Brigade #3
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeBrigade #3 is the first appearance of both the Birds of Prey — the alien freedom-fighter trio of Ironside, Swift, and Talyn — and the D'Voran enforcement squad known as The Factor, composed of Knockdown, Reign, and Trek. These two groups became essential supporting factions across the remainder of the original mini-series and the longer ongoing run that followed. The issue marks the midpoint of Brigade's foundational four-issue arc entirely set on the alien world D'Vor, an unusually sustained off-world premise for a brand-new Image title in 1992–93, and it seeds the alliance between Brigade and the Birds of Prey that drives the climactic final issue. As one of Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios flagship titles — the second launch from that imprint after Youngblood — the mini-series as a whole helped define the gritty, mercenary-team corner of the early Image/Extreme Universe.
In "Battlefront," the Brigade find themselves trapped on Genocide's homeworld, sentenced to death by the Lord Magistrate, only to break free into the treacherous tunnels beneath the city—where they're pursued by the relentless Factor. Written by Marat Mychaels, Eric Stephenson, and Rob Liefeld, with art by Mychaels and inks by Paul Scott and Norm Rapmund, this 1993 Image Comics issue delivers a high-stakes, claustrophobic chase through a hostile landscape. The cover by Paul Scott and Danny Miki captures the tension with a striking, shadowed image of the Brigade in peril.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Brigade launched in August 1992 as a four-issue mini-series — a spin-off of Rob Liefeld's chart-topping Youngblood, itself the debut title of Image Comics. Liefeld conceived and plotted the book, with Marat Mychaels providing the art and a rotating team of scripters including Hank Kanalz and Eric Stephenson, who also served as editor alongside Chris Ulm. Issue #3, cover-dated February 1993 and titled 'Battlefront,' was plotted by Mychaels, scripted by Stephenson, inked by Norm Rapmund and Paul Scott (who also provided the cover), colored by Brian Murray, and lettered by Kurt Hathaway. Like other Extreme Studios titles of the era, the mini-series was subject to the production pressures typical of the early creator-owned Image model; Brigade #4, the concluding chapter, was ultimately published as a flip book paired with Youngblood #5.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of the Birds of Prey (alien freedom fighters) as a group, with named members Ironside, Swift, and Talyn debuting simultaneously.
- First appearance of The Factor, the D'Voran imperial task force, with individual members Knockdown, Reign, and Trek also debuting in this issue.
- Story titled 'Battlefront'; plot by Marat Mychaels, script by Eric Stephenson, art by Marat Mychaels, inks by Norm Rapmund and Paul Scott, cover by Paul Scott.
- Third issue of the four-part Brigade Vol. 1 mini-series (August 1992 – July 1993), published by Image Comics / Extreme Studios.
- The entire issue takes place on the alien homeworld D'Vor, continuing the outer-space adventure begun in issue #2, as Brigade attempts to survive the D'Voran Imperial High Council's death sentence.
- The issue includes bound-in trading cards depicting Seahawk, Coldsnap, and Kayo, consistent with the insert-card format used across the mini-series.
- Also features a Brigade pin-up by Chap Yaep and Danny Miki.
Cast · 23 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
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Brigade are teleported to Genocide's homeworld and are sentenced to death by the Lord Magistrate. However, They make their escape into the tunnels beneath the city where they are hunted by The Factor.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
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