Youngblood # 1 1992 First Image Comic NM

Youngblood # 1 published in April 1992 by Image Comics, is historically significant as the very first comic book issue published by the company. Created by writer and artist Rob Liefeld, the series was inspired by the idea that superheroes in real life would be treated as celebrities. 

Plot Summary 

The issue features two separate, action-packed stories presented in a "flip-book" format, with each side having its own cover and focusing on a different Youngblood team. 

• "Home Team" story: The domestic Youngblood team—consisting of Shaft, Badrock (originally Bedrock), Chapel, Die Hard, Photon, and Vogue—responds to an emergency call. They engage in a battle with two members of a supercrime group called "The Four" who are attempting to break their colleagues out of a Youngblood transport.
• "Away Team" story: The international team—led by Sentinel, with members Riptide, Brahma, Photon, Psi-Fire, and Cougar—is deployed to a Middle Eastern country. Their mission is to neutralize a dictator named Hassan Kussein (a thinly veiled analog for Saddam Hussein). The mission ends brutally when Psi-Fire telekinetically causes Kussein's head to explode, which the team's PR staff later covers up as a suicide. 

Key Facts 

• First Appearance: This issue marks the first official, in-story appearance of the Youngblood team and many of its core characters, including Shaft, Chapel, and Badrock.
• Creative Team: The main plot was written by Rob Liefeld, with dialogue provided by Hank Kanalz.
• Impact: At the time of its release, Youngblood #1 was the highest-selling independent comic book ever published. Its launch was a key event in the "Image Revolution," a movement where top Marvel artists left to form their own creator-owned company.
• Reception: Despite its huge sales, the issue received mixed reviews from critics, who often cited unclear storytelling and anatomical inconsistencies in the art.