“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Strangers #2

Wait, they can’t find the Hand. Marvel won’t buy them for years yet.

The Strangers #2

Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (July, 1993)

“Hey! Hugh! Get Off’A McCloud!”

WRITER: Steve Englehart

PENCILER: Rich Hobers

INKERS: Tim Burgard & Larry Welch

COLORIST: Keith Conroy

LETTERER: Tim Eldred

EDITOR: Chris Ulm

Our heroes make their way into the cloud, Dave using the yellow flame to fly through the disturbance messing with the plane’s instruments. They find an island in the air, but instead of a talking echidna it’s a group of natives, who manage to capture the superpowered people using a magic crystal they call the Starfoam. However, they can only affect powers they’re aware of, which Bob demonstrates by transforming soundwaves so they can understand the natives’ language. Dave tries a new flame power, but while the red gives him superhuman strength it also turns him feral, but he still manages to disrupt the Starfoam, restoring everyone’s powers. Elena has Leon use his speed to shake up the island, further disturbing the crystal. This finally gets the natives to listen, but the chief says they need to find their answers for themselves as to why they have these powers. He also sends the lady who attacked them, Yrail, as part of her own journey and a guide for the team, because there are others with potential powers, including the jazz musician John Domino, who is still unconscious with the shrapnel in his head, the old man who says his cancer is speaking to him, and who knows who else? Elena becomes the leader of this team, dubbing themselves The Strangers, but what they don’t know is that JD Hunt still wants Candy, and the others he wants dead!

What they got right: As an origin story these two issues work quite well. It sets up the heroes and their situation, the team actually get along and improve their teamwork as the story goes on, and the plot is easy to follow.

What they got wrong: Okay, “why” they got their powers being something they have to work out is one thing, but “how” they got their powers? You could have at least explained where the lightning came from. Also, how do they see a logo for their team? Do they mean they think it’s a good name? Because the logo on this comic isn’t much to write home about. Also, the title comes from a bad joke by Hugh, and the title ends up just as lame as the joke.

What I think overall: I’m not sure why this one wasn’t marked “essential”. This is part of the origin of the Ultraverse hero The Night Man, a slight alteration from his two TV appearances in his own live-action show and the Ultraforce cartoon, and presumably this will affect not only the Strangers in their comic but other characters in the Ultraverse even if not every Ultra gets their powers from the cable car incident. Personally I liked these two issues and I’ll be reading more when they come up in the suggested reading order list I’m using. That won’t be next week, though.