Earlier this week, when Shadow listed his 5 Comics Books I Wish Were Still Around list, he listed some pretty good and very interesting ones - even some that I did not expect for him to list. But that is the great thing about comic books; you never know who is going to like what books. So as I was sitting there and listing my five books, I found myself listing some books that some of you may never even have heard of. But like Shadow’s list inspired me to go back and read one series, I am hoping that my list does the same for some of you. So here are my five books. 

Strikeforce: Morituri

Created by writer Peter Gillis and artist Brent Anderson, Strikeforce: Morituri literally meant “those who are about to die.” No one member of this team book was safe, and deaths and rosters changes happened frequently and often violently. The members of the Morituri team were elite soldiers who in exchange for superhuman powers to combat an invading alien race called “the Horde” understood that the process would kill them within a year. 

Published by Marvel Comics from 1986 to 1989, the series ran 31 issues before it was cancelled. The series was unlike anything Marvel was doing at the time as it never had a set roster of characters as was the case with the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men. Because of the premise that the characters would only last as long as their powers didn’t overload, even the popular characters of the series were killed off eventually. Throughout the series’ run, there were a total of eight generations of Morituri fighters. Often times when members from cross generations met or were cast together, their violent clashes led to some extreme infighting between team members, something that I think is rarely explored in comics today. And I think that is why this series really stands out in my mind as such.

Darkchylde

Created by Randy Queen, Darkchylde was the story of Ariel Chylde, an unsuspecting teen who one day unleashes evil forces upon the world and soon discovers that she can also assume the shape of these nightmarish beast in order to combat them and protect humanity. 

Originally published by several different publishers before finally being published by Darkchylde Entertainment, the series debuted in 1996 to huge success, mainly from female audiences. At one point the series was even outselling well established books such as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Batman, and Superman in the domestic market. The series came at a time when not only was the “bad girl” fad in comics at its height, but the anticipated launch of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series brought adequate attention to the supernatural aspect of this book. With plenty of potential for horrific and nightmarish story elements, the property always showed a lot of potential yet it would eventually nearly fade into obscurity if not for the fact the Ariel Chylde character has appeared in several crossovers over the years. Maybe the proposed movie about the series will bring some interest back into the series and character.

H.E.R.O.

Published by DC Comics from 2003 to 2005, H.E.R.O. told the story of the “H-Device” mechanism and how it affected everyday people who would come across it. By typing in the letters H E R and O on the buttons of the mechanism, the wearer would then transform into a random and unique superhero for a limited amount of time. 

I loved the idea behind the concept here. In some ways it was a more superhero and friendlier version of the Vertigo series 100 Bullets that showed what people would do with 100 rounds of ammunition and an untraceable gun. H.E.R.O. did that for the mainstream DC universe and showed a wide variety of people using the “H-Device” to either become a hero or villain for whatever personal reasons they had. This was a unique take on the concept that was originally introduced back in the 1960s in the Dial H for Hero storyline and again used in a 1980s series of the same name. However it did not just focus on one or two people using the “H-Dial” (as it was known then). But one of the main characters from those two series, Robby Reed, did have a sub-plot in this new series as he was trying to prevent a serial killer searching for the device from finding it. Too bad the series lasted just 22 issues because there was so much more story to tell there.

Excalibur

Starting back in 1988 and running through various volumes and incarnations through 2007, Excalibur, published by Marvel Comics, used to blend mutants and magic as this splinter team of the X-Men used their powers and abilities to protect England from any threats she faced. 

Originally formed because the X-Men were thought to be dead, Excalibur consisted of Nightcrawler, Phoenix (Rachel Summers), Shadowcat and her pet dragon Lockheed, Captain Britain, and Captain Britain’s sprite lover Meggan. They dealt with many threats to both mutants and Britain including Sat-Yr-9, Necrom, the Shadow King, the TechNet, and many more - often times with the aid of magical beings such as Roma, Merlin, Amanda Sefton, and Saturnyne. But it was more than just who and what this team faced that made it unique in Marvel. Excalibur also had some of the best creative teams working on it including such legendary creators as Chris Claremont, Alan Davis, Scott Lobdell, Warren Ellis, and Ben Raab. Later volumes and incarnations of the team would follow but it was the original run of the series that stands out among some of the best stories from the late 80s and early to mid 90s. 

Supreme Power

Published by Marvel Comics under the Marvel MAX imprint in 2003, Supreme Power was the retooling of Earth-31916’s Squadron Supreme that had battled and teamed with Earth-616’s Avengers. Making the team more realistic and the story much more mature, Supreme Power pushed the limits on Marvel’s side of just what a superhero team should be. 

Retooling of the series came under the creative team of writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Gary Frank, and made no secret that this book was definitely for Mature Readers ONLY! With violent and bloody battles, more than a fair share of nudity, and language that most prudish people would faint at reading, Supreme Power proved that a story of this quality would do well in the Marvel universe. Unfortunately the series would only run for 18 issues. Later it would be revived as the Squadron Supreme where it was neutered taking the series down from being Mature Readers Only and then later mixing in elements from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe during the Ultimate Power crossover. Sure Straczynski and Frank were still on the title at the time, but the limitations now set made for a less interesting read. After that, there were several mini-series about the Squadron Supreme appeared and disappeared, but never to the degree that Supreme Power introduced the readers to. 

So there you go my friends, those are the five books I would like to see return to being published. Strikeforce: Morituri, Darkchylde, the original team of Excalibur, H.E.R.O., and the original team and concept of Supreme Power. These are five series that really entertained me during their runs and I have sadly missed them ever since their cancellations.