Comic Book Review: Project Super Powers #0

The Revolution doesn’t usually sample that many comics outside of the big two in Marvel and DC. That isn’t to say that there aren’t numerous fantastic reads being published by smaller presses. There certainly are. I simply have limited time and choose to read the characters that I grew up with.

Having said that, every once in a while I will sample some titles from the smaller presses. If I have a desire for some cheesecake or Golden Age styled characters then I pick up an issue from AC Comics. Every once in a while Image might crank out something that catches my eye. Well, this week it was Dynamite Entertainment that caught my eye with a new title from their press called Project Super Powers.

There are two reasons why Project Super Powers grabbed my interest. The first is that the creative team consists of Alex Ross and Jim Krueger. These two creators teamed up to deliver Marvel’s Earth X trilogy and DC’s Justice. I enjoyed both immensely and am a fan of both Ross and Krueger.

The other reason that I was interested in Project Super Powers is that it centered on a bunch of classic Golden Age characters. I love the Golden Age and I’m a sucker for any story that delivers a modern take on Golden Age characters.

The majority of the characters in this title are old Nedor Comics characters. The others come from various publishers like Fox Feature Syndicate, Prize Comics, Lev Gleason Productions and Centaur Publications. All of these Golden Age characters had their copyrights expire and they all entered the Public Domain. This allowed Ross and Krueger free reign to use these characters for this title.

Fighting Yank first appeared in Startling Comics #10 in 1941. The Black Terror first appeared in Exciting Comics #9 in 1941. Miss Masque first appeared in Exciting Comics #51 in 1946. The Scarab first appeared in Startling Comics #34 in 1945. Pyroman first appeared in Startling Comics #18 in 1942. The American Crusader first appeared in Thrilling Comics #19 in 1941. Fighting Yank, The Black Terror, Miss Masque, The Scarab, Pyroman and The American Crusader were all originally published by Nedor Comics.

The Black Terror, Miss Masque, Pyroman and The American Crusader were revived by AC Comics. Fighting Yank, The Black Terror, Miss Masque, The Scarab, Pyroman and The American Crusader were all briefly revived by America’s Best Comics.

The Flame first appeared in Wonderworld Comics #3 in 1939. Samson first appeared in Fantastic Comics #1 in 1939. The Flame and Samson were originally published by Fox Feature Syndicate. The Flame and Samson were created by the iconic Will Eisner.

Green Lama first appeared in Prize Comics #7 in 1940 published by Prize Comics. Daredevil first appeared in Silver Streak #86 in 1940 published by Lev Gleason Productions. He was later revived by AC Comics.

The Arrow first appeared in Funny Pages #21 in 1938 published by Centaur Publications. He was later revived by Malibu Comics, but lay dormant after Marvel Comics bought Malibu Comics.

All right, enough of the history class. I think I’m pretty much the only modern day comic book fan that is fascinated by the history of comic book characters. I feel confident that Project Super Powers is going to be a good read. Let’s go ahead and hit this review for Project Super Powers #0.

Creative Team
Writers: Jim Krueger & Alex Ross
Art: Doug Klauba & Stephen Sadowski

Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: We begin in the present with the Bruce Carter, aka Fighting Yank, an old man. He thinks how he was a soldier and did things a soldier does and that those things now haunt him. Suddenly, a spirit wrapped up in an America Flag in Bruce’s room talks to him telling Bruce that his death is upon him.

Bruce screams for the American Spirit to leave him alone. The American Spirit claims to be here to tell Bruce of the ones that he lost. Bruce runs through the house trying to escape the spirit. The ghost says that Bruce did a terrible thing. That he is numbered amongst the betrayers and he doesn’t even know why.

Bruce runs into a room in his house and falls to the ground before an old painting of Bruce back when he was the Fighting Yank during World War II. Bruce thinks how he was a special agent under a secret commission of the OSS. That he had a cloak of unlimited power and was given weapons beyond the invention and imagination of mankind. That he fought the Axis, but that they were nothing in comparison to the true enemy.

We then flashback to Europe during World War II. We see the Fighting Yank alongside the Green Lama, the Black Terror and the Flame. The general tells the heroes that Hitler’s death camps serve a metaphysical purpose. Fighting Yank believes the general while the other heroes dispel any possible arcane purposes of the death camps.

The general pulls Fighting Yank aside and tells him that Hitler has gotten his hands on a new source of power. The very source of evil: Pandora’s Box. That the war and the death camps are merely the beginning. The general assigns Fighting Yank the mission of going behind enemy lines and stealing the Pandora’s Box. That once the war is over, the OSS and the general have great plans for Fighting Yank. That they will have a world to rebuild that will be ready to embrace the ideology of freedom. That not everyone will agree on how to do that. That it is hard getting the costumed heroes to agree on much of anything.

