I just finished reading the most recent issue of Strikeguard and after what I saw ….I just had to write something about it ASAP!

As usual it was an entertaining read, easy on the eyes and straight to the point but what really impressed me was the debut of Ifemmirin the newest addition to the strike guard cast! For those of you who have never read Strikeguard lets get you guys up to speed.

The story revolves around Abolaji Coker a university student studying in Lagos Nigeria. The story begins one evening when Abolaji and his friend are killed by cult members for some unspecified reasons, unfortunately for the cult members they dumped Coker’s body into the grave of an ancient and powerful warrior Ajagbeja. As a result Coker’s sprit encounters that of the late Ajagbeja and they struck a deal which results in Coker returning to life but sharing his body with Ajagbeja and consequently gaining supernatural powers.

 Coker then in honor of his late friend makes a costume based on a superhero his friend created and takes to the streets fighting crime and supernatural evils as strikeguard…..I still think the whole costume thing was unneeded and should be gotten rid of but….. oh well…..The last issue had one of Ajagbeja’s old enemies Kazeem trying to kill Coker and his girlfriends Mum, unfortunately Coker is unable to put up a decent fight because he lost his powers a few issues earlier but this issue has him been rescued by the most unlikely of persons….his girlfriend Chichi who was earlier kidnapped and disappeared in the previous issue and for some reason now has Aquakinetic abilities and a strange voice in her head!

Now from the very beginning strikeguard started out as a very typical and textbook comic…..following the normal superhero tropes and effectively taking a direction that was almost predictable! This issue changes that among other things. Usually in the world of comics most at times the superheroes girlfriend gets to play damsel in distress…. Lois lane, Iris West, Mary Jane…you name them …that is not to say we haven’t had girls who can hold their own, I mean we have the likes of Catwoman, Carol Ferris and Atom Eve true but it’s usually hero saves girlfriend ……Strikeguard #12 turned that around placing the hero in the most helpless situation and effectively having the girl coming in and kicking butt so I believe it is worth noting.

The ramifications behind this issue are likely to be major indeed as it further emphasizes the African industry’s efforts to make it’s heroines crucial game changers in their stories! Ireti , Agbara, Avonome and Aje are a few other noteworthy characters who have taken the spotlight in this regard it’s nice to have Ifemmirin join the club!

But one can’t help but  wonder of this is another effort by vortex to effect the counter culture they have been speaking about! If that is the case then nicely done! Though I do have one little issue, I’m pretty sure I spotted a spelling mistake somewhere! This is not the first time the boys at vortex have faulted in this regard…come on guys where is the professionalism, this better not repeat itself…..so looking forward to the next issue. In all if I were asked to rate I’ll give it 4 thunder bolts out of five!

You can read the comic for free at the vortex comic website by clicking here and read more interesting articles about the rising African Industry right here on Rookiepencil!