I admit to being a noob and being totally confused coming into this comic. This trade volume collects Cyberforce Artifacts Issues 0-6 by Marc Silvestri, Matt Hawkins, and a slew of other talented writers (Bryan Hill, Camilla Zhang, Kelly Bender, and Paul Penna) and illustrators. So even though this is the third volume, I thought, “Sure, I can do this, everything will make sense…”
I started very confused, but here’s what I learned… although this volume collects issues 0-6, it is still is a continuation from volumes 1 and 2 plus several additional one shots that help to further the world building.
Before we meet the characters in this volume, they went through some Wolverine-level trauma. They’re all cyber-enhanced humans or mutants with unique abilities. For example, Velocity is very fast and Ballistic has superhuman aim, making her pretty lethal with any kind of weapon. Before the events collected in this volume, they rebelled against their powerful, dangerous creator, Cyberdata, and formed their own team, Cyberforce. With evil brewing, and an offer from the company that created them in the form of a mission, things are about to get very interesting.
The cyberpunk aesthetic heavily influences the imagery throughout this series. Fans of this science-fiction sub-genre will enjoy the visuals throughout. Anyone who enjoys superhero teams, especially the X-Men, will enjoy getting to know these characters, their backstories, and joining them on their current adventures.
There’s a lot going on with the art in this book. There are six issues and each has a different illustrator. I found issues 4 and 5 to be the most interesting, art-wise. In Cyberforce Artifacts Chapters 4 and 5, Jeff Spokes uses heavy contrast, low lighting, and typically a single color to create an interesting visual effect. In these issues in particular, the background imagery is minimal which allows the reader to focus on the characters, their expressions and emotions, and most importantly, the action. The one shot, “Force in Mourning,” with Francesca Aureli as artist, also has a unique flair. It was cartoon-y in style and reminded me almost of anime mixed with Bratz dolls or the 2000s Teen Titans animated series. It’s really fun.
Overall this was a fun comic to read. It has some violence, and is recommended by the publisher for Teens+, so both your teen readers and adult readers can enjoy the content beneath the bindings.
This would make a good addition to public library collections that are looking to expand their definition of superhero and offer a more variety within the superhero genre beyond the Supermans and Captains America of your shelves. However, I would suggest starting with the first volume rather than jumping right to three.
Cyberforce Rebirth: Artifacts, Vol. 3
by Matt Hawkins, Bryan Hill, Camilla Zhang, Kelly Bender, Paul Penna
Art by Francesca Aureli, Jim Towe, Rodrigo Zayas, Christian Duce, Jeff Spokes
ISBN: 9781534304758
Image Comics, 2018
Publisher Age Rating: T+
