FWS Forgotten Classics: Strikeforce Morituri

The 1980's were a time of great change in the American comic book industry with The Big 2 attempting to figure out how to survive the changing ground of the 1980's. In 1986, one of the most unique, brutal, and uneven Superhero comics would come out of Marvel Comics: Strikeforce Morituri (SFM). Featuring humans that willingly underwent a process to grain themselves superpowers, dubbed the "Morituri Process" to protect the Earth from the savage inhuman raids by an alien race known as the Horde. In this Forgotten Classic, FWS will be finally looking at this bold and surprising Marvel comic that was a part of my childhood and has left echoes within me since I first read it in 1986.   

What was Strikeforce Morituri 

Running from December of 1986 to July of 1989, Strikeforce Morituri was one of the most original and unique major studio Superhero comic titles ever released in the US. Originally developed by Peter Gillis who was an independent operators that had worked for a variety of comic book outfits during his career, including Dr. Strange and the first computer-generated comic, Shatter. During the mid-1980's, Gillis was attempting to find a buyer for his new take on Superhero comics concept. It was during this time that Jim Shooter of Marvel was looking for titles that could be added to his new vast concept of "The New Universe". There was much discussion at Marvel on how to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the comic book publisher, and Jim Shooter proposed the concept of a shared universe that happened in real-time and could allow new readers to get in on the ground floor of these new series and new fictional universe. While Shooter had proposed to wrap all comics, then relaunch them under the New Universe title, that concept was scaled back to be a dozen brand new titles in the New Universe. With the publisher scouring for new titles, Carol Potts (of Alien Legion fame) took a meeting with Gillis and love the concept and suggested Brent Anderson (who was under contract with Marvel) draw the comic that would have been in the New Universe lineup However, the creative team behind Strikeforce Morituri, passionately protested the comic book's inclusion into the New Universe. Due to the power of the concept, it was decided to not include into the New Universe banner, and instead be under its own universe. The first issue would be published by Marvel Comics in December of 1986, just a few months after the New Universe concept rolled out its first issues. By 1987, Jim Shooter was fired and the New Universe was cancelled by Marvel for lack of sales and lack of future the New Universe had by 1989. This was also the dame year that Strikeforce Moriturir ended their series as well.  

The World of the Horde, Paideia, and Temporary Superheroes

Near the end of the 21st century, Earth was in a more peaceful state and the Paideia Institute was largely reasonable for that. All nuclear weapons had been eliminated and destroyed at this at point in Terran history along with a greater reduction in military spending. While the world was not yet fully united under a single government, the Paideia was closer than the UN ever got. Then the Horde showed up about four years before the events of the comic series and the world united under the Paideia due to the alien threat to pool their resources and cut down on the red tape. The threat that the Earth faced in 2069 was unlike anything else humanity had faced before, but the Horde were known and feared to other civilizations in the galaxy. The Horde (AKA the "Va-Shakk" in their own tongue) were a race condemned to their own dying homeworld. Due to tribal warfare, the environment was failing and it looked like the global civil wars would end the race. At this point, the Va-Shakk were not a spacefaring race nor possessed nuclear weapons. What gave them access to the stars was when a kind, friendly alien race, known as the "Tall Ones" came to the Horde homeworld. These golden-colored beings offered everything with kindness and asked nothing in exchange for their gifts save for the Horde to one day join a brotherhood among the stars. What the Tall Ones got was a blade to the throat and bullets in the belly. 

The Tall Ones ships gave the Horde access to the stars and for over a thousand years, the Horde have wandered the stars looking for habitable worlds to plunder, enslave, and rape while fighting among themselves, never to return to their used-up homeworld. As a society, the Horde are closer to warring clans or street gangs than a unified military and/or government, They want booty and trophies to achieve society standing and honor within their martial society. With the Morituri raids on the home-ships of the Horde in orbit, it has been proposed that the Horde humans encounter are the male warriors and the women, children, and honored elders are in the  home-ships in orbit around Saturn. This has made a true counting of the Hordian society impossible. What is known is that the Hordian marauder society was in deep trouble until they encountered the rich Earth. It has been a very long time since the Hordian society had located a world with such richness that could pull the Hordian society out of near starvation and civil war. It is also believed that the Horde avoid alien civilizations that could repel or defeat them. Earth looked like low-hanging rich fruit...that was until the Morituri came into the war. 

