Striker
Striker
Striker
Striker

Striker's primary character traits in "Let There Be Life" are as follows: A belief that the Afghanis are no better than animals. Mustache. That's pretty much it.


Striker

Infantry

Filename: Maltsev, Valery

Birthplace: Smolensk, Russia

Striker grew up hearing tales of the second world war from his parents and grandparents. Learning of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the massive sacrifice of the Russian people in defending thier country instilled great pride in young Valery. Wishing to serve the country he believed so much in, he joined the military and quickly proved himself a versatile and skilled soldier. He joined the Pravda Patrol in 1976 and has recently become the team's second-in-command filling the role of Lieutenant Ivan Brekhov who has been tapped to head his own unit.

"Bit xenophobic, but he knows his job. Give him another year or two of experience and I'd recommend we move him into command. He's more pliable than Yuri, and if push came to shove I am certain he'd place his orders before the rest of the unit or his own beliefs." -Lieutenant General Voroshilov


In the late 70s/early 80s there was a magazine sized black and white anthology comic published by Marvel called Bizarre Adventures. In issue #31, sandwiched between a Larry Hama story about a rabbit with Vietnam induced PTSD and tale of pre-teen murder (no, really) was a 5 page story called "Let There Be Life". In it we're introduced to the Pravda Patrol, a Soviet Special Forces unit. Created by Tom DeFalco and Herb Trimpe, and due to the nature of the mag, actually owned by them, the Pravda Patrol only appeared this one time. But they almost became more. The Soviet counterpart to the Joe team wasn't going to be the Oktober Guard, it was to be the Pravda Patrol. Art exists for issue 6 (originally intended to be issue 3) of the Patrol in place of the Guard, but their use was rejected by Hasbro. This is likely because the characters wouldn't have been owned by Hasbro, and it is probably for the best, as the Guard has more visual distinctiveness, but it's one of those weird quirks of comic/toy history that I love. The Pravda Patrol had been on my mental to-do list since I learned about them and while they don't jibe with the "no existing characters" guideline, they fit the Year One theme too well to pass up. Also, with Mr. Trimpe having recently passed away, I like to consider these my small tribute to all the amazing work he did and all the enjoyment he brought me.

Striker is just kinda generic. He has a mustache and a visor and short sleeves. Otherwise he's Yuri and Mouse. He gets more characterization in the story than most of the rest, but he's also a jerk. I do love that RoC Duke torso though.

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