PROJECT SUPERPOWERS: FRACTURED STATES #5, from Dynamite Comics on August 3rd, 2022, brings the arc to a hope-inspiring finale as John Doe is trapped by American Spirit and the Revolutionary. Can the enigmatic hero reclaim his freedom, his memories, and his country?
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: August 3, 2022
Is It Good?
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS: FRACTURED STATES #5 ends the arc with rousing dialog, fisticuffs, and a surprise revelation about John Doe’s identity that you won’t see coming. Surprise revelations are always a net positive, but this finale feels more like a prologue that sets up further adventures than a complete conclusion, so your satisfaction level may vary.
Our overall feeling on this issue is positive. Marz, Lanning, Utrera, Hesli, and Napolitano are working in perfect sync to pull off a fight for existence when John Doe is “absorbed” into American Spirit.
[Author’s note: American Spirit is an American flag possessed by the ghost of an American Revolution-era soldier. Think Cloak from Cloak & Dagger without the body, just the cloak.]
The fight, more mental than physical, uses the struggle to show how the events that fractured the country also fractured the minds and spirits of the heroes who fought so long to defend America. Marz and Lanning lay a solid foundation of hurt and pain to explain what happened to the once heroes now turned villains. By pushing hard on the anguish emotions, American Spirit’s motivations become apparent and tragic.
Once the story reaches its climax, all is revealed about John Doe’s identity, and it’s a wholly unguessable reveal. On the one hand, the fun of a mystery is gathering the clues to guess the outcome for yourself as if it were a game. That’s impossible with this outcome, which robs a little of the mystery fun out of the conclusion. On the other hand, the reveal is a surprise brimming with hope for the future, so Marz and Lanning lean on the readers’ sense of patriotism to provide satisfaction by proxy over not allowing readers to play along in the mystery. Does it work? Are readers so filled with patriotism and hope that they don’t mind a swerve in the reveal? Almost.
The art by Utrera, Hesli, and Napolitano is excellent. Most of the public domain, pulp characters have admittedly silly costumes, but the art team plays it straight and gives the character designs as much power and heroic energy to compensate for the goofy and sometimes-repetitive designs. The characters fit in the future context of the story. They may look a little dated, but they still fit, and the last page closer opens the door for new adventures, and perhaps some costume upgrades, in the future.
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]
Refresh your memory on the lead-up to John Doe’s confrontation with American Spirit and Revolutionary in our PROJECT SUPERPOWERS: FRACTURED STATES #4 review.
We begin with John Doe tumbling through the dark void inside the American Spirit. He sees the other heroes of the past and present who the American Spirit has captured and absorbed. Their faces trigger memories of scenes from the past, and John Doe suddenly realizes who, or more accurately what, he is.
John Does isn’t a person but the collective hope for America inspired by all the heroes who were previously trapped in Pandora’s Urn, the magic vessel that contained all the pulp heroes of the past until they were needed again in the modern era. John Doe is the living embodiment of the hope and belief in American ideals that bound the heroes of the past in common understanding. John Doe is the personification of everything that makes America great.
With renewed clarity and a sense of purpose, John Doe fights against American Spirit’s dark grip. We conclude the issue with a helping hand, multiple escapes, and a new beginning.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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PROJECT SUPERPOWERS: FRACTURED STATES #5 is a rousing, hopeful, complete finale for a surprisingly good arc. The main character’s true identity is a creative surprise, and the art is top-notch. However, the final battle is more exposition than action, making this last issue feel more like a setup for an adventure yet to come rather than a fully-satisfying finale.
Related Information
Who was the first superhero of the Golden Age?
Superman, who first appeared in Action Comics in 1938, is the hero most cited as the one who began the Golden Age of comics. However, the first superhero to wear tights and a domino mask most associated with the arrival of Golden Age-styled superheroes is the Phantom who appeared in Sunday newspaper comic strips in February 1936.
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