The Losers is the name of a war comic book feature published by DC Comics . The name was later given to a reimagined comic book series for DC's Vertigo imprint .
58-497: The first Losers comic was a war comics feature set during World War II . It was created by Robert Kanigher and became a regular feature in DC's long-running war comic book series Our Fighting Forces beginning with issue #123, dated January/February 1970. Prior to the formation of the group, each character had his own adventures in DC's war anthology comics. Captain Johnny Cloud,
116-559: A Navajo pilot who always destroyed his planes after a mission, had appeared in All-American Men of War #82–115 (1960–1966); the two-man team of Gunner and Sarge had first appeared in issue #67 of the same title (March 1959) before transferring to Our Fighting Forces for a fifty-issue run, #45–94 (May 1959–August 1965). Captain Storm, a PT boat commander, had his own title, which lasted 18 issues from 1964 to 1967. Their first appearance as
174-485: A one-night stand with Looker when the team is stranded on a desert island. The move strains the relationship between Brion and his girlfriend Denise, as well as Looker's relationship with her husband. Brion and Looker agree to remain platonic friends afterward. The United States government withdraws any foreign aid from Markovia until that nation releases the true names of the Outsiders. King Gregor, Brion's older brother,
232-687: A battle. After contemplating murder, he is talked out of it by Black Lightning and Rocky Davis of the Challengers of the Unknown . He loses a lot of blood to Deathstroke in their fight, but then he sets their confrontation at the same alley and building complex where Deathstroke's second son Jericho was held after being kidnapped. Slashing his own throat in the same manner as his son was cut lets Deathstroke's guard down, allowing Brion to impale Deathstroke with his own sword through his own body. Believing he has defeated Deathstroke, while sacrificing his own life, he
290-738: A double agent: spying on Deathstroke for the League, while spying on the League for Deathstroke. The scheme falls apart when Lex Luthor organizes a new incarnation of the Injustice League and captures the Justice League. While a prisoner, Geo-Force is brutally tortured alongside Red Tornado at the hands of Gorilla Grodd . While recovering from his injuries, Geo-Force is "traded" to Batman's latest incarnation of The Outsiders, much to Geo-Force's dismay and, ultimately, acceptance. In DC Universe: Last Will and Testament , Geo-Force confronts Deathstroke in
348-459: A female member named Ona Tomsen who was part of the Norwegian resistance movement , who joined the team in issue #135. At the same time, the team briefly lost Captain Storm, who suffered amnesia (and lost an eye) due to a bomb blast. They reunited in issue #141, when Capt. Storm reappeared as a one-eyed, peg-legged pirate. Gunner's pet dog Pooch also joined the team for some missions. Robert Kanigher
406-611: A few months later (January/February 1970), as the main feature of Our Fighting Forces , beginning with issue #123. Their stories as a team were written by Robert Kanigher and illustrated by a variety of artists, most notably Sam Glanzman , Russ Heath , John Severin , and Joe Kubert . The group served in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific, meeting other DC World War II characters such as the Haunted Tank and Sergeant Rock . The team briefly had
464-734: A group was with the Haunted Tank crew in G.I. Combat #138 (October–November 1969) in a story titled "The Losers". The tank crew had failed to destroy a Nazi radar station and collected the 'Losers'. The men were on their own after surviving separate disastrous battles. The eight-man strong group rallied and returned to the site of the Nazi radar station, demolishing it. Prior to that, Captain Storm, Gunner and Sarge (along with Fighting Devil Dog) had teamed together once before to fight some Japanese naval officers in Captain Storm #13. They got their own series
522-405: A large crevice beneath Geode and Veritas. The two villains fall to their supposed doom and Geo-Force finally realizes that Veritas used Geode to tempt Geo-Force into unleashing his untapped abilities to destroy Markovia. Now, Markovia is torn between civil war and the devastation that Brion has inadvertently wrought on his people. In 2016, DC Rebirth restores DC's continuity to a form much as it
