Short Lived Comic Series #13 - Evangeline (Comico 1984, First Comics 1987)

I can still remember the excitement I experienced when my parents took me to my first comic store back in the early '80s.  I started buying, reading, and collecting comics in 1979, but I didn't know that there were stores devoted totally to selling comics and comic-related items until a couple of years later - I always bought my comics at the local convenient food mart, where the comics were on a spinning rack.  When I discovered comic book stores, however, my whole world was expanded exponentially, as I discovered there was so much more to comic books than just DC, Marvel, and Disney comics!  Companies like Comico, Eclipse, Pacific, and others lined the shelves amidst the DC and Marvel comics, and I found titles such as DNAgents, Somerset Holmes, Elementals, and a unique little title with a female lead called Evangeline.

I've always been a sucker for female-led comics - from Wonder Woman to Supergirl to Ms. Marvel to She-Hulk.  So, this comic book with a gun-toting female that told the story of a nun (a very different kind of nun, that's for sure!) who was off-world saving the lives of the innocent - well, I could not pass it up.  So, I bought the first issue, and then the second ... and then, nothing. I waited for that third issue, but it never came. As with so many independent comics of that day that came and went, poor Evangeline lasted two issues at Comico, and then - poof! - it was gone. The stories by Chuck Dixon (who has since become quite the prolific comic book writer) were exceptional - a nun on the service for the Vatican, ensuring that the Catholic relics and traditions are protected, and that the lives of those who serve the church are protected from those who would destroy such organized religion.  The art by Judith Hunt (a female artist in the '80s!  talk about a gold mine!) was beautifully rendered, with some superb action scenes, as well as exceptional emotions expressed on the faces of her characters. In the first issue, Sister Evangeline took vengeance on a man who murdered her sisters at a church on Mars simply to get the land on which it was built; and in the second issue, she reluctantly teams up with criminal Jonny Six in order to stop a group of men who have taken over the ship on which she is traveling.

Flash forward a couple of years, and Lodestone Publishing put out an Evangeline special, which reprinted those first two Comico issues, but included extra epilogues after each story, that connected the first and second issues and then gave a preview of what was to come. Only, as with Comico, sadly, nothing further came out of Lodestone.  Thus, Evangeline's second chance at a series ended just as quickly as it started.  I was ready to just give up.  Then, along came First Comics...

First Comics was putting out some fantastic titles - Grimjack, American Flagg, among others, and they had become known for picking up titles cancelled by other companies - E-Man, Nexus, Badger, and Whisper, to name a few. So, in 1987, I was thrilled when Dixon and Hunt revived their series at First, beginning with an all-new issue 1, even though the story picked up exactly where the Comico and Lodestone stories had ended.  Landing on a planet filled with dinosaurs and a research facility - only, the hijackers from the spaceship from which they escaped are also there, and Evangeline, Jonny, and their new friend, Bernie Miller, must face off against them before they can be free.  The quality of stories by Dixon and the art by Hunt never falter, and with issue 2, Dixon and Hunt begin to reveal the "origin" of Evangeline - how did this young woman become the vengeful arm of the Catcholic church?  From there, we get stories of Evangeline hunting down gold that had been stolen from the church, rescuing a group of slaves from a nuclear wasteland, stopping a company from experimenting on human beings, exposing a space station spa that is brainwashing high ranking members of the church to destroy it from within, saving young women from sex traffickers, and ultimately crushing a group that is holding an entire planet hostage.  Along the way, we get more glimpses into Evangeline's past and see how she was trained in both warfare and subtlety to create the perfect weapon for the church.

Some may disagree with me, but one thing I liked about this series, and particularly about the character, is that not only was she strong and independent (she had male companions in the series, but she was far more capable then any of them), but she was not a stereotype.  She was firm in her religious beliefs, she knew right from wrong, and she never backed down from her morals and ethics.  In today's world, there seems to be a lot of criticism for female-centric titles written by men; yet, Dixon has proven time and again that he is more than capable of writing female characters that are not weak, that are not simple, and that are not anything more than fodder for gratuitous sex or violence.

While Dixon remained writer for the entire series at all three companies, Hunt vacated the art chores after issue 4 of the First Comics title.  Cara Sherman Tereno took over the art chores for issues 5 and 6, and honestly - her style was so similar to Hunt's that readers are unlikely to even notice the difference in artists.  Starting with issue 7, however, John Statema took over the art; and while it is still crisp and clear, the faces of his characters are much softer and rounder, and his backgrounds are not quite a gritty visually. He stayed with the book through issue 10, following which, Jim Balent took over for issues 11 and 12.

Unfortunately, Evangeline was not destined to last, and First Comics cancelled the series with issue 12.  And while the two-part story in issues 11 and 12 was nicely wrapped up, it is a shame that the character didn't have the opportunity for more stories and adventures. In today's more dark and gritty comics, perhaps now is the time for a revival of this series. I, for one, would love to see where Dixon would take his character now.

RATING:  8 blood-soaked rosaries out of 10 for giving comic-readers of the '80s a strong, no-nonsense female character who could stand on her own against the evils of mankind!