G-Men United #3 - G-Man Comics

G-MEN UNITED No.3, October 2023

Containing five stories, or six if the rather mischievous Editor-in-Chief is to be believed in his foreword, there can surely be little doubt that Issue Three of “G-Men United” certainly gives plenty of bang for its buck. Indeed the anthology comic is an excellent example of Rik Offenberger’s ever-expanding universe, with all manner of imaginative costumed crime-fighters, demi-gods and deities depicted battling fire-breathing dragons, fending off murderous forest beasts, and even becoming the centre of attention for an unscrupulous boss of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; “She could be the world’s greatest champion, or the end of all life on Earth. I’m only going to have one chance to win her trust.”

Foremost of these adventures though is undoubtedly “Fire!” which sees the Agent cajoling poor Maya Santiago into mentoring the potentially deadly Atomik Bombshell. Penned across just eight pages, this yarn does an excellent job of showing the super-heroine’s nervousness at tackling such a great responsibility, as well as quickly hurling the audience into a seriously high-octane scrap against an impressively sketched giant winged serpent – complete with Sister Flag trying to blow the mythical beast away with a hand-held bazooka.

Somewhat slower paced, simply on account of Taranis excitedly showing his beloved Dara the splendour of his “long-missed home”, Avalorr, is Eric N. Bennett’s fantasy-based tale “The Eyes of Esh-Kar”. Rather intriguingly touching upon the central protagonist’s chauvinism, or perhaps his lady’s ungratefulness at being rescued just prior to her being mauled to death by a sharp-toothed monster, there’s a fair bit of character development to be found within its dungeon & dragons-flavoured doings which helps bring artists Ron Williams and Victor Raniery’s wonderfully sketched medieval metropolis to vibrant life.

Lastly, many a bibliophile may well be enthralled by the third instalment to “The Night Lili” due to the ongoing narrative quite neatly dealing with both the aftermath of the True Knight’s injuries battling against a dark-hearted demonette, as well as setting the super-heroes up for a rematch. Initially, this refight appears to be a bit of a one-sided affair, courtesy of Red Halo’s involvement. But all is not what it seems when it's revealed that the original Astor’s body is disconcertingly “beginning to be someone” else, and resultantly the nefarious Lili can’t simply be banished to another realm just yet.

The regular cover art of "G-MEN UNITED" #3 by Stefani Rennee