The Freedom Fighters Step Into the Spotlight!
The multiverse is full of possibilities for storytelling. This is seen in Grant Morrison’s Multiversity miniseries, which shows a collection of Earths. One of these Earths, Earth X, has Superman’s pod landing in Germany where he is adopted by Adolf Hitler. This leads to the Nazis winning World War II and taking over the world. While they marched on America, a team of metahuman rebels rose up to fight. The Freedom Fighters became the equivalent of the Justice League on that Earth. They now have a new maxi-series of their adventures in that world. Do the Freedom Fighters have a place in the modern world?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
We open the comic in 1963, where Nazis have taken over America. The Freedom Fighters, consisting of Human Bomb, Doll Man, and Black Condor, are meeting with fellow rebels. Lead by Olympic athlete, Jesse Owens; the group prepares another attack against the regime. They are interrupted, however, by one of the Fuhrer’s meta forces, the Plasstic Men. While they put up the good fight, each of the members is quickly defeated. As Jesse is sent to a hard labor camp, the Freedom Fighters are publicly executed. Uncle Sam, the leader of the Fighters, watches this and vanishes into thin air. Decades pass, and while the Regime continues to lead, a new version of the Freedom Fighters is born.
This comic is an excellent example of how to start a maxi-series. The issue gives us the context of the world without too much exposition, cool characters, and sets up the story. It presents what happened to the original Freedom Fighters, but also gives us the ones we met in the Multiversity. It would have been easy to stick to the new team, but I do enjoy the past being included. It’s a way to keep the history of the characters connected and makes the world feel alive.
There is one major flaw in this story, however. While the characters look cool, we don’t know much about them. All we know is that they fight the Nazis to try and free America. There is still time to fix that, but it has to be in the next two issues. Any later, it could interfere with the story.
Art:
The art style can be summed up in one word: disturbing. From the creepy smiles of the Plasstic Men to the horrific public executions, each panel becomes more disturbing than the last. This does not mean that it’s a bad thing. This rule perfectly captures the themes of the Earth. There are also some creative designs for the Nazi soldiers. If this is the style we’ll be sticking with for the rest of the series, we’re in for a dark, entertaining ride.
Conclusion:
This is a solid opening for this maxi-series. It properly introduces readers to Earth X and its heroes. By the time I finished, I was hungry for the next chapter. If you haven’t heard of this team before now, I highly recommend you pick this up and join the Freedom Fighters’ fight.
