Seth Green

It’s fall again and students are returning to colleges and universities around the U.S. The super-powered students of Top Cow’s hit series Freshmen are no different.

Hot on the heels of last year’s six-issue mini-series, Top Cow is launching Freshmen II: Fundamentals of Fear in November. Co-created by actor and producer Seth Green (Robot Chicken, Buffy), and writer Hugh Sterbakov, the first Freshmen series introduced the world to a diverse group of college freshmen who are turned into the funniest group of super heroes to date after being exposed to the Ax-Cell-Erator. Like the newest campus party, Freshmen II promises to be louder, bigger, and more hilarious than the original mini-series as Sterbakov pulls out all the stops. And that’s not all.

“Freshmen II is going to be much darker and scarier as well, as we see our heroes battle their new, more powerful foes and their own greatest fears,” said Seth Green. “There will be epic battles, both physically and emotionally. Brace yourself!”

Green and Sterbakov are joined for the second series by artist Will Conrad (Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom, Serenity) and colorist Blond. In the spirit of college life, Sterbakov is going to act as your Resident Life Director and take you through a little “Freshmen Orientation” in case you were one of the misfortunate few who missed the original mini-series.

“Well, in the first series, the kids arrived at college and immediately made enemies of the local frat guys. After being humiliated at a party, an explosion of energy went off in the science building where they were temporarily housed, which gave them extraordinary superpowers that are based on what they were thinking at the moment. Annalee Rogers, The Puppeteer, became able to jump into other people’s minds and look through their memories, but only for a few moments, during which her body is a lifeless shell. Charles Levy, the Green Thumb, a politically active vegan, can now talk to plants, who are bitter and pissy and don’t want to be eaten. Brady and Renee, the Drama Twins, have a toxic love/hate affair, and can only use their powers when they’re touching. He can telekinetically push things away from them, she can pull objects toward them. Elwood Johns, a mathematical genius, became the Intoxicator, who can share his intoxications with a belch. Jacques Lalleaux, the French exchange student womanizer, has become obsessed with acorns, and learned in the final issue that he can glide like some squirrels. Liam Adams, Quaker, is an Amish boy who can create earthquakes with his belly. Paula Pophouse, The Seductress, the plump, Us magazine-reading gossipy romantic who has never had a date, can now make anyone fall in love with her. Norrin Weismeyer, a lifelong comic book fanatic, was out for pizza when this all happened, but he believes that he alone is qualified to lead the team, so he crafts a suit of armor and tries to be Batman. And then there’s the sarcastic Beaver, the team mascot, who gains an Einstein-like intelligence, but can’t think about anything but building dams. The kids overcame the frat guys and saved the day, but not without a serious cost: Paula was critically injured and will still be walking with a cane when the second series begins. Meanwhile, Norrin, has renewed his goal of becoming a true superhero after turning against his friends.

“Freshmen II is going to focus on some of the characters who were left in the background of the first series— minor players such as The Green Thumb and the Drama Twins will take the spotlight, while new storylines for Annalee, Liam and Norrin in particular will push these kids toward their darkening destiny. This series is going to show the ramifications of kids putting their lives on the line as superheroes as they confront a new villain in Mr. Fiddlesticks, a character from a series of children’s books. We’ll also be picking up some threads from the first series, like Annalee’s father’s machinations, and that mysterious hole in the wall of the dorm the morning after the Ax-Cell-Erator exploded.”