Liberty vs. Captain America

Okay, I admit (well, it’s pretty obvious), Liberty is a bit of a "rip-off" of Captain America. But that’s how many of the comic characters in the Ultraverse are. Prime was inspired by Superman and Captain Marvel, NightMan was inspired by Batman, the UltraForce were inspired off the JLA, etc. But the Ultraverse characters always had a newer, fresher style to them and there was always something about them that separated them from their inspired classics.

Ultraverse became popular for its well respected creators and artists, such as Steve Englehart, Gerald Jones, and George Perez. These creators brought new life to the comic industry by creating a whole new universe. One thing that many people enjoyed about this new universe is that you didn’t have to had bought fifty issues before the one coming out that week. The Ultraverse had no history, just a present and a future (though that changed when Marvel bought Malibu Comics and destroyed the Ultraverse within a year of their purchase). Now, a few fans have gathered together to write "issues" for the Ultraverse: A New Twist. I was writing Prime: A New Twist late last year (1998) and decided I wanted to do something new. I thought about it and realized the Ultraverse had no real history. Marvel Comics has a great history of continuity (DC, however, has had problems with their continuity). Marvel has all their classic heroes, dating back to the 1960's with Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Hulk, and Avengers. But they managed to even bring in characters from the 1940's characters (when they were then known as Timely Comics) such as Namor and Captain America. Captain America especially. He’s like a legend in the Marvelverse. He represents the people, not the government, of his country and the liberty it fought for.

I thought it would be neat if the Ultraverse had their own Captain America. But what if our Cap had a different story, a different attitude, and different weapons? So, I created Liberty. I like bringing unused characters from the Ultraverse into our "New Twist." So, I got the name from the character in a Prime comic, but the character is completely different.

Unlike Captain America, I made Liberty into a soldier who was willing to kill. He’s armed with advanced armor and advanced weapons, both advanced for his time period. The character was also completely different. Scott Phillips (Liberty) is also driven for what to do for his country, but he’ll also be somewhat of a rebel against authority. And what of his story? Will he become a hero or just a legend? How will his story end (or will it)? I’ll have to keep those to myself. But you’ll be able to find out in the six-part mini-series, Liberty - Legend of World War II.

So, anyway, I believe after reading my new mini-series, you will agree Liberty is more than just another rip-off. But now, who would win against Ultraverse: A New Twist’s Legend of World War II and Marvel’s Sentinel of Liberty? Well, that all depends. I believe an experienced Captain America of the 90's could take down our Liberty of the early 40's, but what about the lesser experienced Captain America of the WWII era? I feel Liberty’s guns are advanced enough to defeat Captain America with his shield. But if Cap managed to use his shield to de-arm Liberty, they would be found in a hand-to-hand battle. Cap would win, if he still had his shield. I think Cap could also win if it came just down to smarts and strength, but I wouldn’t count Liberty out. His strength is still about even with Cap’s, but I feel his agility is a little more. Depending on the terrain, he could get a victory in this situation as well.

Well, thanks for listening to me.

- James Pedrick