Comic Info
Comic Name: Strikeforce: Morituri
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter B. Gillis
Artist: Brent Anderson/Whilce Portacio
# of Issues: 13
Release Date: 2012
Strikeforce: Morituri #1
Reprints Strikeforce: Morituri #1-13 (December 1986-December 1987). We who are about to die salute you! The Horde has invaded Earth and humanity is on the brink of destruction. When a program is created to make superhumans, it looks like it could be mankind’s last stand. Unfortunately, those who undergo the process find they are powerful but terminal. The power inside of them burns them out and nothing can stop it. It is the ultimate suicide mission and Strikeforce: Morituri is up for the challenge!
Written by Peter B. Gillis, Strikeforce: Morituri—Volume 1 is a sci-fi action-adventure Marvel Comics series. The collection features art by Brent Anderson and Whilce Portacio.
I had the first issue of Strikeforce: Morituri and remember being rather indifferent to it. When I read it, I was primarily into the classic superhero characters and while by definition, “Strikeforce: Morituri” is kind of a superhero team, it wasn’t Spider-Man, the X-Men, or the Hulk. I have seen a lot of fanfare for the series and when I had the option to pick up this volume, I did…and it was worth it.
The series feels very ’80s “post-Watchmen” but actually was released during the run of Watchmen. The series is grittier than many Marvel series and feels like a blend of other series (the artists in fact have fun making references to DC and Marvel Comics in scenes). The style feels little bit like G.I. Joe combined with Challengers of the Unknown and Justice League. It has the characters trying to be fleshed out, but it also will randomly kill them (sometimes even a bit unexpectedly in the case of Harold).
Strikeforce: Morituri #11
The story arc has that long planning feel with the character deaths. You have to keep resupplying the characters so the writers had to have a plan. It feels like the makers took more time and were given more time to write the story (something that wouldn’t happen today). It does have that older comic feel of being much more episodic, and you can read individual issues and still enjoy them as individual issues.
The problem with the comic is that the series does knock off its characters so quickly. Since everyone is basically human looking (minus the Horde aliens that look like they have testicles on their faces), it sometimes is hard to get a real feel for them. The characters that stand out are the recognizable ones like Jelene and Robert who are more distinguishable from the other characters (this is where it feels a bit like Challengers of the Unknown which was loaded with cardboard characters).
This volume definitely has me wanting to pick up the next collection. The series keeps moving and has lots of soap-opera style plotlines woven into the basic superhero story. This concept of the expendable team has been redone since Strikeforce: Morituri’s run (I think Valiant’s Hard C.O.R.P.s would be the most comparable story or even Harbinger), but Strikeforce: Morituri for the most part does it right. Strikeforce: Morituri—Volume 1 is followed by Strikeforce: Morituri—Volume 2.
