Customer Reviews

Supreme Power Vol. 1: Contact

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The original Squadron Supreme, invented by Avengers writer Roy Thomas in the 60's, was intended to be a pastiche of the Justice League of America. Each character in Marvel Comics' Squadron Supreme was an analog of DC Comics' Justice League characters. Hyperion is the analog of Superman, Nighthawk of Batman, Power Princess of Wonder Woman, etc. The main point of the exercise was to enable Marvel's greatest team to do battle with DC's without flouting any copyright laws and to have a little fun with the fans.

J. Michael Straczynski's Supreme Power is also a look at the super-hero icons of DC but through a different colored glass. Supreme Power examines how events might really unfold were DC's heroes to have appeared in our world. An alien infant lands on Earth, exhibiting extraordinary powers. Military and political officials fear him, so they seek to control him. A youth sees his parents slain before his eyes and so becomes a vigilante, stalking the streets at night hunting criminals. Another man develops the ability to travel as super speed and so on.

The story starts from the point of view of protagonist, Mark Milton (a.k.a., Hyperion), an alien who crashes on Earth as an infant and whose power the military establishment both fears and hopes to exploit. They fill his head with American propaganda in the hope that they'll brainwash him into the Great American Hero: truth, justice and the American way. But when he matures, he becomes wary of their control and suspicious of their motives. As the story branches out, we're introduced to the other cast members, each of them with their own reasons for becoming a "hero" and many of them not so pure.

In DC's somewhat utopian world, these heroes are revered and honored for the most part. But a more cynical view would be that it wouldn't quite be that simple. We have a tendency to revere and revile our heroes at the same time. While we admire and honor them, we also seek to tear them down and destroy them out of fear, jealousy and other base emotions. The story is as old as time. Just ask Julius Caesar how we treat our honored heroes. Look at the heroes of Ancient Greece and the rather unseemly way so many of them fell from grace.

Supreme Power is an exciting, page-turning look at heroism and just what the world at large really thinks about having someone who could save your life one day or vaporize you with a glance in the next. In the tradition of DC's Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, Supreme Power takes a smart and decidedly adult look at hero and super-hero.

In Straczynski's new reworking of the classic Squadron Supreme characters, he achieves a higher level of quality than the original series ever had in one of Marvel's best new series.

This serious, grounded tale tells the story of serval extraordinary individuals as they realize that they are different from everyone else and how they attempt to use their new abilities. Straczynski really acheives some of his finest work in comics here (in addition to "Rising Stars") in a very dark and grounded story without some of the cornball dialogue found in his "Amazing Spider-Man." The pacing of the story is very slow, but is ultimately neccessary for establishing the setting and characters; some characters are only hinted at in these pages and allude to the next story arc.

Just as strong--if not stronger than--the writing is Gary Frank's superb artwork and Chris Sotomayor's great color work. Frank's pencils are very realistic and lifelike for portraying the many characters as well as the real-life figures of former presidents. Sotomayor's colors are very good for conveying the mature theme of the story by using a dark palette as well as using very vibrant colors for other scenes.

Marvel and Straczynski have created one of the best new superhero series in awhile. Now it will be interesting to see if the creators can acheive the same level of quality on subsequent story arcs as they have on this great one.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that this is a Marvel Max book and is suggested for older readers due to violence and language (the comic book equivalent of an R-rated or PG-13 movie).

This trade collects the first six issues. I have never been a big Marvel fan but for some unknown reason, I picked up this volume and since then I have been hooked.

The basic plot is that the author, J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) taken familiar heroes and their origins and totally twists them around to fit in the real world and in the process create something truly innovative. The main character in Mark Milton aka Hyperion who has crashed landed on Earth and have been found by a couple, that's Superman's origin, right? Yes but the similarities end there. Hyperion is quickly taken into custody by the US Military who sees his potential as the world's most effective weapon. The military hires agents to pose as Hyperion's parents, they monitor all his movements and raises him to be the perfect American citizen. JMS really fleshes out the armies intentions and methods, for example, Mark gets a dog for his birthday. The dog is chosen after searching through 47 breeds and then is named "Spot" in order to give it simplicity. Implicit throughout the story, you get a sense of impending doom that this charade is not going to last. We also see how the different presidents deal with Hyperion during his 20 years of surrogation under the military, starting with Carter, followed by Bush Sr. and Clinton.

There are other chracters, i.e. Stanley Stewart aka The Blur, he is gifted with speed, then there is Amphibian whose mother committed suicide when she was born and her father went insane. Next you have Nighthawk who saw his parents gunned down by Red necks and in turn became a rascist superhero. And finally you have Doctor Spectrum. Doctor Spectrum is the perfect soldier, who follows any and all orders. Doc Spectrum becomes empowered by the energy crystal from Hyperion's ship and can use the power to give his thought tangibility. He is the first line of defense against Hyperion.

Despite the long review, there are lots of more stuff that JMS managed to pack into the story. The plot is dense and over six issues, JMS only begins characterizing the characters in the story. This is not for readers who want quick action with flash and bangs. This is a book best read slowly and enjoyed for the dialogues and characterizations. JMS is creating his little universe here and so far he has done a hell of a job.