Fighting Yank agrees to take the mission. Fighting Yank thought that his fellow heroes had closed minds and that only he could see that getting Pandora’s Box was their only hope. That this was the only way to be certain that this was indeed the war to end all wars.

Fighting Yank thinks how he has frequently been visited by the ghost of his ancestor, a revolutionary from America’s beginning. That the ghost taught Fighting Yank how to fight and where to find power. We see Fighting Yank going behind enemy lines and kicking ass on the German soldiers.

Fighting Yank thinks about the classified information that he was given by the military about Pandora’s Box. That there is empirical possibility that the origin of evil is mythic in nature. That the myths of the Greek gods were true. That Pandora released all the evils on the world when Pandora opened her urn. However, along with the bad there was also some good: Hope. That the urn contained hope and that is where the military believes all of the costumed heroes come into play and came into the war. That Hitler found the urn during WWI and opened it and began his ascent to power. That when hope was released it took the form of costumed heroes like the Fighting Yank.

Fighting Yank mentions how his ancestor’s ghost confirmed everything that the general said about Pandora’s Box. We see Fighting Yank busting through the German soldiers and breaking into where Pandora’s Box was being held. Fighting Yank grabs Pandora’s Box and notices that it is actually an urn.

We cut to the Fighting Yank meeting with a bunch of the government’s best scientists and scholars to work on the urn. One of the scientists gives Fighting Yank special lenses to look through that will allow him to see things invisible to the human eye. The things that originally came out of the urn. That the device was created by Oppenheimer’s crew.

Fighting Yank puts on the lenses and sees evil spirits surrounding everyone in the room. Fighting Yank’s ancestor tells him that now that he sees the evil spirits that they now know he is watching them. Fighting Yank opens the urn but it doesn’t suck the evil spirits back inside. One of the evil spirits claws Fighting Yank’s chest. Yank then rips off the lenses and the spirits disappear.

Fighting Yank realized that the evil spirits could be trapped once again in the urn but that it would come at a terrible cost. That the ghost of his ancestor told him how to do it.

We shift to Fighting Yank meeting with the Black Terror, Daredevil, the Flame, Green Lama, Samson and several other heroes. Fighting Yank tells them about Pandora’s Box and how they can stop all the evil on Earth but that it would come with a great sacrifice to themselves. The other heroes don’t believe Yank’s story. Yank pulls up his shirt to show his scar on his chest. They still don’t believe him. They think the wound is self-inflicted. The heroes don’t believe in myths and magic.

Yank mentions that he talks to the ghost of his ancestor all the time. That his sixth sense has saved them many times. The heroes then tell Yank that he talks to himself. The other heroes think Yank is crazy and that he doesn’t really talk to the ghost of his ancestor.

We cut back to our heroes continuing their fight against the Axis. We see our heroes celebrating V-E Day. Fighting Yank views this newly won peace as merely a change in tactics on the part of an enemy that had lost its confidence in its present agents.

We shift to Japan as we see the first atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. We see our heroes battling Japanese soldiers in the city of Kokura, the second target for the atomic bomb. The heroes hopped to stop the bombing by pleading with the enemy to surrender. That failed.

We see Yank thinking that his ancestor’s ghost told him that now that the evil spirits had seen Yank that he could never be a part of the hope that was trapped in the box. That he could never catch them unaware. That it would have to be the others. Starting with the Flame. We see the Fighting Yank sneaking up behind the Flame and trapping him into Pandora’s Box.

We then see the American bombers diverting from Kokura and due to the debris and smoke from our heroes fighting the Japanese. The bombers fly to Nagasaki instead and drop an atomic bomb on that city. Fighting Yank thinks how the other heroes were distracted by the symptoms of war while he fought to stop the war itself.

We cut to a funeral for the Flame even though they never found his body. The Green Lama tells Fighting Yank that he is returning to Tibet and that he should never have gotten involved in this war.

We then see Fighting Yank over the years after the end of World War II, sneaking up on the various heroes and sucking them into Pandora’s Box. That this mission took years. That the Fighting Yank’s actions were sanctioned by the CIA.

We hop back to the present where the American Spirit tells Fighting Yank that the ghost of his ancestor lied to him. That the urn was a trap for Fighting Yank and his friends. The ghost of Yank’s ancestor appears and vehemently denies the American Spirit’s accusations.