580-519: A new battlesuit to Markovia. Queen Iona has teamed up with Roderick, a vampire , to kill Geo-Force, though the first attempt makes it seem as if Technocrat is under attack. Using a vampire's inability to be recorded, Roderick frames Geo-Force for Iona's on-air murder, forcing the team to run. Geo-Force and the Outsiders are on the run for some time, hiding out mostly in America. They eventually clear their names and destroy Roderick and his vampiric legions. At
638-451: A rock column she has created during a loud party. He finds her again at the Titans headquarters. After a brief fight with her friends, he manages to sit down with her. The new Terra convinces him she is not his sister. The rogue Markovian scientists attack with the intention of forcibly duplicating Terra's powers. Geo-Force and the other Titans rescue her. Further revelations imply that this Terra
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#1732884159837696-515: A similar uniform. Designed and suggested by Batman, a new green and gold costume is presented to Brion by his teammates to lift his spirits. It works well, and Geo-Force wears green and gold for most of his career. The colors have a dual importance to Geo-Force as both the colors of his native Markovia's flag, as well as symbolically representing the Earth, from which his powers are derived (green), while reminding him how precious his gifts truly are (gold). By
754-526: A strange cult run by a man with mind-control powers. They are rescued by the super-team called the "Birds of Prey". Geo-Force briefly appears in 52 #35, assisting Metropolis citizens injured in a mass-murder caused by Lex Luthor . He later is a part of the army of heroes gathered by the Justice Society at the end of 52 to battle Black Adam who, in his global killing spree after the death of his wife and brother-in-law, has murdered Terra II. Before
812-592: A team of special forces soldiers who declare war on the Central Intelligence Agency after their Agency handler tries to assassinate them. It was initially inspired by and intended to be a continuation of the original series, with the unit having survived their final mission and getting back together in the 1950s for a caper story . In 2010 DC published five one-shots featuring characters and titles revived from their "classic" war comics line, including Our Fighting Forces , featuring The Losers. The one-shot
870-525: A veteran of Marvel Comics ' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos began doing the art chores by issue #132. This series lasted until Jack Kirby became artist/writer with issue #151 during the autumn of 1974. While Kirby enjoyed working with the series, he changed the story's philosophy in a manner that was often disfavored by fans, judging by comments in the book's letter pages. There have been favorable comments about his series in recent years and DC released it in collected form. With issue #163 Bob Kanigher
928-463: A villainous traitor. When the test results come back positive, Brion lies to Terra, telling her that the results are negative. Around this time, as part of the Day of Judgement incident, a portal to hell threatens to swallow the country of Markovia. A small team of Outsiders, including the newer Terra, Katana, and the original Halo, are on hand to help combat it. Geo-Force and Terra become kidnap victims of
986-682: Is a fictional superhero character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics . Markov is the younger Prince Twin of Markovia and the elder brother of Terra . One of the founding members of the superhero group the Outsiders , he was created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo , and first appeared in a special insert in The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983). The character has made scattered appearances throughout animated and live-action media, such as Young Justice: Outsiders , voiced by Troy Baker ; and
1044-462: Is a third-term congressman . The other attendees are Jeb Stuart of the Haunted Tank , Gravedigger, Mademoiselle Marie and possibly the Unknown Soldier . An alternative ending was presented in the out-of-continuity 2004 miniseries DC: The New Frontier . In it, the group was sent to Dinosaur Island during December 1945 to rescue Rick Flag and important war-time information. Once they go on
1102-432: Is approached by Veritas. Veritas asks Brion to join him and reestablish Markovia's Old World Order. Brion refuses Veritas' offer and Veritas tells Geode to kill her estranged husband. Geo-Force gathers his strength and becomes a giant rock creature. On his unfortune, Brion's unstable powers have put Markovia in danger, because his new form consists of Markovia itself and earthquakes begin to spring up. One earthquake opens up
