The Strangers # 1 1993 NM-

The Strangers # 1, released on June 10, 1993, is the launch of a signature superhero team for Malibu Comics’ Ultraverse imprint. Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Rick Hoberg, it remains one of the linchpin titles of the 1990s Ultraverse launch. 

The story begins on a Thursday morning in San Francisco on the Powell Street cable car: 

• The Event: 59 unrelated passengers are riding the cable car when an inexplicable "bolt of blue lightning" from the moon—known as the Jumpstart Effect—surrounds the car.
• The Transformation: The energy irrevocably changes everyone on board. Some die instantly, while others gain "Ultra" superhuman abilities.
• The Formation: Out of the survivors, six individuals who were complete strangers to one another join forces to understand their new powers and origin. 

The Team Members (First Appearances) 

• Lady Killer (Elena La Brava): A business tycoon with tracking and marksmanship abilities.
• Atom Bob (Bob Hardin): An art student who can manipulate matter at the molecular level.
• Grenade (Hugh Fox): An art student who fires explosive blasts.
• Electrocute (Candy): A sentient pleasure droid/gynoid who can project powerful electric bolts.
• Spectral (Dave Castiglione): A baker who can envelop himself in different colored flames, each providing a unique power (e.g., flight, healing).
• Zip-Zap (Leon Balford): A 12-year-old from a rough neighborhood who gained super-speed.
• Yrial: A mysterious sorceress from a hidden cloud civilization who aids the team. 

Creative Team & History 

• Writer: Steve Englehart.
• Penciller: Rick Hoberg.
• Inker: Tim Eldred (Issue #1) / Tim Burgard.
• Legacy: The series ran for 24 issues before the Ultraverse was eventually acquired by Marvel Comics. It is also noted for featuring Spectral, one of the few openly gay male heroes in mainstream 1990s comics