Published: June 2001, Dark Horse Comics Inc.The story opens on Gunmen HQ in Takoma Park Maryland. The boys are reading a letter they have received claiming that the local Big Box is going a little overboard on the surveilance. The Gunmen are afraid that if they print the letter, or even look into the allegations, they will be making themselves look just as crazy as the "crackpot." Just as they reach consensus to dump the letter, three guys--who could very well be younger versions of the Gunmen, walk in and let our boys know that they are needed to save the United States of America.
Indulging the young conspiracy theorists, they are driven out to a remote highway where they are shown the backs of highway signs. The adhesive tape symbols on the backs, their fans explain, are to guide the invading troops from England towards various strategic locations. The reclamation of the rogue colonies will take place when a massive computer virus will cripple the nation's computer network, rendering us incapable of launching a counterattack.
On the way back, the Gunmen discuss the plausability of such a scenario, and they determine that such a precisely-launched attack would be impossible--until Byers remembers the atomic clock theory that they published an article about three years prior. Quickly, Langly hacks into the atomic clock, and they determine that everything is A-O.K. The young men are sent on their way, and some time passes without incident worth mentioning in the comic book.
Three months, to be exact. Yves appears one day as they are reading another letter from the Big Box shopper (once again warning them that something is afoot at the Big Box, this time involving necromancy). It seems that she has been having problems with a militia/Aryan Nation group. Maybe they've been conducting drills in her backyard, maybe they've been sending her anti-British hate mail. She doesn't really elaborate. Anyhow, because these guys are conspiracy theorists, and the Gunmen are ultimately responsible by the fact that they publish a conspiracy theory paper, they are now beholden to help her. Again, this isn't really elaborated upon. The only thing that keeps the point from being moot is the fact that Jimmy recognizes the three young men who took them on a sight-seeing tour of county road signs some time back. Without hesitation, Langly is again hacking into the atomic clock, only this time, something sinister is afoot.
After a brief board meeting in the stall of their bathroom, they figure they have to stop the virus from bringing down the clock. As soon as Yves discovers that yes, things are totally fubar, she takes off, leaving the boys to figure out a way of shutting it down by themselves. Jimmy's mention of his Green Bay Packers wristwatch gives them all the same idea--to rebroadcast the Atomic Clock signal in order to bypass the virus. They rush over to the van with their small transmitter, knowing that they will need to beef it up in order to override the atomic clock signal.
The microbus pulls into the Big Box, where the Gunmen frantically rush through the aisles, grabbing the biggest coffee tins they can find, until the speakers pop on and begin declaring "Red Light Special, Aisle Five!" and all cameras turn to the Gunmen. Quickly, the eldery greeters rush in. This is maybe the best part of the comic, seeing Byers, Langly, and Frohike kick geriatric butt. Unfortunately, one of them does have a gun, which brings the action sequence to an end. It turns out the Big Box is run by the militia, and the boys are quickly ushered into the back room, where they are tied up and left unguarded while the militia boys decide to have themselves a revolution.
Fortunately, no one thought to check Langly for a switchblade. After some maneuvering, Frohike is able to cut the ropes, and the Gunmen make their escape by dressing up like shoppers and heading for the exits, hiding their faces behind large coffee cans.
Arriving at Ft. Meade, the Gunmen dump out their coffee and proceed to beef up their transmitter. Just as Byers is about to override the signal, the pickup truck races by, but doesn't stop for the Gunmen--heading instead for Ft. Meade. Byers begins transmitting the wrong signal, figuring someone would check the clock to determine the error and find the virus. Unfortunately, the military police shows up--figuring not to hassle the guys in the pickup truck with M-16s, but rather to go after the VW Microbus with a bunch of coffee cans on its roof.
The Gunmen speed off, and meet up with Yves the next day to explain how they heroically saved the U.S. Government from almost certain annihilation at the hands of about two dozen guys with M-16's. Yves is very proud of them,and takes off, leaving her copy of the London Times behind. At this point, it's clear that she really enjoys messing with their heads because now they are left to wonder what she was doing in England while all of this was going down.
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The Gunmen's office in Takoma Park looks less like a warehouse and more like a shanty town in some midwestern podunk.
