Codename: Strykeforce
Encyclopedia
Codename: Strykeforce was a comic book series by Top Cow and Image Comics
, about a team of mercenary superhero
es.
Codename: Strykeforce was an offshoot of another series called Cyberforce
, which was about a group of cyborg
shock troops. The series lasted for fourteen issues. The first nine were written by David Wohl
and Marc Silvestri
, and illustrated by Brandon Peterson
, with the last five written by Steve Gerber
and illustrated by Billy Tan
Mung Khoy. A few fill in artists included Joe Benitez
in issue #8 and Michael Turner
in issue #14. An issue #0 was published between #13 and 14 with story by Mike Heisler
and art by Anthony Wynn. Gerber and Tan also handled the two part Cyberforce/Codename: Strykeforce crossover, which ended with the character Stryker disbanding Codename: Strykeforce.
The comic was relaunched in 2004 as Strykeforce which lasted for 5 issues. The relaunch was written by Jay Faerber
and penciled by Tyler Kirkham.
Between the story in issue #0 and #1, Anvil is sent to the Himalaya Mountains to recruit Killrazor, a martial arts expert who can create knives from any portion of his body.
to protect President Bill 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. After boarding the sub, and after a few skirmishes, they narrowly prevent a nuclear missile strike on New York. In lieu of payment for the mission, Strykeforce takes the sub as their new base of operations.
and search out an alien who can duplicate people down to a genetic level. The alien duplicates Anvil and begins to stir up trouble between Strykeforce and Stormwatch
, the super team that lives on the space station. The alien is eventually uncovered and fought by both teams. At the conclusion of 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 actually the female, alien shapeshifter Sh'rrrnn.
hidden in the Himalayas and protected by a Yeti
. The main reason he takes on such an odd task for his squad is because Joshua's twin brother Jacob has hired a rivel team, the Scavengers, to accomplish the same mission. The leader of the Scavengers, Rancor Deathstrike, is an old rival of Stryker's and the two teams battle each other to accomplish the intended goal.
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...
, about a team of mercenary superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es.
Codename: Strykeforce was an offshoot of another series called Cyberforce
Cyberforce
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...
, which was about a group of 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...
shock troops. The series lasted for fourteen issues. The first nine were written by David Wohl
David Wohl
David Wohl is an American comic book writer and editor. He is best known as an editor at Marvel Comics and Top Cow Productions and, at the latter, writing The Darkness and Witchblade.-Biography:...
and Marc Silvestri
Marc Silvestri
Marc Silvestri is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He currently acts as the CEO for Top Cow Productions.-Early life:Marc Silvestri was born in Palm Beach, Florida.-Career:...
, and illustrated by Brandon Peterson
Brandon Peterson
Brandon Peterson is an American comic book writer and artist. Born and raised in Wisconsin on October 14, 1969. Brandon Peterson is known for his hyper detailed artwork and intricate line work...
, with the last five written by Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
and illustrated by Billy Tan
Billy Tan
Billy Tan Mung Khoy, commonly known as Billy Tan, is a Malaysian comic book artist.-Early ife:Billy Tan grew up in Malaysia and moved to the United States in 1989 to study business at the University of Kentucky. He began working as a penciler for Image Comics in the 1990s.-Career:Tan became the...
Mung Khoy. A few fill in artists included Joe Benitez
Joe Benitez
Joe Benitez is an American comic book artist. He is co-creator and penciller of Weapon Zero, published by Top Cow Productions.Other titles he has worked on include The Darkness, The Magdalena, as well as work for DC Comics....
in issue #8 and Michael Turner
Michael Turner
Michael Turner may refer to:*Michael Turner , American Football running back for the Atlanta Falcons*Michael Turner , Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club...
in issue #14. An issue #0 was published between #13 and 14 with story by Mike Heisler
Mike Heisler
Mike Heisler is an American comic book writer known for his work on the series DV8 and Union. He also penned the Gen¹³ mini-series Gen¹³: Interactive and the one-shot Gen¹³: The Surreal World....
and art by Anthony Wynn. Gerber and Tan also handled the two part Cyberforce/Codename: Strykeforce crossover, which ended with the character Stryker disbanding Codename: Strykeforce.
