Customer Reviews

Supreme Power, Vol. 2 (v. 2)

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

 

 

This volume collects Supreme Power issues 13-18 as well as Hyperion issues 1-5 in a lovely hardcover format.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski the first part is illustrated by Gary Frank and the later half is drawn by Dan Jurgens. While the book compiles two different comics, the plot line is pretty well integrated as Hyperion takes place immediately following the end of the Supreme Power series. The change in the artwork I found rather jarring as I loved Frank's work, and Jurgens style is not so much to my liking. I really didn't care for the story line in the Hyperion half either. The first half of the book follows Hyperion, Blur and Nighthawk as they track down a serial killer who is an escaped convict who was subjected to genetic experiments by the government. He essentially was given the same powers as Hyperion. The story itself was OK, but not IMO up to par with the prior storyline in Vol 1. In the Hyperion sub arc, the government upset at Mark leaving "the team" outs him as an alien. They also assemble a team of super humans to bring him back. I was average at best.

I was rather disappointed with this collection. I loved the first volume, but this one certainly is quite the fall off in quality. Combine that with half the book being drawn in a style I didn't care for results in a reader not to bothered by the dropping of this title from the Max line.

5 out of 10

Collecting the third (and final) storyarc from Marvel's MAX title Supreme Power, as well as the Supreme Power: Hyperion mini-series, this second handsome hardcover collection is another must own for fans of truly adult, and truly spectacular, comic goodness. Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski crafts the stories here, beginning with High Command. This picks up where Powers & Principalities left off, with Hyperion, Nighthawk, and the Blur teaming up as a Squadren for the first time. Their hunt for a super powered serial killer has led them to an unthought of source, and what develops sets the stage for later stories, as well as the path Hyperion will take. This picks up in the Hyperion mini-series, which finds the government on Hyperion's trail by recruiting new super powered individuals (once again, all of whom are modeled after classic Squadren Supreme characters) whose clash with Hyperion produces unlikely results with an ending that will leave you salivating. Gary Frank provides his usually great work in High Command, while Dan Jurgens (AKA, the man who killed Superman) provides decent enough pencils in the Hyperion mini-series. All in all, if you've read previous Supreme Power work, then you know what you're getting here, and by the way, if you haven't already, check out Daniel Way's Supreme Power: Nighthawk TPB, which is just as great.

Vol. 2 is just as good as Vol. 1. The only bad thing is that Supreme Power is no longer a part of the MAX series. I have read some of the non-MAX material (Squadron Supreme) and it is good, but lacking some of the realism that the MAX series had. The art work and story telling are superb as in Vol. 1. Buy both volumes. You will be glad you did. I read both in two days. I couldn't put them down. Five stars all the way!

JMS' re-envisioning of the Squadron Supreme continues.

The tension stays high in the first half of the volume, which includes the remaining issues of the MAX Supreme Power series, and features the not-team taking out a very frightening super-powered serial killer, who turns out to have a link to the rest of the characters in the series, which makes him even more unsettling.

The second half, featuring the fallout of Hyperion's outing as an alien is a bit more standard superhero fare, but it sets up interesting tension for upcoming stories -- which hopefully we'll get to see. That's the biggest knock against this franchise so far: It's been all set-up, with characters not quite meeting and not quite teaming up. Hopefully we'll get a payoff soon, and that it'll measure up to what's come before.

Absolutely one of the best sagas in graphic novels, supreme power presents a more real and contemporary view of superheroes, showing straczynski's view of what would "really" happen if we found out the existence of people with super powers. I love it since it's focused not only in the super heroes but also in the humankind, analyzing our nature and how it would impact the world conception for new generations.
IMPORTANT! Only recommended if you have already read supreme power vol.1. (a truly must read saga)