Dustin Gebel
Image Comics announced the new series The Power Fantasy this weekend at Emerald City Comic Con. The book, which comes from writer Kieron Gillen with art by Caspar Wijngaard and lettering by Clayton Cowles, follows a set of six powered individuals with “the destructive potential of the nuclear arsenal of the most powerful nations on Earth.” Launching this August, the series evokes the notions of deconstruction like Watchmen with a pop aesthetic.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kieron Gillen discussed the origin of the story, stating:
“The Power Fantasy emerged in a similar way to The Wicked + The Divine. I was doing a book at Marvel, and became aware of exactly the sort of things I could do with the reins taken off. As The Wicked + the Divine was to Young Avengers, this is to Immortal X-men. It’s a comic informed by superheroes, but one where a fight is the absolute lose state, for everyone. It’s set from 1945-1999, and so is a chance to really have fun with an alternate cultural history too. I think you can see it as an extension of my best work: WicDivian alternate-pop culture, a cold-war take on Uber’s realpolitik, Die’s social group drama hyper-charged by genre…”
Alongside the announcement was an advert, which featured art from Wijngaard, which can be seen below.
In the interview, Wijngaard explained the collaboration process for the series, stating:
“Once Kieron had pitched the basic outline for The Power Fantasy I knew this was the story I felt comfortable most telling. We’ve been able to create some incredible characters, each with their own vibrant personalities and worlds in which they inhabit. If you are a fan of my most recent image titles Home Sick Pilots and All Against All, you’ll see a lot of its DNA here. I’m truly putting everything I’ve learned into this series, and The Power Fantasy is a large and beautiful canvas for me to operate on.”
The Power Fantasy #1 will be available at comic book shops and on digital platforms in August.