Cyberforce

Cyberforce
Cover of the first issue
Publication information
Publisher	Top Cow Productions
First appearance	Cyberforce #1
Created by	Marc Silvestri, Eric Silvestri
In-story information
Base(s)	mobile
Member(s)	Ballistic Cyblade Heatwave Impact Ripclaw Stryker Velocity

Cyberforce is an Image Comics super-hero team created by artist Marc Silvestri and writer Eric Silvestri in 1992. Silvestri would begin performing both the plotting and pencilling chores, but the series was subsequently drawn by other artists, including David Finch. The title was originally published through Homage Studios, a studio Silvestri shared with Jim Lee, as a 4 part mini-series (Volume 1, 1992–1993). Soon afterwards, Silvestri formed Top Cow Productions and Cyberforce received a regular monthly series (Volume 2, 35 issues, 1993–1997), the first few issues crossing over with WildC.A.T.s for the "Killer Instinct" story. Since then, Cyberforce has been published by Top Cow.

Storylines

The comic-book focused upon a team of mutants who had all at one point been captured by Cyberdata, an enormous corporation with ambitions of world-takeover. Cyberdata was run by brilliant scientists who had created advanced cybernetics technology and had employed this technology to create "Special Hazardous Operations Cyborg" or S.H.O.C.s. The captured mutants were all used in the experiments that had led to the creation of the S.H.O.C.s, and had had their mutant abilities enhanced with cybernetic implants. The mutants escaped and banded together as Cyberforce to put an end to Cyberdata's plans.

One of the lesser successes of the first wave of Image Comics, Cyberforce received the same heavy criticism that most of the other titles did. Many pointed out^{[citation needed]} that the characters from Cyberforce bore strong resemblances to Marvel characters: Cyblade is very similar to the X-Men character Psylocke, Ripclaw shares similarities with Wolverine, Impact resembles Colossus, and Stryker, Cable. Additionally, there were many complaints^{[citation needed]} of the large amount of violence in Cyberforce, as well as the highly sexualized female characters. Cyberforce gradually faded away, with Ripclaw making occasional guest appearances elsewhere, most notably in Silvestri's series The Darkness. Ripclaw and Cyblade recently^[when?] appeared in a crossover with Wolverine and Psylocke.

In 2006, the series was resurrected with moderate success (oddly titled as Cyberforce Volume 2 again, when it should be Cyberforce Volume 3), written this time by Ron Marz and pencilled by Alex Milne who was hired by credited penciller Pat Lee.

Cyberforce recently finished the first story arc since their reintroduction. The group had returned from their final mission and was confronted by the new threat of their alien forebearers. The group has established a new base and a new look, as well as some further changes to their inner workings, for instance, bringing back Heatwave from the dead, as well as reintroducing both Stryker, (as a side character at the moment) and Impact/Boomer, both of whom had left the group. At Impact's reintroduction, he stated emphatically that he wasn't interested in continuing his involvement in the team, as it wasn't "What I wanted. I never wanted any of this, not the strength or the invulnerability." He was won over by Ripclaw's promise to buy him a chocolate colored Labrador dog. Impact was subsequently killed off at the summation of the story arc. The group then decided that they owed it to Impact/Boomer, to continue in their heroic ways against an unspecified threat. Minor character arcs have begun between Ripclaw and Velocity, despite their age difference, as a romantic storyline between the two.

Animated series

A half-hour Cyberforce animated series was planned for the 1995-96 season on Fox as part of an hour block with a proposed Youngblood series.^[1] The series never got beyond planning stages with completed character designs and a model sheet was featured in magazines.

Notes

1. ^ To The Extreme: A Conversation with Rob Liefeld, Comic Book Resources, July 30th, 2001

Bibliography

• Cyberforce Vol.I: #1-4 (October 1992 - September 1993)
• Cyberforce Vol.II: #1-35 (November 1993 - September 1997)
• Cyberforce Vol.III: #1-6 (April 2006 - Ongoing)

External links

• Unofficial profile of the group
• Cyberforce (1992) at the Comic Book DB
• Cyberforce (1993) at the Comic Book DB
• Cyberforce (2006) at the Comic Book DB