Cyber Force #6
Robert Struble
Recap
With the leader of the rebels dead and the cartel still out there, Ripclaw attempts to persuade the doctor to leave, but with hurt and sick at the camp, the doctor knows she cannot leave. So Ripclaw decides to go hunting for the cartel. But before he can get far, an explosion sends his motorcycle crashing and Ripclaw lands at the barrel of a gun.
Stryker stands there, wanting to get Ripclaw’s help. Ripclaw, however, isn’t too fond of the idea of giving them a hand and, as most heroes do, they fight. Velocity is there too and so is Aphrodite and the three manage to overpower him. Finally, Ripclaw is ready to talk.
As Stryker explains Cyberdata and their fight to Ripclaw, Aphrodite and Velocity find a moment alone. Velocity, of course, still trusts Cyberdata, not sure why her father wants to go against them, so Aphrodite explains her own past (at least what she remembers of it) and why they shouldn’t trust their makers. Meanwhile, Ripclaw explains the problems with the cartel and the boy leading them. Stryker and Ripclaw seem to come to an agreement but when they arrive at Stryker’s jeep, Ripclaw places a bomb and blows it up. When Stryker finally comes to, Ripclaw is gone.
Meanwhile, the one survivor of the cartel’s assault on the rebel camp reports the massacre back to the boy (referred to as Warchild here) leading the cartels. Warchild wants Ripclaw’s technology for himself but he needs help so he heads to a basement where another man is kept, a rather large man who promises to help the boy take over this country.
Review
It’s another intriguing story that adds more to this Cyber Force mythos with a mixture of familiarity and all new details. It’s fast paced, well told, and all around thoroughly enjoyable read. Yes, there’s a lot of dialogue but we’re first given a couple pages of some great action as Hill and Hawkins remind us just how dangerous Ripclaw is while at the same time showing us that Stryker’s trio isn’t to be trifled with either.
The story goes deeper too, giving us two new villains: the boy heading the cartel and his monstrous “friend”. No name is given but as the creature seems to know Ripclaw, I’m wondering if he’s supposed to be this Force’s version of Buzzcut. Both are big and hulk-like and both have close ties to Ripclaw. I may be stretching here, but it makes sense.
Unfortunately, the art is a bit of a detriment here. Some of the scenes are fantastic, really conveying the action, but Rojo seems to have perspective problems. Sometimes looking like a guy just stood there for a pose and other times it seems just odd that the fingers would line up so perfectly, and apparently, most people in this world seem to hold all their fingers together instead of apart. It’s very inconsistent as far as the art goes.
Seriously, who touches his forehead like that?
Still, the colors in the book are outstanding. While Rojo suffers in pencils and inks, he really nails the colors, better than even in mainstream books.
Overall, it’s a good book. If the art were a little better, I might even call it a great book.
Final Thoughts
This new Cyber Force is really taking off as the team is starting to come together. It’s a bit of a letdown art wise, but the story and colors more than makeup for it.
Cyber Force #6: Getting the Band Back Together
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 5/105/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10
