''The Liberty Project'' is an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

created by writer

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the ''Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled ''Astro City'', a four-year run on ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers, Thunderbolts (comics ...

and artist James W. Fry.

Publication history

''The Liberty Project'' was published by

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

in 1987. It ran for eight issues until 1988 before its cancellation. In July 2003,

About Comics About Comics is a publisher of comics and comics-related material founded in 1998 by Nat Gertler. According to Gertler, it is intended to be "eithera mainstream comics publisher, nor an alternative comics publisher". The company has published w ...

reprinted the series. They appeared later in some crossovers: * In Total Eclipse The Seraphim Objective, a

Total Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three cel ...

one-shot tie-in. * In Jack Kirby's TeenAgents #3, in the

Secret City Saga Secret City Saga is a concept and collection of various comic book titles created by American writer and artist Jack Kirby, and published by the short-lived Topps Comics, an offshoot of the Topps Trading Card company. Beginning in April 1993, the ...

as a part of the Kirbyverse.

Plot synopsis

The series told the story of a team of four (later five) former criminals, all of whom incidentally had super powers. After the U.S. government quickly learns that the cost of locking up super-powered criminals is prohibitive, the original four team members—Cimarron, Crackshot, Slick, and Burnout—are offered an early parole in exchange for protecting their country against other super-powered criminals. Members of the Liberty Project are: *Burnout (Beatrice Keogh) – the youngest member of the team, she is an angry, angst-filled teenage

pyrokinetic Pyrokinesis is the purported List of psychic abilities, psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind. As with other parapsychological phenomena, there is no conclusive evidence in support of the actual existence of p ...

whose powers can burn through any substance, making her nearly impossible to contain. Prior to becoming a member of the project, she was kept sedated and floating in a

sensory deprivation tank An isolation tank, sensory deprivation tank, float tank, float pod, float cabin, flotation tank, or sensory attenuation tank is a water filled, pitch-black, light-proof, soundproof environment heated to the same temperature as the skin, developed ...

at a high-security juvenile facility. *Cimarron (Rosalita Vasquez) – a feisty, hot-tempered

Latina Latina or Latinas most often refers to: * Latinas, a demographic group in the United States * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America. *Latin Americans Latina and Latinas may also refer ...

from Texas. She has super strength and limited invulnerability. She was originally arrested for destroying the

Las Vegas strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...

after losing her last dollar at slots. *Crackshot (Lee Alexander Clayton) – While he was arrested for a string of petty thefts and

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

crimes, Crackshot's real power is the preternatural ability to hit anything he aims at; he also shows extraordinary mechanical ability, inventing a miniature

particle accelerator A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams. Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...

while he was still in high school. As the only team member who sought to rehabilitate himself, he was offered a position with the Project in order to keep him from returning to a life of crime. *Slick (Nicholas Walcek) – His name reflects both his slippery powers and his slippery personality. He is the reluctant leader, with the power to render surfaces with a very low coefficient of friction (i.e. make very slippery). Originally he was arrested for armed larceny. *Savage (Johnny Savage) – Johnny could transform into a huge gray-skinned hulking brute with razor sharp teeth and ram's horns. He joins the Project in issue #3.

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a trade paperback: *''The Liberty Project'' (

, July 2003, )

References

External links

Liberty Project
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

br>Archived
from the original on October 26, 2015. * *

at About Comics

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice. During this ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liberty Project Eclipse Comics superheroes Comics by Kurt Busiek