Written by Jim Krueger & Alex Ross
Art by Doug Klauba; Stephen Sadowski; Alex Ross; Simon Bowland; & Captain Moreno
Cover Art (Right Side of Connecting Cover) by Alex Ross
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Last Gleaming,” this 40-page prologue was published by Dynamite Entertainment in 2008. Elderly recluse Bruce Carter III is haunted by a wraith-like U.S. flag (known as The American Spirit), reminding him of his judgmental past decades before as the masked super-hero, Fighting Yank, during World War II.
In flashback, as ordered by the U.S. Government, the Yank infiltrates German territory late in the war to steal a mythical urn known as ‘Pandora’s Box’ from the Nazis. Carter concludes that the urn’s ancient evils can be recaptured, but the horrific price is forever condemning a pendulum of good within the urn. The Yank’s skeptical fellow super-heroes aren’t persuaded to sacrifice themselves. During an attempted U.S. atomic bombing of Japanese island, Kokura, the Yank’s treachery begins.
With the world now jeopardized by the 21st Century’s high-tech evils, could have Carter’s misguided obsession been manipulated by someone else’s ulterior agenda? Even sensing his own imminent demise, the former Yank believes one old friend might still help him achieve redemption.
Note: This issue has several alternate covers: one is the connecting left-side half of this Alex Ross cover. The ‘negative art’ cover by Ross represents the left side half. Artist Michael Turner created a separate cover, which also its own ‘negative art’ version.
REVIEW:
Dynamite Entertainment delivers exactly that in this inaugural issue. Propelled by energetic unpredictability, co-writers Jim Krueger and Alex Ross have devised an ingenious premise repackaging obscure Golden Age characters from the public domain. With Ross anchoring the glossy visuals with his high-powered paintings, Project Superpowers # 0 is a virtually flawless package. Let’s just say that Marvel Comics and DC Comics’ creative standards are stale in comparison.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The front inside cover depicts images of the alternate covers (including the ‘negative art’ variants). The back cover is a full-fledged promo for the next issue. There’s a single-page “Dynamite Dispatches” news & notes column, which includes a briefing for Project Superpowers # 1. A two-page spread reveals Ross & Sadowski’s behind-the-scenes creation of the two-page Battle of Kokura spread seen on pages 18-19 (or pages 22-23, counting ads).
The three-page “Fighting Yank’s War Journal” offers his brief assessments (and glossy full-body images from Ross) of the Green Lama; the American Spirit; and the Yank himself.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 10 Stars
