Freex
Encyclopedia
Freex was a short-lived comic book series from Malibu Comics
. Created By Gerard Jones
and Ben Herrera, it concerned a team of teenage superhero
es in the Ultraverse
.
Its roster over the series consisted of Anything (Lewis Phillips),
Pressure (Valerie Sharp), Sweetface (Angela Salazar), Cayman (Evan Murayama), Boomboy (Ray), Plug (Michael Rafani) and AJ.
The group that would come to call themselves the Freex were apparently created when a group of newborn infants were injected with a substance called "wetware", a mix of mutated DNA
and nanotechnology
that had been created by the advanced but isolated underground society called the Fire People
. The nurse who injected these children would later go on to become the superhero Contrary
, who utilized other Fire People technology to assist and organize Ultraforce
.
Over the course of their adventures, they had to deal with many adversaries. There was Mangle, a murderous adult who manages to convince them he was being exploited and pursued also. Nightman, a vigilante, would go from opponent to ally. A thrill-seeking speedster manages to cause trouble. A team of literally dog-faced pursuers manages to endanger anyone who crosses their path. Most of the team ends up confronting an entity they call an angel, who comes to them in their darkest moments and tries to tempt them into entering an alternate reality. They deal with the actions of Rune
, a powerful, alien vampire. An ancient immortal dubbed 'The Old Man' comes to be an unofficial mentor, trying to teach them how to survive in the world. Contrary's team provides adversaries and team roster changes. Boomboy ends up staying with her in order to receive a complete education, though he does help his friends escape. Cayman joins the team because he is frustrated with Contrary's mind games.
The 'ultra killer' known as Rafferty
would be their biggest foe as he kills Plug. Despite their differences, Contrary has Plug buried at her mountain headquarters. Nightman and the 'Old Man' attend the funeral. After the services, Angela recalls how a previous incident with computers left Plug feeling like he had left half his mind back inside.
Around the time of Plug's death, the team gains official uniforms. They continue on past this tragedy, confronting more threats, in this dimension and others.
Pressure and Cayman become involved in the four part series Godwheel
. Along with other heroes and villains, including Contrary's students Flygirl
and Feline
, they help stop the villain Argus from gaining untold power. In the course of the events, Flygirl is killed and Cayman, in battling the entity Primevil, loses some of his reptillain features and what he believes to be half his power.
At the end of the series, Cayman expresses the desire to go back to the Godwheel, itself a strange world, because he thinks he can find acceptance and power. However the magic utilized to transport the survivors of the battle is interrupted by Rune
, shocking all involved. The heroes vanish in a burst of pink energy, Cayman is not shown back in his desired Godwheel lands.
Boomboy (Ray) is a super-strong giant, with an angled, grey appearance. He lives most of his young life shunned by his parents, locked in a basement. His only escape from this is a book he finds, written by Mark Twain
, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He reads this novel over and over, entranced by Huck's adventures, his willingness to do good deeds and his friendship with Jim, the escaped slave. Unfortunately this leads to Boomboy not quite understanding the difference between reality and the book, though he always tries to help out no matter what the situation. Boomboy ends up creating the codenames for most of his teammates.
Plug (Michael) grew up with a mother and father who believed that their son must earn their love. He tries, but never feels he has ever succeeded. He escapes into the world of computers and one day discovers he can do this literally. He does so to escape the murder of his parents, who he still loved despite their actions.
Pressure (Valerie) is able to convert her sweat into steam or even superheated plasma
. "Pressure" describes her personality as well as her powers; she has been abused and manipulated so often, that her frustration and rage often make her extremely short-tempered and violent. She takes this out on her friends, even temporarily leaving them to work with the above-mentioned speedster.
Anything (Lewis) used to be a star football player. His life falls apart when his powers manifest in the middle of a game, in front of hundreds of people. He can only crudely reshape his body, and cannot change color or imitate complex shapes. He can expand his body to great size.
Sweetface (Angela) has skin that is covered with flesh-colored tentacles. She is horrified at this, but she learns to accept this with the help of her friends. She learns to use them in battle. In one instance, she braces herself on a tree with some and uses others to grab the Old Man and slam him to the ground.
Cayman (Evan) joins the team in Freex # 11. Super-strong with scaly armored skin and big claws, he can assume human form but only briefly and with great effort. He is calm, intelligent and well-adjusted.