Ever since The Watchmen came out people have been searching for the next big Watchmen type story. I am gonna tell you that this book is as close as it has gotten to Watchmen status in a long time. If you can only read or buy one comics this year, buy this one. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

One word of advice, this is from the MAX line from Marvel and therefore contains colorful language and nudity so, put the kids to bed for this one.

Once upon a time a spacepod landed on Earth carrying an infant with superpowers. The baby was found by a childless couple who thought they he might be the answer to their prayers. But when they took the baby home, soldiers from the government showed up and took the baby away. Thus begins Project Hyperion, a top secret government project to raise the infant in a confined environment with the goal of producing a super solider. In case you were wondering, yes, writer Michael J. Straczynski, penciller Gary Frank, and inker Jon Sibal are beginning the "Supreme Power" series with a twist on the story of Superman. By the time you read "Contact," the first trade paperback collection of issues from the comic book you see that the idea here is to play around with five other DC icons (I do not want to give them all away, so let me just say we are talking about the heart of the Justice League of America).

Marvel's Ultimate comic books represent their biggest attempt to start over since all those New Universe titles a couple of decades past, and certainly they have played around with the DC icons, most notably in the pages of "Fear" when it featured the Man-Thing where a strange baby from another planet lands in the swamp and the kindly couple that discover the capsule decide to just keep driving down the road. Consequently, when the alien inside emerges many years later he has the powers of Superman with the brain of a baby and becomes the "hero" Wundarr. But that was mere satire and the stakes are higher here with the programming of Hyperion.

"Contact" collects the first six issues of "Supreme Powers" and if there is one thing I have learned about Stracynski from "Babylon 5" it is he begins a project like this knowing what the end game is going to be and it perfectly willing to take several years to play out the whole thing. So these first six issues are setting up characters and premises that will continue to develop down the road (four of the icons are revealed by the end of this trade paperback, with two still in the shadows).

One of the most memorable moments from the final issue of Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" is when Batman is stomping on Superman and pointing out that the lessons they learned from their parents made a big difference in how they view the world. Stracyznski is exploring that same idea with these characters. Hyperion is raised by "American" parents, except that they are really a pair of agents in deep cover. Young Titus Richmond watches his parents die when they are gunned down by a couple of rednecks, and the fact he is African-American comes into play in a significant way when he becomes Nighthawk, not to mention providing a whole new level of natural animosity between the two main icons. This just underscores that while the similarities are what we notice first, it is the differences where Straczynski is seeking to make his impacts.

Setting the story in the "real" world is always tricky business. Notice, for example, that this is a world without comic book superheroes, which means nobody has a frame of reference for at least discussing what happens when beings with super powers start popping up. Then there are the portrayals of the presidents, which seems to give away Stracyznski's political leanings, which may or may not be important to the developing narrative. But the key point here is that starting from scratch this time means during the administration of Jimmy Carter rather than during the Great Depression.

For me the strength of the "Supreme Power" storyline are the way Stracyznski and Frank make the most of small changes from the original icons. For example, every time Superman walks around as Clark Kent there are people who are dying because he is not flying around in his cape. Hyperion has been a secret weapon, so there is the idea that he is reserved for big things (e.g., Desert Storm, L.A. Riots), but when his existence is revealed so is his identity as Mark Milton. America's superhuman weapon does not get a private life, so, of course, that is what he wants. The "Contact" of the title is not just between Earth and the small visitor from another planet, but also Mark's first connections with others like himself.

This is a MAX Comic, which carries a parental advisory for explicit content. So far this warning is not for sex but for nudity and language (sometimes raw power makes wearing clothes difficult and street criminals are always going to have something to say about people in costumes interfering with their profession). The verdict on the series at this point is that it is very good, mainly because Stracyzynski puts a lot of thought into what he does (ergo, there is plenty to think about), but it is too soon to tell if it is great.

No, this is not a book from the Ultimate Marvel Universe line. It is a revised version of the Sqadron Supreme though. It takes place in its own seperate Marvel Universe where the only superpowered people are Hyperion, Blur, and Doctor Spectrum. Other heroes are hinted in this book, but you really can't tell. IT also has Nighthawk, who basically takes the law into his own hands, but doesn't have any powers.
Originally, The Squadron Supreme was just Marvel's version of the JLA. I have not read any of the original Squadron Supreme books, so I really don't know much about it. In Supreme Power though, the heroes do resemble the JLA. Hyperion-Superman, Blur-Flash, Nighthawk-Batman, Doctor Spectrum-Green Lantern. There really not carbon copies though. These characters have a lot of depth and this story is much better than any JLA stroy, or even Ultimates story. Get this book!!!

