Blog Log # 2 (Out of the Milkcrates: Project Superpowers or Project Awesome?)

Project Superpowers


Plot, Covers and Art Direction by –Alex Ross


Plot and Script by –Jim Krueger


Interior Art –Carlos Paul (most of the time), Stephen Sadowski, Doug Klauba, and Alex Ross (sometimes)



So, I have just reread Project Superpowers. And it was absolutely, positively, and with out a doubt one of the most satisfying superhero stories I have ever read. In my opinion, the idea of letting these guys create a universe all their own using old forgotten characters could be one of the best ideas in superhero comic’s history. I have said it before and I will say it again. “Project Superpowers is better than Kingdom Come. Not that Kingdom Come isn’t a great book but Project Superpowers is the birth of a universe, as to a universe slightly modified.” With that said I will now say there is only 8 ½ Project Superpowers issues out… right now. (If you don’t count the spin-offs, which I highly recommend.)

The story goes like this. I will try to do this as vaguely as possible using Robnotes, so I don’t ruin it for you. This Old guy did a bad thing along time ago. Now faced with old age he is confronted by a patriotic spirit and the promise of death. He feels horrible about his past sins and decides to fix it. You see he had trapped all his hero friends in a Pandora urn. He had his reasons. (Read to find them out.) His answer is to throw the urn on the ground. So he did and it broke but nothing happened. Yeah right. Golden Age characters start popping up all over the globe. Many dislike the old guy. They have their reasons. (Read to find out.) With these heroes now in a new time and not really sure what the hell is going on must figure out what the hell is going on. One thing they find is that the times have not changed, in the worst ways. Are the heroes or villains? (Read to find out) Does the old man die? (Read to find out) Is it about a death or about a birth? (Read to find out) These pages are packed with a wonderful history of a time long forgotten placed within pictures of great beauty. It is definitely a must for anyone who loves superhero comics. And every issue includes a journal entry by The Fighting Yank, which gives us backgrounds on the characters plus Alex Ross penciled portraits of some very fascinating heroes.

I put this book up their with JSA, Kingdom Come, New Frontier, and Justice (obviously) amongst many other great team books. Admittedly, I felt like I was a little kid reading the beginning of the JSA while reading Project Superpowers. It was a pretty great feeling since I have been in a superhero rut for the last few weeks. There is an amazing looking hardcover available that includes issues 0 thru 7. It does not have the Wizard ½ issue or the Free Comic Book Day. Those issues are not absolutely necessary if you are not me. They are just short stories with extra information about a few characters. I highly recommend you get on board to the fantastic stuff happening over there at Dynamite. Currently there are two spin-off books, The Death Defying Devil (Scripted by Joe Casey and interior art by Edgar Salazar) and The Black Terror (Scripted by Jim Krueger and interior art by Mike Lilly) with a Masquerade (Scripted by Phil Hester and interior art by Carlos Paul) due to come out real soon. So get on it.

–Rob

The characters include:

The American Spirit
The Arrow, Ralph Payne
The Black Terror, Bob Benton
The Claw, Now a multi-bodied terrorist organization
The Crusaders, soldiers with the same powers as the American Crusader
The Death-Defying ’Devil, Bart Hill
Dynamic Man, Curt Cowan/Bert McQuade
Dynamic Boy
Dynamic Woman
Fighting Yank, Bruce Carter III
The Flame, Gary Preston
The F-Troop, based with the same design from Frankenstein’s monster
Green Lama, Jethro “Jet” Dumont
Hydro, Bob Blake
Masquerade, Diana Adams
Mister Face, Tony Trent
The Owl, Nick Terry
Pyroman Dick Martin
Samson
The Scarab, Amon Khadul - loosely based on the Scarab (Nedor)
The Supremacy
The Target, Niles Reed, Dave Brown and Tom Foster
V-Man, Jerry Steele

Brief Mentions: The Death-Defying Devil # 1

Plot, Cover and Art Direction by: Alex Ross

Plot and Script by: Joe Casey

Interior Art by: Edgar Salazar

Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr.

(Top: Alex Ross Cover, Below: John Cassaday Cover. These are only 2 of 8 covers in all.)

I would like to start by saying that I am a huge fan of Golden Age Characters. It is another amazing side effect of a book called Starman. I know… I know… here we go again with the Starman. To you I say… it’s not my fault that Starman is the canon of DC superhero comics. Getting back to the subject, there is a book called Project Superpowers that Dynamite is putting out. This book is perfect for fans like me or any fans of another book called The Twelve. Project Superpowers is reviving long lost characters from companies like Fox Comics, Crestwood Publications and Nedor Comics. Upon the conclusion of the first arc we are getting a few spinoff books that have seemed to be of the upmost importance of the world that is being created over there at Dynamite. The second of these books bridging the gap from the first and the second arc of Project Superpowers is The Death-Defying Devil.

The Death Defying-Devil # 1 finds our Golden Age hero in present day but it seems to be buisness as usaual. Meaning our hero can still kick a little ass. You see things are little bit different but the same sheenagins are present. Such as, shady people doing shady things; therefore, the Devil must open up a can of whoop ass. The real test comes when an interesting, yet familiar looking player enters the game. A fight ensues until the bright lights shine down from on high, leaving us wondering what or should I say whose ass will be kicked next. For more info about the character The Death-Defying ’Devil, Bart Hill click on his name listed previously in this sentence.

Needless to say, I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys superhero comics. As well as all the other spin offs of Project Superpowers, which for those of you who do not own the issues can now get a very handsome hardcover copy of the first arc. After you pick that up all you need to do is grab Black Terror #1, The Death-Defying Devil #1, and to keep your eyes peeled for The Masqurade, as told by Phil Hester, that will becoming soon. Also keep your eyes locked to this site for my full review of Project Superpowers from the beginning to the present coming soon… I promise. My very first From The Milk Crates? Maybe… just maybe it may be so.

-Rob

*From the editor’s desk: Due to the fact I have been called out on my horrible memory (cough… cough… you know who you are.) I am excited to tell you that I can’t wait to sit down and read all the Project Superpowers books. And when I finish my wonderful adventure I will tell the tale of this wonderful book by a wonderful team in great detail. For a man is only as good as his words. Now my words are “maybe I will maybe I won’t we will see what happens” but I am excited to write about this story that I believe to be underrated and over looked but definitely deserving of a blog log. I will get into that at a later date you have my words on that.