Damn amazing: Top Cow raises $117,135 for Cyber Force relaunch

Astounding! Cyber Force is a title that goes all the way back to the 90s; it was one of many to come about during a decade that many comic fans probably wish never existed. While not a big Cyber Force reader, I did have some issues and they were pretty decent. Not great, but it was better than anything Rob Liefeld was putting out at the time, but then again, what wasn't? Cyber Force was about a group of mutants who were kidnapped by an evil corporation called Cyberdata who, apparently, decided that their being mutants just wasn't good enough, so they slapped some cybernetics on them. They escaped and formed the eponymous Cyber Force in order to take Cyberdata down. One of the things I always weird was the fact that one of the characters, Stryker, had four cybernetic arms. Cyberdata replaced both his regular arms, then went "what the hell" and added a two more...on his right side. He has three arms on the same side of his body. COMICS EVERYBODY! I always thought he was pretty bland, being too much of an overly grim and gritty Cable ripoff.

Hey, look, the 90s in a nutshell.

Well, anyway, Top Cow Productions wanted to have another go at the team, six years after the last run, and for whatever reason, hit Kickstarter in order to raise money to do it. The goal was $75k, but when the dust cleared, they raised over $117k. What I find interesting is that a big comic company did a Kickstarter. True, Top Cow isn't as big as Marvel, DC, Image, or Dark Horse, but they're not exactly small fries. The new series looks interesting:

Cyber Force is about a group of cybernetically enhanced resistance fighters on the run from a monolithic multi-national conglomerate. The essence of the new Cyber Force series is bio-cybernetic steampunk. Top Cow founder and Cyber Force creator Marc Silvestri (The Darkness, Incredible Hulk) is returning as co-writer, art director, and cover artist spearheading the unique vision for the new series. Co-writer Matt Hawkins (Think Tank, Lady Pendragon) is collaborating with Marc to create a cutting-edge world based on real technology. Artist Khoi Pham (Mighty Avengers, Daredevil) will be working hand-in-hand with Marc to make sure that every issue is filled with the spectacular, dynamic art fans have come to expect from Top Cow. Rounding out the team will be master colorist Sunny Gho (Artifacts, Incredible Hulk) and letterer Troy Peteri.

Steampunk? I mean, is it actually going to have steampunk elements or is that just a buzzword or catch-all term? Steampunk is usually associated with the past and "bio-cybernetic" doesn't sound like something you'd find in the 1890s. The most intriguing aspect of this, though, is that the first five issues will be free in both digital and physical formats! As Todd Allen from The Beat points out, this could be a hook to get people willing to buy future issues. I like it and I not only hope it works, but that it propagates through the entire comic book industry.

Cyber Force cover via Saltmanz.