Freedom Fighters Pt. 8: Freedom Fighters #6

Once they fought against the tyranny that enslaved an entire world -- and won! But now, their battle is much more personal… and the freedom they fight for is their own!

At Yonkers Raceway, half the team Freedom Fighters pursue the Silver Ghost’s gang. After they lie in a pile on the track, Uncle Sam realizes…

Meanwhile, at their current “hideout,” Martha Roberts’s apartment, the other half of the team works to install a damper on the Human Bomb’s costume. When the rest of the team arrives, they see D.A. Pearson announce on television:

--and by blacking out Yonkers Raceway, the fugitives who call themselves the Freedom Fighters created a mass panic!

Never mind that they stopped a gang of villains, Pearson is going to appoint a special task force to apprehend the team. Martha tells them they need to get out of the state and suggests…

--a town that celebrates Halloween with a bit parade of super-heroes -- a town where nobody’d give you a second glance--

The next morning, as the Freedom Fighters wait to meet Martha in Rutland, Vermont, a coven of warrior wizards gathers nearby…

--at noon, we will summon Homilus from the bowels of the earth… and his evil shall possess the man who in two days hence will be elected to the highest office in the land -- the presidency of the United States!

Needing a sacrifice, the wizards abduct Martha. While the team worries about her absence, only Dollman feels compelled to go look for her.

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When he finds her, he uses his newly-discovered psychic powers to summon the rest of the team to assist him. They charge the evil ceremony in progress and fight the wizards. Too late:

The Human Bombs says he’s not going to pull any punches with this one; however, his damper is stuck and he’s virtually powerless against the demon. And when said demon connects psychically with Black Condor, the Ray comments:

I’m spending more time zapping our team than I am the baddies!

The Human Bomb finally creates his explosion when Uncle Sam drops him, sans uniform (or any clothes at all), into the middle of the demon’s tentacles.

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Notes

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The series takes a turn for the better with issue #6, an entertaining tale that honors the plot established by the previous creative team, but stretches beyond its boundaries. A banner above the logo on the cover suggest the fun that will be found within its pages:

Hunted by the law! Hated by the underworld!

As if Freedom Fighters #7 wants to offer a new beginning, the header at the top of the splash page introduces us to its cast of characters:

On the romance front, the relationship between Dollman and Martha progresses:

And later…

Between these two scenes, when Dollman locates Martha in the woods, he remembers for himself (and summarizes for us) the new powers he and his teammates have developed since arriving on Earth-1.

Speaking of creative teams, this one continues to change. On the Freedom Fanmail page, editor Tony Isabella announces the departure of Ramona Fradon as artist, because she’s moving on to Super Friends.

We’re sorry to see it happen, but we’re also excited about the surprise new artist we’ve got lined up for the book. Who is this mystery artist? Gee whiz, if we told you now, it wouldn’t be a mystery, would it?

Reader Phillip Botwinick submits a compelling question. Were all the Quality heroes on Earth-X killed, or will we see heroes like the Red Bee, Hercules, and Quicksilver?

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Isabella responds:

The Freedom Fighters believe the other Earth-X heroes died during World War II, but they could be wrong. Only a trip back to Earth-X will tell for sure.

This is another example of a key plot point revealed not in the course of the story, but in the responses of the letters column.

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Finally, since this is a Halloween -themed issue, check out this great ad:

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Title: Freedom Fighters

Issue #: 6

Cover Date: Jan./Feb. 1977

On Sale Date: Oct. 26, 1976

Writer: Bob Rozakis

Penciller: Ramona Fradon

Inker: Robert Allen Smith

Colorist: Liz Berube

Editor: Tony Isabella