1160-476: Is conflicted over the idea of striking his wife. With Geo-Force unable to take the initiative, Eradicator decides to unleash the full extent of his power to knock Geode unconscious. Later, Geode is free from her captivity, thanks to an unusual character named Veritas. Veritas wants Geode to begin Markovia's immediate destruction, which will draw out Geo-Force, who pinpoints the center of the disturbance in Markovia and
1218-407: Is in fact from their time, when the original Terra's grave is dug up and her corpse is missing from her coffin. Brion invites Terra to live in Markovia, which she accepts, as her group of Titans is disbanding. In Markovia, scientists conduct a DNA test in the hopes of discovering if Terra is, in fact, Geo-Force's sister. Terra is afraid of finding out the results, fearful that she might, in fact, be
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#17328841598371276-472: Is murdered before he can make a decision. Brion becomes king, but he is forced to abdicate and is imprisoned when his sister-in-law, Iona (Gregor's wife), reveals she is pregnant. His teammate Looker reveals to Brion that the murderer of his brother was the team's trusted friend and scientist associate, Doctor Jace. Jace has betrayed the team for the Manhunters because she admires their dedication to knowledge. In
1334-507: Is secretly a spy working for Deathstroke . Brion is happy to be reunited with his half-sister, though Terra is less happy due to her fears that Brion will say the wrong thing and possibly expose the fictional back-story she has told the Titans about herself and how she gained her powers. Several weeks later, Terra betrays the Titans for Deathstroke. In the climactic battle between Titans and the alliance of Deathstroke and Terra, Terra's sociopathic personality breaks down as she tries to kill both
1392-473: Is surprised to wake up in the hospital. It is thought that he single-handedly took down Deathstroke, but no one knows that Geo-Force was trying to commit suicide. Geo-Force becomes the field leader of the Outsiders and is still secretly living with the shame of his actions. Geo-Force is visited by his sister, who has been reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps . Claiming to have been freed from
1450-453: The third season of the Arrowverse series Black Lightning , portrayed by Jahking Guillory . Mike W Barr spoke on the characters creation stating, "Len Wein and I worked out what the new characters would be and sent descriptions to Jim, saying "Draw these up and see what you think." Jim submitted his visual ideas for those characters, with the exception of Geo-Force, who turned out to be
1508-699: The 1980s was the toy tie-in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero which focused on a fictional counter-terrorist team in a contemporary setting, and a limited run of Tales of the Marine Corps , similar in tone and style to Charlton's Fightin' line of war anthologies. Black and white anthology stories were popular in Britain in the 1960s and early 1970s. Examples include Commando Comics and weekly comics such as Battle Picture Weekly , The Victor , and Warlord . Trade paperback reprint collections of war comics include: Geo-Force Geo-Force ( Brion Markov )
1566-582: The DC Universe resulted in a different ending for the team. In The Losers Special #1, written by Kanigher and illustrated by Glanzman, the Losers (along with Pooch) died in action during 1945 while destroying a German missile site: Sarge was bayoneted, Captain Storm fell on a grenade, and the remainder were strafed by aircraft bullets. The Special was published during 1985, during the Crisis' initial printing, and remained
1624-744: The Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Most publishers produced anthologies ; industry giant DC Comics ' war comics included such long-running titles as All-American Men of War , Our Army at War , Our Fighting Forces , and Star Spangled War Stories . Another prolific publisher of war comics was Charlton Comics , which produced a wide variety of titles beginning in the 1950s, such as Battlefield Action , Fightin' Army , and Fightin' Marines . Quality also began publishing G.I. Combat during this era. Marvel Comics also produced war titles, notably Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos . In contrast to
1682-512: The Outsiders team up with the Teen Titans , who are led at the time by Batman's sidekick, Robin . Geo-Force is the brother of Tara Markov, also known as Terra , of the Titans. Tara is the product of an affair King Markov (Brion's father) had with an unnamed American woman. Fearing scandal, the king sent Tara to be raised in the United States. Unbeknownst to Geo-Force and her fellow Titans, Terra
