From the creative team behind Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt comes a complex and brilliant new take on the politics of rogue Superbeings with The Power Fantasy #1. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Caspar Wijngaard, with design work by Rian Hughes and lettering from Clayton Cowles , this first smart and intense first chapter is possibly the most promising spin on the superhero genre in the last several years. With a deeply compelling script and stunningly directed visuals, this is one of the strongest debut comics of 2024.
“Superpowered.” You have certain preconceptions. They’re incorrect. Here, that word has a specific technical definition. Namely, “any individual with the destructive capacity of the nuclear arsenal of the USA.”
There are six such people on Earth. The planet’s survival relies on them never coming into conflict.”
Writing & Plot
Writer Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine, Eternals) is no stranger to writing being with unimaginable power. From Marvel’s most famous to reimagining the gods of myth, Gillen has always had a knack for portraying for portraying superbeings with incisive introspection. His work here in The Power Fantasy #1 is taking this entire concept to new heights. Equal parts Watchmen, The Authority, and the work of Jonathan Hickman, Power Fantasy presents us with a world that is run entirely on the whim of 6 sentient nuclear warheads – you know, superheroes. Most of this comic is run on Gillen’s gripping conversational dialogue. He pens exposition that introduces this reader to this world while declaring the weight of what is currently happening in said world, all while making it not feel like exposition at all. Characters talk a *lot* here, but every word is important. You’ll find no snarky one-liners here, everything is as serious as a declaration of war – which it may as well be. Every interaction has tremendous weight, which makes sense when we’re watching walking nuclear arsenals negotiate. Action is rare in Power Fantasy. However, when it does happen, it happens carefully and with frightening implications. There’s only one action scene in this issue, and the entire final third of the comic is spent watching the painstaking work it takes to keep events from spiraling into apocalypse. This is a fascinating comic, and is easily some of Kieron Gillen’s most impressive work in a storied career.
Art Direction
Caspar Wijngaard’s stunning animations, vibrant colors, and tightly plotted sequential direction make Power Fantasy #1 a reading experience that is as perfectly paced as it is stunning. His character designs are wonderfully unique, with each of the Six superbeings offering wildly different aesthetics – from Lux’s impeccable modern fits to the Destiny-inspired android design of Magus. Wijngaard’s eye for facial animation keeps the many conversations as engaging to watch as they are to actually read, maintaining a sense of humanity in these beyond-human characters. His panel structure is wildly diverse, with completely different arrangements on every page based on the flow of conversation. Wijngaard makes it a point to illustrate every subtle change in expression to gauge the tone of a conversation, then breaks that conversation up with his sequential direction. Once more, action in this comic is seldom, but when it hits it absolutely pierces the reading experience. Wijngaard saves his splash pages for the absolutely biggest moments, making them explode off the page and remain memorable after you’re finished reading. Wijngaard’s color art is as equally stunning as his pencils, offering an experience that could only be captured in the comics medium. His pastel-style art washes every page in warm, colorful hues and creates an almost liquid across every panel. His work makes every panel feel almost like they’re spilling over into another, despite the fact that they are all separated by pretty conventional blocking. There’s a distinct effect Caspar deploys contrasting the Superpowered and the normal passersby – the main cast receives a complex, defined color palette, while the extras are all in washed-out monotone. It’s rare that color art helps define a comic’s theme, but Power Fantasy is proving itself to be an exceptional comic. Case and point is Clayton Cowles’ lettering. I’m not sure when the last time was that I saw a comic use lower-case lettering in dialogue balloons. Here, it makes the wordy reading experience feel more like prose – without ever letting go of being a visually-engaging comic. The Power Fantasy is a striking tour de force of visual storytelling.
Verdict
The Power Fantasy #1 is a brilliant opening issue that brings a desperately needed new approach to a well-worn comics genre trope. Kieron Gillen’s script is complex, intelligent, and deeply compelling, offering the smartest take on superpowered beings in years. The visuals from Caspar Wijngaard are stunningly detailed, finely directed, and wildly colorful, all combining to make possibly the best debut comic of the year so far. Be sure to grab The Power Fantasy #1 when it hits shelves on August 7th!
