Freedom Fighters #1: Freedom Lost

I was pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed this issue, not that I was too surprised, Robert Venditti is one of my favorite writers at DC right now. I’m a big fan of any story that expands on alternate Earth stories and Earth-X hasn’t been visited nearly enough I feel, although it is worth noting it was the subject of a crossover of all the DC CW shows last year titled Crisis on Earth-X. The idea of an Earth overrun by Nazis is hardly a new one, although Earth-X predates most having first appeared in Justice League of America #107 in 1973.

I do enjoy the small amount of universe expansion we got this issue, as much of this universe is unexplored especially street level resistance, which I’m excited to see. If you want to learn more about this universe I do recommend the 2 Earth-X issues of Multiversity. Interesting to note the big meeting took place in the Dallas School Book Depository, on the sixth floor. In that same room on our Earth on November 22nd 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald shot John F Kennedy, could the death of the Freedom Fighters be a catalyst for change on their Earth the way the JFK Assassination was in ours?

The first half of the issue is really shockingly dark and brutal especially the page where the original Freedom Fighters are executed while Uncle Sam watches on TV, heartbreaking. The art by Eddie Barrows is phenomenal, his detail and face work in particular. I love the atmosphere conveyed in the two wildly different settings as well. Also no spoiler but he can draw the heck out of a giant robot!

A quick aside, some people are calling this book overly political and skewering a certain current administration. Having read the issue 4 times at this point I have this to say; A) It really doesn’t take any time to draw parallels with current times. B) If someone yells Nazi and your first assumption is they’re talking about you, maybe you need to think about that. C) If you can’t enjoy a comic about Uncle Sam punching Nazis I don’t think we can ever be friends.