AJ can project an energy form from his body.
adventure in issue #17, the deceased team leader Plug is simply forgotten and a new member appears - AJ. It is apparent that AJ has taken Plug's place in the team's memories (as well as his positions of team leader and Angela's boyfriend), with the exception that AJ survived the events that killed Plug. However, as far as they are aware, AJ has always been there. The narration reveals that an intelligent force manipulated their journey through time (via the Fire People
's Fire Portals) to exchange Plug's existence for AJ's, in order to spare them the pain of bereavement. Since the title ended in the following issue, the identity of the intelligence was never made explicit, though the use of Plug's recurring special effect
carried a heavy implication.
The Freex are not seen or mentioned following the universe-altering events known as Black September, and it is possible that they ceased to exist either during the event or soon after. Seeing as how the revamped Ultraverse was cancelled before any conclusive answers could have been revealed, their fate is still unknown (aside from Cayman, who surfaced to join the revamped Exiles
and Ultraforce
and may have simply been a regular ultra in this altered reality. Cayman never made mention of the Freex during his entire run in the All-New Exiles or his final appearances in Ultraforce).
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
. Created By Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
and Ben Herrera, it concerned a team of teenage 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 in the Ultraverse
Ultraverse
The Ultraverse was the name given to a comic book imprint published by the American company Malibu Comics. The Ultraverse was a shared universe in which a variety of characters — known within the comics as "Ultras" — acquired super-human abilities.-History:...
.
Its roster over the series consisted of Anything (Lewis Phillips),
Pressure (Valerie Sharp), Sweetface (Angela Salazar), Cayman (Evan Murayama), Boomboy (Ray), Plug (Michael Rafani) and AJ.
The group that would come to call themselves the Freex were apparently created when a group of newborn infants were injected with a substance called "wetware", a mix of mutated DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
and nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
that had been created by the advanced but isolated underground society called the Fire People
Fire People
The Fire People were a fictional race from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. They first appeared in Ultraforce #1, but were also involved in the creation of the Freex.The Fire People are an ancient hominid species which evolved alongside Homo Sapiens...
. The nurse who injected these children would later go on to become the superhero Contrary
Contrary (comics)
Contrary was a character from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. She was created by Gerard Jones and Martin Egeland and first appeared in the series Freex, though she was better known as the founder of Ultraforce....
, who utilized other Fire People technology to assist and organize Ultraforce
Ultraforce (comics)
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
.
Fictional history
The members, searching for others like themselves, began to contact each other. This was helped by 'Plug' and his ability to interact with computer systems. They came together, but before they had time to do more than introduce themselves, they were already being chased, exploited, hunted, and were wanted by the police. This would set the tone for most of their exploits to come.Over the course of their adventures, they had to deal with many adversaries. There was Mangle, a murderous adult who manages to convince them he was being exploited and pursued also. Nightman, a vigilante, would go from opponent to ally. A thrill-seeking speedster manages to cause trouble. A team of literally dog-faced pursuers manages to endanger anyone who crosses their path. Most of the team ends up confronting an entity they call an angel, who comes to them in their darkest moments and tries to tempt them into entering an alternate reality. They deal with the actions of Rune
Rune (comics)
Rune is a fictional vampire-like being from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse imprint. He was created by Barry Windsor-Smith and Chris Ulm, and first appeared as a back-up story in Sludge #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
, a powerful, alien vampire. An ancient immortal dubbed 'The Old Man' comes to be an unofficial mentor, trying to teach them how to survive in the world. Contrary's team provides adversaries and team roster changes. Boomboy ends up staying with her in order to receive a complete education, though he does help his friends escape. Cayman joins the team because he is frustrated with Contrary's mind games.
The 'ultra killer' known as Rafferty
Rafferty (comics)
Rafferty was a fictional assassin from the Malibu Comics' Ultraverse imprint. He was a foe of Firearm , first appearing in Firearm #12 , written by James Robinson.-Fictional biography:...
would be their biggest foe as he kills Plug. Despite their differences, Contrary has Plug buried at her mountain headquarters. Nightman and the 'Old Man' attend the funeral. After the services, Angela recalls how a previous incident with computers left Plug feeling like he had left half his mind back inside.
Around the time of Plug's death, the team gains official uniforms. They continue on past this tragedy, confronting more threats, in this dimension and others.
Pressure and Cayman become involved in the four part series Godwheel
Godwheel
The Godwheel is one of the main concepts of the Malibu Comics Ultraverse. While it lent its name to a 1994/1995 four-issue series, the Godwheel is actually the place of origin of quite a few Ultraverse concepts, characters and significant items that predate that series...
