The Eisner Award nominatedThe Power Fantasyby multiple award winning writer Kieron Gillen and fan-favorite artist Caspar Wijngaard, and published by Image Comics, will kick off a pulse-pounding new story arc with issue #12 next month. This new chapter will center around the enigmatic Etienne Lux character.
In The Power Fantasy #12, readers are drawn deeper into the chaos of Etienne Lux’s world—where the stakes are high and the consequences unimaginable. The issue opens with a gripping new development, brought on by the fallout of previous betrayals and power plays, and sets the stage for unpredictable confrontations to come.
Gillen and Wijngaard’s The Power Fantasy is a Cuban Missile Crisis scenario reimagined through a cracked mirror of superhuman paranoia and ideological brinkmanship—except instead of nuclear warheads, the world teeters on the edge of annihilation at the hands of the weaponized superpowered few.
Locked in a deadly chess match over ideology and survival, The Power Fantasy builds a world where superpowered beings are the arms race—living warheads of ego, trauma, and propaganda.
The Power Fantasy‘s characters are trapped in a zero-sum game where escalation is easier than empathy, and every move risks planetary fallout. Trust is a luxury, diplomacy is performance, and every moment is a gamble with extinction.
The Power Fantasy #12 Cover A by Wijngaard (Lunar Code 0825IM0300) and The Power Fantasy #12 Cover B by Chloe Brailsford (Lunar Code 0825IM0300) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, October 8.
Find out what happened when the Pyramid went to hell (complimentary) and how it makes the present day go to hell (derogatory). Come celebrate THE POWER FANTASY’s triumphant, celebratory tenth issue (issue 10 is issue 100 in old money).
“Tried to tell you about no control But now I really don’t know And then you told me how bad you had to suffer Is that really all you have to offer?”- Bad Religion “21st Century (Digital Boy)”
The fragile alliances of the Superpowers stand even more on the brink as Heavy’s secret plan unfolds. With the future reveal of Kid Ignition as a secret seventh superpower to the world, the potential doomsday quickly draws closer and threatens the safeguards Lux placed. Mixed with Magus directly arming the United States as the new Secretary of Magic, the remaining Superpowers need to tread lightly before it quickly goes up pear-shaped. If the beginning of the world started in a big bang, then the potential end arrived from another one in Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard’s The Power Fantasy #6.
Teased as the “teenage Limp Bizkit fan who could destroy the world,” Kid Ignition embodies not only the typical bravado of a seventeen-year-old concerned with sex, horror movies, and skateboarding mixed with the destructive power of an atomic bomb thanks to Gillen’s writing and Wijngaard’s art. The combination of youthful relatability with potentially destroying the world adds to the darker layers of the character. He has some concept of normalcy but cannot be genuinely normal due to his status as a Superpower. He cannot be a regular kid. If the adult Superpowers can barely keep it together, then a teenage version could do it even less successfully.
We also get three aspects of attempting control and holding power with Heavy, Lux, and Magus. Because of Kid Ignition, Heavy has an ace up his sleeve, and if anyone tried to attack him or Haven, then his son’s threat of retaliation prevented it. Lux, through Tonya, gains information about Heavy’s plans to keep the various alliances in check. Then comes Magus, hoping to transform the military into an extension of his pyramid to gain more power to combat the others. They all believe they know what’s best for the world and want to jockey for control over each other. As they get closer to the brink, all that matters will be who pulls the trigger.
The Power Fantasy #6 also reinforces its meditations on the fears of the future with Heavy and Kid Ignition. Prophesied by an atomic that his son would be a Superpower, Heavy founded Haven to hide his future child and raise him. Stating his desire to raise Kid Ignition to protect him, the line blurs between parental and political due to Heavy viewing him as a chess piece on the board. Especially with not having the choice of being a superpower but existing due to Heavy’s wishes, Kid Ignition is akin to a weapon instead of a person. Even being trapped in the orb on Haven, away from any outside prying eyes, robs him of a potential childhood and only knowledge of the world around the Family. Heavy will do whatever it takes to protect Atomics’ future and use his child to secure it.
Wijngaard’s linework, paneling, and coloring, combined with Clayton Cowles’s lettering, make it another exquisite and striking issue. Wijngaard knows how to build tension through body language, timing, and emotion. Nothing is truly wasted in the art department. The Power Fantasy #6 begins the new arc and accelerates the potential end of the world thanks in part to a hormonally charged teenager.
The chart-topping The Power Fantasy series by multiple award winning writer Kieron Gillen and fan-favorite artist Caspar Wijngaard will kick off a pulse-pounding new story arc with issue #6 next month.
