Being a super-hero is certainly a stressful and challenging job. The hours are terrible, you are pummeled, zapped, and blown up on a daily basis, and there's always an alien invasion just around the corner. The only thing that could possibly be more dangerous than being a hero is working for one. At least heroes have super-powers, their employees just have targets on their backs.
DC Comics' The Mighty #1, by Peter Tomasi, Keith Champagne, and Peter Snejberg, introduces the world to Superman-like hero Alpha One. According to the newsreels, atomic testing in 1952 accidentally turned an unnamed sailor into the world's first real super-powered hero. Alpha One has spent decades saving the world, but this book isn't really about Alpha One. It's about the people who clean up after him.
Heroically saving a runaway train is great, but someone has to deal with the mess, talk to the press, and make sure all the victims are accounted for. Since the guy in tights doesn't generally stick around for the paperwork, Alpha One has Section Omega. Paid for by Alpha's massive merchandising profits, the people who work for Section Omega are there to handle the bureaucracy of saving the world. It is not an easy job.
When the current leader of Section Omega, Captain Michael Shaw, turns up mysteriously dead, his replacement is faced with some pretty tough decisions. Almost every leader of Section Omega has ended up similarly dead, with the exception of one who went completely crazy under the strain. It is not surprising, then, that the wife of young Lieutenant Gabriel Cole is not totally thrilled when he is offered the promotion. Gabriel, however, has worked his whole life for this opportunity, and he's not about to pass it up now. Besides, what could possibly go wrong...
Excellent writing and great art make this unusual look at the world of super-heroics well worth a spot in your reading stack. With the mysterious Alpha One kept in the background, it is unclear exactly who can be trusted in Section Omega. Who killed Captain Shaw? Is Gabriel's promotion really such a good thing? And just what is Alpha One's role in this whole business? If you want to find out the answers to any of these questions, you'll have to start reading The Mighty. Lucky for you, the first issue is guaranteed all week as Four Color Fantasies' Book of the Week! (Of course, it might just have been the diet of salted Milk Duds that killed Shaw. Ick.)
DC Comics' The Mighty #1, by Peter Tomasi, Keith Champagne, and Peter Snejberg, introduces the world to Superman-like hero Alpha One. According to the newsreels, atomic testing in 1952 accidentally turned an unnamed sailor into the world's first real super-powered hero. Alpha One has spent decades saving the world, but this book isn't really about Alpha One. It's about the people who clean up after him.
Heroically saving a runaway train is great, but someone has to deal with the mess, talk to the press, and make sure all the victims are accounted for. Since the guy in tights doesn't generally stick around for the paperwork, Alpha One has Section Omega. Paid for by Alpha's massive merchandising profits, the people who work for Section Omega are there to handle the bureaucracy of saving the world. It is not an easy job.
When the current leader of Section Omega, Captain Michael Shaw, turns up mysteriously dead, his replacement is faced with some pretty tough decisions. Almost every leader of Section Omega has ended up similarly dead, with the exception of one who went completely crazy under the strain. It is not surprising, then, that the wife of young Lieutenant Gabriel Cole is not totally thrilled when he is offered the promotion. Gabriel, however, has worked his whole life for this opportunity, and he's not about to pass it up now. Besides, what could possibly go wrong...
Excellent writing and great art make this unusual look at the world of super-heroics well worth a spot in your reading stack. With the mysterious Alpha One kept in the background, it is unclear exactly who can be trusted in Section Omega. Who killed Captain Shaw? Is Gabriel's promotion really such a good thing? And just what is Alpha One's role in this whole business? If you want to find out the answers to any of these questions, you'll have to start reading The Mighty. Lucky for you, the first issue is guaranteed all week as Four Color Fantasies' Book of the Week! (Of course, it might just have been the diet of salted Milk Duds that killed Shaw. Ick.)
1 comment:
Thanks for your post and making #1 your book of the week! Glad you liked the first issue!
Keith Champagne
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