“Yesterday’s” Comic> Giant Sized Freex #1

The real problem with a shared universe is when I’m forced to read stuff I stopped reading for a reason.

Giant Size Freex #1

Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (July, 1994)

WRITER: Gerald Jones

EDITOR: Hank Kanalz

“Destiny Trail” part 1

PENCILER: Scott Kolins

INKER: Jon Holdredge

COLORING: Mickey Rose & Violent Hues

LETTERER: Susan Dorne

“Quite Contrary”

PENCILER: Jeff Parker

INKERS: John Lowe, Larry Welch, & Scott Reed

COLORING: Violent Hues (first time I haven’t seen a separate named “color designer”, while these studios are usually listed as “interior color”)

LETTERER: Dave Lanphear

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Phil Crain

After the usual heroes fighting each other bit, Prime calms down as much as he can while still holding his form together and learns the Freex aren’t the monsters. Not that the Marines care as they come back firing away. Prime tries to hold them off, but the Freex refuse to leave him behind, so they head into the hole looking for clues, which the Old Man says may lead them to a further history of Ultras, which have existed for centuries, not just after the Jumpstart or the experiments performed on Prime. They find a sealed cavern, and open it to find a bunch of statues, including ones of the Freex.

In the back-up, Contrary has just watched them all jump down the hole but has a meeting with a girl named Penny, though she prefers “Pixx”, and her parents interested in joining Contrary’s school for Ultras, which former Freex Ray already has. (The others apparently didn’t trust her, left, and joined the Old Man.) The problem is the parents also called the government first, and they set a trap, though they don’t admit to being from Aladdin. With the help of Pixx’s illusions, they manage to escape and she reveals she’s not the nice girl her parents tried to make her out to be. Now they’re off to check some signals in California.

What they got right: For people who weren’t following the Freex, we get a decent enough explanation of who they are, for people coming for Prime or just picking this up for the first time. The action is good if you can put up with more heroes fighting heroes nonsense. The back-up story also sets up the Contrary side of this situation and introduces Pixx and her powers.

What they got wrong: Some of the extreme art I’m used to from the 90s is sadly here.

What I think overall: Outside of what I need to in order to follow this storyline with Prime and the upcoming Ultraforce I’m still not interested in this series, but there are some interesting enough mysteries that I’m not as bothered having to read it again. Also, they apparently changed Contrary for the cartoon, but we’ll get into that when we get there.