Freedom Fighters #6 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Eddy Barrows, Penciller; Eber Ferreira, Scott Hanna, Inkers; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 6/10
This series has felt like it’s treading water since the start, mainly due to how one-note the villains have been and the fact that its take on Nazism has been – to put it lightly – not subtle. They’re cast as a sadistic evil empire that maintains power through sheer brutal repression, with no trace of the cult of personality that made them so deadly and led to turning so many civilians into their willing foot soldiers.
Its heroes make for a likable counter-force, but they’ve mostly been off to the side battling to survive and not given much development. So the addition of the Nazi Superman, Overman, who won the war in this reality, promised to give this series a little punch. We last saw him in some sort of brainwashing chamber, and the reference in Freedom Fighters #6 to the Multiversity story that showed a broken, regretful Overman puzzled me.
This definitely doesn’t seem to be the same Overman from Morrison’s more nuanced take on these characters.
Sure enough, as soon as we see Overman this issue, it’s clear his mind isn’t all there. He’s more unleashed than anything, serving the replacement Hitler like a rabid dog and being deployed like a nuke against the Freedom Fighters. One of them, Human Bomb, may meet his end this issue, but not before he unleashes his power and reveals the truth behind this Overman – bringing another alternate villain into this universe.
The end of this issue sets up why the world’s changed so much since we last saw it, and gives the remaining heroes a major new quest that could possibly bring an end to the reign of the Nazis, but the problem is I’m still not particularly invested in anything here. It’s Nazis 101 up against a group of DC heroes who haven’t been given many character traits, and Uncle Sam is mostly used as a plot device who still hasn’t done much since his dramatic return.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
