Broken Frontier

The seven displaced paranormals on the run from the clinic turn up in Keshena, Wisconsin to face the legion of the undead.

D.P. 7 was another unique book in Marvel’s fledgling New Universe line back in the mid 80’s. The book followed seven different people all endowed with paranormal abilities who are subjected to medical scrutiny at a place dubbed the ‘clinic.’ The seven people decide to band together after some strange goings-on force them to flee the clinic to go on the run. Now that seems like a nifty concept and it does sound remotely similar to the X-Men since this group view themselves as freaks given their unique paranormal abilities. The seven have to endure the prejudices of others while coping and interacting with each other, and what better place to continue their adventures right than here in this one-shot issue.

The story is said to take place between issues four and five of the original series, and the group are in the midst of running from the clinic. They find themselves in Keshena, Wisconsin where they stop at a local bar. Right off the bat there is trouble brewing inside and the group must decide if they are going to intercede or just leave well enough alone. They join the fray after much debate and it doesn’t take long for them to clean house, only the bar owner doesn’t appreciate the special talents they all have. He kicks them out and forces the seven back into the woods where they meet a Native American Indian named Keso. He explains to the group that he foresaw their arrival and they are destined to help out with a situation at the reservation. Of course the group is hesitant at first, but finally they agree to come to the reservation. Unfortunately for them, they get more than they bargain for when hordes of the living dead return and the seven paranormals are pressed into action once more.

Now that may sound a bit ho hum in terms of the overall plotting for the issue, but don’t let that fool you. The issue is packed to the gills with interesting moments and we have writer C.B. Cebulski to thank for that. C.B. has recently left his upper echelon position at Marvel and is now pursuing a writing career, and his work shines bright here. His dialogue was never trite and he had an excellent handle on all the characters. I particularly enjoyed the way he tied Native American mythology into the story, and it gave this tale a unique twist. I am totally looking forward to his new career as a writer instead of just being a talent scout for Marvel.

C.B.’s partner in crime on this venture was artist M.D. Bright. I have always liked his work, especially when he was handling the art chores on Iron Man back in the late 80’s. M.D. Bright’s work here is competent from the get go and I thought he was able to balance a multitude of characters on every page. For my money, he was the right artist for the book, given his long tenure in the industry and coupling that with his strong storytelling abilities.

So overall this was yet again another excellent one-shot issue from Marvel celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the New Universe. If you’re looking for a book with tons of action and a unique twist then I suggest giving this book a try. I can think of seven good reasons why, and they are called D.P. 7.