G-Man Comics 3in1 #2 - G-Man Comics

G-MAN COMICS 3IN1 No. 2, December 2021

Penned by “each of G-Man Comics’ founders” and “all drawn by G-Man’s first artist, Gilbert Monsanto”, this Twenty-four page anthology presumably pleased the vast majority of its audience with its entertaining mixture of origin stories, second instalments and even an enticing adaption of the first chapters to Jim Burrows’ novel, “The Demon Priest”. Indeed, one of this book’s most endearing features is how Editor-in-Chief Rik Offenberger manages to pull together all the different storylines into a single, cohesive overarching narrative set within his fictional universe, and simultaneously teases its readers with some of the publisher’s potential future offerings through the likes of team Lynx breaking the fourth wall; “Oh, yah. If you enjoyed this story, we will be back next time for a full-length adventure.”

Starting the ball rolling is “Cat Fight” which provides the white-costumed, feline-looking Maya Santiago and Mateo Martinez with some much needed background as to why the couple became street-level crime-fighters. Concluding with their “first solo mission for Agent Kirby”, this tale is straightforwardly told solid stuff, apart from the intriguing notion of their violent methods not meeting with Sergeant Flag’s approval despite the gun-toting super-hero being the one who saved Santiago’s life prior to her training in Luta Livre.

Slightly more involved, courtesy of the ongoing adventure already enjoying a previous instalment, is Eric N. Bennett’s “The Price Of Liberty”, which arguably manages to capture a little of the unstoppable killing machine vibe seen in James Cameron’s 1984 science fiction action film “The Terminator” when the cybernetic Half-Man enters the city’s Police Headquarters and eradicates everyone with small arms fire. In addition, this well-paced piece depicts the partially-robotic criminal as a fast-thinking mastermind, when he ensures American Eagle III is helpless to stop Brain Bruiser’s prison break by arranging for Alex Russell’s alter-ego to urgently be needed to prop the semi-destroyed law enforcement building up.

Rounding things off is “The Demon Priest” which rather beguilingly seems to depict the satanic Shamsiel as a being trapped between the guise of a peaceful priest and a savage blood-letter, who one moment lets himself be willingly abducted by criminals and then tears their throats out with his bare hands in the next. This fearsome contrast is made all the more enigmatic due to its author leaving Reverend Gregory’s past as a complete mystery. In fact, this adaption’s sole disappointment is that it ends with the reader being required to read Burrows’ novel to find out what happens next, rather than being given the comic book treatment in full.

Writers: Rik Offenberger, Eric N. Bennett & Jim Burrows, and Artist: Gilbert Monsanto

G-Man Comics 3in1 #1 - G-Man Comics

G-MAN COMICS 3IN1 No. 1, May 2021

Positively pulsating with the patriotic red, white and blue of the American flag, there’s a distinct Silver Age of Comics vibe to the scintillating shenanigans taking place within Issue One of “G-Man Comics 3in1”, whether it be from Sergeant Flag’s full-on rampage to rescue a Judge’s kidnapped daughter, Champion of Liberty²’s suspicions as to the spur behind Demon Priest’s voluntary incarceration, or American Eagle III’s bout of fisticuffs with the Frankenstein Monster-like Brain Bruiser. In fact, arguably any one of these seven-page long plots wouldn’t have looked out of place inside the covers of DC Comics’ “Showcase” or Marvel Comics’ “Amazing Fantasy” back in the day.

Starting this anthology off at an incredibly brisk pace is Rik Offenberger’s excellent “Fight For Justice”, which very efficiently sets the scene following the abduction of Maya Santiago’s abduction by a murderous drug syndicate and Rob McFarlane’s alter-ego being tasked with her rescue. Chock-full of crunching kicks, eye-watering punches and Gilbert Monsanto pencilling an incredibly exhilarating gun-toting motorbike ride, this adrenalin-filled adventure’s sole disappointment only comes when the story itself ends all too soon.

Somewhat more thoughtful, and certainly a tale which causes the reader to increasingly second guess the motivation of its main antagonist, is Jim Burrows’ “Liberty In Prison” - a rather thought-provoking affair that initially appears to be a simple tale of Jack O’Neill covertly monitoring the machinations of Father Samuel Gregory whilst the demonic-looking villain is behind bars. The Managing Editor does a good job in making both the undercover Champion of Liberty² and his audience persistently suspicious as to the Demon Priest’s religious sermons, and even manages to throw in the odd fisticuffs with a steel-skinned fellow inmate whenever the pacing gets a bit too pedestrian.

Debatably this comic’s most intriguing narrative though, courtesy of it ending on a “to be continued” cliff-hanger, is Eric N. Bennett’s “The Price Of Liberty”. Essentially a slugfest between the American Eagle and one of Half-Man’s more grotesque goons, this seemingly straightforward slugfest has an intriguing twist in its tail when it transpires that the unconscious bank robber was apparently a pawn in a much larger crime. Infuriated by his minion's unfounded belief that no Philadelphia-based super-hero could stop him, Vaughn Barron clearly intends to make Brain Bruiser’s captor suffer for having interfered with his revolutionary plans of conquest.

Writers: Rik Offenberger, Jim Burrows & Eric N. Bennett, and Artist: Gilbert Monsanto