Skyler Orton
Image Comics has come a long way since its founding in 1992. You might recognize the name from hit comics like Spawn, Invincible or The Walking Dead. Apart from those mainstream hits, Image has become a source of endless creativity in the comics industry. Its creator-owned comics model encourages endless creativity that DC and Marvel would never be willing to give.
The Power Fantasy by author Kieron Gillen and artist Caspar Wijngaard has been going on since last summer and is one of the most creative comics of the decade. Now is the perfect time to jump in. Here’s why you need to be reading it.
Superpowered politics
The Power Fantasy reimagines Cold War era politics but replaces the threat of atomic bombs with six superpowered individuals. The world is inhabited by complex, morally grey superheroes who are able to cause damage on the level of an atomic bomb.
Most of the book’s focus is on these six characters and the complexity of their relationships. Each of them has secret alliances, underlying motivations, and political allegiances that unveil in a deeply satisfying way.
A lived in world
The Power Fantasy does necessary exposition in a way that respects the reader’s time. The book jumps straight into the plot with previous plot events being sprinkled in through tasteful flashbacks and through dialogue.
This proves the advantage of a worldbuilding first approach to writing. Too many stories would attempt to offload this exposition in a very cheap, heavy handed way. However, in this book events are referenced well before they are fully explained, and most of the needed context is woven into the character interactions.
Fantastic character work
Each issue of The Power Fantasy is a character study before anything else. All of these characters are morally grey and their development is one of the most fascinating parts of the book.
Take for example Jacky Magus. On the surface, he is a machiavellian cult leader who is willing to sacrifice anything to accomplish his goal. Peel back the literal mask he wears, and you see the story of a ride or die punk who hates himself for selling out to the man.
Or what about Masumi, a girl cursed with powers from a young age who turns into a rampaging Kaiju against her will if her emotions get out of control. She’s forced onto the global stage as a superpower but has no desire to play in the games of the other superpowers.
Every character, major or minor, has this level of depth to them which makes for an incredibly engaging read.
Gorgeous art
Caspar Wijngaard has easily become one of my favorite comics artists through his work on The Power Fantasy. The book could easily have a grim art style similar to other “twists” on superhero aesthetics like The Boys. Instead Wijngaard’s art uses bright colors and is deeply inspired by everything from the hippie movement of the 60s to British punks of the 70s.
Everything from full page spreads to character portraits are given an incredible level of detail. Wijngaard is able to master several art styles as each character has a distinctive style and flashbacks take different styles. The versatility and beauty of this book’s art make it one of the best ones on the shelves
The perfect time
Now is the perfect time to start reading. The second paperback collection released this past September so you can get caught up on the first two arcs for incredibly cheap. They can be found here from Amazon or at your local comics store.
This is also a crucial time for the book. If sales don’t pick up in the next few months Gillen and crew will be forced to cut the book at issue 16 despite having material to go through issue 30 or so. If you enjoy supporting creative, independent comics this book is an easy recommendation. Give it a read to keep this wonderful series going for the next couple years.
