Saturday, January 1, 2011

TRIGGER 2000

Happy New Year 2011! Let's party like it's the year 2000!


IN THE YEAR TWO-THOUSAAAAAAAAAND!!!

Trigger 2000 was a popular series that ran from 1993 to 1994 in the pages of the sci-fi/action-themed Terminator Komiks, published by Sonic Triangle Publishing, Inc.


The title character Trigger was a wisecracking 20th century hitman out to assassinate corrupt technologies magnate Maximus Cerebro, the man responsible for his parents' murder. He somehow finds himself transported to the year 2000(?!), a post-apocalyptic timeline where a war rages between the oppressed mutant race and the ruthless cyborg empire-- headed by Cerebro himself!


As written by Mike Tan, Trigger was a memorable character for his devil-may-care attitude and wicked sense of humor. The series was illustrated by Joseph Caesar D. Sto. Domingo, whose sleek high-tech art style meshed perfectly with Trigger's futuristic world.





MUTANTS

DR. ZEUS

The leader of the freedom-fighting mutant underground.












MARA

Dr. Zeus' daughter. She possesses telekinetic abilities and healing powers. A budding romance forms between her and Trigger (well, what did you expect?)







TROY

Dr. Zeus' son, Mara's younger brother. He has the ability to turn anything he touches into an explosive.









CHAN

Neither a teenager nor a turtle, but a mutant ninja warrior. He is Trigger's ally against the cyborgs and his rival for Mara's affections.








DORK
Yes, that's his name. The muscle of the group, and the butt of Trigger's jokes. Oddly enough, I don't think Trigger ever picked on him about his name.



NOMADS

An evil faction of mutants, turned into crazed cannibals by overexposure to radiation.














CYBORGS

CEREBRO
In a previous life, Maximus Cerebro was a wealthy, brilliant, but crooked industrialist, the creator of the super-computer Babel. By the year 2000, he has become the half-man/half-mechanized emperor of the evil cyborg empire, ruling the world from its capital Centro City.


LADY CARMEN
Cerebro's wife. Back in the past, Carmen had an affair with Trigger, broke him out of prison, and helped him get revenge on her husband. Cerebro discovers her betrayal and murders her for it, but later resurrects her as a cyborg, erasing all of her memories to make her completely subservient to him.


TRIGGER 1994

Trigger 2000 was abruptly discontinued upon Terminator Komiks', um, termination in 1994. However, Trigger briefly resurfaced later that year in a 3-part Kickero story which ran in Kick Fighter Komiks #89-91. Set in the "present day," it was essentially a prequel to his previous series.


Trigger has to be one of the coolest characters to come out of Philippine comic books in the 1990's, and it would be great if they revived him again in the future. Of course, for obvious reasons, they'd have to change the title of his series.


COVERS








4 comments:

  1. Mike Tan's stories were definitely some of the best back then. Aside from Trigger 2000, I also loved Kampeon's "devil-may-care" attitude! :)

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  2. Yeah, he certainly excels in those types of characters. Add to the list Boga from Versus, the best Kick Fighter character who WASN'T based off on Street Fighter.

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  3. This brings back memories! I worked on Cyberina after the original artist left the series. I think I did 4 stories altogether.

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