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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
At least its pretty..., October 4, 2007
This review is from: Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters (Paperback)
The Freedom Fighters have had quite a history. These characters first saw the light of day during the golden age of comic books, though not as a team. Uncle Sam, Black Condor, the Ray, the Human Bomb, Dollman, and Phantom Lady were all solo heroes and featured in various books published by Quality Comics (along with the Red Bee, Firebrand, Miss America, and the Invisible Hood, who would also make appearances in this book and help fill the ranks of the team). DC acquired these characters and put the core six heroes together as the Freedom Fighters. They enjoyed a brief series in 70s, were brought back for the Crisis on Infinite Earths in the 80s, and some of the characters were given face-lifts in the 90s.
Now, these are not the Freedom Fighters of old, and (except for Uncle Sam) are new heroes using old identities. Apparently this latest incarnation got their start in another mini-series called the Battle for Bludhaven. I didn't read Bludhaven (which did not get great reviews), and that makes Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters a little hard to follow. A lot of baggage from BFB makes it into US&FF, making the latter confusing in some cases, and generally undermines its ability to stand on its own merits (which are few).
The dialog is bad; really bad. Themes like patriotism, civil rights, and political freedom are just ground into the dirt here; the over dramatic rambling and lack of real political insight here drains a lot of vitality out of the plot. Story-wise, this tale could have been told in fewer issues (which would have been nice, since I just barely scanned the last installment for the resolution).
The government conspiracy plot was just tired and the villains were unattainable, preventing enough empathy to really hate them, or at least understand what they are doing. Adding to the confusion was the gender transformation of one of the characters between issues (first it was a guy, and then not); I'm assuming this was not intentional. The politically themed heroes and villains that appeared in this book were too much, and when the major villain Gonzo was introduced, I was just done.
The ONLY reason this book didn't get two stars was the incredible artwork of Daniel Acuna. Despite the dreadful material filling the word balloons, the art is nothing short of stunning. Each character gets a visual overhaul, setting these young heroes apart from their Golden Age counterparts. The art is not enough to carry the book, though it does dull the pain of the story quite considerably.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I want YOU..., July 26, 2007
This review is from: Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters (Paperback)
...to check out this book.
"Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters" comes from an unforunate lineage. Previewed in the widely disliked "Battle for Bludhaven", these new characters didn't have the welcome they deserved. But they got the follow up they needed with this book.
"Uncle Sam" is a little ridiculous - which is only to be expected from a book based on the ideas and concepts of Grant Morrison. The plot revolves around a corrupt government organization and their attempt to take over America...for it's own safety, of course. Opposing them is a team calling themselves the Freedom Fighters, a group of their own agents gone rogue and fighting for freedom, led by the mysterious Uncle Sam. The group has been forced underground, falsely called terrorists. Everyone is against them. But that won't stop them from trying to save the world.
The weakest part of the book is easily the dialogue. While the characters have distinctive personalities and are (for the most part) interesting, the dialogue often feels aimless and lost, lacking the crisp quality found in better books.
The art, however, is phenominal. Daniel Acuna fires up his career as an interior artist with this stunning debut. Highly stylistic and not for everyone, Acuna's panels postively gleam with energy. The art is definitely a big draw for the book. If you're getting tired of more traditional comic art, Acuna might be a man to keep your eyes on.
So, the story is traditional, the characters are interesting, but suffer from occasional mediocre dialogue, and the art is amazing. What's to make you want to buy this book, out of all the other myriad choices out there?
One word: fun. It isn't as deep as Gaiman's "Sandman" or as brilliantly occult as Moore's "Promethea". Instead, it takes the post 9/11 aura of fear that surrounds much of America and transforms it into something we can and should fight to overcome, and it does so with a healthy dose of good ol' fashioned bad-assery that is, honestly, a pleasure to read.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Stuff, February 14, 2009
This review is from: Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters (Paperback)
The Freedom Fighters in the seventies were a quaint and colourful book - very much like the Doom Patrol. I liked this resurrection of the team very much. This reinvention works way better than anyone might imagine, and I'm not even tracking the Infinite Crisis storyline.
Credit goes to the artwork. Really crisp and nice big panels. Uncle Sam - surely one of the oddest characters to emerge - isn't overbearing and gels well in this modern setting - almost like a Charles Xavier and the X-men, but more hands on.
Worth checking out and I'm looking for more books!
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