In 2072, Dr. Kimmo Tuolema developed the most effective and terrifying weapon against the Horde: the Morituri Process. This 2-stage process allowed very specific young humans (about 5% of the Terran population) to become temporary superheroes with a new metabolism. The first stage of the transformation was to turn the volunteer into a superior physical human and the second process gifted them superhero powers. However, there were vast drawbacks. For one, the powers granted in the second process varied wildly and two, these powers emerged only during times of stress. Dr. Kimmo's lab used a stress room called "the Garden", based on the X-Men "danger room", to awaken their powers. Seriously, the comic references the characters saying the X-Men gave them the idea. The third drawback was the worst and most famous: the limited lifespan of those that undergo the Morituri Process. Everyone that takes the process dies within one year due to their metabolism breaking down and causing them to explode. Series creator, Peter Gillis had stated that no one was safe from the Morituri Effect...as it was called. The first five that went under the process were called the Black Watch, and only three survived out of the Garden. Their first and only mission was to attack the Horde Earth-side settlement/HQ at Capetown South Africa and killed the First-in-the-Field, the leader of the Horde operations on Earth. Two of the Black Watch were able to leave Capetown, but died when his Morituri Effect took over. In retaliation, the Horde nuked San Diego. Shortly after this, the comic book series would start with the First Generation of Morituri. When the series ended, it was with the 8th generation of Morituri.   

The Historical Context of Strikeforce Morituri

Before we move into the specifics of SFM, we need to revisit the 1980's again. The world of comic books underwent a shift in the 1980's with the rise of the smaller comic publishers that chipped away at the profits of the Big Two comics (DC & Marvel). Publishers like Dark Horse, First, Comico, and others were willing to take chances on newer, darker, non-mainstream ideas for comics that broke with the types of comics published by the Big Two. Unlike publishers that turned toward non-traditional comic characters, much like Dark Horse, Marvel and DC had traditional ideas of comic subjects with classic (and tired) characters being represented by Spiderman and Superman, plus, the Big Two had their advertisers to think of.  Soon, the Big Two were seeing customers, like myself, turn away for their traditional comic titles for favor of the smaller publishers that offered something different. I was a prime example of this movement in the mid-80's, I hated superheroes and their overdeveloped sense of morality, causing me to spend my allowance on non-Big Two titles. This caused Marvel and DC to take their own chances after decreasing sales, DC published titles like the Dark Knight which is considered to be one of the best comic titles of all time, and Marvel created Epic Comics that printed titles like Alien Legion, Groo, and Akira. But that was not enough, and soon, DC and Marvel started putting title forward that would not have been considered only a few years ago, and Strike Force Morituri was one, along with the much darker Punisher War Journal and the 'Nam. The irony of the situation was that DC and Marvel could take the financial risk of publishing titles that were a break from tradition due to their deep pockets, while smaller comic companies risked everything, betting the farm that readers would pick up their books instead of the latest issue of X-Men. Speak of the X-Men, Marvel had great sales success with that title and used it as a springboard to launch other titles under the X-Men brand and universe, like X-Force, the New Mutants, and even Powerpack.  

Why is SFM is a Classic?

The American comic book industry was an odd place in the 1980's and it shows in the comics being produced and by whom. While the Big 2 pumped out familiar titles, like Superman, Batman, the X-Men; there were others putting out titles like Alien Legion, Rust, Concrete, The Terminator, and The Elementals.  This is what made STM an classic: because of who published it. It was not Epic, Comico, First, or even Dark Horse...it was Marvel and STM was unlike anything before or since in the realm of Superhero comics. That is the primary reason that Strikeforce Morituri is a classic, because it is just damn unique. The "superheroes" of the Morituri are complex characters with a range of backstories and issues to deal with and all deal with their impending deaths differently. This causes religion to feature more than most comics I read back in the day and makes prefect sense. While most of us knew that Batman or Superman would be back next month, that was not true of the Morituri. They could be there for several issues or die in the first one. Largely this was due to the dreaded Morituri Effect. In addition, this made the current Morituri team ever changing and altering, who was the leader or the focus, altered based on who was live and who was dead. And who the team lost caused ripples in the team. 

Their ticking time clocks made the Morituri impatient. They wanted to be out there killing Horde and that put them at odds with the Paidiea leadership. While the Terran society idolized the Morituri. even the point of comics, TV shows, and toys being made of them, there were those in the government that mistrusted them. This was a bold step for a Superhero comic and may have lead to its downfall...more on that later. No hero can be complete without an great enemy and the Moritrui were against a unique enemy in the Horde. These alien marauders were violent, materialistic, tribal, and unpredictable. The Horde were nothing to pity, the reader wanted them dead, but since they were interesting, you wanted more about them and their society. And that is just want Anderson and Gillis did. The way that the Horde are presented and the way that operate in a more tribal fashion was refreshing to the standard alien invades along with raids for trophies and not just the standard items or to eat us. The Horde took chocolate, movies, and slaves; causing the entire world to be under fear of being the victim of the next Horde raid. Both of these factors caused the comic to have an air of violence, brutality, boldness, and death that seems more realistic and compelling than the standard Avengers comic of the day. I was ten when I started reading my brothers SFM comics, it shocked and fascinated me. Another cool element that I enjoyed and I think makes SFM  classic is the use of the in-universe comic book showing the hyped up deeds of the prototype Morituri: The Black Watch. It was brilliantly handled with different artist being used to have it look separate from the rest of the comic.                  

