Fashion in Action - the Collected Edition

Back in the 1980s, a number of independent comic book companies hit the market, flooding the direct market with hundreds of titles. Going to The Great Escape in Louisville, I found myself enamored by a number of indy titles: Ms. Tree, DNAgents, Evangeline, Grim Jack, Whisper, and quite a few others. One title I can remember seeing on the shelf, but not picking up, was the Fashion in Action Summer Special. The art looked kind of cool, and I have always been a fan of female-led titles. But, at the time, I was more focused on on-going series, so a one-issue special just wasn’t on my radar, and I passed it up.

Now, here it is, some thirty-plus years later, and I come across the collected Fashion in Action, featuring all of the back-up stories along with the two specials in one trade paperback. Nostalgia instantly set in, so I ordered it. This was a title I never read back in the day, and to be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But as the introduction by John Ostrander states, this book was unlike any other of its time, and even today, it stands out as not only unique, but well-written, beautifully drawn, and just plain good to read!

The comic tells the story of Frances Knight, a patch-wearing woman who specializes, along with her all-female team, in providing bodyguard services for celebrities of all kind in the not-so-distant future. The first issue opens with the New Year’s celebration of 2087, and the FIA team is on the job when a pulp character suddenly comes to live as Dr. Cruel kidnaps the man they are supposed to be protecting from right under their noses! The case becomes personal when Frances learns that Dr. Cruel’s cohort, known only as Roxanne, has a personal score to settle with her.  Plenty of action, plenty of fashion, and plenty of twists abound in the first seven-part story that was originally published as a back-up in Eclipse Comics’ Scout title.

Snyder followed-up his initial back-up run with two one-shot specials – the Fashion in Action Summer Special and the Fashion in Action Winter Special. Each special was a done-in-one story, the first focused on the girls’ hunt for a designer who has been stealing and profiting from other designers’ creations, while the second provided a flashback story that gave readers some insight into Frances Knight and why she is who she is (side-by-side with a present day story involving Dr. Cruel and Roxanne once again).

The series clearly focused on its main protagonist, but readers did get a glimpse into the other women who made up FIA. They were varied in size, color, and nationality, as well as skills – ranging from psychics to demolition experts.  Plus, Snyder gives them a base of operations in the Statue of Liberty!  How cool is that?!?!

It is interesting that back in the mid-to-late ‘80s that a male creator wrote and drew a comic dedicated to an all-female team that showcased strong, independent women in stories that would normally be written for male heroes. Perhaps the female readership just wasn’t large enough back then, or perhaps the male readers simply didn’t appreciate the appeal of this female team, but after the Winter Special, the FIA team disappeared from the comic scene.  Reading these stories now, I can see a bit a similarity between FIA and Dakota North, a fashion-centered character who held her own five-issue series at Marvel around the same time.  (Coincidentally, Martha Thomases, who created and wrote the Dakota North Investigations series, also writes an Afterward in the FIA trade paperback!)

Another interesting tidbit of which I was unaware was that Snyder created paper dolls of the characters, with fashions and a bit of character info that was placed on the back of each issue of Scout, as well as the two Specials. The paper doll pages are also reprinted in this collected edition, along with in-house ads from Eclipse Comics, original concept sketches for the characters, and even a "runway gallery," featuring various artists' interpretations of the characters from the series.

I wish Snyder was in a position to revive the series and give fans a continuation of Frances Knight’s saga.  I have a feeling he had plenty more stories waiting to be told, and in today’s independent market, a series of Fashion in Action mini-series would certainly be a hit!

RATING:  9 mystical life-giving gasses out of 10 for giving the comic world an all-female team of fashion-conscious bodyguards that are well worth the read!