“Morality would frown upon / Decency look down upon / The scapegoat fate’s made of me” -Depeche Mode’s “Walking in My Shoes”

Previously, Etienne Lux prevented Brother Ray “Heavy” Harris’s brutal retaliation from destroying the world, and the Earth still spins for now. But like always, Lux chose to be the scalpel to cause the least amount of deaths while threatening to destroy Haven to keep the peace. As supposed normalcy returns and their alliances resume, a potential threat could cause an imbalance to the well-maintained peace and safety of the planet. With the new millennium arriving closer every day, so too does the hand of the doomsday clock reach midnight. Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard introduce a ticking time bomb that propels the world even more to the brink of death in The Power Fantasy #2.

“You’ll stumble in my footsteps / Keep the same appointments I kept / If you try walking in my shoes”

Picking up in the aftermath of the climactic confrontation in the previous issue, Gillen and Wijngaard let things breathe but never truly absolve the pressure hanging above the characters. No matter how hard they try, the characters cannot stop the doomsday clock and prevent the future from happening. Essentially, they are delaying the inevitable death and destruction that will arise one day from them using their powers against each other. Their relationships and personas exist as a sort of theater to keep the desired peace and to prevent each other and humanity from lighting the metaphorical and literal fuse. Wijngaard’s artistry of body language and facial expressions sells so much of the unspoken drama that weighs upon them. Their conflict cannot be solved by violence or fighting but by constant discussions, agreements, and politicking. 

“I’m not looking for a clearer conscience / Peace of mind after what I’ve been through / And before we talk of any repentance / Try walking in my shoes”

Despite not seeing what fully occurred between 1966 and 1999, Gillen gives glimpses into the Nuclear Family’s previous identities and how they have changed over time. Lux still carries the self-imposed burden of desiring to be the “ethical” figurehead of the six but hides his intentions much close to his chest. Conversely, Heavy continues to uphold his fiery counterculture attitudes but has accepted that he has made mistakes and to learn from them. Neither are paired as complete opposite binaries of each other but exist as complementaries. Eschewing the notion of a simple “hero” or “villain,” Gillen presents us with flawed and human individuals doing their best to hold onto what they have with the power they hold and how they want to influence the world. Yet the difference between them lies in how they accept their guilt and the damage they have done. 

“Now I’m not looking for absolution / Forgiveness for the things I do / But before you come to any conclusions / Try walking in my shoes”

Then comes the reveal of Heavy secretly having a son that would impact and upset the fragile brokered peace that cost decades of conflict and death and blood. Unlike the other Atomics in Haven, the boy exists as a genuine superpower whose life could destroy the world if the other Superpowers found out. Yet his existence could signal a potential necessary change to make the world a better place and lead towards a better future. The older generations tend to fear the younger ones who will inherit the Earth from them and take over. The boy’s life signals a potential future or end for the world the Superpowers aim to protect.

“But I promise now, my judge and jurors / My intentions couldn’t have been purer / My case is easy to see”

Wijngaard’s line art and colors remain unmatched and an essential element of The Power Fantasy #2. With its retro-futuristic aesthetic and designs, it’s a fantastic piece of art from the front and back covers to its impressive interiors. Wijngaard demonstrates why he’s such a real powerhouse and expertly conveys the dramatic and intense nature of the sci-fi story. Letterer Clayton Cowles and designer Rian Hughes make The Power Fantasy #2 a striking and phenomenal comic book. 

“I would tell you about the things they put me through/ The pain I’ve been subjected to / But the Lord himself would blush / The countless feasts laid at my feet / Forbidden fruits for me to eat / But I think your pulse would start to rush”

The world’s end will eventually come despite our best efforts to prevent it. Peace can only last so long until it breaks down, and we are forced to see the full face of death that we hide away from ourselves. Gillen and Wijngaard prove that it does not start with a bang but with a small flame that lights up the powder keg. The doomsday clock has begun to speed up, but the characters do not even realize it. The future will arrive one way or another.