The comic was relaunched in 2004 as Strykeforce which lasted for 5 issues. The relaunch was written by Jay Faerber
Jay Faerber
Jay Faerber is an American comic book and television writer. Faerber is known for his work on Generation X and New Warriors for Marvel Comics, and The Titans and Connor: Spotlight for DC Comics. He later wrote his own creator-owned titles for Image Comics, including Noble Causes, Dynamo 5 and Near...
and penciled by Tyler Kirkham.
Issue #0
When a mission comes along that Cyberforce won't touch, Stryker puts together his own team to take care of business. Team members include: Stryker [William Stryker], a cyborg with three cybernetic arms on his right side which can be detached; Phade [Tommy Rourke], a mutant who can alter his molecular density; Black Anvil [Percival Wainwright III] (often referred to simply as Anvil), a short cobalt blue powerhouse with incredible strength; Bloodbow [Trace O'Donnell], an expert marksman; Icarus, a man with hollow bones and the power of flight. The mission turns out to be a set-up and Phade is killed. They find that one of their opponents has also been deceived and she joins the team as Tempest [Lane Quintana], a woman with the power to control the weather.Between the story in issue #0 and #1, Anvil is sent to the Himalaya Mountains to recruit Killrazor, a martial arts expert who can create knives from any portion of his body.
Death's Angel
Stryker and Icarus are sent the to the UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
to protect President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
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. After boarding the sub, and after a few skirmishes, they narrowly prevent a nuclear missile strike on New York. In lieu of payment for the mission, Strykeforce takes the sub as their new base of operations.
Stormwatch
Stryker and his team are asked to board Skywatch by Weatherman One Henry BendixHenry Bendix
Henry Bendix, also known as Weatherman, is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe. He first appeared in the Stormwatch series.-Early life:...
and search out an alien who can duplicate people down to a genetic level. The alien duplicates Anvil and begins to stir up trouble between Strykeforce and Stormwatch
Stormwatch (comics)
Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that originated in the Wildstorm Universe and has since been revived as part of the DC Universe. The original version of Stormwatch first appeared in Stormwatch Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that...
, the super team that lives on the space station. The alien is eventually uncovered and fought by both teams. At the conclusion of 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 actually the female, alien shapeshifter Sh'rrrnn.
Scavengers
Stryker next accepts a mission from Joshua Thornewood to find a Fountain of YouthFountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John...
hidden in the Himalayas and protected by a Yeti
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
. The main reason he takes on such an odd task for his squad is because Joshua's twin brother Jacob has hired a rivel team, the Scavengers, to accomplish the same mission. The leader of the Scavengers, Rancor Deathstrike, is an old rival of Stryker's and the two teams battle each other to accomplish the intended goal.
The Industrial Accidents
In dire financial straits, Stryker next splits the Strykeforce into two teams to take on dual missions so they can make more money. Both missions turn out to be a set up masterminded by a U.S. senator. Stryker, angry at the deception, makes him pay up anyway. In retaliation, the senator hires a villainous group called the Industrial Accidents to take down Strykeforce. During the long and 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.Opposing Forces
Bloodbow returns to Strykeforce and finally reveals to the team that he is really a shapeshifting alien. Strykeforce and Cyberforce team up to repel an invasion by Sh'rrrnn's people, the Shu'roch. At the conclusion of the adventure, Stryker announces that the team was a mistake from the start and disbands the Strykeforce.External links
- http://www.comics.org/series/7137/ Codename: Stryke Force @ Grand Comics Database
- http://www.comicvine.com/codename-strykeforce/49-6637/ Codename: Strykeforce @ Comic Vine