There’s a lot of continuity going into this year’s DC Comics Black History Month special, DC Power 2025: Rise of the Power Company #1. So credit to the expansive cast of writers and artists involved for making every story thematically connected, and more important, easy to get into. You don’t need to know the deep history of Josiah Power, Jo Mullein, or any of the rest to enjoy these routinely excellent tales — and get excited for what’s coming next.
The framing device by Brandon Thomas and Charles Stewart III is the strongest of the bunch, featuring Josiah Power grappling with his new, devastating powers after the end of Absolute Power, and his new-found sense of responsibility to the community. You feel the loss of his nephew in every page, and the end pages, where Power tries to recruit Black Lightning are neatly conversational and full of twists. There’s more Power Company to come, and if you weren’t into the concept of yet another superteam before, you will be by the end of this anthology.
The Vixen and Bolt story by Zipporah Smith and Kelsey Ramsay similarly deals with the burden of being a superhero when your powers come from a place that maybe isn’t as good as you might want it to be. Vixen provides the steady, older hand; and Bolt (the heir of Black Adam) continues to be a fascinating character in his own right.



Next up is Cyborg and Green Lantern from John Jennings, Caanan White & Atagun Ilhan. The most action-forward of the stories in this collection, Cyborg gets the rare respite of not being the emotionally traumatized character. Instead, we get a lot more on Jo Mullein’s backstory, helping separate the Green Lantern from being intrinsically tied to the (excellent) Far Sector.
And last but not least is Batman and The Signal from Vita Ayala and Ray-Anthony Height. Ayala neatly flips the expected dynamic here, with The Signal being the more experienced voice of reason, and Batman (the Jace Fox version) learning a lesson or two. It’s a nice riff on Batman and Robin that would be fun to see get more play in the future.
Short version? As usual, a solidly executed collection from DC Comics, and an excellent primer for all of these characters if you’ve never read any of their books before. And if you had? It’s just great to have them back. More power to them.
DC Power 2025: Rise of the Power Company #1 Rating:
DC Power 2025: Rise of the Power Company #1 Official Synopsis:
The Justice League’s watchtower looming in the skies is intended to inspire hope and faith in superheroes, but not everyone believes the metahumans act in humanity’s best interests. The fringe beliefs that “Waller was Right” have grown louder as paramilitary groups take to the streets to take Earth back for the human race. Enter Josiah Power, a meta-attorney who’s seen enough of rising hate and sets out to assemble a team not only to protect black and brown communities from these new threats but also to rebuild human faith in heroes.
DC Power returns for a third year in a new format, continuing the story lines from Absolute Power and All In and setting the stage for the return of the Power Company!
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