Squadron Supreme Vol. 1: The Pre-War Years (v. 1) [Paperback]

J. Michael Straczynski (Author), Gary Frank (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

It all starts here! Hyperion, Nighthawk, Blur, Power Princess, Doctor Spectrum, and the rest of the deadliest super-team around are joined by a new group of super heroes, as only J. Michael Straczynski and Gary Frank can imagine! As the U.S. government plots to create two teams of super-powered agents to crush enemies both domestic and foreign, Mark Milton -a.k.a. Hyperion - has plans of his own. Plans that could uproot the government's control over its super-powered population and force them to contend with the ever-growing threat of Mark's constant insubordination. Collects Squadron Supreme #1-7.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785118985
• ISBN-13: 978-0785118985
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #745,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J. Michael Staczynski was born in Paterson, NJ in 1954, from a lower-middle-class blue-collar family that moved 21 times in his first 18 years. He began writing in earnest and selling at the age of 17 and hasn't stopped since. He graduated San Diego State University with degrees in Psychology and Sociology.

As a journalist, he has written over 500 published articles for such periodicals as The Los Anglees Times, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Penthouse, Writer's Digest, San Diego Magazine, the San Diego and Los Angeles Reader and TIME, Inc. He has also published numerous short stories in Amazing Science Fiction Magazine, Pulphouse, and various anthologies.

As a television writer and producer, he has written over 200 produced episodes, including workj on The New Twilight Zone, Nightmare Classics and Murder She Wrote. He also wrote, created and produced the series Babylon 5, Crusade and Jeremiah.

Moving from TV to film, he wrote Changeling (directed by Clint Eastwood), Ninja Assassin (produced by the Wachowskis), provided the story for Thor (directed by Kenneth Branagh), wrote Underworld 4 (starring Kate Beckinsale), and has written numerous other films that are currently slated for production.

He has won the Hugo Award (twice), the Saturn Award, the Eisner Award, the Inkpot Lifetime Achievement Award, the E Pluribus Unum Award from the American Cinema Foundation, the Space Frontier Foundation award, the Ray Bradbury Award, the Christopher Award, and over a dozen others.

He was also nominated for a British Academy Award (BAFTA) for his screenplay for Changeling.

He writes ten hours a day, every day, except for his birthday, New Year's Day and Christmas Day.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, December 12, 2006

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Squadron Supreme Vol. 1: The Pre-War Years (v. 1) (Hardcover)

Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski's excellent Supreme Power title came to an end, but the story isn't over yet. After a couple mini-series events, Supreme Power is relaunched under the Squadron Supreme title (which is where Straczynski originally took the material from and made it his own), and minus Marvel's mature themed MAX imprint. Now, this might not be a big deal to some people (though I doubt it), but thanks to this the sense of realism that Supreme Power had is gone. Not to mention that the action and events are predictable; which is something that Supreme Power never was. That aside though, there are a few great moments, including some nice action scenes (courtesy of Gary Frank), and Doc Spectrum's seduction by Power Princess should be seen to be believed and harkens back to what made Supreme Power so great. The other characters that populate here though, Hyperion, Nighthawk, Blur, etc., are quite wooden though. Oh well, I guess that everything Straczynski does can't be great. All in all, this is worth a look for Supreme Power fans, but this is actually better suited for new readers of the characters, and is more of a starting off point for future events that are hinted at throughout this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying, February 21, 2007

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Squadron Supreme Vol. 1: The Pre-War Years (v. 1) (Hardcover)

I have to disagree with Mr. Durham's assessment of the Squadron Supreme: the Pre-War Years hardcover. It may be something of a departure from its predecessor series - the excellent Supreme Power - but I'd hardly call it a disappointment.

Writer J. M. Straczynski and artist Gary Frank are both in top form here, doing what they do best. Straczynski had to face a major challenge here, carrying over the intense character development he mastered in Supreme Power to a series with twice the number of key characters. I think he passed with flying colors, even if it meant the characters featured so prominently in Supreme Power had to take a back seat so we could get to know the rest of the Squadron. He also had to overcome the fact that the whole "government sponsored superhero team" idea has been done to death, and while Squadron Supreme may not have the same impact as Ellis's Authority run or Millar's Ultimates, it still presents a fresh take on a timeworn subject.

Gary Frank's artwork is fantastic as usual. Beyond the dynamic character designs and powerful action sequences, he has a skill for displaying a wide array of emotion on his characters' faces that is second only to Steve Dillon.

I will second the argument that losing the MAX label was a poor decision. The more mature, but never gratuitous, content in Supreme Power added a sense of realism that Squadron Supreme is lacking. Sometimes PG-13 just isn't enough to tell the story the right way.

Overall, Squadron Supreme: the Pre-War Years is quite satisfying. It serves as an excellent transition between Supreme Power and the ongoing Squadron Supreme series, introducing the key players and setting the stage for things to come.

4.0 out of 5 stars Another good addition to the series, March 9, 2009

By 

OUFAN1 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Squadron Supreme Vol. 1: The Pre-War Years (v. 1) (Hardcover)

Squadron Supreme Vol. 1: The Pre-War Years was another good addition to the series. I have enjoyed the entire run so far. I like the MAX story lines the best. They created more realism in the characters. The non-MAX titles are almost as good. I have not been disappointed yet. I especially enjoyed the African story line in this book. It was very thought provoking. J Michael Straczynski has become one of my all time favorite writers.