Stores
All the places to find your funny books.

Forum
Comics, Comics, We all love Comics.

Reviews
Glorifications & Executions of the latest issues.

Fanboy Art
Put your penciling on display. Risk kicking ass or sucking it.

Order
Track down those hard to find comics from yesteryear.

Calendar
A comics related calendar. Covers release dates, conventions etc.

Supreme Power

Creators: J. Michael Straczynski, Gary Frank
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Rob Manuel

Stop me if you've heard this one.

A simple farmer and his childless wife watch as a meteorite from of the sky lands in a nearby cornfield. The couple goes to investigate it because glowing hot rock is generally the most interesting thing that happens in a fly-over state. You know if this rock hit LA people wouldn't care unless it had a reservation for Spargo. As it turns out, the rock is actually a spaceship with a baby inside from a far away planet. Ma calls dibs, Pa licks the kid, and as we all know, that makes anything rightfully yours in any Midwest court.

Did you hear the one about the rich family coming out of the movie theater? Hand-and-hand they stroll down the alleyway because that's where rich people like to park their cars. From out of the shadows, a gun is drawn. Shots are fired. Two bodies lie dead in alleyway, leaving behind a very rich orphan with a taste for revenge. Did you hear about the test pilot who gains powers through an alien artifact? How about the merman sworn to protect the creatures under the sea? How about the guy who's ... um... really fast? You've probably heard all this before, but this isn't that story.

Still with that "fresh from spaceship" smell that all babies have, Government Agents surrounded the small farm where the child lived. Men in dark shades to match their suits took the alien child to a foster family set-up closely monitored by the government. I told you this wasn't the other story you were thinking about. Volume One of Supreme Power focuses on the life of this alien child, Mark Milton, or his much cooler name Hyperion. Life is not a box of chocolates when your primary means of education is Fox News. Not long after his eighteenth birthday, Mark discovers how much of a sham most of his life has become and how different he is from everyone else. Flight. Speed. Super Senses. Super Human Power. Not wanting to leave the only life he's ever known, Mark sides with the only people who are willing to accept him, the government.

See if you can follow me. Supreme Power is actually a remake of the Marvel classic Squadron Supreme which is a remake of DC comic's Justice League. That's why all the superheroes have familiar origins. I'm not a huge fan of comics blatantly ripping-off other comics to twist it into some sort of farce (see: Marville). The stories usually get so wrapped up in that paper-thin line of copyrights and poking fun at the competition that they forget a lot about the story. Thankfully with a name like J. Michael Straczynski on your front cover, you won't have to worry about a watered down story. Straczynski does an excellent job of spending only one or two pages on "familiar story" before taking over and turning them in a new direction. It's the first volume so you can't help but roll your eyes at the familiar turn of events and subtle jabs at the original. Race, greed, and power quickly come into play and turn the story from a joke to what it should be from page one - a story. There's a definite shadow stretching across the pages that gives it that gritty feel that it needs. Like many writers, Straczynski tries to recreate the modern superhero by giving them modern problems. While the first volume makes for an enjoyable read, it will be the second volume that will prove Supreme Power's true worth.

Rating: (3 out of 4 stars)

Want to discuss this, and other topics, with fellow fans?
Post your thoughts in the SJ Fanboy Forum now!