Cyber Force was Marc Silvestri’s original creator-owned superhero team book that he launched when he and five of his fellow Marvel Comics artists left to form Image Comics. After an initial 4-issue miniseries, it was launched as an ongoing series, which lasted 35 issues. Since then Silvestri has turned his Image imprint, Top Cow Productions, into a home for more science-fiction and supernatural comics, but over the years he has attempted to bring back Cyber Force, with varying degrees of success. This new series is the fourth attempt, and in the back pages co-writer Matt Hawkins says that they’ve planned out a 25-issue storyarc in advance. It’s an ambitious plan, let’s see if they make it.

Along with co-writer Bryan Edward Hill, this series is a complete reboot of the original series. The premise of this first issue is that a mysterious figure, apparently a woman, who is dressed in a high-tech suit of armor is going around the country launching terrorist-like attacks on various computer tech companies, all in the name of some kind of anti-technology manifesto, claiming that she’s doing this to save humanity from extinction due to their over-reliance on computers.

We meet Morgan Stryker and Carin, who are father and daughter and, apparently, regular humans in this series (not mutants). Morgan was a security guard at the first company that was attacked and was the sole survivor, albeit several injured on one side of his body, losing an arm and an eye. While in recovery, Carin signed for some special doctors to save him withy cybernetic implants. Most of issue is showing Morgan attempting to come to terms with the changes to his body, and being worried about the price he’s going to have to pay for this. In the final scenes Carin, who has been in a wheelchair, stands up to reveal that she’s also been given cybernetic implants, in the form of two brand new legs.

It’s a decent first issue, with more of a body-horror feel to it than a typical superhero story. There is still much to be revealed about the background of these characters, but I am interested to stick around and find out more. I will say though that, although no previous knowledge of the title is required, I think it’s safe to assume that the majority of readers who would be interested in this book would be those fans of the original Cyber Force, and I think this would be appealing to them, even with the new status quo.

Atilio Rojo does the art, and does a very fine job. This new version of Cyber Force is in good hands. Chacebook rating: FOUR STARS

AVAILABLE ON COMIXOLOGY