| True Believers | |
|---|---|
 Cover ofTrue Believers 1 (September 2008) Featuring Red Zone (left), Payback (center), Battalus (top right) and Head Trip (bottom right), art byPaul Gulacy | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | September 2008 – January 2009 |
| No. of issues | 5 |
| Main character(s) | Payback Headtrip Red Zone Battalus |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Cary Bates Paul Gulacy |
| Written by | Cary Bates |
| Artist | Paul Gulacy |
| Letterer | Dave Lanphear |
| Colorist | Rain Beredo |
| Editor(s) | Thomas Brennan Molly Lazer Joe Quesada Bill Rosemann Lauren Sankovitch |
| Collected editions | |
| True Believers | ISBN 0-7851-2600-7 |
True Believers is anAmerican comic booklimited series fromMarvel Comics, written byCary Bates, with art byPaul Gulacy.[1][2][3]
It is also the name of an obscure group ofSpider-Man villains.[4]
The series launched as a five-part storyline on July 30,2008.
The four team members are:
The series involves a team of new characters digging into the background goings-on in theMarvel Universe. The team is led by Payback, Mavis Trent, a S.H.I.E.L.D.data analyst.
Though a mini-series,True Believers is unusual in that each issue contains a central plot that is resolved by the end. The first issue features the team ending an underground fight club. This club is run by rich and powerful men who pay to have women abducted, drugged, and forced to fight one another.
The second issue deals with a conspiracy to frameReed Richards, Mr. Fantastic of theFantastic Four, for driving under the influence of alcohol. This issue also sees Payback with Reynolds' psychiatrist Dr. Cornelius Worth discussing her feelings with her father.
The third issue reveals the origin of Payback, and begins the search for the murderer of Payback's father.
The fourth gives the origins of Battalus and Red Zone, and further details of the murder of Payback's father.
The fifth reveals the truth behind the murder of Payback's father.
The first issue had estimated sales of 17,151 copies, placing it at number 132 in the sales chart.[5] Issue #2 dropped to an estimate of 12,838 (149th).[6]
True Believers has received mixed reviews. For instance, Broken Frontier was less impressed, feeling it didn't live up to expectations suggesting "it is rather disappointing given what one might have hoped for" and that the "tone established by the writing crosses over to the art as well: it shows some nice potential, but fails to realize it fully". However, they also feel that all hope isn't lost and if "Bates and Gulacy really put their minds to it and are willing to push the limits of what they can do with this concept, it just might turn into something very special indeed. Keep an eye out for future issues"[7]Comic Book Resources agrees and suggests that the story "is an original and timely concept, but the weak execution doesn't carry it well. Bates' craft seems to be a little rusty at best, and feels more than a little outdated at times" and that problems with the art partly come from script problems as "any artist would struggle to fit 15 panels on one page and still maintain a good flow."[8]Comics Bulletin is largely positive and concludes that "overall this issue presents an interesting if somewhat vague introduction to the characters" with the only downside being the colouring "Beredo does an estimable job but the technique seems so common that it fails to add anything".[9] They stop just shy of awarding full marks to the second issue, largely because the reviewer feels "a certain detachment from the principal character," but the minor niggles about the art in the first issue have been addressed and they declare that they are "prepared to ratchet up my praise for Rain Beredo's colours, too".[10] The online comic book reviewer for Scifipulse.net, Nicholas Yanes, is equally positive, writing that "this is a title that everyone should have on their pull list."[11]
The series was collected into atrade paperback: