Cyber Force (comics)


Cyber Force is a fictional comic book superhero team created in 1992 by writer/artist Marc Silvestri in 1992 through his publishing studio, Top Cow Productions, and published by Image Comics.

Publication history

Cyber Force was initially written and illustrated by its creator Marc Silvestri though he later turned his duties over to other artists, including David Finch. The first Cyber Force series was published in 1992-93 as a four-part miniseries through Homage Studios. The original comic book focused on a team of mutants who were captured by Cyberdata, an enormous corporation planning to take over the world. The mutants were experimented on and had their abilities enhanced with cybernetic implants in hopes of making them S.H.O.C.s. The mutants subsequently escaped and banded together as Cyber Force, determined to defeat Cyberdata. After Silvestri founded Top Cow Productions, Cyber Force continued in a second volume, a monthly series that ran from 1994 to 1997, running 35 issues. The series crossed over with Wild C.A.T.s for the "Killer Instinct" storyline spanning Wild C.A.T.S #5-7 and Cyber Force vol. 2 #1-3.
The series was revived in a third volume in 2006 as a six issue limited series written by Ron Marz and drawn by Pat Lee titled Rising From the Ashes. This series began with the team's return from their previous mission and centered on a confrontation with their alien forebears. The team was given an updated look, a new base of operations, and changes to its roster. Heatwave, and Impact served as recurring characters throughout the series, while important subplots included the death of Impact and the initiation of a romantic relationship between Ripclaw and Velocity.
On October 17, 2012, Top Cow debuted the fourth volume of the series. This was a rebooted Cyber Force as part of the company's "Top Cow Rebirth" initiative. Funded through a Kickstarter campaign, the first five issues were released for free. Silvestri provided cyberpunk-influenced art for the rebooted series, while Khoi Pham was brought aboard as illustrator after five years of exclusive work for Marvel Comics. The first issue received a positive review from Benjamin Bailey of IGN, who described the post-apocalyptic setting as both interesting and genuine. Commenting on Pham's art, he cited some inconsistencies, particularly with respect to renderings of technology.
The fifth volume of the series was launched in late 2015 as a digital-only series written by Matt Hawkins.

In other media

A half-hour Cyber Force animated series was planned for the 1995–96 season on Fox Television as part of an hour-long block that would also have featured a Youngblood series. Although completed character designs and a model sheet were featured in magazines, the series never progressed past the planning stage.

Series