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Bloodstrike (team)
Encyclopedia
Bloodstrike is a fictional team of action/adventure super agents, originally published by Rob Liefeld
's Extreme Studios of Image Comics
in the 1990s.
Bloodstrike was a top-secret, super-powered assassination squad deployed covertly by the United States government. All of the members had already died before becoming members of the team; they were brought back to life by the government's Project: Born Again.
After the Bloodstrike series concluded, a sequel titled Bloodstrike: Assassin ran for three issues (plus an issue #0) featuring art by Karl Altstaetter. The character of Bloodstrike returned once again in Cabbot: Bloodhunter. Only the first issue was printed, though parts 2 and 3 were printed as backup stories in the pages of Supreme.
member and Brigade member Battlestone). Other members were the four-armed Fourplay, the ex-villain Deadlock, the power-armored Shogun, and the enigmatic Tag, who could force people to "freeze in place" by touching them. The computer in charge of teleporting the team was named Roam. It had to re-charge its cells after each transport. In the first issue, the team is sent to a G.A.T.E. (Genetic and Technological Engineering) facility and battle and kill Commander Corben, who hired them to prove his facility is worthy.
At one point in the second series, in an effort to revamp the Bloodstrike team, the government added the recently-HIV-positive character of Chapel onto the team. This made him the only living member of the team. It was as a part of the Bloodstrike team that Chapel blows his own brains out all over the street upon finding that former friend Spawn has returned from the dead.
Eventually the team's government supervisor, Noble, was revealed to be a member of The Covenant of the Sword
, a villainous cyborg
conspiracy. Noble's exposure (and death) resulted in the demise of all of Bloodstrike's members except for Cabbot. His memory was erased and he was renamed Bloodstrike as the comic became a solo (rather than team) book.
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
's Extreme Studios of Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
in the 1990s.
Bloodstrike was a top-secret, super-powered assassination squad deployed covertly by the United States government. All of the members had already died before becoming members of the team; they were brought back to life by the government's Project: Born Again.
Publication history
Bloodstrike #1 was cover dated April 1993 and the series ran for 22 issues. There was a special issue 25 printed (after issue 10) as part of the "Images of Tomorrow" event that ran through several titles being published by Image at the time. During issue 25, the Bloodstrike title changed dramatically as Bloodstrike became the name of a solo agent. Fans wondered how the book got from "point A to point B", but issues 23 and 24 do not exist. It was later revealed that Cabbot Stone was the masked individual named Bloodstrike.After the Bloodstrike series concluded, a sequel titled Bloodstrike: Assassin ran for three issues (plus an issue #0) featuring art by Karl Altstaetter. The character of Bloodstrike returned once again in Cabbot: Bloodhunter. Only the first issue was printed, though parts 2 and 3 were printed as backup stories in the pages of Supreme.
Fictional team history
The main character and team leader was Cabbot Stone (brother of ex-YoungbloodYoungblood (comics)
Youngblood is a superhero team that starred in their self-titled comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. The team made its debut as a backup feature in the 1987 one-shot Megaton: Explosion before later appearing in its own ongoing series in 1992 as the flagship publication for Image Comics...
member and Brigade member Battlestone). Other members were the four-armed Fourplay, the ex-villain Deadlock, the power-armored Shogun, and the enigmatic Tag, who could force people to "freeze in place" by touching them. The computer in charge of teleporting the team was named Roam. It had to re-charge its cells after each transport. In the first issue, the team is sent to a G.A.T.E. (Genetic and Technological Engineering) facility and battle and kill Commander Corben, who hired them to prove his facility is worthy.
At one point in the second series, in an effort to revamp the Bloodstrike team, the government added the recently-HIV-positive character of Chapel onto the team. This made him the only living member of the team. It was as a part of the Bloodstrike team that Chapel blows his own brains out all over the street upon finding that former friend Spawn has returned from the dead.
Eventually the team's government supervisor, Noble, was revealed to be a member of The Covenant of the Sword
Covenant of the Sword (comics)
Covenant of the Sword is a fictional, covert organization bent on global domination appearing in the Image Universe and created by Erik Larsen. Although appearing in Larsen's flagship title, Savage Dragon, the Covenant also appeared in a number of Extreme Studios comics by Rob Liefeld, most notably...
, a villainous cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
conspiracy. Noble's exposure (and death) resulted in the demise of all of Bloodstrike's members except for Cabbot. His memory was erased and he was renamed Bloodstrike as the comic became a solo (rather than team) book.