Why was SFM Forgotten?

There are works created to shock and unsettle us, like seeing Dennis Franz’s ass in NYPD Blue back in 1993, and in some ways, Strikeforce Morituri was the same and really since. It was designed to be evocative and unsettle the reader with a take on the Superhero genre that was unlike anything else at the time. This comic was heavily hyped and solid well for Marvel and was praised at the time. Like most comic book buyers at the time, you normally bought one or two issues to try it out, and then you made a decision if it was indeed worth your allowance. While my brother made the decision to buy SFM every month until the end of the series, others did not. The shock and awe of the concept, for some, faded. That was true of when the original creative team of Anderson & Gillis departed for other titles and companies. Some did not continue to buy the comic after the radical shift in tone, setting, and overall story. Once the Horde were destroyed by the VXX-199, and the war ended, it was the end for most people buying the comic. After 31 issues, the party was over and while there was the limited series to follow up some ten years later after the end of the Horde War, it sold poorly and most fans dislike the tone, setting, art, and story. Another reason for SFM being forgotten is that the time period in which in came out. With no internet as we understand it today, Strikeforce Morituri was a product of its time, and unless you knew about it, heard about it, or saw in the back-issue bins; it remained hidden. Once the internet came to the level, we know it today, articles and message board posts began to discuss Strikeforce Morituri. Then Marvel reissued the series in 2012 in three trade paperback volumes and even the first issue as a standalone. This increased the visibility of the 1980’s series and there have been other mentions and projects....more on that down below.        

The Tale of the Two Strikeforce Morituri

For those of us that read SFM back in the day when it was being published, it came as a shock when we realized the the two creators, Peter Gillis and Brent Anderson, had left and James Hudnall was in as the writer of the series. The tone and overall theme of the comic shifted within the first two issues under new management. This resulted in the frst 20 issues of Strikeforce: Morituri being the original Classic Coke and issue 21-31 being the New Coke of the SFM universe. So, why did Gillis and Anderson leave? This was a time of great flux at Marvel and DC Comics was paying good money for talent here in the States and overseas, like with Alan Moore. They had offered Gillis more money to come over to DC Comics and work on Tailgunner Jo and  Gammarauders, that was connected to the old post-nuclear war world game of Gamma World from good old TSR. Gillis had also worked on Shatter, the first computer-generated comic and even Dr. Strange. It is uncertain why Anderson left...his career has been hit -or-miss for years since leaving Marvel...it is possible he saw where the wind was blowing at Marvel after the firing of Jim Shooter. Marvel tapped James Hudnall to write with a series of different artists. This seriously altered the tone, setting, characters, and story of the SFM series to the degree that they can be considered nearly two different stories within the same universe.  

Within six issues of James Hudnall taking the conn, the Horde threat was basically neutralized by the new aliens coming to the "aid" of humanity in the form of the VXX-199 (who are quite inventive in concept). From issue 26 to issue 31, the story alters to be about a conspiracy within the one-world government, the Paideia, a new group of Morituri assassins developed to forward the conspiracy to assassinate the Prime Ministry of the Paideia and stage a coup to seize power after the Horde threat. At the end of the series, the coup plot is foiled by the current Morituri team, and the VXX-199 are set up as the coming threat. The epilogue sets up the next limited series as a more cyberpunk setting. One of the researchers of the comic has stated that it is possible that Hudnall moved the Morituri storyline to an early death to embark on the more cyberpunk theme. No one knows if Gillis had left Hudnall some notes or an outline to upcoming storylines...did Gillis have the VXX-199 in mind for the end of the Horde? Another uncomfortable angle is that since the VXX-199 ended the Horde threat, what was the sacrifice of the Morituri for ultimately? Was it a waste? To me, the involvement of the VXX-199 undercut the entire comic and its unique setting. Also adding to this, an Horde virus is found that could counteract the Morituri Effect and give the current the Morituri extended life beyond the "within on year" rule. This completely shatters the basic rules of the SFM comic that Gillis set down and a critical element of the comic. This changed the tone so completely that it spoiled the entire rest of the comic for me and many others. In one way that tone was altered was the one-world government of Paideia and the society it represented. In the Gillis-era, the world was united against the Horde and the Morituri were heroes. In the Hudnall-era, there are force within the Paideia being used to seize power after the Horde threat and the Morituri were twisted into assassins.     

If SFM was so Great why did it end after 31 Issues?

