An old Image Comics favorite has returned, coming back strongly with the reintroduction of Cyberforce, this time from series creator Marc Silvestri, co-writer Matt Hawkins, artists Koi Pham and Sunny Gho under the Top Cow Productions label. After a long hiatus and a massively successful Kickstarter campaign, Cyberforce has returned and at least for the first five issues, it’s completely free.

The story begins in a desolate wasteland, with protagonist Carin Taylor running for her life, eventually meeting up with some familiar faces (for those who are familiar with the series, at least) as they try to figure out what’s happening with Carin, as she explains to an unknown party about the fall of the world and the power-hungry forces that try to gain power in it. The first issue ends with a bit of a cliffhanger as well, wrapping up a solid introductory issue.

Silvestri and Hawkins seem to be a good team, with Silvestri’s legendary pedigree in the industry, combined with the talents of Hawkins, whose work on the hit series Think Tank speak for themselves. With character descriptions and depth aren’t on the most illustrious of scales, but for an introductory issue that starts in the middle of a major action sequence, it does a fine job.

The art by Pham and Gho bring forth more of the same. While not perfect (there is some inconsistency with the detail and style on some pages), the style is fitting and quite enjoyable, especially on the first page, which is gorgeous. Landscapes are fully fleshed out, futuristic lands, technology looks to be the style of a far off time, and while some of the figures are a bit muddy (especially with some of the details in skin patterns on a few of the more prominent characters), they still look correct, both in style and in presentation in nearly all cases.

Summary: Cyberforce is back, and with style. A solid opening story, mixed with well-done artwork and interesting characters makes for a triumphant return for this iconic series. With a new team at the helm, a ton of fan support with the Kickstarter campaign, and a fresh look, Cyberforce should make a strong run in the coming months, especially with the free initial releases thanks to the money that was raised. This is a very strong opening issue for the series, with hopefully many more to come from this talented team.

The Good: Exciting Opening Story, Solid Artwork

The Bad: Lack Of Character Depth

The Ugly: Inconsistent Character Detail

Score: 8.5