, a vigilante from Detroit, was among the first recruited. Horridus joined soon after the Dragon rescued her from abusive captivity in her parent's basement. 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.
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. 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.
In addition to The Savage Dragon, Highbrow Entertainment turned out the initial spin-off series Freak Force on a regular basis. The series ran for 18 issues, from December 1993 to July 1995. It was written by Erik Larsen, Keith Giffen and pencilled by Vic Bridges.
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. Chelsea Nirvana, the daughter of Mighty Man's old villain Dr. Nirvana, tricks her way into becoming the secretary for the group.
...
Wikipedia