It seems the going rate that some of the best comics only run for a short time then end, like Dynamo Joe. So, the question begs itself: if Strikeforce Morituri was so great why did the series end after just 31 issues? First, the basic nature of the concept of the temporary Superhero caused the structure of the characters and the team to alter all the time, sometimes even from issue-to-issue. This is direct contrast to the basic narratively structure of the classic Superhero comic that have all events orbit around the central characters. This model breaks down when it comes to the SFM series and that turned off some readers and ruined its long-term prospects. The lack of SFM being a longer series that ran for years also was hampered by its setting: the Horde War. Wars are mostly not forever (sorry Joe Haldeman!) and if you are centering your fictional universe around a war, it mostly will be limited. While creators find ways to extend a wartime setting for years (see Star Wars or Sgt. Rock), SFM project that the Horde War was coming to end due to the appearance of the Morituri. Some have argued that SFM should have been designed originally to be a limited series, especially given what happened after issue #20. When Gillis and Anderson left after issue #20, James Hudnall was installed as the writer and his reign over the SFM comic series changed some many of the core elements. From issue #21-#31, the artwork, writing, and the coloring changed for the worst, the Horde War was ended and Hudnall switched to a conspiracy involving the global government and some black ops Morituri team. Some people online have suggested that Hudnall wanted to change the world of Strikeforce Morituri the entire time to more of cyberpunk vide and without a one-world government. It remains unknown if Anderson and Gillis had stayed on as the creative team of SFM, how the comic would have progressed and if it would have remained on the stands longer than just 31 issues.

What About the Sequel "Electric Undertow"?!

At the end of issue #31, another limited series was teased in a epilogue about ten years into the future. In December of 1989, the sequel to the original SFM series came out with the same creative team of the second part of the SFM series: James Hudnall, Mark Bagley, and Carlos Garzon. At the end of the original series, the new organic technology using alien race, the VXX-199, have wiped the Earth-orbit Horde armada and the remains of the Horde retreat to Mars or to Saturn. It is heavily hinted that the VXX-199 liberated us for the Horde only to put us on their dinner menu. While exploring the VXX-199 plans for humanity would have been interesting, it was not within the plans of James Hudnall. He wanted to tell a cyberpunk story with some of his political views inserted complete with AI ghosts. I do not remember this coming out in 1989 and I am very glad I never spent money on it. Basically, it is shit. Pure unfiltered chili-with-extra-beans-the-night-before shit. Badly written to the degree of humor, unimaginative, and dull. This is to be forgotten and avoid. If you want to read the story, find for free (don't pay for this fucking thing!) on one of those comic scanning sites and enjoy with some liberal use of Jack-and-Coke.

 The Impact and Legacy of SFM

At the time of release, there was much buzz around the concept of the comic and the sales were good along with the press. Many praised the setting and the “twist” on the Superhero genre. However, it did not spawn other similar comics at the time in the mid-to-late 80’s. Despite this, the people that read the comic back in the day remember it and some, like me, remember it as iconic and legendary. It was not just confined to us comic book geeks of the 80’s, but Hollywood came knocking for a movie and/or TV series. In 2002, the Sci-Fi Channel thought the basic concept of the comic would make a great TV series, which I agree given the Morituri Effect. With the amount of characters coming in and out, the television format would work well to allow the audience to feel the impact of the Morituri Process and the Effect on characters they get to know over several episodes. It was going to be titled “A Thousand Days”. From some of the information online, The 1,000 Day series may not have followed the format or central plot of the show. Given that the Morituri Process was best on people between 18 and early 20’s, this could have been designed and packaged to be aimed at younger viewers. 

However, legal issues stop the project before developed was too far along. There was a disagreement between Gillis and Marvel about who owed the rights to the comic. Gillis and his lawyer maintained that he did not sign over the rights to the Strikeforce Morituri to Marvel and therefore Marvel could not license the rights to Sci-Fi Channel. This legal disagreement killed the deal and “The 1,000 Days” became “The Zero Day”. In 2011, Watermark Entertainment and Peter Gillis entered into a deal to bring the SFM comic to the big screen and with Gillis working on the script. Nothing really came from this and there the possible franchise for SFM hangs. Given the legacy that SFM has among those that are in the know about this series, some other comic books in the Marvel universe have made reference to the Morituri. In the #4 and #5 issues of the 2014 X-Force, there several reference to the alternate Earth (Earth-1287) that spawned the Morituri Process and why. The character of Christoph Nord from the Exiles series was from the Earth of the Morituri and the Horde.    

Next Time on FWS...

There are few firearms in all of the history of guns that have been more of a “statement gun” than the subject of our next Guns from the Future article: the Magnum Research/IMI Desert Eagle. A daring of the video game shooter, loved by anime creators, hated by shooters, and passionately embraced by cinema. While the Desert Eagle has a complex relationship with the worlds of entertainment and firearms, it was widely accepted by the community of science fiction as a weapon that looked like it was from the future.