Freedom Fighters Pt. 14: Freedom Fighters #10

As a result of events in the last issue…

Uncle Sam is certain Doll Man is innocent and seems more concerned about the whereabouts of The Ray. Nevertheless, their dual mission is clear…

Uncle Sam, the Human Bomb, and Phantom Lady head to Minneapolis to investigate “a disaster scheme” that could be the work of the Silver Ghost, while Black Condor uses his mental powers to “hone in on Happy.”

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Through a 24-hour flashback, we learn what happened to the Ray during his fight with Americommando/the Silver Ghost. It didn’t end well for him…

Meanwhile, back in the present, Doll Man shares his origin story with Martha Roberts (and us.) Part of that story includes the fate of the Martha Roberts he knew on Earth-X; you know, the fate in which she and her father were presumably killed by Nazis.

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And, in Minneapolis…

In a 5-page battle that demonstrates the powers of these three members of the team, the good guys defeat Catman (who claims no knowledge of the Silver Ghost) and his henchmen.

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In an epilogue, Doll Man explains what happened in D.A. Pearson’s office to Fred Snyder, his court-appointed public defender…

Notes

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In classic super-team comic book style, the characters are divided into small groups in issue #10 of Freedom Fighters. What I like most about these sub-adventures is the opening panel of each in which the name of each character gets its own artistic style:

I also like the continuity of this issue in relation to previous issues. In particular, I admire the detail given to the condition of Uncle Sam’s hat. How easy it would have been to ignore it.

Throughout its run, Freedom Fighters has been good about reminding us (and new readers) of important character traits of our heroes. For example, we’re reminded that Black Condor might lose control when he uses his mental powers and that Doll Man takes responsibility (blames himself) for everything that’s happened to him.

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The ongoing story is also committed to the relationship between Doll Man and Martha Roberts. Yeah, it’s dragging a little, but there seems to be more to the story and it’s intriguing to me. Overall, at ten issues into its short, 15-issue run, this is probably my favorite issue of Freedom Fighters.

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Title: Freedom Fighters

Issue #: 10

Cover Date: Sept-Oct, 1977

On Sale Date: June 14, 1977

Writer: Bob Rozakis

Penciller: Dick Ayers

Inker: Jack Abel

Editor: Jack C. Harris