Review: FREEDOM FIGHTERS #8
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Robert Venditti
Art: Eddy Barrows, Jack Herbert & Eber Ferreira
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letters: Andworld Design
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Who is the Black Condor? Learn some of the secrets behind this enigmatic Freedom Fighter as the team goes on offense against the Reich, but there’s still the matter of that spy in their midst….
Positives
Robert Venditti always seems to find a way to have a character really drive the story, both over an arc and issue by issue. Freedom Fighters #8 is no different. In the spotlight this month is the Black Condor. As he and “Doll Woman” are supposed to be infiltrating Factory City (Detroit), the trip back home provides the reader a journey through Condor’s memories. Born Marcus Robinson, he was taken away from his parents while a newborn. Eventually, he would develop the ability to create a set of wings to take him away, and that’s how his career as the Black Condor began.
While the narrative moves the plot forward, it’s really the focus on Marcus that is the most important part of the issue. Condor is there to help free the Human Bomb, but it all feels secondary to Condor’s story. Learning all that he and his family have been through makes his stand at the end of the issue more satisfying. The factory workers he’s inspired stand behind him and become Freedom Fighters themselves. Anyone with the thirst to break the bonds of oppression and stands up to be counted takes on that mantle.
Negatives
It’s minor, but the appearance of the midwife that helped birth Marcus is a bit too coincidental. It doesn’t take away too much, but it certainly is coincidental. There could’ve been a different solution to that situation that provides a similar outcome. While this series has spent a lot of time developing the characters, somehow, it doesn’t seem that the conflict with the Reich has heightened enough. While the intimacy is greatly appreciated, the world at large is absent. The truck driver who helps smuggle Black Condor into Detroit alludes to what’s going on, but it isn’t easy to gauge where things are this issue.
Verdict
It’s a real joy to feel the character of the Black Condor come alive in Freedom Fighters #8. This powerhouse of character exploration easily overpowers any shortcomings of the plot movement or scope of the issue. The intimacy of Condor’s story makes this an issue you’ll want to read. I have a feeling it will fit into the pacing of the full 12 issues marvelously, even though on it’s own it’s a little unsatisfying plot-wise.
