Tag: Savage Dragon

A Look Back at Backlash #4 (1995)

A Look Back at Backlash #4 (1995)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, Image Comics fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the wild 1990s and explore a part of the WildStorm universe through a tale of Backlash!  

In my previous retro review, as the mission of Backlash and Taboo intensified, Zealot and Void of the WildCATs got involved in the action. Pike, who had been serving S’ryn, proved to be a formidable foe for Zealot and Taboo. The Savage Dragon meanwhile proved to be more than capable of bringing down S’ryn which made Backlash less relevant in his own comic book. Just as things intensified, something big blew up.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Backlash published in 1995 by Image Comics with a story written by Sean Ruffner, Jeff Mariotte and Booth. Booth was the artist.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins just moments after the big explosion. Savage Dragon, Backlash, Zealot, Jacob Marlowe, Taboo, Void and Jack managed to survive. In line with his duty as a police officer, Savage Dragon tells Zealot that Backlash and his friends are coming with him as they have been tagged by the government as threats to national security. Zealot then lifts her blade up to Savage Dragon’s throat and states that if Backlash had not been with them, then her lord Emp (Marlowe) may well have been assassinated.

Eventually, Void uses her power to transport Backlash, Taboo, Jack, Zealot and Marlowe away, leaving Savage Dragon behind…

Quality

A briefing about the next mission.

To put things straight, this particular comic book serves as the conclusion of the storyline (the mission specifically) that started in issue #2 while also working as a bridge going into the next storyline. The good news here is that the creative team’s work here is good enough in terms of quality.

For one thing, the team really took their time to develop Backlash and Taboo some more right after the end of the first mission. Their talk with each other as civilians inside a New York City bar was nicely written and there were a few witty moments that I found enjoyable. Along the way, there was efficient expository dialogue that explains Taboo’s past connection with Pike and the Cabal. Backlash also shared some key details of himself which ultimately made him and Taboo have something in common.

This story also shows a key flaw in Backlash’s personal integrity – his romantic involvement with Taboo made him betray his beloved Diane. For one thing, this potentially opens a series of problems that will eventually haunt him later. On another thing, it seems that the creative team have something intriguing planned for the protagonist who has clearly been sharing this comic book series’ spotlight with Taboo.

As with the previous issues, this comic book continued the build-up and emphasis of the WildStorm universe’s concepts. In terms of crossovers, Wetworks’ leader Jackson Dane makes an appearance here and his unexpected reunion with Backlash is a must-see. For the newcomers reading this, WildStorm’s Grifter (WildCATs), Backlash, Dane (Wetworks) and Deathblow are all members of Team 7 which had its series of wild stories set twenty years prior (note: think of the Vietnam War era). It was also in 1994 when the first Team 7 comic book mini-series was first published. In some ways, Backlash interacting with Grifter in the Kindred mini-series and reuniting with Dane served as creative ways to emphasize the Team 7 concept to readers.

On the visuals, Brett Booth continues to do a fine job presenting the characters (who are clearly recognizable to me) and I noticed he seems to have fun trying to test readers’ visions by carefully inserting selected X-Men characters into the background during the bar scenes as Taboo and Backlash talked. As for Dane, I like Booth’s own take on the character

Conclusion

Look carefully at the background and you will spot X-Men team members Cyclops, Jean Grey Gambit and Rogue in civilian forms.

Backlash (1995) is more of a build-up comic book that so happens to have a decent amount of action for entertainment value. The characterization scenes of Backlash and Taboo is a must-see while the conclusion of the first mission was nicely done complete with a worthy end to the crossover with WildCATs’ Zealot, Void and Jacob Marlowe. The story itself moved at a medium pace which is not surprising as there was something being built-up with the new mission in mind.

Overall, Backlash (1995) is recommended.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at Backlash #3 (1995)

A Look Back at Backlash #3 (1995)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, Image Comics fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the wild 1990s and explore a part of the WildStorm universe through a tale of Backlash!  

In my previous retro review, Backlash and Taboo went on a mission infiltrating a special social event that attracted the rich and powerful. Jacob Marlowe, the founder and leader of WildCATs, was targeted by S’ryn and Pike who were at the said event disguised. Backlash took action but got wounded while fighting S’ryn. As the chaos continued, the Savage Dragon entered performing police duty.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Backlash published in 1995 by Image Comics with a story written by Sean Ruffner, Jeff Mariotte and Booth. Booth was the artist.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins Jacob Marlowe trying to escape away from the party. While trying to summon his team, he gets cornered by Pike. Pike noticed that Marlowe is not fully aware about the powers he has as a Kherubim. Shortly after Marlowe gets hit, Taboo suddenly jumps in and hits Pike to free the WildCATs leader. Taking advantage of Taboo’s help fighting Pike, Marlowe calls his team by phone.

At the party venue, Savage Dragon tells S’ryn that he is under arrest. Backlash is down on the floor bleeding…

Quality

You will get to see Backlash and Savage Dragon fight each other.

