DESCRIPTION:
Presenting a brand-new vision of a world about to give birth to its first generation of
superheroes. This new MAX ongoing series follows the origins of these new heroes - from their
birth through adulthood, and examines how their lives and abilities change and shape the world
around them. A hard edged, mature and deeply personal saga that pushes the limits of the comics
form into new, uncharted territory. Pencils and cover by Gary Frank. Retail price expected to
be $2.99.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
There will also be a SUPREME POWER #1 (SPECIAL EDITION) which will be an enhanced,
behind-the-scenes edition that features the entire regular edition plus a new cover by Joe
Quesada, original character sketches by Gary Frank, a look back at the original Squadron
Supreme series that inspired Supreme Power. Retail price expected to be $4.99 and will also
be in stores on Aug.6.2003.
To see how this saga truly began, readers should also check out the Squadron Supreme TP
(JUN031626, $29.99), also offered in July. Written by Gruenwald -- and illustrated by John
Buscema, Bob Hall, Paul Ryan, & Paul Neary, with a cover by Alex Ross -- the 352-page volume
collects the story that inspired Supreme Power and set the standard for post-modernist
super-hero fiction like Watchmen, Kingdom Come, and The Authority.
MONICA'S REVIEW:
JMS sure hit the ground running with this title. It was a great first issue and sets the story
up as well as beginning to introduce more characters. In case you didn't know already, Supreme
Power is a retelling of an old comic book title called Squadron Supreme. Apparently, this was
Marvel's tribute to the great DC characters and the Justice League of America. However, I
believe JMS has truely taken it to the next level which was cleaverly illustrated in the first
few pages. It starts out as a very familiar homage to the origins of Superman but you soon
realize it is a much different take. I also enjoyed the references to Carter and Bush Sr. as
it lends an even eerier quality to the story. As many other people have mentioned as well ...
the scene with the dog was probably my favorite part of the book.
I happened to read the Special Edition of this title and I liked seeing the sketches Frank did
along with his comments about developing the characters. The inclusion of the Avengers comics
didn't do much for me since they are not really my style. They are also quite different than
the characters JMS will be presenting to us so it was a bit jarring to read. Still, it was fun
to see some of the origins of the title but I would have much rather enjoyed reading why
Squadron Supreme was created in the first place and why they resemble the DC characters so
much. I am sure die hard comic book fans could care less about this but being new to the comic
book world and highly selective of what I read, I thought it would have been helpful.
OTHER EDITIONS:
I have also collected the Special Edition which
has a new cover by Joe Quesada; 15 pages of character sketches, and concept and design art by
Gary Frank; full-color reprints of Avengers Vol. 1, #85-86 (features the original appearance
of the Squadron Supreme, the classic Marvel team that inspired Supreme Powers); and an
introduction by Ralph Macchio, editor of Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme maxi-series.
JMS AT RASTB5M SAID:
SEP.7.2003
I got the impression that he doesn't like Bush I very much either
from this issue. Interesting placement of the crystal, no? ;^)
Actually, that wasn't in the script, that was something that Gary came up with, I didn't see
it until it was in the pencils.
SEP.6.2003
Well, I thought they were married or a couple already. In fact, I
thought they were the same couple that found the baby in the crash, and then later they got
recruited by the government to bring him up.
No, the first time we see them, the guy in charge notes that they've just been introduced.
I still think they were having S&M sex. It's just that "going down to the basement" is
such a commonly used thing whenever writers want to characters to have S&M sex.
No, they were getting away from the cameras. We note them say the line about getting away
while looking past one of the cameras.
AUG.24.2003
As expected, Supreme Power #1 has sold out just about everywhere,
topping 100,000 copies. But that left a lot of folks out in the cold who wanted to read it.
Happily, because of all the demands to see it, the entire book has been made available to
read on-line at:
Wizard
Universe
MAY.15.2003
I noticed that it wasn't in the July previews, after it had been set
for July 16th, and inquired of Marvel because we're well ahead on art and scripts (I'm
working on issue 5 at the moment).
They explained that they'd wanted to debut the comic at Wizard Con (either Philly or Chicago,
I can't now remember), but since I couldn't make it, they pushed the debut to August 6th,
which allows us to get even further ahead on scripts. Once it hits the ground, we won't have
any basis for missing any pub dates for at least half a year, if not more.
APR.19.2003
I've always heard that the pub date is July 16, and thus far nobody's
said anything to the contrary. I can't see any reason why there would be a delay, since
we're now 4 scripts ahead and the first issue is through pencils, inks and lettering.
MAR.5.2003
The first three scripts are in, have been for a while, and we're now
well into pencils on issue two. The book is set to debut July 16th.
It's really pretty spiffy so far.
JAN.12.2003
The first issue, drawn by Gary Frank of Midnight Nation, is due to
hit stores around March 16th.
JAN.6.2003
I'm working with Gary Frank and Joe Quesada on the art and look of the
book, which is very cool.