The America Spirit tells Fighting Yank to look at modern society where a militant police force rules the country. Where American soldiers reconstructed from the decayed and damaged tissue of soldiers who died in previous conflicts fight in wars in the east. That death, poverty and war is still all around them. That all Fighting Yank has done is stop those who might have helped keep this all from happening. That is why Fighting Yank and his ancestor where chosen. That the ghost would believe evil would be that easy to stop and that Fighting Yank believed in ghosts and superstitions and could be led by the words of ghosts to do their bidding.

Fighting Yank is distraught and asks the American Spirit “What can I do?” The American Spirit tells Fighting Yank to seek out the Green Lama in Tibet. Fighting Yank exclaims that the Green Lama will kill him for what he has done. The American Spirit comments that the Green Lama already knows that Fighting Yank is coming and that he is waiting for him. And that Fighting Yank will die. But that Fighting Yank must hurry because his allies need him to rescue them and that his world needs them and there isn’t much time left. We see all of the heroes trapped inside of the urn.

Comments
The Good: Project Super Powers #0 was a fantastic read. This issue was an absolute joy to read from start to finish. Krueger serves up a wonderfully written story that is complex, textured and nuanced. Krueger approaches writing comic books as if they were novels. The descriptions and the details of his writing are top notch.

Krueger and Ross kick off this title with a properly paced and plotted issue. Krueger easily lays out a solid foundation and delivers to the reader a clear direction and purpose with this story. There is no wondering or guessing on part of the reader about what is the point and purpose of Project Super Powers. This is greatly appreciated since many times writers take way to long setting up the story on a new title.

Of course, even though Krueger wastes no time clearly setting the foundation for this story, that isn’t to say that this issue is rushed. While the story moves along with a purpose, it is not hurried. Krueger finds the perfect pace in which to kick off this new title.

Krueger certainly delivers some great action scenes. I loved watching the Fighting Yank kicking ass on his mission to get Pandora’s Box. And the battle scene in Japan was perfect. Project Super Powers #0 isn’t action packed from start to finish and doesn’t rely on mindless action scenes to carry the issue. However, the action scenes that we do get are well timed and executed and help to keep this issue lively.

Krueger’s dialogue is fantastic. The running monologue from the Fighting Yank that we get from start to finish in this issue is excellent. Krueger does an impressive job fleshing out Fighting Yank’s personality and giving the reader an excellent feel of the Fighting Yank’s motivation for everything that he has done.

Krueger is able to tap into the feelings of despair and regret that overwhelm Fighting Yank’s heart. And despite the obviously terrible actions that Fighting Yank carried out, the reader feels deeply sympathetic for Fighting Yank. We know that deep down inside the Fighting Yank truly and desperately believed that everything that he was doing was for the greater good. That only serves to make his guilt even more palpable and our sympathy for him even greater.

I was impressed with Krueger’s character work with the various Golden Age characters. It is clear that Krueger and Ross have clear visions for what they want to do with the various characters. It is also apparent that Krueger and Ross and determined to make Project Super Powers a character driven story that relies on strong character development. I am certainly looking forward to seeing how Ross and Krueger handle the personalities of the other heroes in the upcoming issues.

I will admit up front that I am a sucker for Golden Age characters. I love their origins, their costumes and their powers. And I think all of the Golden Age characters that Ross and Krueger have selected for this title have tremendous potential. And it should be fascinating to watch Ross and Krueger put a modern twist on all of the characters while still honoring their roots at the same time.

I dig the use of the supernatural for the main storyline on this issue. The Nazi fascination with the occult is always a solid and time tested template for an entertaining story. The supernatural characters in the ghost of Fighting Yank’s ancestor and the American Spirit only make this story that much more intriguing. I really enjoy the blend of the supernatural theme with the traditional super hero theme that Krueger and Ross give us on this issue.

And I appreciate that Ross and Krueger don’t hammer the Nazi theme over our heads repeatedly. The Nazis are merely the tool of that era for Evil to try and dominate the world. That the true villains are the very spirits of Evil that takes different shapes and forms in every time period.

I am not familiar at all with either Doug Klauba or Stephen Sadowski. But, they certainly cranked out some fine looking artwork. Their clean styled art is a perfect match for these Golden Age characters. Their artwork certainly compliments Krueger and Ross’ story.

The Bad: I have no complaints with this issue.

Overall: Project Super Powers #0 was an absolute treat to read. Krueger and Ross offer up a deliciously meaty read that will certainly appeal to readers who enjoy more mature and intricate comic books. Obviously, if you just don’t like Ross or Krueger then you probably won’t enjoy this issue. However, to everyone else I definitely urge you to run out to your local comic book shop and give this title a try.