. Along with other heroes and villains, including Contrary's students Flygirl
Flygirl (comics)
Flygirl is a fictional character. She was introduced in Malibu Comics' Freex #10 as a member of the Academy of the New Elite, an organization created by Contrary to teach young Ultras to control their powers.-Character biography:...
and Feline
Feline (comics)
Feline is a fictional character from the Malibu comics line. She first appeared in Malibu Comics' Freex #10 , as a member of the Academy of the New Elite, an organization created by Contrary to teach young Ultras to use their powers...
, they help stop the villain Argus from gaining untold power. In the course of the events, Flygirl is killed and Cayman, in battling the entity Primevil, loses some of his reptillain features and what he believes to be half his power.
At the end of the series, Cayman expresses the desire to go back to the Godwheel, itself a strange world, because he thinks he can find acceptance and power. However the magic utilized to transport the survivors of the battle is interrupted by Rune
Rune (comics)
Rune is a fictional vampire-like being from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse imprint. He was created by Barry Windsor-Smith and Chris Ulm, and first appeared as a back-up story in Sludge #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
, shocking all involved. The heroes vanish in a burst of pink energy, Cayman is not shown back in his desired Godwheel lands.
Origins and powers
Over the course of the series, each character's origin in highlighted in an issue.Boomboy (Ray) is a super-strong giant, with an angled, grey appearance. He lives most of his young life shunned by his parents, locked in a basement. His only escape from this is a book he finds, written by Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He reads this novel over and over, entranced by Huck's adventures, his willingness to do good deeds and his friendship with Jim, the escaped slave. Unfortunately this leads to Boomboy not quite understanding the difference between reality and the book, though he always tries to help out no matter what the situation. Boomboy ends up creating the codenames for most of his teammates.
Plug (Michael) grew up with a mother and father who believed that their son must earn their love. He tries, but never feels he has ever succeeded. He escapes into the world of computers and one day discovers he can do this literally. He does so to escape the murder of his parents, who he still loved despite their actions.
Pressure (Valerie) is able to convert her sweat into steam or even superheated plasma
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
. "Pressure" describes her personality as well as her powers; she has been abused and manipulated so often, that her frustration and rage often make her extremely short-tempered and violent. She takes this out on her friends, even temporarily leaving them to work with the above-mentioned speedster.
Anything (Lewis) used to be a star football player. His life falls apart when his powers manifest in the middle of a game, in front of hundreds of people. He can only crudely reshape his body, and cannot change color or imitate complex shapes. He can expand his body to great size.
Sweetface (Angela) has skin that is covered with flesh-colored tentacles. She is horrified at this, but she learns to accept this with the help of her friends. She learns to use them in battle. In one instance, she braces herself on a tree with some and uses others to grab the Old Man and slam him to the ground.
Cayman (Evan) joins the team in Freex # 11. Super-strong with scaly armored skin and big claws, he can assume human form but only briefly and with great effort. He is calm, intelligent and well-adjusted.
AJ can project an energy form from his body.
Continuity
After the team returned from a time travelTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
adventure in issue #17, the deceased team leader Plug is simply forgotten and a new member appears - AJ. It is apparent that AJ has taken Plug's place in the team's memories (as well as his positions of team leader and Angela's boyfriend), with the exception that AJ survived the events that killed Plug. However, as far as they are aware, AJ has always been there. The narration reveals that an intelligent force manipulated their journey through time (via the Fire People
Fire People
The Fire People were a fictional race from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. They first appeared in Ultraforce #1, but were also involved in the creation of the Freex.The Fire People are an ancient hominid species which evolved alongside Homo Sapiens...
's Fire Portals) to exchange Plug's existence for AJ's, in order to spare them the pain of bereavement. Since the title ended in the following issue, the identity of the intelligence was never made explicit, though the use of Plug's recurring special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
carried a heavy implication.
The Freex are not seen or mentioned following the universe-altering events known as Black September, and it is possible that they ceased to exist either during the event or soon after. Seeing as how the revamped Ultraverse was cancelled before any conclusive answers could have been revealed, their fate is still unknown (aside from Cayman, who surfaced to join the revamped Exiles
Exiles (Malibu Comics)
Exiles was the name of two American comic book series, both of which were published by Malibu Comics.-Exiles :The first Exiles comic was written by Steve Gerber and illustrated by Paul Pelletier, with plot contributions from Tom Mason, Dave Olbrich and Chris Ulm Exiles was the name of two American...
and Ultraforce
Ultraforce (comics)
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
and may have simply been a regular ultra in this altered reality. Cayman never made mention of the Freex during his entire run in the All-New Exiles or his final appearances in Ultraforce).