InThe Power Fantasy #6, the stakes are raised as Magus and Heavy’s 18-years-in-the-making plans for world-domination are revealed.
The Power Fantasy #6 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, February 19:
Cover A by Caspar Wijngaard – Lunar Code 1224IM239
Cover B by Abigail Jill Harding – Lunar Code 1224IM240
Cover C 1:50 copy incentive by Rian Hughes Pantone Color PMS 806 – Lunar Code 1224IM240
Right when the United States tested the atomic bomb, Santa Valentina was born to the world. The beginning of potential death and destruction signaled an angelic being arriving on Earth. Wanting to protect the music of the future, Valentina did what she believed would bring and maintain peace on Earth. She desired an end to all wars that would backfire horrifically and scar the Earth. With the fragile alliance of Atomics constantly tested, Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard peel back more layers of history and Valentina’s life in The Power Fantasy #3.
“I dreamed I saw a mighty room
The room was filled with men
And the paper they were signing said
They’d never fight again”
Going back millennia, angels were presented as having a terrifying presence that humans could not comprehend until recently when the notion of an angel refers to a human with wings. Gillen and Wijngaard refer to the older interpretation where Valentina appears human until she reveals her angelic presence to a select few. Although we never get confirmation of divine beings or even what the afterlife is, the presence of both her and Eliza refers to some potential heaven and hell. But they are not presented as opposites, i.e. purely good and evil, but along a similar spectrum or quadrant. Gillen is not interested in strictly binary alignments where, despite being considered “good,” Valentina’s actions still create destruction.
“And when the papers all were signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
And grateful prayers were prayed”
A vital moment of the issue lies in Jackie laying out the difference between Valentina and Lux: “I think you’re good. You’re moral. He’s ethical. That doesn’t mean you’re on the same side.” Although a bit on the nose, Valentina and Lux have been playing on the same team to keep Earth intact for different reasons. Lux firmly believes in the ethical notion of the planet’s survival, while she thinks she has a divine and moral duty to protect humanity. The series’ struggle lies in what the Atomics believe would be the best course of action for the planet. Valentina destroying all of the nukes might be moral but it would result in the mass deaths of innocent lives by the United States trying to kill her in 1969. Despite being blamed for their actions, she still desires to protect humanity and its future.
“And the people in the streets below
Were dancing round and round
And guns and swords and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground”
The concept of “the music of the future” is referenced a lot throughout the issue. Not surprisingly, like his past work, Gillen’s engagement and fascination with music and the concepts surrounding it play a significant role in this story. This notion refers to a pamphlet written by Richard Wagner, but also in a more metaphorical sense, protecting the world for the future to arrive and for humanity to grow, learn, and move on from the past. The record that inspires Valentina with its music is “Telstar” by The Tornadoes, which refers to the satellite of the same name launched into space in 1962. Indeed, sounding alien and from a future generation compared to similar music of that period signals a change in the direction of where music and the world might go. An angel originally from the heavens being inspired by a sci-fi rock song aside from the standard heavenly harp.
“Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war”- Ed McCurdy “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream”
I am still amazed by Wigngaard’s art and colors as he travels through various periods in this issue. Each moment has a distinct visual look and style that calls to mind and makes them almost snapshots reminiscent of the memories that Valentina holds onto. Clayton Cowles’s impeccable lettering conveys the necessary emotions and tones that occur in the issue. Overall, The Power Fantasy #3 provides essential insight into the character of Valentina while further developing the immersive and fascinating world-building.
The Power Fantasy#2 by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard has sold out completely at the distributor level. It is being rushed back to print this week in order to keep up with escalating demand.
There are six people who can save the world. They save the world every day they don’t use their powers. Yesterday, one used their gift. The world is still here. Have we been lucky, or has the fuse to end us all been lit?
The Power Fantasy #2, second printing will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, October 16:
Cover A – Lunar Code 0524IM985
Cover B 1:10 copy incentive foil – Lunar Code 0524IM990
“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.
There are six people who can save the world. They save the world every day they don’t use their powers. Yesterday, one used their gift. The world is still here. Have we been lucky, or has the fuse to end us all been lit?
“The philosophy that leads to AI is the same philosophy as 19th Century imperialism and colonialism,” Kieron Gillen. Writer Kieron Gillen returns to reflect on the end of his time contributing to the X-Men’s First Krakoan Age and the start of The Power Fantasy, his new series with Caspar Wijngaard for Image Comics.
