Freedom Fighters #4

Freedom Fighters #4 (October 1976)
title: "The Left Hand of Oblivion"

writer: Martin Pasko
penciller: Ramona Fradon
inker: Vince Colletta
letterer: Ben Oda

colorist: Liz Berube
editor: Gerry Conway
letter column: unnamed (Paul Levitz?)
cover: Ernie Chua (Chan)

Order of Appearance: All appear in one group scene on page one: (from far-left) Black Condor, Doll Man, The Ray, Uncle Sam, The Human Bomb, and Phantom Lady

Guest Stars:  Wonder Woman

Supporting Characters:
NYC District Attorney David Pearson, Morgan Edge, Aquaman

Opponents:
King Samson

Overall Summary: 
New York City asks Wonder Woman to apprehend the Freedom Fighters, and when they show up at her door-step at the UN General Assembly, she decides that there is no time like the present. 

Plot Summary:
The Freedom Fighters show up at the United Nations building, hoping to be heard and classified as immigrants from Earth-X, and then be given diplomatic immunity for their recent rampage. This brings them to the attention of Wonder Woman, who works at the UN in her secret identity. 

It turns out that NYC DA Pearson had recently asked Wonder Woman to apprehend the Freedom Fighters. So she decides that this is as good a time as any to investigate them, and heads to the General Assembly chamber to confront them. 

Phantom Lady faces off against the Amazing Amazon first, but does not get far. Wonder Woman then evades Black Condor and the Ray. Lastly, she lassoes Uncle Sam and the Human Bomb. This convinces them all to go with her to talk to DA Pearson to try to clear their names. 

Meanwhile, King Samson is strolling the city with the Silver Ghost's stolen glove on his hand. After the Freedom Fighters had defeated him and the Silver Ghost and their gang, Samson had found Silver Ghost's corpse and had taken the villain's silverizing glove for his own use. Then he went to see his elderly mother, but he accidentally killed her by turning her into silver. 

He is currently walking around New York City turning other elderly women who resemble his mother into silver, too! 

At City Hall, Wonder Woman has convinced DA Pearson to keep three of the Freedom Fighters in custody and she will lead the other three in a search to find the Silver Ghost's gang with the idea that they (the gang) can clear their names. Wonder Woman takes a quick trip to the Justice League satellite to track down the silver glove, thinking it will lead to the gang. She finds the evidence of what King Samson is doing, and also sees that the silverizing power is working to destabilize the ground itself. She anxiously leads the others on a chase to find King Samson before it is too late.  

As the heroes confront King Samson, he causes a building to explode. Human Bomb and Uncle Sam rush to save the victims as Phantom Lady and Wonder Woman confront King Samson. Samson somehow manages to snap Wonder Woman's magic lasso, then turns her into silver!  

Uncle Sam is very concerned that the silver glove that King Samson is using indiscriminately is somehow weakening the bedrock under Manhattan, and he is worried that if they don't manage to stop him then the whole island will collapse! 

Review: 

Wow, let's start with the good because this issue is all about the Stupid. The art by Ramona Fradon is by far the best part of the issue! Even with the dull inking of Vince Colletta, the pencils pop and the expressions on the characters' faces are terrific. I especially like the scene where the silly old men ogle Wonder Woman's breasts; Diana's expression is just fantastic! I also like her look when Human Bomb confronts DA Pearson about his body odor. Great stuff! (reprinted below) 

Unfortunately....the story is not very good. Let's start with the main drama, which is that King Samson somehow managed to acquire Silver Ghost's glove and is now running amok with it. You know, the same glove that Human Bomb took apart in FF #2 in order to revitalize Black Condor, Doll Man, and Phantom Lady. That glove, which basically should not work at all. 

