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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 4, 2019 17:19:38 GMT -5
Supreme Power: Hyperion #1 Try Theratears! Creative Team: JMS-writer, Dan Jurgens & Klaus Janson-art, Dave Sharpe-letters, Raul Trevino-colors, Warren Simmons-edits Synopsis: We open with a passage from Frankenstein (the original, not the movie) and a quote from Paradise Lost. So, this should be a fun, upbeat tale of hijinks and adventure! Hyperion is somewhere in the Arctic region, probably looking for somewhere to build build a sort of dwelling, to be left alone. Like a Fortress.....of Solitude. Gen Alexander meets with Dr Emil Burbank, at Wright-Patterson AFB. We learn that Burbank is supersmart, taking high school classes at a young age. He was a targte for bullies and then worked to hide under a straight C-average, though we also get a glimpse of a darker side. When asked about finding an accomodation with the bullies, we see someone trapped in a housefire and young Emil with a lighter. he speaks of a sister supporting experiments in chemical compounds and we see her unconscious, being undressed and what I infer to be molested by her younger brother. We learn his parents died in a freak auto accident, as their accelerator jammed and brakes malfunctioned, sending them off a mountain road, to their deaths. The left a sizeable insurance benefit to Emil, while his sister is seen in a straightjacket, in a padded cell (a rather outdated image; but, symbolic). Gen Alexander challenges Burbank's statement that he achieved all on his own, with the truth of how individuals were affected by Mark's arrival. He then says this team is to eliminate the ambiguity in Mark's purpose and that of the others, or eliminate them. h introduces Burbank to Raleigh Lund, aka The Shape, who was abandoned by a prostitute mother, at the age of 3, and who survived by eating out of dumpsters and sleeping in them. He is invulnerable to bullets and fire; and, it appears, to explosives and rockets. he also has the mental capacity of a child. Next, we meet Arcanna Jones, who seems to affect the reality around her.  She is there to find the source of her abilities, to better control them, which means Mark Milton. She may be a bomb that can bring about a new Big Bang. Next is Al Gaines, who is a walking nuclear reaction, who irradiates his environment. He has no one and the General offers temporary control, via a suit, to bring in the Man responsible for making him radioactive. He agrees to help bring him in. Thus, our team is assembled and sent after Mark Milton...  Thoughts: Lots of exposition and introduction to our new characters. Only Emil burbank had much of a history, before the defenders story, which led to the Gruenwald maxi-series. So, this will be a mostly new bunch. Emil burbank is a more psychotic Lex Luthor, who has a nasty, violent streak, not to mention an incestuous one, if the scenes with his sister are any indication. Ask Alison Arngrim (Nellie Olson, on Little House on the Prairie) about that kind of damage. This isn't just a mad scientist; this is one sick little puppy. Then, we have an invulnerable man-child, a suicidal nuclear reactor, and a woman who may not be able to control her abilities. This is a volatile team. The quotes from Frankenstein and Milton suggest Mark's mental state; an outsider who can make his own rules. He is Prometheus Unbound, the subtitle to Shelly's book. He is a fallen angel; will he reign over a Hell? Some interesting psychological stuff here, though pretty F-ing dark, even for this series. We are still carrying the Max imprint label; so, things can go pretty far, as we see with Burbank and his sister. The use of Dan Jurgens as artist is deliberate, as we are focusing on a Superman; why not have the guy who killed him draw it? Jurgens had developed into a blockier style (and Janson's inks enhance that), so it lacks that clean look that Gary Frank had.I'm not a huge fan of Jurgens' art, though there is nothing particularly wrong with it; it just doesn't really pop, for me. At DC, he was kind of a guy who gave the feel of bigger artists (meaning Byrne), without really establishing his own artistic aesthetic. He's a good storyteller and proved a capable writer, when he started crafting his own Superman stories. His work at Marvel seemed to chase what he had done at DC: Thor, this, Captain America. he started work on Spider-Man; but, editorial issues led to him quitting. He's a guy you can get average to B-level material from, which isn't a criticism; just that he never truly seemed to rise to an elite level. With the Superman books, the art teams seemed to be pushed to maintain the Byrne look, without doing much of their own to it, with minor variations. They weren't alone in that, as batman came to be the same way. Here, he is adding to theat DC post-Crisis Superman feeling, to further cement this as a Superman and JLA pastiche.