1740-553: The Titans and Deathstroke, when Deathstroke's son Joseph intervenes on behalf of the Titans to stop his father. In the end, Terra accidentally kills herself when she tries to bury the Titans alive in a massive rock storm. At first, the Titans do not tell Geo-Force of her betrayal, letting him think that she has died a hero. However, Batman later reveals the truth to Geo-Force, which leaves him even more heartbroken. In his depression, Geo-Force cannot bring himself to continue wearing his earthtone costume, as it reminds him of Tara, who wore
1798-463: The battle, Geo-Force tells Beast Boy not to blame himself for Terra II's death. While sailing in his yacht off the coast of Greece, Geo-Force suddenly finds himself losing control over his powers, which have suddenly changed to include his sister's earth manipulation powers. This sudden increase in power, which causes Geo-Force to black out, is ultimately caused by the villainous Deathstroke through as yet unrevealed means. Geo-Force seeks help from
The Losers (comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1856-649: The birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began including stories of wartime adventures in the multi-genre omnibus titles then popular as a format. Even prior to the U.S. involvement in World War II after the attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii , comic books such as Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941) depicted superheroes fighting Adolf Hitler and the Nazis . Golden Age publisher Quality Comics debuted its title Blackhawk in 1944;
1914-561: The brother of Terra from The New Teen Titans. I'm pretty sure George Perez designed that costume, because it was based on Terra's costume ... We decided even before the book was printed that that would be the connection between the two characters. I had not known about the character. She was still in the planning stages when I came up with the idea for Geo-Force, and Len said "Well, we have this other character with Earth powers in New Teen Titans, what are we going to do about that?" Marv Wolfman
1972-412: The dark force that was controlling her, Tara begs Brion to kill her. However, this turned out to be a facade to feed on the Outsiders' emotions. Geo-Force turns Terra into a statue and her ring is destroyed by Halo. Geo-Force later marries his long-time girlfriend, Denise Howard. Since she is not a Markovian, the marriage is annulled by Brion's choice. Unbeknownst to Brion, Denise later tries to undergo
2030-555: The definitive ending of the group for several years. In 2000, a short-lived revival of the Creature Commandos resurrected Gunner as a cyborg warrior member of the new team. Gunner and Sarge are found alive and out of their own time in an issue of Birds of Prey , trapped in a POW camp in the time-fluctuating Dinosaur Island , now with a " Pooch " that is a trained Velociraptor . It is not known if they somehow went back in time to conclude their lives or if this brings them into
2088-502: The earth, Geo-Force does not require food, sleep, or air to survive. Geo-Force is at his strongest when he is firmly planted on the ground. His powers and health will deteriorate if he is out of contact with the earth for long periods of time. In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Brion Markov is the king of Markovia. He is captured by Aquaman , who harnesses his abilities to destroy western Europe. Geo-Force appears as
2146-503: The end of the second Outsiders series, Brion marries his long-time girlfriend, Denise Howard. During this time, another Terra has appeared as part of a group known as the Team Titans , who appear to have come from the future. This new Terra claims to have been a normal girl who was given Terra's appearance and powers as a result of a DNA virus. Geo-Force's first attempt to talk to her meets with failure when he accidentally gets swept up in
2204-557: The end, Jace dies, along with a mind-controlled Metamorpho . This, along with a second battle with the descendants of teammate Looker, which results in Looker being temporarily stripped of her powers and Halo left injured and comatose, causes the Outsiders to disband and Brion to retire as Geo-Force. In the early 1990s, however, the Outsiders were revived with former Outsiders Geo-Force, Katana, Halo, and Looker joined by new heroes Faust , Technocrat and Wylde. The latter two are on hand to sell
