Warning: Spoilers for “The Power Fantasy No. 1”!
Summary
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The power fantasy
Image Comics’ #1 issue is a hit; the first issue sells out and is going into a second printing. - The comic challenges the traditional superhero narrative by focusing on the dangers of superpowers and the ethics of their use.
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The power fantasy
is a cynical take on superpowers that looks at superhero families from a unique perspective and puts morality in a new light.
The power fantasy is already proving to be one of the best new releases in Picture Comics‘ cast. Kieron Gillen’s own successor to his X-Men run, co-created with acclaimed artist Caspar Wijngaard, has been highly anticipated since the project was announced. That excitement has translated into copies flying off the shelves quickly, and for good reason.
Image Comics has hit a home run with the release of The power fantasy #1 by Gillen and Wijngaard. According to Image, which also released new covers and preview pages, first copies of the first issue of The power fantasy sold out just days before release, and the publisher is already rushing the issue back to print. When you look at everything that happens in issue #1 alone, it’s easy to see why everyone is so excited and why this first issue sold out so quickly.
The very first page of this issue is a perfect introduction to everything this series is about. The excitement about The power fantasy is easy to justifyand the story and the artistic execution definitely live up to the hype.
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The power fantasy #1 is a fascinating look at superhero culture
what is The power fantasy Actually approximately?
The concept behind it The power fantasy depends largely on the reader’s understanding of superhero culture and superpowers in general. While many superhero stories reflect on the glorious wonders of superpowers and what good things can come from superpowered individuals, The power fantasy focuses on how dangerous someone with superpowers can be, regardless of the intention of using them. This universe introduces six such people with superpowers, all coexisting on the planet. The story defines a person with superpowers as “an individual with the destructive power of the nuclear arsenal of a major world power.”
Are these characters good, evil or something in between?
On less than five pages of the first edition, one of the characters, Etienne Lux, says in 1966: “no one should have the power we have. The most ethical thing for us is not to exist.“The issue ends with an older Lux, now in the present, suggesting that whether the “heroes” save the day or not, this world could never be truly safe if there were six people with superpowers living on the planet. The pomp, circumstance and glamour that define superhero stories have gone out the windowbut that makes this story all the more fascinating.
The power fantasies Large cast ensures exciting conflicts
These “superheroes” are unlike any other “superteam”
The world of The power fantasy is cynical and therefore all the more frightening – much scarier than most superhero stories before it. These super-powered people are treated not so much as heroes, but more like dangerous weapons that can be used for evil at the drop of a hat, not unlike a nuclear bomb, which makes it all the more fitting that the comic begins in the nuclear war-fearing year of 1966 before jumping to 1999.
At one point it is even suggested that these people should not even argue or have conflicts with each other, as this would be tantamount to nuclear war. These people are as follows: the telepath Etienne Lux, the gravity specialist Brother Ray (or Heavy), the angel Santa Valentina, the hellish Eliza Hellbound, the magical Jacky Magus and the mysterious Morishita Masumi, whose depression could kill anyone. Together they reluctantly try to live together, to end a quote “ethically” Balance with the universe and ultimately just living side by side.
The power fantasy Offers a new twist for the superhero family
Second printing, cover A by Caspar Wijngaard
There is still a lot to learn about these characters, but this issue is not so much about who these people are as individuals, but how they can coexist in a world where it is already difficult for a superpower to survive. The term “nuclear family” is constantly used to describe the six superpowered people at the center of this story. Traditionally, the term “nuclear family” is used to describe what many consider to be the “average family”: a household with two parents and children.
This so-called superhero family came together not so much out of pure love and care for one another, but rather because of circumstance.
A household doesn’t get any fuller than when it houses six powerhouses. Much like a nuclear family, this so-called superhero family has come together not so much out of pure love and care for each other, but because of circumstance. They associate with each other because they have to. They are They are connected by their powers and therefore must interact and coexist in this world. Otherwise, conflict or even mutual distancing could have even worse consequences for the world than its mere existence.
With the same sword, the same could be said about the classic superteam or superhero family as established in traditional superhero comics. However, most superhero teams in the DC or Marvel universes are very loving and caring for each other, but that is not the case in The power fantasyat least as far as this issue tells readers. These characters must coexist for the good of the planet. When Brother Ray is about to destroy a state, Lux is reminded that trying to fight him would have literally nuclear consequences: the equivalent of two atomic bombs colliding.
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The power fantasy Is an indie version of the X-Men – with bigger stakes
Second printing, cover B by Caspar Wijngaard
In many ways, The power fantasy serves as a spiritual successor to Gillen’s time writing the X-Men. The X-Men team, much like the Nuclear Family, has always been made up of mutants who have had to band together out of necessity and for survival. The bond is often reluctant, but they still leave room to feel love for each other. The “love” part remains to be seen in The power fantasyand given the cynicism of the story, there is no guarantee that readers will ever get to see the love part.
For another unique – and Marvel-approved – take on the X-Men, readers should check out:
The Ultimate X-Men
by Peach Momoko!
In all the years he spent with the X-Men, Gillen understands the concept of superhero families better than most writers. Instead of copying the family dynamics he created in the X-Men, he and Wijngaard, whose sweet faces provide a counterpoint to the extreme politics of this issue, choose to subvert expectations. So far, at least, this strategy works by producing an extremely fascinating story. One in which X-Men and the main characters of The power fantasy is that both teams and their stories serve as morality plays. Some mutants abide by a no-kill rule, but others do what must be done under dire circumstances.
The characters in The power fantasy fall into the latter category – reluctantly in the case of Lux, who orchestrates a political genocide for the greater good. Lux is obsessed with doing what is ethically right – or what he believes is ethically right – and considers himself a “good guy” because of this distinction. Others, however, call him out and say none of them are good guys. Are these characters good, evil, or something in between? The correct answer is ambiguous and up for interpretation, so read Image Comics’ incredible Power fantasy Decide for yourself – you won’t regret it.
The power fantasy #1 is now available from Image Comics. The second edition, together with The power fantasy #2will be available from September 11, 2024.
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THE POWER FANTASY #1 (2024) |
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Source: Picture Comics