Story: Kieron Gillen Art/Colors: Caspar Wijngaard Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

After the atomic bomb dropped in the 1940s, a group of six super-powered beings appeared in the world, where they each possessed the destructive power capacity of the United States nuclear arsenal. If they ever got into conflict, it would mean the end of planet Earth. Since then, the Atomics or the Nuclear Family have built a fragile series of alliances to prevent each other from causing the end of the world. Now, as the clock draws close to the new millennium of the year 2000, Earth’s future continues to stand on these superpowers from never coming into conflict with each other. Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard take readers to the fragile doomsday clock as the future could disappear within the blink of an eye in The Power Fantasy #1.

With the setting being an alternate history period set in 1999, Gillen and Wijngaard expertly build the world where they give enough context clues for readers to seamlessly understand what has been going on while fleshing it out thoroughly. From slight hints in Gillen’s writing to background dressing and clothing drawn by Wijngaard, they have thought about every detail of how the Atomics’ appearance and presence impacted the world, from major to minor. Even hints of past events serve as vital elements to explaining how much their history diverged from our own and how their existence would influence everything from public opinion to government responses to pop culture. Even though The Power Fantasy #1 may not exist in the same reality as ours, certain aspects of our own can still be found, making their world a skewed version of our own.

And I appreciate Gillen presenting a more mature series where he focuses more on the characters and their relationships instead of solely on the action. With the highly destructive nature of their powers, he emphasizes how important it is for each Atomic to stay out of conflict with each other and the world itself, which could mean the death of everybody. Focusing on Etienne Lux in The Power Fantasy #1, Lux serves as a great lens into the world where Lux essentially has to keep the other five members of the Nuclear Family in balance and work as not only a peacekeeper but a deal maker and even a clean up crew whenever one of them gets into trouble or steps out of line. He concerns himself with the ethical nature of his powers and the actions of the other Atomics, where he is willing to take drastic action if he feels it would be the sole ethical action in the situation. We also learn more about the Atomic family, such as Santa Valentina and Brother Ray “Heavy” Harris, while getting glimpses into the characters of Morishita Masumi, Jacky Magus, and Eliza Hellbound and their relationships with each other. With The Power Fantasy being an ensemble book, I find the entire cast fascinating and easy to invest in. 

Then comes Gillen exploring the existential horrors and fears of nuclear arsenals and how they serve no other purpose except to end all of life. With them coming into conflict, signaling the destruction of the world, all they can do is find a way to co-exist to deter the potential armageddon. Gillen examines how one false move by an Atomic could create a domino effect and destroy the planet. Even to this day, the nuclear shadow of death hangs over us, where all life as we know it will be gone due to the press of a button. And with the series set in the past, specifically in 1999, he draws attention to the fear of Y2K, where the approaching millennium would mess up computer clocks and accidentally launch warheads. Despite us being in 2024, Gillen wants to demonstrate how those weapons still hang over us and threaten us even if we do not think about them as much as we did in the twentieth century.

The art by Wijngaard is a real standout with its vibrant colors and captures a stylized fictional version of the past. And I love his character designs for the six Atomics, where they each have a distinct vibe that says everything about their character just by looking at them. The six Atomics are instantly iconic and feel different from the standard superhero fair while reflecting the various periods of history they exist in. Outside of the fantastic aesthetics, his drawing and paneling make Gillen’s already engaging script into an even more engrossing comic combined with Clayton Cowles’s seamless lettering. 

The Power Fantasy #1 by Gillen and Wijngaard is a perfect debut issue that draws readers into its compelling story and art. While the planet continues to turn, its very existence lies in the hands of six super-powered individuals whose lives impact its livelihood. All it takes is one simple conflict for all of the dominoes to fall down and kill everyone. The clock is counting down faster, and hopefully, the people of Earth and the Atomics make it to the year 2000 unscathed.

Story: Kieron Gillen Art/Colors: Caspar Wijngaard Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle