Written by Alex Ross & Jim Krueger
Art by Stephen Sadowski; Douglas Klauba; Carlos Paul; Inlight Studio; Debora Carita; & Simon Bowland
Original Cover Art & Collected Edition Cover Art by Alex Ross
SUMMARY:
Released in May 2009 by Dynamite Entertainment, this 264-page paperback compiles the inaugural # 0 and the first seven issues of Project Superpowers. Elderly recluse (and ex-World War II super-hero) Bruce “Fighting Yank” Carter III is prodded into action by an ethereal American flag. It’s up to Carter to undo a grave sin he committed sixty years before by stalking and imprisoning virtually all of his fellow super-heroes inside Pandora’s Box. Compelled by his own ghostly ancestor, Carter had rationalized his friends’ eternal captivity would neutralize the world’s permeating evils.
With help from the Green Lama, Carter finds that now destroying Pandora’s Box (it resembles an urn) has unleashed a new chaotic age on Earth. Suffering varying degrees of bewilderment, mutated heroes resurface scattered across the globe. By freeing his old friends, Carter senses they represent the world’s last hope against technological tyranny that has wreaked havoc for decades without opposition. Deploying some of Carter’s treacherous ex-allies, the ominous council known as The Supremacy has its own shadowy agenda re: Earth’s future that necessitates these Golden Age heroes be destroyed once and for all.
Notes: This title was first printed as a hardcover in December 2008. Entitled “Chapter Two,” the thirteen-issue sequel was divided and released as two separate volumes between 2009 and 2010. Further, there have been multiple mini-series/spin-offs and sequels.
REVIEW:
Masterfully repackaging Golden Age characters in the public domain, co-writers Alex Ross & Jim Krueger conjure up a super-hero opus worthy of DC, Marvel, and Image Comics. With the urn’s prisoners mutated by their half-century ordeal, characters, such as Death-Defying Devil, Mr. Face, Masquerade, Samson, and The Black Terror, convey intriguing counterparts to Marvel’s Invaders and DC’s Justice Society/All-Star Squadron. Further, the central sub-lot re: the Yank’s redemption is well-played in terms of propelling this epic’s narrative.
As new characters are unleashed each issue, Ross & Krueger enjoy a welcome sense of unpredictability in playing out their plot twists. In that sense, one might think that Project Superpowers reiterates themes seen in Alan Moore’s Watchmen, Marvel’s mid-80’s Squadron Supreme, and James Robinson’s DC Elseworlds: The Golden Age. In a brilliant stroke of realism, having both sides of the global conflict resort to the self-appointed savior card by appealing to the world’s masses through television speaks to the fickleness of public perception.
The downside is that their scripting weakens late in the game and/or becomes unnecessarily repetitive – i.e. how could an elderly and badly wounded Yank single-handedly rout a horde of atomically-powered henchmen? Afterwards, how many confrontations do readers really need between Yank, the American Spirit, and his cursed ancestor? In the worst instance, the climactic battle loses credibility – logically, there should be casualties on both sides in a dramatic last stand – without them, the storytelling fails readers. Ross & Krueger, despite all their great ideas, should have tightened their script’s bolts at this juncture more effectively, so the finish line packs more of a wallop. Hence, some poignancy would have been appreciated at this stage of the Ross-Krueger epic.
While Ross focuses on strong co-writing and top-caliber cover visuals, the project’s interior art team should be commended for consistently strong imagery. Exemplifying classiness, the use of gore (as in the F-Troop sequences) isn’t sensationalized in a shallow ‘ain’t it cool?’ manner – it’s handled surprisingly better than the industry norm. Delivering a first-class epic read, Project Superpowers, Chapter 1 gradually becomes addictive in the best possible way.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Dynamite Entertainment President Nick Barrucci offers a brief foreword. Ross acknowledges a personal friend, Don Strueber, as the likeness for the elderly Yank. A table of contents lists the smorgasbord of bonus features:
- Two full-page alternate covers by artists Michael Turner & Peter Steigerwaldt;
- The Fighting Yank’s full-page War Journal entries by Alex Ross & Inlight Studio, separately consisting of:
- Fighting Yank; The Green Lama; The American Spirit (note: look for Captain America’s silhouette cameo); Black Terror; and The Death-Defying Devil;
- Dynamic Man & The Dynamic Family; The Mighty Samson; Masquerade; Pyroman; & The Flame;
- Police Corp; The Arrow; The Crusaders; The Scarab; The Owl; Mr. Face; Hydro; The Target; & F-Troop.
- Golden Age characters reference guide by Ross & Inlight Studio (note: many characters wait until Chapter 2);
- Character sketches, designs, & concept art by Ross, Stephen Sadowski, & Dou Klauba;
- Brief teasers for spin-offs starring Black Terror, Death-Defying Devil, & Masquerade.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 9 Stars
