| Project Superpowers | |
|---|---|
 Promotional Image by Alex Ross |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Dynamite Entertainment |
| Schedule | vol.1-2 Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | Vol. 1 January - October 2008 Vol.2 June 2009- ongoing |
| Number of issues | Vol. 1 8, #0-7 Vol. 2 13, #0-12 |
| Main character(s) | Characters |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Jim Krueger |
| Artist(s) | Alex Ross |
| Letterer(s) | Simon Bowland |
| Colorist(s) | Adrian Moreno |
| Creator(s) | Jim Krueger Alex Ross |
| Collected editions | |
| Hardcover | ISBN 1933305916 |
| Softcover | ISBN 1606900145 |
Project Superpowers is a comic book limited series (eight issues, numbered 0 to 7) published by Dynamite Entertainment beginning January 2008. It is co-plotted by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, with scripts by Jim Krueger, covers by Alex Ross, and interior art for #0 by Doug Klauba and Stephen Sadowski, and Carlos Paul for the remainder of the series. Ross is also art director, which includes sketched pages, colour guides, and redesigns of most of the characters.[1]
The series resurrects a number of Golden Age superheroes originally published by companies including Fox Comics, Crestwood Publications and Nedor Comics, many of whom are in the public domain, including the protagonist, Fighting Yank.
Characters
The characters include:[2]
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Plot
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This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (February 2008) |
The beginning of the story depicts an aging Bruce Carter III, formerly the Fighting Yank, confronted by a spirit that comes in the form of a fluttering American flag and claims to be “the blood of [...] patriots” who died for America, including the Golden-Age superheroes who were Carter’s friends and colleagues. This “American Spirit” visits Carter in 2008, sixty years after World War II, to force him to make recompense for his own actions during and after the war, which are revealed in flash-back.
Carter, working for the OSS, was ordered to retrieve Pandora’s Box, which had by unexplained means found its way into Hitler’s hands. The box had, since Ancient times, reabsorbed all of the evils that were released from it in the myth, but Hitler had opened it and released them again, thus starting World War II. The box had also contained hope, however, and that hope (according to Carter’s superiors) had created the Golden Age of superheroes. Thus Carter was ordered not just to retrieve the box, which is in this series depicted as an urn, but to use it to trap all his fellow superheroes inside it along with all the evil spirits that Hitler released from it. Carter’s spirit guide — the ghost of his own Revolutionary War-era great-grandfather, Bruce Carter I — corroborates the US Military's theory and urges Carter to follow their orders.
Carter traps The Flame in the urn at the end of WWII, while they're fighting the Japanese on the same day that America bombed Nagasaki. After the war, Carter, who “was now CIA sanctioned,” continues trapping heroes in the urn, both his compatriots from the war and new heroes who appear. Thus, in the contemporary world of the story, there are implicitly no superheroes left in the world. The American Spirit tells Carter, however, that instead of stopping evil, which has continued in the world, he merely trapped those who could have fought it. An argument ensues between the ghost of Bruce Carter I and the American Spirit in which they both try to convince Carter III of what to do now; either nothing, because he did the right thing in the 1940s and ’50s, or try to free the superheroes who are in the urn, because he’d condemned them to purgatory. Carter III eventually believes the American Spirit, who tells him to consult his one World War II colleague, the Green Lama, who had returned to Tibet after the war to pursue his Buddhist meditations.
The series will, then, eventually free the trapped superheroes and, most likely, set the stage for a superhero universe to be published by Dynamite Entertainment.
Setting
The story is set in a present-day world that’s different from our own; it’s implied that the absence of the world’s heroes allowed the United States to become a virtual dictatorship, with the Dynamic Forces corporation manipulating world events for the sake of order and profit. The Police Corps consists of armored officers who show no mercy, wars are being waged for nothing more than business reasons, and even free speech is heavily restricted. In addition to all this, a terrorist movement called “The Claw” (which may or may not be related to the Golden Age villain of the same name) is active around the world. It’s into this setting that the released heroes first emerge.
Series synopsis
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The following synopses are of the issues that have been released so far:
#0: Last Gleaming
This issue is described in the above Plot section. The title is from the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner.
#1: The Rumors of My Demise...
Bruce gets to Shangri-La and tells the Green Lama everything; the Lama agrees to help him. They magically travel to New York, where the Dynamic Man and his robotic “family” (who make up an enormous corporation called Dynamic Forces) try to destroy them; Bruce succeeds in breaking the urn, and the Black Terror appears and joins the fight.
The title is from a famous quote by Mark Twain.
#2: ...The Whites of Their Eyes
The good guys make their getaway to Shangri-La. The Terror says that he can’t forgive Yank for what he’s done, and intends to eventually kill him. Meanwhile, other heroes appear elsewhere; The Death-Defying ’Devil rescues a female police officer named Justine during a riot in France, and The Flame appears near the Hollywood Sign. Also, two heroes who weren’t trapped in the urn — The Scarab and Samson — meet in the war-torn Middle East, where F-Troops are trying to destroy oil supplies so that Dynamic Forces can make a profit.
