FemForce #167

The long-absent NIGHTVEIL returns to the team, just long enough to reveal a new crisis- the disappearance of her Cloak of Darkness-before vanishing again herself, in a story titled “Roundabout”, written by Mark Heike, penciled by newcomer Jim Sullivan, with finished inking by Scott Shriver. The other wandering team member- SHE-CAT -likewise returns, and makes herself a bit more useful in a tense situation. A mysterious and powerful stranger forces a dangerous stand-off at the Orlando International Airport, and the FEMFORCE race to the scene to deal with the emergency as best they can, in “Stuck In The Middle”, scripted by Mark Heike, penciled by Rock Baker and inked by Jeff Austin. Then, things turn strange in the 30th century as The BLACK COMMANDO is held captive by girl space pirates, while in the present, the villainous ALIZARIN CRIMSON uses dupes from the future to slip the bonds of her Altrannian prison in the latest installment in the Adventures of Blackie and Bullets (guest-starring JET-GIRL) , “Future Shock”; written and inked by Bossman Bill Black, with pencils by Eric Coile. If you’ve been wondering what sort of things former military liason to the FF, ROBERTA STROCK has been doing since she was appointed to a cabinet position, read “Time To Take Strock”, illustrated by the FF lead art team of Baker and Austin, from a story by Mark Holmes. You can’t keep a good soldier down!! Next, everyone’s favorite reluctant superheroine YANKEE GIRL is forced to make a difficult decision in “Yankee Ingenuity”, written by Mark Holmes, pencilled by Riccardo Desini, and inked by the redoubtable Jeff Austin. Then, it’s a three-way blast from the past with a trio of never-before-seen “retro” adventures. First, we go back to 1956, for a rare solo story starring one-time FF member The BLONDE BOMBER. BB finds herself mixed up (in more than one way) with illegal arms dealing and third-world freedom fighters while vacationing in Spain in “Busman’s Holiday”; scripted by Mark Heike, penciled by Manuel Diaz, and inked by Scott Shriver. Then, in 1948, Miss(the future Ms.)Victory is forced to confront a former Russian ally during the Berlin airlift in “No Substitute For Victory”, written by Mark Holmes, with art by Scott Larson and Jeff Austin. Finally, back during the war-torn years of the early 1940′s, DINOSAUR GIRL must team up with a half-dozen other costumed operatives to deal with submarines and giant marine demons while breaking up an enemy plot to mine the dangerous ore that gave Vivian Strand the awesome size-changing powers in “The Menace With Eight Arms”, written and drawn by Rock Baker, and inked by Mark Dail. All this plus a special text tribute to the late, great former FEMFORCE artist Dick Ayers by head honcho Bill Black.