Babylon 5 creator and current Amazing Spider-Man scribe J. Michael Straczynski's reworking of the classic Squadren Supreme characters must be read to be believed. Supreme Power, arguably one of the most intelligent monthlies to come from Marvel in recent memory, is one of those rare instances in comics where everything just clicks. Straczynski's writing is nothing short of amazing, and Gary Frank's pencils suit it well indeed. The story involves the mysterious arrival of a human looking baby who exhibits extraordinary powers. Under the manipulation of the United States government, he grows up to become Mark Milton, AKA Hyperion, a being with powers so extraordinary and fantastic that he must be kept under control at any cost. The classic Squadren Supreme stories were Marvel's versions of the classic DC Comics characters (you can pretty much guess who Hyperion is based upon) as we also meet other super humans, one able to run at super sonic speed, one who has witnessed the murder of his parents as a youth and now fights crime as a vigilante by night, one who has a mysterious and powerful crystal bonded to his hand, and even more waiting in the wings. Supreme Power takes a mature look at what the world would be like with super humans living in it, and by the time you get to the last page of this TPB you'll be begging for the next volume, Powers & Principalities. If you haven't read any issues of Supreme Power, I strongly recommend picking this up and giving it a try; it's the best Marvel's MAX line has to offer.

Suprem Power vol.1 is the beginning arc in J. Michael Straczynski's re-telling of the Squadron Supreme, which was a Marvel rip-off of the biggest DC characters. This story is set in real time and in our world, with incredible art by Gary Frank.
The story begins with a very Superman-like origin of Hyperion. A spaceship lands in a field during the Carter administration and is found by a lonely couple. The origin takes a realistic twist when within hours of taking him home a government task force beats on their door and takes the boy away to be raised as a ward of the state.
Hyperion is given the name Mark Milton by a government focus group and raised by a volunteer couple under government supervision throughout the Reagan and Bush years. They mold Mark into an ultimate patriot willing to do anything for America.
The origins of Batman doppelganger Nighthawk and Flash-like Blur are also told in a more condensed way, and the ship that brought Hyperion to Earth's power source is used to make a Green Lanternish Doc Spectrum.
About halfway into the volume, Hyperion is used for the first time by the U.S. Army to put down Iraqi resistance during the gulf war. He is revealed to the public by Clinton in a controlled press release a couple of years later. His "parents" are pulled out of their mission and their death is faked to make Mark completely dependant on the government for a family figure shortly after his outing.
The story told in this six-issue volume leads up to the next volume, Powers and Principalities, where Hyperion finds out the government has used and lied to him. It also reveals Wonder Woman rip off Power Princess and Aquaman inspired Amphibian who are only briefly shown or mentioned in volume one. Once you have read Contact you almost have to pick up Powers and Principalities.
I loved Straczynski's thought out plot and that he obviously intended this to be a long story lets him pace the story a little slower, while his writing and Frank's art makes you turn the pages so fast you can't believe when it's over. I absolutely loved this comic.

I read the Squadron Supreme mini-series as a kid back in the 80's. I loved it then, but looking back now, it was some pretty simplistic stuff.

This book on the other hand is... GREAT! It's a pretty slow moving character study, but don't let that scare you off. Straczynski is building up a great back-story for all of the heroes, slowing assembling the team. I love how he's taking his time with it. I enjoy his adult view of the super-hero world. A little more realistic (if you can accept people flying) and a lot darker. The best part of this book is Hyperion's origin story, very well done.

Gary Frank's artwork is stunning, a perfect match for Straczynksi's brilliant story. Check out another one of their books, "Midnight Nation," published by Top Cow. This was just re-released so it's pretty easy to get now. It's equally good.

If you grew up reading comics, and are thinking about revisiting them as an adult, check out "Supreme Power: Contact." You won't be sorry!

This graphic novel takes us back to a set of characters first introduced in Squadron Superme. However, in this revision, the characters are even more dark and grim. Contact, which reprints Superme Power #1-6 gives the back story of Hyperion, an alien being which came to earth as a baby and has nearly unlimited power. He is taken in, raised, and brainwashed by the United States to become the perfect solider. It is an existence he tolerates in part because he believes that he is alone in his abilities and powers.

Yet, he's not alone. Stanley Stewart can run faster than anyone else, at speeds that only Hyperion can match. In the ocean, a tragic mermaid waits to meet more like herself. A princess has been waiting in hiding to show herself when the time is right. Nighthawk is a dark avenger with mental problems, and the Doctor is a government killer powered by a crystal from Hyperion's ship.

This first graphic introduces us to the characters and gives some back story, as well as sewing plots for further stories. It is better than many first graphics, and is very analogous to Ultimates, Authority, and Watchmen. If you liked any of those stories, you will love this graphic. Because it is a unique reality and the first in the series, it can be read and enjoyed by everyone whether a newcomer to comics or a long time comic book reader. However, due to the mature content, is would not be suitable for those 15 years and younger.

Highly recommended!

The man at helm of Babylon 5 takes a crack at reimagining Mark Gruenwald's classic Squadron Supreme.

An alien ship with a child lands on Earth, and the military leaders of the USA are terrified when they realise his potential. They set about a form of brainwashing to ensure he will work for them,by hiring two of their spies to act as man and wife and raise the boy for a couple of decades.