The title is part of a famous quote by Colonel William Prescott during the Battle of Bunker Hill.
#3: Proof Through the Night
Using tracers that were placed on the Black Terror without his knowledge, the Dynamic Family’s soldiers (who are modeled after the American Crusader) locate and invade Shangri-La. The Green Lama evacuates the civilians while the Terror and Yank fight the soldiers, but the Yank is attacked and apparently killed in the battle. Meanwhile, more heroes appear; Masquerade (who has amnesia) encounters V-Man in Japan, The Flame reunites with Hydro, and Mr. Face appears in a Spanish-speaking country (which one is not yet clear).
This title, like that of #0, is from the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner.
#4: ...Undimmed by Human Tears
The Dynamic Family is forced to abandon New York, which is now overrun with plant life thanks to the Green Lama; the Lama relocates the people of Shangri-La to New York, which he dubs New Shangri-La. The Black Terror is sent to round up all the emerging heroes and bring them to the Lama (Justine comes along with ’Devil). Meanwhile, Scarab shows Samson the nature of the F-Troops, which are reanimated corpses (who all resemble the Frankenstein Monster); the Fighting Yank, who’s being kept alive by his power cloak, learns that his ancestor had been using him from the beginning to break his own curse; and Pyroman appears and rescues Hydro and Flame from the Police Corps, only to be de-powered by the Dynamic Boy.
The title is from the lyrics to America the Beautiful.
#5: Let Slip the Dogs of War
Pyroman “kills” the robotic Dynamic Boy to stop him from killing The Flame, just before Pyroman, Flame, and Hydro are spirited away by The Black Terror; the Terror later goes to the aid of Samson and Scarab. In New Shangri-La, V-Man is kept in quarantine because, transformed by his time in the urn, he now causes anyone who comes near him to become seriously ill. The Dynamic Family have a well-publicized funeral service for Dynamic Boy, and tell the world that the heroes are actually terrorists who must be stopped. Other emerging heroes include The Target and Targeteers in Amsterdam, and The Arrow in Tibet; unaware of his surroundings or of how much time has passed, The Arrow inadvertently fires three arrows into Fighting Yank’s chest.
The title — which didn’t appear in the individual issue, but does in the collected edition — is from a line in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
#6: ...The Perilous Fight
In his mind, Fighting Yank “sees” how his ancestor let vital information get into enemy hands by stopping for a drink during a mission. The American Spirit tells the dying Yank that his allies are in danger, and that the only way to help them is to take his ancestor’s curse upon himself, but the ancestor refuses to let him do it. Meanwhile, the heroes travel to the Middle East to aid Samson and the Scarab, but unknown to them the soil in the region has been treated by The Supremacy — a secret council that commands Dynamic Man and his corporation — so that no vegetable growth is possible there; the Green Lama is powerless to get them out of the Middle East, and he is suddenly aging.
The title is from the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner.
#7: ...Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof...
Against his ancestor’s protests, Fighting Yank takes the curse upon himself and becomes a semi-solid ghost; he then goes to the rescue of his fellow heroes, giving his power cloak to the Green Lama so that the Lama’s boosted powers can transport everyone out of the Middle East. V-Man, who’s encased in a protective suit, stays behind as per the plan; after the other heroes are gone, he tears off his outer suit and lets his virus destroy all the F-Troops. Back in New Shangri-La, the revived Lama makes a television broadcast to tell the world that he and the other heroes intend to act as a counterbalance to the corrupt nations of the world. The Owl is seen approaching New Shangri-La, and it’s expected that other emerging heroes will soon follow.
The title is taken from the inscription on the Liberty Bell.
Chapter 2 Prelude
Released as a teaser to Chapter 2 of Project Superpowers, this article showcases a number of drawings of heroes and groups who will presumably be featured in the next chapter. The groups are: The Inheritors, led by the Boy King and His Giant, composed of many of the young sidekicks of the heroes, including the Black Terror's sidekick, Tim; The Patriots, a team of flag-wearing heroes who return to the service of the American government, and are mentioned to come into conflict with the Black Terror; The Supremacy, a secret cabal who were introduced previously, who include a "President West", and numerous villain characters, plus the Scarab's secret identity; The Scarlet Sisters, a team-up between Masquerade, The Woman in Red, and Lady Satan; The Big Shots, a trio composed of Mr. Face, Skyman, and Marvelo, all of whose abilities are hinted to be dangerous and difficult to control; The Super-Mysterymen, a group of heroes who are said to have been tracked and captured immediately after the destruction of the Urn to be used for an unknown party's purposes. Furthermore, several single heroes were shown, including: Captain Future, Cat-Man (now a partially feline character, called Man-Cat), Burning Eagle (who is constantly aflame), Black Owl (whose body now contains a black hole), Silver Streak, The Ghost, and a newly created hero pair, Truth and Dare, who are said to be inspired by the return of the Superpowers. The Chapter 2 Prelude also contains small previews of the Black Terror, Death Defying 'Devil and Masquerade mini-series.
