Issue 87

Review by Jim Johnston

Title - Pandemonium at Pleasant Isle

Story - Bill Black

Penciller - Brad Gorby

Inker - Mark Heike

Colours - Rebekah Black

Cover Artists - Brad Gorby and Mark Heike

Special Note: This is the 10th Anniversary Issue. In addition to the regular story, there is a 2-page FemFans Forever editorial in which Bill Black specifically acknowledges and thanks the staff and dedicated fans of AC Comics. Plus, the back cover features photos of "live action" FemForce characters.

Synopsis

• The FemForce and the AC Comics' staff meet outside Super Cosmos - Earth Station One - a theme park based on the heroines and their adventures. Everyone pairs up and they all go off to enjoy the rides and exhibits. However, all the rides have been turned into death traps, clandestinely created by Dr. Pretorious a long-time foe. The evil doctor celebrates the apparent destruction of his enemies, when suddenly he is confronted by the FemForcers who had all been rescued by Dragonfly, their former team member. A fight ensues. Dr. Pretorious attempts to escape. His getaway is foiled by the timely intervention of an AC staffer.

Story

• Realities intersect as Bill Black and the entire AC Comics staff meet the FemForce outside Super Cosmos - Earth Station One - a giant them park based on the FemForce with rides and exhibits modeled on their many thrilling adventures. Also on hand are many old friends including, Nyoka Gordon, Colt, and Dawn Hunter.  Dr. Harcourt Lear, the robotic genius who designed the most spectacular rides, is also on hand. The team and staff pair off and each group goes to check their own ride.
• The fun begins as Nightveil reverts to her Blue Bulleteer persona in order to better appreciate her ride, "Nightveil's Sinister Sanctum." Accompanied by special effects wizard, John Carl Beuchler, she marvels at the accuracy of it all. She is really enjoying herself when suddenly something seems to go wrong and they plunge into a fiery pit and certain doom.
• In another part of the park, Synn and AC artist Mark Heike are having great fun on the "Limbo Light and Lazer Lobotomy Laceration" ride, an enormous psychadelic roller coaster which also features animatronic re-enactments of the significant events of Synn's career. Things get out of hand when the reality distorting special effects seem to really affect Synn and Mark who literally go to pieces.
• Meanwhile, She-Cat, Chris Allen, and especially Bill Black, enthusiastically climb aboard the "Phantom Stagecoach" with Buckaroo Betty at the reins. They take off, travelling through Boot Hill towards the Haunted Gold Mine. She-Cat and Chris are a little put off by the realistic special effects, but Bill is having the time of his life (which is not surprising given his appreciation of the Western Comics of the Golden and Silver Age). Suddenly, things go awry as the horses break free and the stage coach rumbles straight into the Haunted Gold Mine. The ride ends with the coach and its' passengers tumbling down into a bottomless pit and apparent oblivion.
• At the same time, Dawn Hunter and Mike Frankovich, Jr., check out her ride, a 60's spy movie chase scene with the visitors in a fast Euro sports car being pursued by a helicoptor. Once again, something goes wrong when the narrow winding road is suddenly blocked. Unable to stop or turn it appears that Dawn and Mike are doomed.
• Back at the Haunted Graveyard, we learn that Bill has jumped off the runaway stage coach before it entered the mine shaft. He sees Dr. Lear disappearing into what seems to be some sort of secret entrance. Bill follows but unfortunately is taken prisoner and escorted into a large control room. There he is confronted by Dr. Lear who reveals himself to be Dr. Pretorious, a classic FemForce foe. In the best traditions of villainy, the evil doctor reveals his scheme.
• Dr. Pretorious explains that after assuming a new identity as a robotic genius, he was hired to design and build the special theme park rides. Using his employer's money and resources, he secretly designed the rides to be custom death traps, one for each FemForcer. On a series of giant screens, he points out the remaining team members and AC staffers, including Bill's wife Rebekah, all involved in life-threatening situations.  Enraged, Bill attempts to intervene but is restrained by Dr. Pretorious' robotic henchmen.
• Just when it seems that all is lost, She-Cat, Synn, Dawn Hunter, Nightveil, and Buckaroo Betty appear. Dumb-founded that they have somehow escaped death, Dr. Pretorious vows to finish off the remaining team members. He activates the death trap meant for Stardust. However, the screen reveals the timely arrival of ex-FemForcer, Dragonfly, who destroys the death trap, saving both Dusty and AC staffer Christi Churms. She-Cat notes that Dragonfly had saved all of them. It is revealed that, after leaving the FemForce, Dragonfly moved to Hollywood and found work as an effects actress for live-action video games. She was hired to work on the development of Super Cosmos and had discovered Pretorious' plan. Not wanting to halt construction of the FemForce theme park, she allowed the plot to proceed and then, on opening day, was on hand to foil each murder attempt.
• In a final attempt to salvage some sort of victory, Dr. Pretorious orders his robotic duplicates into combat against the assembled FemForcers. The heroine's easily defeat the robots. Nightveil zaps the control panel which deactivates all the remaining rides/death traps. Rayda and Tara are now out of danger. Dr. Pretorious attempts to escape but is stopped by Brad Gorby. Dragonfly and Ms. Victory greet each other as old friends. The AC staff delights at Dr. Pretorious' come-uppance.
• I really liked -
  1. Old acquaintances renewed - We get to see old characters who haven't been featured in the stories in awhile. It's like meeting old friends and finding out what they've been up to.
  2. Old conflicts resolved - We learn that Roger Brant is no longer the host for Nightshade; and, Ms. Victory and Dragonfly greet each other as old friends, so the bad feelings that marked Dragonfly's leaving the FemForce have dissipated. I was pleased that Bill Black realized that the fans would want to know these kinds of details and took the time and effort to tell us.
  3. AC staffers get to meet the team and spend time with their favourite FemForcer. Also, we get to see the staffers in action - e.g., Mark Heike, armed only with a rather small pocketknife, valiantly defending Synn against the robotic re-creations of the Brotherhood of Purity; or, my personal favorite, as Bill organizes the activities, in the background we see Rebekah wiping chocolate off Synn's face. It's a wonderfully heart-warming little vignette. I've never met Rebekah Black but I'm willing to bet that it's just the sort of thing she would do.
  4. I enjoyed the fun details scattered throughout the story. I especially liked that those details gave us an insight into the characters. For instance, on the final page, Rebekah observes that the day's events would make a great script and wants to immediately return to the office and get started whereas Bill wants to attend a party. Another example is that Ms. Victory is the only heroine who didn't need Dragonfly to come to the rescue. She easily, almost off-handedly, caught the falling giant statue of herself designed to kill Rebekah and discredit Ms. Victory in the public eye.
  5. I also enjoyed the attempted escape of Dr. Pretorious. He says, "By Rossum...They've ruined my plans once again." I believe this exclamation is a reference to R.U.R. (Rossum Universal Robots) a play (1921, translated 1923), by Karel Capek, a Czech author. It was the first use of the word "robot" to describe an artificial life form. Since Dr. Pretorious is a robotic genius it is natural he would say such a thing. I think it is a wonderful little literary reference and one more example of why AC and FemForce are the best. AC takes the time to work these little details into the stories.
• I didn't like -
  1. Dragonfly just happened to be working at Super Cosmos and just happened to over hear the doctor's evil scheme. Moreover, Dr. Pretorious did not recognize her as a FemForcer. All seems like a bit of a stretch.