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Post by brutalis on Apr 5, 2019 9:16:28 GMT -5
error, wrong post
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 5, 2019 21:39:12 GMT -5
No, that was the post I intended.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 5, 2019 22:00:34 GMT -5
Supreme Power: Hyperion #2 Creative Team: Michael O'Connor listed as Asst. Editor, Wezz-edits don't know if that is a nickname or a new guy) Shazam did scans, which probably violates his DC contract. Credits have sure changed in recent years. Synopsis: The team introduces themselves to Mark (well, Emil makes the intros) and threaten Mark, who responds by threatening to swat Emil, like a fly. Emil sicks Shape onto him and it is Blob time. Mark can't move him and gets sucked inside the mass of flesh that is the front torso of Shape. however, he lifts him up in the air and smashes him down.  He decides to fly away and Arcanna alters reality to pop a mountain top in front of Mark, from another quantum realm of possibility. Then Nuke goes after him. He informs him of how the ship's virus turned him into a walking nuclear reaction and how it killed his family, then he unloads on Mark, creating a shockwave that ripples back even harder. mark survives. then Arcanna taps into quantum possibilities, when Mark and nuke unleash energy and then Mark pops out of this reality. They pack up and go; but, Arcanna senses something is wrong. They fly back and find out what is wrong...  They find that there is no radiation; so, no nukes did this. then, they find people and see the full Squadron Supreme and learn that they are kings of the world and that humans fought them and lost. then, they started fighting each other and destroyed whole cities. A man points them to the target of the Squadron's search: Nighthawk. Thoughts: Eh, it's okay. So far, I'm not overly impressed with this. The fight just serves to show off the team's abilities and, Emil has super sarcasm. Then, we get a view of a devastated city, and a whole Squadron Supreme, hunting Nighthawk. This is not the reality they came from. What up wit dat? It would seem that they went into an alternate world from their own. been there, done that. Right now, this really isn't adding much to Supreme Power; so, I don't see the point of this, yet. Hyperion got a lot of attention; maybe this is to showcase the newbies. Outside of Burbank, they don't add much. Time will tell.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 6, 2019 17:49:01 GMT -5
Supreme Power: Hyperion #3 Creative Team: No changes Synopsis: The mini-team meets up with Nighthawk, who tells them to get out of the open streets and leads them inside a dilapidated building. Arcanna attends to his wounds and questions what reality it is. Emil acts like an ass and makes jokes about Nighthawk being Joe Average, which earns him broken fingers. Nighthawk then fills us in on the past of this reality. Nighthawk doesn't trust Mark Milton and asks Stan to keep tabs and alert him if there is something fishy. Stan objects, because he considers Mark a friend and he has always been square with him. Stan is honest. However, even he harbor's uneasy feelings and he agrees. Nighthawk hears nothing, until Stan observes Mark leading Blue Eagle, one of the newer superhumans, to a mountain cave, where he shows him something of alien origin, then shoves him into some bio-mechanism, which takes control of Blue Eagle. Mark did it because he had to start some where. He is seeking control, to go with his power.  Stan hears and observes everything, as Mark activates the mechanism, which puts Blue Eagle under his complete mental control. Stan is horrified and gives himself away. He runs; but, he can't outrun Mark. Thoughts: Of course, we knew we were in for some horror and hear it is: the egg implanting of the Alien films, mixed with the mind control of the Gruenwald maxi-series. Mark has been pushed too far and now he is implementing brainwashing to bring his teammates unde his sway. The implication is that they then take control of the country, if not the world, setting off a war, which devastates populated areas. This is a pretty grim reality. Question is, is this what's in store for the main reality or just one pathway, depending on what happens back there? Emil sees something in a discarded newspaper, which stops him from withholding aid, before he gets sarky with Nighthawk and gets his fingers snapped as a response. Question is, what did he read? he talked about only working for money; did he see something about Kyle Richmond, leading to his jokes that earn him pain or is it something else? Something about his own future or possibly something about this reality that we don't suspect? This tries to be more scary than Supreme Power; but, doesn't really succeed. This is actually kind of cliched stuff, apart from the hero turning on everyone. It's not far off of Miracleman bringing back Gargunza, in The Golden Age, trying to reprogram him (which fails) or his "curing" of murderers, like Charles Manson. There are also parallels to John Sheriden, after meeting Lorien and surviving nuking Za'hadum, home of the Shadows. Sheriden starts acting weird and people treat him like something more than human. He starts to manipulate people and you wonder if he isn't under Lorien's control and if Lorien is on the side of light? There is also the parallels to the Drakh, former servants of the Shadows, who use keepers to control people, ultimately subjecting the Regent of Centauri Prime to this, and setting up for Londo to submit to this, to save his people from destruction. The series had a time displaced Sheriden get a glimpse of the future Londo, with Centauri Prime in flames, and Londo uses alcohol to get the keeper drunk and lets Sheriden and Delenn go, after revealing the creature. We then see him strangled by G'Kar, who emerges from the shadows, as seen in a vision of his ultimate death, which Londo has, earlier in the series (these actions are in the deep future of the show, though). JMS would allow Peter David to write a trilogy of novels which take place after the tv series, but bridge the gap between the penultimate episode and the series finale (which is set some 20+ years in the future) revealing what happens to Londo and how Vir becomes emperor, as prophysized by Lady Marella (Majel Barrett). Still not overly wowed by this side project, compared to what it followed.
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Post by rberman on Apr 10, 2019 9:54:47 GMT -5
Supreme Power: Hyperion #1Gen Alexander challenges Burbank's statement that he achieved all on his own, with the truth of how individuals were affected by Mark's arrival. Thoughts: Lots of exposition and introduction to our new characters. Only Emil burbank had much of a history, before the defenders story, which led to the Gruenwald maxi-series. So, this will be a mostly new bunch. The use of Dan Jurgens as artist is deliberate, as we are focusing on a Superman; why not have the guy who killed him draw it? Jurgens had developed into a blockier style (and Janson's inks enhance that), so it lacks that clean look that Gary Frank had.I'm not a huge fan of Jurgens' art, though there is nothing particularly wrong with it; it just doesn't really pop, for me. At DC, he was kind of a guy who gave the feel of bigger artists (meaning Byrne), without really establishing his own artistic aesthetic. He's a good storyteller and proved a capable writer, when he started crafting his own Superman stories. His work at Marvel seemed to chase what he had done at DC: Thor, this, Captain America. he started work on Spider-Man; but, editorial issues led to him quitting. He's a guy you can get average to B-level material from, which isn't a criticism; just that he never truly seemed to rise to an elite level. With the Superman books, the art teams seemed to be pushed to maintain the Byrne look, without doing much of their own to it, with minor variations. They weren't alone in that, as batman came to be the same way. Here, he is adding to theat DC post-Crisis Superman feeling, to further cement this as a Superman and JLA pastiche. OK, I finally got this series and can comment! Jurgens has also sized up Amphibian's chest several cups. BTW, you might want to do something about the NSFW picture of her in your post. Why did the series change names and start over with #1? This is clearly installment #19 in the story, and despite its subtitle, this issue is not about Hyperion in the least. It's mainly about Burbank, whose name will sometimes be spelled "Emile" by mistake; watch for it. As smart as he is, you wouldn't think he would need to murder his parents for insurance money. Surely he would be selling all sorts of valuable patents from an early age. By his current age, he'd be a well known tycoon who has to be convinced to lend his services to this government project. But the main point of this issue, as with the Redstone story, is that the government is none to choosy about the moral qualifications of those who have power to leverage in the national interest. Hence all the dirty deals with banana republic strongmen who agreed to stand against the Commies. |
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Post by rberman on Apr 10, 2019 10:03:33 GMT -5
Supreme Power: Hyperion #2Thoughts: Eh, it's okay. So far, I'm not overly impressed with this. The fight just serves to show off the team's abilities and, Emil has super sarcasm. Then, we get a view of a devastated city, and a whole Squadron Supreme, hunting Nighthawk. This is not the reality they came from. What up wit dat? It would seem that they went into an alternate world from their own. been there, done that. The fight makes meta-sense as a way to showcase the powers of the new characters. However, fighting Mark Milton right out of the gate makes zero sense. The military has no reason to think this team can defeat him; they haven't even been tested against a lesser foe. Hyperion can fly super fast and has ranged weapons. Nuke is the only real threat, but his containment suit would be easy to breach, forcing him to withdraw lest he jeopardize his teammates. As you mention, Burbank brings nothing to the fight except sarcasm; a smart guy would bide his time until he had an advantage. This is why naming the series Supreme Power: Hyperion was a bad idea. These new characters aren't ready to meet Hyperion, but we can't very well keep him out of the series once it's named after him. |
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Post by rberman on Apr 10, 2019 10:10:42 GMT -5
Supreme Power:Hyperion #3
I wonder whether JMS felt external or internal pressure to hurry up and introduce a larger squadron. He's having his cake and eating it too, showing us a large team outside of the "real" timeline of his story, so he can come back and introduce them at a more leisurely pace later. The mind control machine is the first plot call-back to Gruenwald's SS series that I can recall.