Free Comic Book Day special
On May 3, 2008, there was a Free Comic Book Day special edition of Project Superpowers; in the story, which takes place after issue #7 of the miniseries, the heroes wonder if The Claw is still alive and reflect on ’Devil’s history with him. [3]
Wizard #1/2: All Part of the Design
In December 2008 Dynamite partnered with Wizard Magazine to produce a special #1/2 issue. The story takes place at Dynamic Boy's funeral (between issues 5 and 6 of the regular series) and sees Dynamic Man reflecting on the past. We see Dynamic Man and Dynamic Boy in WWII Germany admiring what Hitler has accomplished before playing the role of heroes when their super-powered allies arrive. Back in the present we see Dynamic Boy emerge from his grave and the next part of the Dynamic Family's plan is revealed.[4]
Character sketches
Issues #1 to #6 each include a two-page layout of Golden Age character sketches by Alex Ross and inLight (sic) Studio. Most of the layouts feature over a dozen characters each, some of whom now have altered names or nicknames to avoid trademark conflicts; e.g., “Hydro-Man” is now the name of a Spider-Man villain, so the original Hydroman is now called Hydro.
- Issue 1: Hydro (Hydroman), Fighting Yank, Silver Streak, Captain Future, The Woman in Red, The Target and The Targeteers, Cat (Cat-Man) and Kitten, The Owl, Strongman, Major Victory, and Dynamic Man and Dynamic Boy. [5]
- Issue 2: The Green Mask and Domino, U.S. Jones, Blue Bolt, Sub-Zero Man, Captain Battle and Captain Battle Jr., Death-Defying ’Devil (Daredevil), Black Terror and Tim, Amazing-Man, The Arrow, Vulcan, Pyroman, and The Liberator. [6]
- Issue 3: Lash Lightning and Lightning Girl, Mr. Raven (The Raven), Unknown Soldier, The Sword, The Flag, The Green Lama, The American Crusader, The American Eagle, Skyman, Mr. Face (The Face), Marvelo, Captain Courageous, and The Super-American. [7]
- Issue 4: The Flame and Flame Girl, “Big Blue” (Blue Beetle) and Sparky, Samson and David, V-Man and the V-Boys, Cyclone, Grim Reaper, Jack (Yellowjacket), Black Venus, The Hood, and Rocketman and Rocketgirl. [8]
- Issue #5: The Green Giant, Phantasmo, The Boy King and his Giant, and The Claw. [9]
- Issue #6: Man O’ Metal, The Boy King, Golden Lad, Rainbow Boy, Airman, Radior, Man of War, The Black Owl, Yank & Doodle, Sparkman, Doc (Doc Strange), and The Dart & Ace. [10]
The collected edition includes all of the above sketches, plus the following:
- The Masked Marvel; Sky Wizard; Brad Spencer, Wonderman; Martan the Marvel Man and Vana; Professor Supermind and Son; and Power Nelson, the Futureman.
Collected editions
In December 2008, this limited series was released as a hardcover collected edition[11] (ISBN 1933305916), in which a few minor corrections were made; e.g., the title to issue #5 was included, and Dynamic Man’s name was correctly given as Bert McQuade instead of Curt Cowan. A softcover was released in May 2009 (ISBN 1606900145).
Spin-offs
There will be a number of spin-off limited series from this series[12] including:
- Black Terror (written by Jim Krueger, with art by Mike Lilly)[13]
- Masquerade (written by Phil Hester, with art by Carlos Paul)[14]
- Death-Defying ’Devil (written by Joe Casey, with art by Edgar Salazar)[15]
See also
Project Superpowers: Chapter Two - List of comic book superpowers
- Superpower (ability)
- Terra Obscura
Notes
- ^ Ross and Krueger on Superpowers, July 18 2007, Newsarama
- ^ Ross! Krueger! Dynamite! "SUPERPOWERS!", July 18 2007, Comic Book Resources
- ^ Project Superpowers FCBD Special at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Project Superpowers #1/2 at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Project Superpowers #1 at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Project Superpowers #2 at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Project Superpowers #3 at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Project Superpowers #4 at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Project Superpowers #5 at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Project Superpowers #6 at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Project Superpowers HC Vol. 1 at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Expanding the Project Superpowers Universe, Newsarama, July 1, 2008
- ^ Mike Lily: Black Terror, Exclusivity and More, Newsarama, July 9, 2008
- ^ Phil Hester Talks "Masquerade", Comic Book Resources, January 13, 2009
- ^ Dynamite Announce's "Death Defying 'Devil" Series (press release), Comic Book Resources, September 24, 2008
References
External links
- Dynamite's Superpowers page
- FULL ISSUE: Project Superpowers #1, Comic Book Resources
- Press release announcement, Newsarama, July 18 2007
- Superpowers Preview Book, Newsarama, July 24, 2007
- Project Superpowers at the Comic Book DB
- Superpowers in the Superhero Database
- Superpowers, the French site
Interviews
- Krueger's Golden with "Superpowers", Comic Book Resources, October 9, 2007
- CSN@NRAMA: Ross, Sadowski and Barrucci on Superpowers, Newsarama, October 18, 2007
- Sadwoski Talks Superpowers & Shows Art, Newsarama, October 29, 2007
Reviews
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