Project Superpowers: Hero Killers #1
Writer: Ryan Browne
Artist: Pete Woods
Publisher: Dynamite
A review by Josh Canales
Project Superpowers: Hero Killers is a sidekick tale that stands out from the crowd with a new but familiar take on teen superheroes. The story takes place in Libertyville U.S.A., “home of too damn many superheroes”, a city where heroes outnumber criminals four to one. In Libertyville being a superhero comes with some perks; the more prominent a hero, the more lucrative the perks. When living in a city with more heroes than criminals, it is hard to make a name for yourself. This is especially true when you’re the lad companion to one of the city’s top heroes who isn’t all he is cracked up to be.
The story that Ryan Browne feels so familiar, as someone who loves a good sidekick story, but the twists he has placed throughout make it completely new. Kicking off page one with a comedic action scene successfully caught my attention, but did not prepare me for what was to come. Captain Battle Jr., Sparky, and Tim set off on their own after a conflict with their mentors leave them in a position they never thought they’d be in. Now they’re on a journey to become heroes — better heroes than their mentors specifically.
Project Superpowers: Hero Killers #1 is the first book with work from either Ryan Browne or Pete Woods and neither of them failed to impress. Browne’s writing is mainly fun and fairly light-hearted, but it is certainly not lacking in dark tones and emotions. The characters he is writing are not only distinct from each other, but they seem to act like real people would in the situations they’re put in. Browne’s storytelling is left me wanting so much more; its interesting from cover-to-cover, made me laugh, and his pacing is easy to keep with.
Browne’s writing is fantastically complemented by Pete Woods’s art. Right off the bat, the color palette chosen for this comic is a really great fit for the tone of the story; the book is worth checking out for the art alone. Woods really excels at drawing people throughout the issue, his faces are full of emotion while his bodies are almost never stiff. He is definitely not lacking in the action department either. Even though we don’t get much action in this issue, the taste that we do get comes off as dynamic and enjoyable; more fun than intense. Browne and Woods really come together in a great way to give us a story as fun and refreshing as Project Superpowers: Hero Killers #1.
The Verdict
Buy it! Project Superpowers: Hero Killers #1 will be a lot of fun for any superhero fan, especially those who enjoy series like Teen Titans and the like but want something a little darker. Dynamite put together a great pairing on this title and I’m really excited to see where it goes, you should be to!
