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| Strykeforce | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Top Cow (Image Comics) |
| First appearance | Cyberforce #4 (July 1993) |
| Created by | Marc Silvestri Brandon Peterson |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Death's Angel nuclear submarine |
| Member(s) | Stryker Black Anvil Killrazor Tempest Bloodbow Icarus Phade |
Strykeforce is a team of mercenarysuperheroes created bycomics creatorMarc Silvestri and published byTop Cow, an imprintImage Comics. The comic seriesCodename: Strykeforce (alsoCodename: Stryke Force) was an offshoot ofCyberforce.
The comic seriesCodename: Strykeforce (January 1994 – August 1995) was an offshoot ofCyberforce, a comic series about a group ofcyborg shock troops. The series lasted for fourteen issues. The first nine were written byDavid Wohl and Marc Silvestri and illustrated byBrandon Peterson, with the last five written bySteve Gerber and illustrated byBilly Tan. Fill-in artists includedJoe Benitez in issue #8 andMichael Turner in issue #14. Issue #0 was published between #13 and 14 with story byMike Heisler and art by Anthony Wynn. Gerber and Tan also handled the two-partCyberforce/Codename: Strykeforce crossover.
The comic was relaunched in 2004 asStrykeforce, lasting for 5 issues.[1] The relaunch was written byJay Faerber and illustrated by Tyler Kirkham.[2]
When a mission comes along that Cyberforce will not touch, Stryker (Colonel Morgan Striker) puts together his team to take care of business. Team members include Stryker, a cyborg with three detachable cybernetic arms on his right side, Phade, a mutant with the ability to alter his molecular density, Black Anvil (often referred to simply as Anvil), a short cobalt blue powerhouse with incredible strength, Bloodbow, an expert marksman, and Icarus, a man with hollow bones possessing the power of flight. The mission turns out to be a set-up, and Phade disappears after using his powers for too long, causing his molecules to drift apart. The team discover that one of their opponents has also been deceived and she joins the team as Tempest, a woman with the power to control the weather.[3] Between issues #0 and #1, Anvil is sent to theHimalayan Mountains to recruit Killrazor, a martial arts expert who can create knives from any portion of his body.[4]
Stryker and Icarus are sent toUkraine to protect PresidentBill Clinton during a peace conference. The proceedings are attacked and Stryker protects the president but Icarus is killed. Several other dignitaries are abducted by a villain who called himself Death's Angel, and Strykeforce tracks him to his nuclear submarine.[5] While fighting aboard the sub, the team narrowly prevents a nuclear missile strike on New York.[6][7] Instead of payment for the mission, Strykeforce takes the sub as their new base of operations.
Stryker and his team are tasked with a high-stakes mission to locate and capture an extraterrestrial capable of replicating human beings with alarming precision. With the help of Weatherman One Henry Bendix, they navigate the complex terrain of Skywatch in pursuit of this elusive and potentially dangerous entity. The alien duplicates Anvil and begins to stir up trouble between Strykeforce andStormwatch, the super team that lives on the space station. The alien is eventually uncovered and fought by both teams. After the encounter, however, the alien accidentally kills Bloodbow and decides to take his form and replace him as a member of Strykeforce. For the remainder of the series (issues #8-14), Bloodbow is the female, alien shapeshifter Sh'rrrnn.[8]
Stryker accepts a mission from Joshua Thornewood to find aFountain of Youth hidden in the Himalayas and protected by aYeti. Joshua's twin brother Jacob hires a rival team, the Scavengers, to accomplish the same mission. The leader of the Scavengers, Rancor Deathstrike, is an old rival of Stryker's.[9]
In dire financial straits, Stryker splits the Strykeforce into two teams to take on dual missions to make more money. Both missions turn out to be a setup masterminded by a U.S. senator. Stryker, angry at the deception, demands payment. In retaliation, the senator hires a villainous group called the Industrial Accidents to take down Strykeforce. During the ensuing conflict, Stryker is captured by the Accidents and is then rescued by his old team, Cyberforce. Bloodbow is "killed" and transforms back into the more powerful alien form of Sh'rrrnn to continue the fight. With the fate of both Stryker and Bloodbow unknown, the rest of the team heads back to the sub to wait for news.[10]
Bloodbow returns to Strykeforce and finally reveals to the team that he is a shapeshifting alien. Strykeforce and Cyberforce team up to repel an invasion by Sh'rrrnn's people, the Shu'roch. After the adventure, Stryker announces that the team was a mistake from the start and disbands the Strykeforce.[11]