If there is anything very notable here, it is the fact that the creative team not only ramped up the superhero spectacle but also emphasized crossovers by having Zealot and Void of WildCATs involved in the action as well as having Savage Dragon participate heavily during the events. This story continues what started in issue and along the way, you will see Marlowe’s Kherubim heritage emphasized as he is a high-level target of the Daemonites represented by S’ryn here.

While the plot is rather light, the high amount of action turned out to be very entertaining to see while the interactions between the characters were pretty engaging to follow. It is fun to see Backlash and Savage Dragon (Erik Larsen’s creation) conflict with each other over S’ryn. For Backlash, S’ryn is too dangerous to be handled by the local law enforcers while Savage Dragon sees him as a suspect who has to be jailed due to the chaos caused within the local jurisdiction. It should be noted that Savage Dragon was more than capable on bringing down S’ryn which essentially makes Backlash look like a failure.

Pike here noticeably became a more prominent villain. Not only was he dead serious with his mission to kill Jacob Marlowe, he proved to be a formidable foe against Taboo and even the highly proficient Zealot. This is interesting to see since Pike’s participation in the WildCATs mini-series was not too great and the dialogue the creative came up with emphasized his personality a lot.

As this is an action-heavy story, I can say that Brett Booth’s visual work here is very good. He knew how to set-up the action sequences as well as how to frame the action in sequence. There were even moments in which some aspects of his art resembled that of Jim Lee. Speaking of crossovers, Booth’s artistic take on Zealot, Void and Savage Dragon was nice to see.

Conclusion

Zealot and Void of WildCATs got involved in this story.

Backlash (1995) is another fun ride but on a higher gear and with stronger emphasis on crossover elements. To really enjoy this, one must be oriented enough with Savage Dragon and WildCATs to grasp this comic book’s concept and how the guest characters fit into the narrative. This is a meaningful crossover within the WildStorm universe. Fans of Backlash will have a lot to be engage with in this comic book.

Overall, Backlash (1995) is recommended.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at Backlash #2 (1994)

A Look Back at Backlash #2 (1994)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, Image Comics fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the wild 1990s and explore a part of the WildStorm universe through a tale of Backlash!  

Backlash was indeed a fun and engaging read with the creative direction spearheaded by Brett Booth who was a co-writer and the illustrator. It built-up Backlash as a major WildStorm figure while also emphasized the concepts from his previous appearances in the Kindred limited series which paired him with Grifter. As seen in issue , he freed Taboo and it was clear that she was designed to be a key part of the Backlash series.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Backlash , published in 1994 by Image Comics with a story written by Sean Ruffner, Jeff Mariotte and Booth. Booth was the artist.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins with a meeting inside the high-tech headquarters of the W.O.R. (Wildlife Organized Research), a front covering the outpost for the criminal organization called the Cabal. During the meeting, the fall of Helspont was discussed and talk about running the Cabal intensified. Just as it was made clear that a new beginning and new leadership were needed to manage the Cabal, a warlord called S’ryn arrives with the deadly Pike behind him. After briefly overwhelming opposition from a Coda warrior and H’tarh, S’ryn performs a ritual and gets the pledge of loyalty from those who recognized him as the new leader of the Cabal. The stage is set for further escalation between the Daemonites and the Kherubim.

In the city of Chicago, Backlash and Taboo spend time together in an apartment that looks worn down and not so clean. It turns out, both of them are fugitives and they are waiting for Cyberjack to complete his surveillance of the security of a hotel where a celebrity ball is set to happen…

Quality

In the middle of a special event, Backlash and Taboo spring into action as WildCATS’ Jacob Marlowe gets into trouble.

Compared to what happened in issue , this story moved at a moderate pace in relation to the new mission which involved espionage and suspense. It’s not the action showcase the previous issue was but rather more moderated as the creators took a new approach to not only tell a new story but also do its own build-up of the Kherubim-Daemonite war and other WildStorm universe concepts. The story is well-written and while there is a lot of expository dialogue and creative explanations implemented, it never felt forced. Along the way, the creative team started implementing crossover elements by having Jacob Marlowe of WildC.A.T.S.: Covert Action Teams as well as established Image Comics figure Savage Dragon (from Erik Larsen) included in the story and even getting involved with the operations that took place.

As for Backlash himself, you will see a little less of him in this tale (compared to issue ) which is not surprising as the creative team focused more on the plot and had to handle the crossover elements. Backlash did not become a supporting character here and you will see some superhero spectacle from him, particularly in his rematch with a certain villain.

Conclusion

S’ryn gets challenged before he becomes the new leader of the forces of evil.

Backlash (1994) is a fun ride that cleverly combined crossover elements with its own approach on building up the WildStorm concepts, notably the war between the Kherubim and Daemonites. It also shows the consequences of what happened in the 4th issue of the WildC.A.T.S. mini-series particularly within the side of the opposition. As such, this comic book is pretty much a sequel to the said mini-series. At this stage, there was clearly something prepared to entertain readers while maintaining focus on establishing Backlash (note: Marc Slayton was one of the Team 7 members) as a major WildStorm character.

Overall, Backlash (1994) is recommended.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco