Ultraforce
| Ultraforce | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher |
Malibu Comics Marvel Comics |
| First appearance |
(pre-Black September) Ultraforce #1 (August 1994) (post-Black September) Ultraforce vol. 2, #1 (October 1995) |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) |
(pre-Black September) Ultraforce HQ, Florida (post-Black September) Ultraforce HQ, Headless Cross, Arkansas |
| Member(s) | See roster |
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line. The membership consisted of various "ultras" (superheroes) in Malibu's Ultraverse, including the super-strong Prime; Topaz, warrior queen of Gwendor; Prototype, Ultra-Tech's armored spokesperson; the undead Ghoul, the last surviving member of the Exiles; Hardcase, one of the first public Ultras; and the mysterious Contrary, who organized the team and provided their technology.[1]
Post-Black September
After the event known as "Black September" (when Marvel Comics purchased Malibu), the Ultraforce was re-created into a new team. Hardcase and Contrary were removed from the team, and from the memories of their former teammates. Prototype (Jimmy Ruiz) was also removed, though he was replaced by his predecessor in the Prototype armor, Bob Campbell. New members included the mysterious Lament and Wreckage. Marvel's Black Knight became the leader of the new group. This series lasted only 15 issues and ended after the Malibu line was shut down by Marvel.
Roster
The names listed are those used while the character was associated with Ultraforce. "First appearance" is the place where the character first appeared as a member of the team. It is not necessarily the first appearance of the character in print, nor the story depicting how the character joined the team. All information is listed in publication order first, then alphabetical.
Pre-Black September
| Character | Real name | First appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contrary | Unknown | Allegedly was "Wetware Mary". | |
| Ghoul | Jonathan Martin | Exiles #1 | |
| Hardcase | Tom Hawke | Hardcase #1 | |
| Pixx | Penny Burka | Giant-Size Freex #1 | |
| Prime | Kevin Green | Prime #1 | |
| Prototype | Jimmy Ruiz | Prototype #1 | |
| Topaz | N/A | Giant-Size Mantra #1 | |
| Black Knight | Dane Whitman | ||
| Siren | |||
| The Night Man | Johnny Domino | ||
| Electrocute | Candy (android) | Strangers #1 | |
| Zip-Zap | Leon Balford | Strangers #1 | |
| Grenade | Hugh Fox | Strangers #1 | |
| Spectral | Dave Castiglone | Strangers #1 | |
| Atom Bob | Bob Hardin | Strangers #1 |
Post-Black September
| Character | Real name | First appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Knight | Dane Whitman | ||
| Prime | Kevin Green | ||
| Prototype | Bob Campbell | ||
| Topaz | N/A | ||
| Ghoul | Jonathan Martin | ||
| Hellblade | Jefferson Kotto | ||
| Amber Hunt | N/A | ||
| Ironclad | Spencer Collins | ||
| Lament | Sarah Walks Unseen | ||
| Maxis | Dar'u Sorrin | ||
| Ripfire | |||
| Wreckage |
Animated series
| UltraForce | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated television series |
| Created by |
DIC Entertainment Bohbot Entertainment |
| Voices of | Andrew Jackson |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Andy Heyward Michael Malani |
| Producer(s) | Scott Mitchell Rosenberg |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | USA Network |
| Original release | September 21 – December 21, 1995 |
There was a short-lived Ultraforce animated television series that ran for 13 episodes. It was based on the first version of the Ultraforce comic book, and was produced by DiC Entertainment and Bohbot Entertainment.[2][3] There was also an Ultraforce action figure line produced by Galoob.
Episode list
- "Prime Time"
- "The Stuff of Heroes"
- "Armageddon"
- "Lord Pumpkin's Pie"
- "You Can't Go Home Again"
- "Wrack & Ruin"
- "Night and The Nightman"
- "Prime Ambition"
- "A Veiled Threat"
- "Pump It Up!"
- "Primal Scream"
- "Everything That Rises Must Converge"
- "Jumpin' at the Boneyard"
Voice cast
| Philip Akin | Amos Crawley | Janet-Laine Green |
| Rick Bennett | Murray Cruchley | Katie Griffin |
| Robert Bockstael | Diane D'Aquila | Graham Haley |
| Sally Cahill | Catherine Disher | Tom Harvey |
| Patrick Chilvers | Shirley Douglas | Dan Hennessey |
| Jessie Collins | Michael Fletcher | David Hewlett |
| Alyson Court | David Fox | Andrew Jackson |
| Eve Crawford | Tamara Gorski | Don Francks |
| David Keeley | Susan Roman | Bruce Tubbe |
| Lorne Kennedy | Rino Romano | Marlow Vella |
| Shannon Lawson | Camilla Scott | Johnny White |
| Kristina Nicoll | Chuck Shamata | Chris Wiggins |
| Jeff Max Nicholls | Norm Spencer | Peter Wildman |
| Nicole Oliver | John Stocker | Rod Wilson |
| Max Piersig | Stuart Stone | Jaimz Woolvett |
| Toby Proctor | Sunny Besen Thrasher | Richard Yearwood |
Reception
The TV show had a poor reception from critics.[2][3][4]
References
- ↑ "'UltraForce' superheroes invade the Sunday TV cartoon universe". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- 1 2 "10 Worst Comic Book Animated Series of All Time". Newsarama. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
- 1 2 "The 10 Most Obnoxious '90s Cartoon Theme Songs". Topless Robot. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
- ↑ "Chat Transcript: Writer Steve Englehart". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2012-12-18.