If ever there was a perfect match between creator and creation, it's Peter Gillis and Strikeforce: Morituri. It provided him with the ideal stage to explore age old themes of love, heroism and of course death over a science fiction backdrop. It remains his masterpiece, not only due to the quality of the writing, but the genius pairing with Brent Anderson's beautiful, expressive art from the Neil Adams school of realism. Anderson also discovered young inker Scott Williams, who brings a lovely crispness to his willowy figure work. The fantastic art combined with sympathetic colouring and lettering (by Max Scheele and Jim Novak respectively) makes for a lovely looking book.
So as you may have correctly assumed from that preamble, this is likely to be an overwhelmingly positive series of reviews.
What would you give to save your family, your friends, your entire planet from vicious marauding aliens? Would you give your very life? The Morituri genetic enhancement process imbues an eligible person with random super powers, with the catch that this overwhelms their metabolism, killing them within a year. The year limit is I'm guessing only theoretical in humans, as the team we meet over this issue are as far as we know only the second group to go through the Morituri process. The first, known as The Black Watch, didn't live long enough to find out...
Strikeforce: Morituri #1 (1986)
Pencils: Brent Anderson, Whilce Portacio
Inks: Scott Williams
This incredibly confident opener somehow manages to condense the core concept, multiple character introductions and world building into a gripping read. In the not too distant future, Earth has come under attack from raiding barbarian aliens, aptly named the Horde. A peaceful Earth led by a world government is ill equipped to fight back against the raiders. That is, until scientist Dr Kimmo Tuolema invents the Morituri process.
The first chapter cleverly introduces us to this world through the eyes of young hopeful Harold Everson. He's a writer seduced by dreams of glory and immortality. As he quickly discovers, his idols the original Morituri (known as The Black Watch) didn't die the noble, heroic deaths pictured in his comic books. To differentiate the comic within a comic section, it's pencilled by newcomer Portacio. He and inker Williams would later go on to fame on the X-Men and at Image. A flying start.
Strikeforce: Morituri #2 (1987)
Pencils: Brent Anderson
Inks: Scott Williams
The X-Men have The Danger Room. Morituri have The Garden, which is similar, but with less holograms, more deathtraps. In order to force their abilities to the fore before their limited time runs out, Dr Tuolema and Morituri commander Beth Nion put the recruits through a trial by fire so deadly that two of the Black Watch didn't survive. It's a good getting to know the cast issue, culminating in powers, codenames and costumes revealed. I love Anderson's costume designs - they're very of their time, yet also classic, elegant, and unique.
We also get our first proper glimpse at the barbarity and terror tactics of the Horde, which includes throwing people out of airlocks to burn up in re-entry. Letterer Novak introduced a clever triangular lettering style for their speech, which makes it distinctively alien looking, if a little hard to read.
Strikeforce: Morituri #3 (1987)
Pencils: Brent Anderson
Inks: Scott Williams
The group are getting a little stir crazy training in their hi-tech mountain bunker. The Morituri are first and foremost a weapon against the Horde, but also valuable propaganda tools, not to be sacrificed lightly. I can understand the Government wanting to protect their investment, yet you'd expect them to be more proactive against the Horde. Although to be fair, that's what got the Black Watch killed.
The team's frustration at wasting their final days sitting around is understandable, but as Beth points out, the Horde are space raiders, who tend to be in and out of a target before the Morituri can even reach them. An opportunity for a strike finally arrives. In an early indicator of how fragile their remaining lifespans are, Harold's powers flare up on the way there, a sign his metabolism is starting to reject the process. He freaks out in battle, before settling into his role as a natural leader. I find Harold a little overbearing in his angry righteousness, but he is by far the most developed character early on. Having scored their first victory, it's time to party...
Strikeforce: Morituri #4 (1987)
Pencils: Brent Anderson
Inks: Scott Williams
The issue opens with the team guffawing over an in joke terrible comic based very loosely on their exploits, before jetting off to party with the rich and famous. Fame is a natural by-product of the process, with some of the team embracing it more than others. Aline's transformation from wallflower to musclebound hero leaves her gleefully rubbing shoulders with (and soon dating) Holowood actors. And that's not a spelling error, in the future everyone watches hologram form tapes rather than streaming. Guess cinema is dead after all.
The premise of the book left a lot of Morituri to be introduced in a short space of time. The characters tend to start out as archetypes, with the lucky few like Harold and Aline focused on or fleshed out over time. Lorna didn't fare so well, having little development time in her few appearances. All we really know about her is she's a seemingly happy go lucky type, with an apparent crush on Harold. After an inevitable Horde fight at the party ends in victory, Lorna suddenly hits Morituri burn out. It's a shocking yet touching finale, that brings home the fact that no one is safe, and these characters we're becoming so attached to could die at any minute.
The first four issues are near perfection, and it arguably gets better from there.
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