This was the comic I was actually supposed to review last week, but for some reason when I was shifting longboxes, I stopped too soon. For this 3-parter, most of the roster's in Brazil, helping Speedball track down his mother, an actress that's joined with an environmental group called Project: Earth. There was a news report the group was attacked, with most of the the inner circle being kidnapped.
Or not. The leader, Omar Barrenos, staged that with Speedball's mother's theatrical expertise, to discredit the developers tearing down the rainforest. Even if that works in the long-term, in the short-term Barrenos has another plan: attack the developers, corporations and the Brazilian government directly with his own super-group, Force of Nature!
Woof. Not even the real Plant-Man, a 14th-rate Inhuman and a guy Walt Simonson used as one of the loser villains in his Acts of Vengeance tie-ins for Fantastic Four. I think Firewall's new, but I'm also not sure if she ever appeared again. More likely the codename got handed to some vaguely internet-themed bad guy later in the '90s.
Since this is the middle chapter, the Warriors got trounced before they even know what's happening. At least they had time to discuss the diversity of life in the rainforest, and why the developers would be cutting it down. Although Namorita's oddly understanding of the developers' position. possibly because the humidity is making her woozy? How is too much moisture in the air messing with her? To make matters worse, Speedball promised on behalf of the entire team to help Barrenos! Nicieza does have Nova (the one usually most annoyed by Robbie) be the only team member conscious at the time, so that Speedball explains to him. The Human Rocket shows unusual maturity in backing him up.
That's the B-plot, though. The main story revolves around Night Thrasher and his old flame Silhouette. A pastor friend of hers is being attacked by the Bengal (who Nicieza introduced in a fill-in issue of Daredevil he and Ron Lim did during Nocenti's run). Thrasher did pretty well against the Bengal, but then the Punisher showed up, rocking a long-tailed headband like either Rambo or Ryu from Street Fighter, wanting to ask Sil some questions.
The fight's narrated by Frank, who goes from mocking Night Thrasher for his bullet-proof skateboard to thinking maybe he needs one after he gets cut a couple of times by its razor edge. Frank's losing in close fighting, but manages to get enough space to do use the Budda Budda Budda style of Gun-Fu. Thrasher's armor keeps him alive, and with a few unbroken ribs, and Frank's injured enough to have to bail in his voice-activated battle van.
While Frank patches himself up - with stitches that will 'leave scars like the Appalachians' - his van's computer analyzes Dwayne's armor. All the money Punisher puts into guns, Thrasher put into that suit, which is bullet-proof (mostly), knife-proof, fire-proof, punch-proof. Which makes the Punisher wonder, in a startling lack of self-awareness, what could make a kid do that to himself? He's also left wondering what's in the shielded compartment on Night Thrasher's back.
Meanwhile, Dwayne and Sil are getting the pastor's story. He served in 'Nam. His unit gunned down and destroyed an entire village, save one kid who tried to climb on the chopper, only for this guy to kick the kid until he fell back into the jungle. Now the kid is back as a grown man, ready to stab someone, and Night Thrasher's not so sure he wants to protect this guy any longer.
That's about when the Punisher crashes his van through the church's front door, stunning everyone long enough for him to put a gun to Silhouette's head. Seems oddly destructive for Frank. Not putting a gun to the head of someone he thinks might be a crook, the driving into a church part. At least he finds out what Thrasher was hiding.
There's also a little over one page devoted to a) Emma Frost trying to find out who got access to her computer database, and b) a mysterious woman up to something in a pyramid.
{7th longbox, 195th comic. New Warriors (vol. 1) #8, by Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), Larry Mahlstedt (inker), Andy Yanchus (colorist), Joe Rosen (letterer)}
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