2262-527: The insurrection, the heroes decide to remain together as the Outsiders , with Batman (who has resigned from the Justice League) as team leader. Brion gets along with his teammates, though he occasionally butts heads with Batman and his teammates due to his short temper. When he is not active as a superhero, Brion attends college in the US and begins dating classmate Denise Howard. In one of their earliest missions,
2320-487: The island, one by one, they are killed due to the dangers of the island. Gunner is smashed by a Tyrannosaurus rex , Storm is snatched by flying beasts, Sarge vanishes while trying to kill the same T. rex and is presumed dead. Pooch is hit by a booby trap set by a marooned Rick Flag. Johnny Cloud, after ensuring Flag can conclude the mission, sacrifices himself in a revenge mission on the same T. rex by falling down its throat with live hand grenades. Their epitaph, of sorts,
2378-423: The late 1980s, a great number of venerable war titles (most of which were either anthologies or else World War II-themed titles) from the late 1950s and 1960s " Silver Age of Comic Books " died out. War comics series that ended long runs in the 1980s, following publication of over 100 issues, include: New titles were still appearing, however – notable among these being Marvel's the 'Nam , which debuted in 1987 and
The Losers (comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2436-494: The mysterious new prime minister, Geo-Force leads a team of Outsiders and Infinity, Inc. members back to his homeland. Having grown up in the main castle, it is easy for Geo-Force to lead the team in. He soon discovers that the Psycho-Pirate in the disguise of long-term Outsiders enemy Baron Bedlam is attempting to conquer the country. The two teams join forces to stop Psycho-Pirate and leave on good terms. Brion, meanwhile, has
2494-451: The newly reformed Justice League of America , becoming an unofficial member of the group. This will ultimately be revealed to be Deathstroke's overall plan, as he ultimately confronts Geo-Force to blackmail him into becoming a spy, just like Terra, in exchange for Deathstroke's promise to one day remove the added powers he forced upon Geo-Force. Geo-Force informs Superman , Batman, and Wonder Woman of Deathstroke's scheme and agrees to become
2552-521: The present. In the backup story "Snapshot: Remembrance" in the retrospective mini-series DC Universe: Legacies #4, set during a reunion on July 4, 1976, it is revealed that the Losers did survive the end of the war. Storm works for the Bureau of Disabled Veterans Affairs , Gunner is a veterinarian in memory of the now-dead Pooch, Sarge owns a string of service stations along the East Coast and Johnny Cloud
2610-517: The real Deathstroke against Ra's' daughter, Talia al Ghul , against each other and get revenge on both Deathstroke for what he did to Terra, and Talia for hurting his country. As implied by his code name , all of Brion's powers are in some way related to the planet Earth. He possesses superhuman physical abilities and can manipulate the Earth's gravitational field to increase or lower the weight of objects, generate lava blasts, fly at high speeds, and transform matter to stone. Due to his connection to
2668-754: The same experiment which transformed Geo-Force into a powerful hero but, because she does not have Markovian blood, she gains the same powers but with a changed appearance and loss of sanity, becoming Geode. She is locked up, but escapes to take revenge on Markovia by killing several innocent Markovians. Geo-Force proclaims his affections for Katana, but before she can answer Geo's declaration of love, they are interrupted by Eradicator . Eradicator informs Brion of Geode's escape and her recent attack on Markovia. Geo-Force and Eradicator go to intercept Geode. The battle with Brion's deranged wife seems one-sided as Geode smacks both heroes around like ragdolls. Eradicator pleads with Geo-Force to use his powers to subdue Geode, but Brion
2726-438: The time he joins the Justice League, however, Geo-Force has returned to another version of his old earthtone uniform. After the Outsiders split with Batman, they are privately funded by Markovia. During this time, Geo-Force is the unofficial new leader of the team. This information eventually comes out and Major Disaster destroys their base. Around this time, the sovereignty of Markovia again comes under threat. Investigating