This is the type of mistake that happens when editors and writers switch horses in mid-stream, and it bothers me as a reader. I distinctly remember thinking, "Huh?" when I first read this story. This time I actually went back and double-checked the sequence from FF#2, and sure enough, Human Bomb took the wires, power pack, and a gram of radioactive material from the Silver Ghost's LEFT hand. Now, the Silver Ghost had been shown using BOTH hands, so if either of the artists involved had used the right hand, we would have been fine. OR, if  the same artist had drawn both scenes s/he might have remembered that the left hand's glove was already gone. OR, if the editor had noticed that the sequences with the gloves being snatched were basically identical. Oh, well. (A quick glance at the page in question, above, shows that it MIGHT have been the Silver Ghost's right hand that King Samson grabbed the glove from, but then he clearly has it on the left hand in the rest of the book, and the title of the story IS "The LEFT Hand of Oblivion," so clearly it's meant to be the left hand in the script.)

Then there are just other stupid things, like, why in the world would the District Attorney NOT ask Wonder Woman to use her Lasso of Truth and get the Freedom Fighters to swear that they were not working with the Silver Ghost? Let's imagine that he did do that, but then still wanted some specific proof to back up the statements from the lasso. Then WHY would he not hold Uncle Sam, Human Bomb, and the Ray in jail, seeing as how THEY were the three members who DID the vandalism and thievery what have you with the Silver Ghost? In fact, I'm not sure WHAT charges would be placed against Black Condor, Doll Man, and Phantom Lady at this point except maybe abetting wanted fugitives and resisting arrest?  

Seems like the wrong members were held without bail here....

I would have much preferred a bit more detail at the DA's office about the charges and the Fighters' legal situation, regarding what type of proof the three free Freedom Fighters and Wonder Woman are supposed to find. (Convicted felons swearing that the Freedom Fighters were not part of their gang is worth more weight than the value of Wonder Woman's magic lasso?!?) Especially in lieu of the full-page explosion and half-page hurricane illustrations. Dramatic, but not very important to the overall story. 

And then the story ends with Wonder Woman turned to silver.....wait, isn't this the exact same cliff hanger as FF #1?!? (sigh) 

Black Condor Moment 

Black Condor provides the aerial support in the group's effort to get into the UN.    

Doll Man Moment

Doll Man very dramatically knocks out a UN guard. Klud!   

Human Bomb Moment

The Human Bomb confronts DA Pearson for being such an idiot. 

I love this scene; it's another reason the Bomb became my favorite character.   

Phantom Lady Moment 

Phantom Lady tackles Wonder Woman!  

The Ray Moment

The Ray blinds a trio of UN security guards as the group tries to force 

their way into the General Assembly 

Uncle Sam Moment

Uncle Sam easily tosses one of the UN guards over his shoulder.

Don't tread on me!  

Best Moment

The anxiety and fear of King Samson, and then the tragedy of what is happening 

to him, is captured perfectly by Ramona Fradon.  

This is the best page in the book, no question.   

Worst Moment

The fact that King Samson is able to snap Wonder Woman's lasso

is pretty bad, but also note that the glove on his left hand 

is now shown on his right. Oops! 

Moment They Could Have Been Cleared:

For the second issue in a row, we get an OBVIOUS way to clear the Freedom Fighters from their criminal charges: Wonder Woman could use her Lasso of Truth and get each of the Fighters to corroborate their testimony regarding the Silver Ghost. I find it hard to believe that the DA would not believe such overwhelming evidence, and dismiss the charges with the strong request that the Freedom Fighters get out of his town. 

Freedom Fanmail
This issue's letter column tells us that Gerry Conway has moved on (back to Marvel). This book will now be handled by Ramona Fradon, remaining as artist, and being joined by Story Editor Bob Rozakis, Managing Editor Joe Orlando, and Art Director Vince Colletta. 

This is an odd announcement, since it doesn't clearly state that Bob will be THE WRITER. I guess we will find out more in the next issue! Click to enlarge it for an easier-to-read version. 

Freedom of Information

• Each of the members appear on the cover. 
• King Samson's real name is Leo. 
• Aquaman makes a cameo appearance in this story, possibly a nod to artist Ramona Fradon, who drew his Adventure Comics run during the late '50s and early '60s. 

The Freedom Fighters

assembled by Len Wein