PROJECT SUPERPOWERS
New Tricks
First brought together as Project Superpowers by Alex Ross and Kim Krueger in 2008, this disparate band of public domain superheroes are essentially Avengers/Justice League composites, although many of the characters actually date back further than their more illustrious counterparts.
The story starts at a breakneck pace, as Buddhist magician the Green Lama desperately attempts to prevent all the world’s airplanes from crashing to earth. The audacious twists come thick and fast, as the Spirit of the American Flag possesses African-American teenager Imani Cooper. Injecting some youthful, diverse blood into their ranks, they avoid becoming just another Justice Society-style heritage outfit, so it’s unfortunate when Imani lapses into a coma.
From frightened civilians mistaking the Black Terror for a terrorist because of his foreboding name to the brutish Samson imploring his opponents to read books, Rob Williams imbues his script with the same wry humour that makes Suicide Squad such an engaging read. In a neat moment of meta-fiction, when glamorous Masquerade is interviewed on TV to promote her new autobiography, the book has the same Alex Ross cover as the original Project Superpowers collection.
Sergio Davila brings a visceral muscularity to the numerous fight scenes, and his opening first splash page of the Flag making ominous pronouncements while hovering over an ordinary New York street is downright spooky. With its enthralling mix of action, horror and satire, this is a super-team book that, refreshingly, isn’t afraid to go against the grain. Stephen Jewell
Some of the ’40s Black Terror strips were penned by Patricia Highsmith, later author of The Talented Mr Ripley.