2784-573: The title was published more or less continuously until the mid-1980s. In the post-World War II era, comic books devoted solely to war stories began appearing and gained popularity in the United States and Canada through the 1950s, the 1960s, and 1970s, i.e. covering the time periods of the Korean War and the Vietnam War . The titles tended to concentrate on US military events, generally in World War II ,
2842-455: The typical glamorizing approach of most war titles, the EC Comics titles Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales (produced in the early 1950s) depicted the horrors of war realistically and in great detail, exposing what editor Harvey Kurtzman saw as the truth about war without idealizing it. (The mid-1960s black-and-white comics magazine Blazing Combat , produced by Warren Publishing ,
2900-400: Was back writing the book with Jack Lehti doing the art. For issue #164, Ric Estrada penciled and George Evans inked, and Evans did all of the artistic duties by issue #166. He continued with the series until the final issue, #181 (September/October 1978). A story that was originally set to feature in issue #182, written by Kanigher and drawn by Evans and entitled "Young Losers - Young Lions",
2958-506: Was based during the first year on writer Doug Murray 's actual Vietnam experiences (through the eyes of fictional character Ed Marks). Murray was surprised that his proposal for a Vietnam-war themed comic was accepted during this period: "I never expected anything to come of it because war books were already pretty much dead at that point in 1985." Another notable war comic focused on Vietnam was Don Lomax 's Vietnam Journal , published by Apple Comics from 1987 to 1991. Also from Marvel in
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#17328841598373016-477: Was before The New 52 . After the moon is shattered in Vandal Savage 's battle with the Justice League, Geo-Force holds it together until the heroes can repair it. In Doomsday Clock , Geo-Force is the leader of the Outsiders, and is identified as one of several superheroes given their powers by the government. In Shadow War , he disguises himself as Deathstroke and murders Ra's al Ghul to pit
3074-487: Was brought in on the discussion of that, and it was Marv's idea that they'd be half-brother and sister." Dr. Helga Jace used a device to give Prince Brion Markov superpowers with which he could stop an insurrection a mounted by the evil Baron Bedlam . Five other superheroes converge on Markovia for various reasons of their own. Veteran heroes Batman , Metamorpho , and Black Lightning join forces with Geo-Force and two other new heroes, Katana and Halo . After stopping
3132-513: Was finally printed four years later in The Unknown Soldier #265 (July 1982). According to Crisis on Infinite Earths , the team ended in Markovia during the spring of 1944. Along with powered beings, such as Geo-Force and Doctor Polaris , they were defending the towers created by the Monitor . The Anti-Monitor's shadow demon minions touched each one, destroying them. The re-ordering of
3190-410: Was similarly devoted to authentically drawn and researched combat stories with a self-professed anti-war slant.) Around 1959, several recurring characters began to appear in mainstream comic lines, including Sgt. Rock and The Haunted Tank in the DC line. These recurring characters began as regular "guests" of anthology titles such as Our Army at War and later graduated to their own titles. By
3248-490: Was the original writer for the series, and he emphasized the group's bad luck. They were anti-heroes, and the stories emphasized negative aspects of war. During the Vietnam War , Kanigher added this philosophy to many of the DC war books. Also in common with most DC war books of the time were spectacular cover illustrations by Joe Kubert . Ken Barr did the art chores for the first issue, with Ross Andru and Mike Esposito participating beginning with issue #124. John Severin ,
3306-545: Was written by B. Clay Moore and drawn by Chad Hardin and Wayne Faucher . The story featured the "classic" team of Johnny Cloud, Captain Storm and Gunner & Sarge. The Losers appear as character summons in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . War comics War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II . Shortly after
3364-460: Was written by Johnny Cloud: "Ask my family and they'll tell you I was a Navajo. Ask the Army Air Force and they'll say I was an American. But if you ask my brothers, they'll set you straight. John Cloud was a Loser". A new The Losers series began during 2004, created by writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock and published under DC's Vertigo imprint. The new series, set in the present, concerns
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