The end of the story implies that Blur will probably not get away from Hyperion. This is different than his first appearance, in which his speed and maneuverability were substantially better than Hyperion.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 10, 2019 11:54:49 GMT -5
Supreme Power: Hyperion #1Gen Alexander challenges Burbank's statement that he achieved all on his own, with the truth of how individuals were affected by Mark's arrival. Thoughts: Lots of exposition and introduction to our new characters. Only Emil burbank had much of a history, before the defenders story, which led to the Gruenwald maxi-series. So, this will be a mostly new bunch. The use of Dan Jurgens as artist is deliberate, as we are focusing on a Superman; why not have the guy who killed him draw it? Jurgens had developed into a blockier style (and Janson's inks enhance that), so it lacks that clean look that Gary Frank had.I'm not a huge fan of Jurgens' art, though there is nothing particularly wrong with it; it just doesn't really pop, for me. At DC, he was kind of a guy who gave the feel of bigger artists (meaning Byrne), without really establishing his own artistic aesthetic. He's a good storyteller and proved a capable writer, when he started crafting his own Superman stories. His work at Marvel seemed to chase what he had done at DC: Thor, this, Captain America. he started work on Spider-Man; but, editorial issues led to him quitting. He's a guy you can get average to B-level material from, which isn't a criticism; just that he never truly seemed to rise to an elite level. With the Superman books, the art teams seemed to be pushed to maintain the Byrne look, without doing much of their own to it, with minor variations. They weren't alone in that, as batman came to be the same way. Here, he is adding to theat DC post-Crisis Superman feeling, to further cement this as a Superman and JLA pastiche. OK, I finally got this series and can comment! Jurgens has also sized up Amphibian's chest several cups. BTW, you might want to do something about the NSFW picture of her in your post.Why did the series change names and start over with #1? This is clearly installment #19 in the story, and despite its subtitle, this issue is not about Hyperion in the least. It's mainly about Burbank, whose name will sometimes be spelled "Emile" by mistake; watch for it. As smart as he is, you wouldn't think he would need to murder his parents for insurance money. Surely he would be selling all sorts of valuable patents from an early age. By his current age, he'd be a well known tycoon who has to be convinced to lend his services to this government project. But the main point of this issue, as with the Redstone story, is that the government is none to choosy about the moral qualifications of those who have power to leverage in the national interest. Hence all the dirty deals with banana republic strongmen who agreed to stand against the Commies. I removed it; I don't have tools for editing the image (or time to search out). I totally missed that. I don't recall why this was a side mini, rather than further numbering, other than to make it clear it wasn't Gary Frank. I don't have numbers; but, I think it sold less than the actual SP series. JMS started having issues; but, not yet. When the follow up Squadron Supreme series was moved from max to Marvel Knights, JMS felt constrained and finally bowed out, leading to Chaykin handling it. I'll get to that when it comes up. I think this being a mini (and the Hyperion & Nighthawk mini) were just marketing ploys. |
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Post by rberman on Apr 10, 2019 16:01:12 GMT -5
I forgot to mention some wonky science in issue #2. JMS treats nuclear radiation (high energy particles from a decaying isotope) and nuclear explosions (from shaped charges compressing fissionable material) as if they are the same thing.