What if instead of potential nuclear annihilation and the ensuing détente, those bombs were six people with superpowers? That’s the elevator pitch for Image Comics The Power Fantasy #1. But true to form, writer Kieron Gillen layers on nuance, characters, and intricate plotting, along with Caspar Wjingaard’s superb pencils, to introduce what might be the next great superhero epic. It’s a little early to bandy around comparisons to Watchmen and Kingdom Come based on one issue. But at the very least fans of Wicked + Divine will find a lot to love — and become unsettled by — in this heady take on both superhero comics and an alternate history of the 20th Century.
To get into mild spoilers for the issue, Gillen drops us in the middle of a conversation between two of those superpowered beings: Valentina, the best of them; and Etienne Lux, a psychic-powered genius with a clear set of ethics. Whether those ethics are, indeed, ethical is the central question of the first issue, as he first floats the idea that they should take over the world. But then, when rebuffed, comes up with a Plan B: the six superpowers must never fight, or risk world annihilation.
It’s no coincidence that Gillen sets this conversation in 1966, four years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Lux calls them “Atomics” and there are implications that perhaps dropping the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is what caused the activation of these superpowered beings. But the overall mystery of their history takes second place to the bigger moral ideas Gillen is aiming to play with. The focus in issue one is squarely on Lux, who helps set up the rules of the world — and by the issue’s end has touched on the other superpowered beings in existence.
But in between the philosophical discussions, there’s a fair amount of stunning action, too. As Wjingaard showcased in previous series Home Sick Pilots and All Against All, he’s an expert with both subtle acting moments for the characters — as seen in a relatively quiet conversation between Etienne and one of his descendants in 1999 — as well as big shocking moments like when a space laser slices someone in half, with the resulting, devastating retaliation laid out in all its gory glory.
There’s a lot to dig into, in this issue, and the pair make full use of the 40 pages provided. As mentioned, it presents a nice comparison piece to Wicked + Divine. That series tackled pop culture through the lens of gods and mythology. Here, Gillen posits that our modern mythology, superheroes, are closer to weapons. It’s an alternate history of the world paralleling the dawn of superheroes in comics, and the dawn of the “superpowers” — i.e., countries who possess nuclear weapons. As with everything Gillen crafts, it’s smartly done, engaging, and recontextualizes how we approach stories through the lens of the real world.
It also might stand next to those superhero stories that changed comics in the long run… Though here, we’re just at the start. As is, it’s a very, very good start.
The Power Fantasy #1 is in stores now from Image Comics.
