PROJECT SUPERPOWERS: FRACTURED STATES #1, from Dynamite Comics on April 6th, 2022, imagines a future where America is flooded, rich elites have moved to high ground or floating cities, and a past hero awakes to it all with no memory.
The Details
- Written By: Ron Marz, Andy Lanning
- Art By: Emilio Utrera
- Colors By: Arthur Hesli
- Letters By: Tom Napolitano
- Cover Art By: Michael Rooth (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: April 6, 2022
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Was It Good?
Before we get into the review, a quick word about the current state of the Big 2 and the Comics Industry. Marvel and DC have not been doing well lately. Flat (Marvel) and declining (DC) sales are a reaction to poor quality and climbing cover prices presented to a customer base starving for good superhero stories at a fair price. The Western superhero comic market is ripe for the taking for a publisher willing to step up and give customers what they’ve been missing, so I encourage Dynamite and every other mid-to-small publisher to put out more, good superhero content at an affordable price. The market is ready for an overhaul.
Therefore, I was extremely pleased to see Dynamite dust off the Project: Superpowers line. In PROJECT SUPERPOWERS: FRACTURED STATES #1, readers get a look at a not-so-distant future where the world has gone downhill on multiple fronts. For anyone unfamiliar with Dynamite’s superhero line, this might be one of the smartest ways to introduce one (or several) characters. By jumping ahead into a future timeline, the writers have created a natural mechanism for flashbacks and character (re)introductions that don’t seem like a rehash for existing fans.
The plot, despite a lot of movement in a short period of time, keeps the narrative straight, clean, and clear. That’s a testament to the quality of writing here from Marz and Lanning. The prologue introduces the main character through the action of a “final” fight. The character’s re-emergence into the future is disorienting but presented in an obvious way so as not to be frustrating for the reader. And, the hero’s first introduction with future characters tells you all you need to know about the current state of the world as told through the action rather than relying too much on heavy exposition. Again, this is great plotting and story structure.
The art from Utrera, Hesli, and Napolitano is excellent in this issue. It’s classic, dramatic superhero storytelling with powerful action, powerful figures, and powerful emotion. Every panel feels important and drawn for maximum effect. There isn’t a single panel wasted, and every page is designed to move the story forward. Some may call this type of comic old-fashioned, but newer isn’t always better, and this is exactly the type of superhero comic missing from the market today.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a prologue battle between The Flag and a figure shrouded in shadow at the base of Lincoln’s Statue in Washington D.C. Despite his best efforts, The Flag is knocked out and appears to receive a killing blow.
Suddenly, The Flag wakes up in a closed-off storage room. He’s bearded, naked, and has no memory of who or where he is. When he opens the sealed hatch to the storeroom, a torrent of brackish water floods in, and he’s forced to swim through quickly filling halls and air vents to the surface. The flag soon finds himself wandering around an abandoned amusement park on a stormy night when he encounters a massive reptile that looks like a mutated alligator. Before The Flag becomes gator chow, gunfire erupts to save him.
We conclude the issue with familiar costumes, unfamiliar faces, and an unusual history lesson.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS: FRACTURED STATES #1 nails the classic superhero drama that’s been so sorely missing from the Western Comics market over the last several years. The writing is effective and tight. The art is powerful and dramatic. And, the premise is perfectly situated to introduce new readers to existing characters while giving longtime fans a new experience.
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