When Yves appears in the dooray, the various locks are shown as being installed on the inside of the door, rather than on the back. This faulty installation might account for her ability to break in so easily.
The conspiracy theories about the roadsigns are nothing new--in fact, it's one of the oldest (recent) conspiracy theories out there. The Gunmen would have known about that one.
Also, the logistics of a ground invasion of the U.S. is pretty improbable--considering the fact that many suburban and most agrarian Americans keep firearms in their houses, sending in troops would be too costly if it were not preceeded by massive and devastating airstrikes of some capacity. I'm sure the Gunmen would have figured this out at some point, and keep that in mind whenever some wacko starts talking about sinister invading forces.
My first impression at getting the comic book was one of trepidation. Comic books based on television shows can go so wrong on so many levels. Don't get me wrong, I love comic books--and have a sizeable stack carefully preserved in plastic in my closet. However, when you take into account the fact that the comic book was not written by the writers who normally bring us the characters we so love, and then there is the possibility that the art will be bad, very bad, the pessimist in me was more than a little anxious about the quality of the comic. After all, with the future of the Gunmen looking ever darker, the last thing I want is a poorly-drawn, ill-conceived fanfic pushed onto me.
When I discovered that the comic was published by Dark Horse, my fears abated somewhat. Dark Horse has always put out a very good product, indeed, one of my first great comic book loves (apart from Catwoman), was Madman. But, I digress. Because of so many different factors that go into making a comic book, I will try to tackle each aspect separately:
Story: The story itself is a bit dry. Because they had only a single comic book to work with, and this is not a continuing series (yet), and everything had to be both set up and resolved in 24 pages, it's a bit topheavy with exposition. Also, I'm a little jaded because someone stole my idea. A few months ago I was talking with a trusted friend about how an episode of the Gunmen should be devoted to the Gunmen having to face the freaked-out militiamen who undoubtedly subscribe to their papers. The Big Box conspiracy was a bit of a tangent, but I will allow it. Likewise, the story was very Langly-oriented--not that you're going to hear me complaining, but the best Gunmen stories is when they work more as a team--Byers and Frohike spent a great deal of time pontificating while Langly hacked the answers. Jimmy was barely visible at all. Many have complained that Jimmy and Yves used up too much screentime during the run of the television series, and while I think there was maybe just enough Yves for most people's likings, Jimmy was so marginalized I barely even knew he was there.
Dialog: What the story lacks in richness, the writers have more than made-up for in dialog. While there are some non-sequiters, the majority of the banter is very witty and fun to read. Sometimes it wasn't always true to character, but forgivable because it is very funny. For example: As Yves leaves at the end, Langly ponders aloud: "I wish I knew if it was okay to like her or not." To which Byers replies, "It's not," and Frohike adds: "How 'bout LUST? Lust is okay, right?" Yes, Frohike is the dirty old man, and yes he has been known to refer to a certain FBI agent as "tasty," but I'm not sure if he would have used those precise words when discussing Yves. But, considering that the comic was not written by the Gunmen's usual muses, this is a very faithful and enjoyable read.
Art: Dark Horse is known for its clear, simply-drawn art that takes a little more enjoyment in detail than D.C., but doesn't go overboard with frivolous and unnecessary lines like Image or Marvel. As for our boys, I was surprised at how well they were rendered. With the possible exception of Langly's shoes (he wears Converse hi-tops, when he's running through the store, it looks like he's wearing Keds), the artists were very faithful to the actors. Byers looks a bit awkward in some of the panes, but he looks very much like Byers. Jimmy looks a little chunky in some of the drawings, and strangely enough, the one character they had the most difficulty reproducing was Yves (You would think artists would have no difficulty drawing the buxom, long-haired woman). Likewise, there are some fantastic visual gags--like the virus's payload screenshot, and the Gunmen disguising themselves to get away. The backgrounds are well-articulated, but left out altogether in panels of heavy dialog. Finally, the colors are quite good--although they evoke a more X-Files feel than Gunmen feel.
Conclusion: If you really like the Gunmen, and you really like comic books, this is a no-brainer. If you really like the Gunmen, and you can find a copy, by all means purchase it. However, if you find yourself turned off by fanfic, no matter the quality, I wouldn't suggest you seek it out with singular fixation.