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 10, 2019 18:46:40 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme: Hyperion #4 Creative Team: Same Synopsis: Basically, the Squadron catches up to nighthawk's spider hole, thanks to Shape's heat signature. Nuke goes out to face them and they all escape, as 3 people move in, which turns out to be Arcanna, Inertia and Shape (another Shape and another Arcanna). Hyperion meets up with Hyperion, from the main reality and shows him the cave machine, which has grown into a whole complex (a fortress) and tells him about control being the secret. Mark (main world) questions if he would make the same decisions and Hyperion shows he knows he will by providing the entire text of what Mark just said on a piece of paper that was hidden away. Mark departs and we get the reveal that Hyperion did not put Blur into the machine; but, has he;ld him prisoner for two years, in a cell, unable to run, which is hell to Stan. He asks Hyperion to kill him, which he won't. Hyperion wants Stan to come to his side willingly, due to their friendship. Stan then presents the question as to why Hyperion didn't tell Mark, and Hyperion admits that it is because Mark wouldn't make the decisions he had to, out of friendship. Thoughts: Nothing much in this one. No big fight, just Hyperion and Mark's conversation and the reveal of Stan. It's becoming clear that this is not an alternate reality. It is also clear that this is mostly just foreshadowing and a pointless waste of 5 comics for what could have been done in a one-shot, based on what story there really is here. I'll elaborate with the enxt entry.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 10, 2019 19:11:55 GMT -5
Supreme Power: Hyperion #5 Creative Team: Staz Johnson joins on breakdowns Synopsis: Not much really. hyperion warns the Squadron that Mark is headed their way, they attack, he fights, Arcanna and the rest help Mark escape by chaneling Nuke's explosion to create a gate to their reality and Mark rejoins the government. However, Burbank reveals, at the end that they were not in another reality, as Arcanna thinks; but, two years into the future. Hyperion of the future knew this would happen, as it is the touchstone to set things in motion.  Thoughts: All of this to foreshadow the future, where Mark will take control, first by taking control of the minds of the Squadron, then the world. It will fight back and the cities will be decimated. Mark hears the injustices of the world, where others cannot or do not wish to hear. He will be moved to change it. How he will do it is what this is about, with the possibility, presented by Stan, that it might not go that way, especially and Emile Burbank has uncovered the truth and withheld it, for his own purposes. JMS did this, in Babylon 5, in several ways. Londo, in season 1 of B5 says that the Centauri can foresee their own death. He has seen he will die at the hands of G'Kar. G'Kar will have an eyepatch then, suggesting he loses an eye along the way. In a later episode, Lady Morella, a seer and widow of the emperor, gives an audience to Londo and Vir, telling both that they will be emperor. She tells Londo he is damned, unless he does three things. She tells Vir he will be emperor after Londo. In the third season, Sheriden is thrust forward into the future and finds himself a prisoner, with Delenn, on Centauri Prime. She tells him their son is safe and they are brought before Londo, where they are condemned to death. Later, they are brought again and Londo is obviously drunk, which puts out his keeper's lights and allows him to speak freely. he spares the couple and then tells an unseen person he is ready. Out steps a one-eyed G'Kar, who strangles Londo and dies when the keeper awakes and forces Londo to fight back, though Londo also dies. Vir steps into the room and lifts the ceremonial collar of the centauri Emperor. G'Kar, in the present, is captured by the Centauri and tortured by the mad emperor Cartagia, who has his eye plucked out. Sheriden dies on Za'hadum, but is revived by Lorien. he has been told he only has 20 or so years of life. The final episode reveals the end, as friends gather and we see Vir as Emperor of the Centauri Republic and Londo and G'Kar are dead. JMS is big on giving a glimpse of what is to come, then have us look for clues and signposts as we head towards the conclusion. However, the future as it unfolds isn't exactly what we saw, as we lacked the full context. That ambiguity lets JMS pull a fast one. problem is, he abandoned this series before he executed the fake out. All of this could have been done in a double sized one-shot, rather than 5 lackluster issues. This seems like Marvel editorial trying to milk things for a trade, when there isn't enough story. Next, Nighthawk gets his own mini, with someone other than JMS at the helm. Shape of things to come.
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