Art

• Cover - The ladies celebrate the FemForce title's 10th anniversary. Stardust provides the fireworks. She-Cat playfully tickles Tara's nose with a party favour type noise maker. Synn mischievously attempts to pour a bottle of what appears to be domestic wine over Nightveil who mystically diverts the "bubbly" onto a dismayed Ms. Victory. General Strock looks on amused in spite of herself.
• Splash Page - Bill Black, resplendent in dark sunglasses, white cowboy hat and fringed buckskin jacket greets the FemForce as they arrive at Super Cosmos Earth Station One.
• Splash Page II - Nightveil, in her Blue Bulleteer persona and accompanied by special effects wizard John Carl Beuchler, enters her ride. The entrance is based on her sanctum, a giant sinister looking gothic mansion literally floating above the Everglades swamp. Nightveil is very impressed by the accuracy of it all and, judging by her expression, perhaps a little homesick.
• Splash Page III - Synn and Mark Heike enjoy a wild ride on her coaster, although Synn appears to be having a better time than Mark. Of particular interest is the background which is made up of the designs and colours and icons of the sixties. It all looks "right on!"
• Splash Page IV - Buckaroo Betty welcomes She-Cat, Bill Black and Chris Allen aboard the Phantom Stagecoach which is drawn b 4 evil looking skeleton horses.
• Splash Page V - The Phantom StageCoach rolls down the Haunted Mineshaft and tumbles down into a bottomless pit (we know it's a bottomless pit because there is a sign that says so ;-). She-Cat, Buckaroo Betty and Chris Allen plunge down into inky darkness. This page has an almost 3-D effect about it. The viewer's eye is drawn down into the pit, creating the illusion of falling down into it. Maybe not technically a splash page but deserving of special mention.
• I really liked -
• 1. Page 16 depicts that part of Synn's ride which displays her early history. The distorted figures, which represent the results of Synn's inaccurate use of her power, looked really cool - grotesque and Dali-esque. The oddly shaped panels add to the over-all effect. The entire page has a very psychadelic look about it. Also, the real Synn in the lower left corner has a sad, downcast expression which reminds the reader that those memories of her difficult early days are still painful. I think it's really great that the artists and writers took the time to work that significant detail into the finished page.
  2. Page 17 - This is a very impressive piece of work. The stagecoach and skeleton horses are nothing short of awesome. In addition to looking extremely fearsome, they also appear to be anatomically accurate. Brad must have done a fair bit of research to get them just right. I also enjoyed all the neat little details that worked into the pictures - the skeleton horses have custom-designed and decorated harnesses and a Wells Feargo nameplate adorns the stagecoach.
  3. All the little fun details that were scattered throughout the book. The cars at Nightveil's ride were shaped like witch's cauldrons. The little insert in the last panel on the last page featuring Squeeks, the monkey, telling us, "That's all folks!" The impromptu James Bond trivia quiz.
• I didn't like -
  1. I would have liked to have seen Ms. Victory's and She-Cat's attractions.

Special Note: I'm not sure if this is significant but, on the cover, the wine Synn is pouring is labeled "Blanco Negra" which translates as "White Black." It is interesting to note that this is the last full-colour issue of the Femforce as Issue 88 and all succeeding issues have been in black and white. This leads me to wonder if the folks at AC HQ were giving us an omen of what was to come. If true, it was a neat little gesture but I am so far unable to confirm it.

Final Note: I liked Page 17 so much that I've arranged to add it to my personal collection. Many of you may not be aware of it but much of the original art pages for most of the Femforce issues are available for purchase from AC at reasonable prices. Just contact them and specify the page you're interested in and they will tell you if it's available and how much it costs.

Ed. Note: Jim's point above about the original art being for sale is a good one. To contact AC about purchasing artwork, just go to the Clubhouse's NewsStand and click on the link for "AC Ordering Info."

Back