Project Superpowers #1 - Review
Written by: Rob Williams
Art by: Sergio Davila
Coloured by: Felideus
Lettered by: Simon Bowland
Published by: Dynamite
After what seems to be a few years in dormancy, Project Superpowers is back at Dynamite comics, and I won’t lie, I couldn’t wait to read this issue. Project Superpowers, for those who may not know, was Dynamite choosing to reintroduce many lost superheroes from the Golden Age who, after many years, had entered the public domain. Now, they all reside in this new world as time-displaced heroes who live in the present but still have a lot of the sensibilities of the age where it was very black and white when it came to the dichotomy between heroes and villains.
In this new volume, spearheaded by Rob Williams and art by Sergio Davila, we get to see these heroes after they’ve lived in our era for what appears to be a few years now. This is done through the lens of now retired hero Diana Adams, aka Masquerade, as she goes about her day in what appears to be New York city as well as a talk-show appearance for her new book. This combination of scenes is what I would call a perfect recap for any new reader to the series. Williams, through Diana’s dialogue, gives you the crux of whom these heroes were, who they are now, and how they fit within this world.
What Williams does next is also a perfect example of new-reader-friendly material by creating a crisis that will not only drive the story forward, but also serve as a reintroduction to all the heroes of Project Superpowers and have the added benefit of introducing us to a new character.
In the midst of being reintroduced to the likes of Green Lama, The Mighty Samson, Black Terror and The Scarab, we are also introduced to Imani Cooper. We get a little of her back story from an inner monologue, but also get to see that she has the makings of a hero through her response to the crisis. By doing so, the last page reveal is not shocking in the least and sets the stage for what is to come.
The art team of Davila and Felideus does a marvellous job throughout of bringing all these heroes to life, and they look good while taking care of the crisis. There are a few moments here and there where the art dips in quality, but nothing to take me out of the story.
All in all, this was probably one of the best first issues I’ve read recently when it comes to reintroducing a world to new readers. Williams does a magnificent job of telling us who these characters are and how they fit into this new “World without wonder.”