Supreme Power #1

History

Supreme Power grew directly out of the early-2000s appetite for modernized, grounded superhero continuities that the Ultimate Marvel imprint had generated; Marvel applied that same 'start from scratch' editorial philosophy to its longstanding Squadron Supreme concept, but routed it through the MAX imprint to allow the mature, unflinching tone Straczynski intended. J. Michael Straczynski — already writing The Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel and known for his science-fiction worldbuilding on Babylon 5 — was paired with British penciller Gary Frank, inked by Jon Sibal and colored by Chris Sotomayor, under editors Mike Raicht and editor-in-chief Joe Quesada; the issue went on sale August 6, 2003 with an October 2003 cover date. Straczynski publicly stated his intent to explore thematic territory similar to Mark Gruenwald's landmark 1985–86 Squadron Supreme maxi-series — power, accountability, and what superhumans mean for ordinary society — but to approach those ideas from a different angle and without the constraints of the Comics Code Authority that had limited Gruenwald's work. The first issue shipped in two editions: a standard single and a Special Edition that bundled Gary Frank character design sketches alongside color reprints of Avengers #85 and #86, the Squadron Supreme's original 1971 appearances.

Trivia · 7 facts

• First appearance of Hyperion (Mark Milton) of Earth-31916, the MAX-imprint reimagining of the Squadron Supreme's Superman analogue, created by J. Michael Straczynski and Gary Frank.
• First appearance of Stanley Stewart (later the Blur), Marvel's speedster pastiche, whose super-speed is glimpsed in a brief scene set in the American South that closes the issue.
• First appearances of supporting cast Elizabeth Milton and Mason Milton (the government-appointed surrogate parents raising Mark) and Dr. Bill Steadman (the government scientist overseeing Project Hyperion), as well as Earth-31916 versions of presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush.
• First appearance of Earth-31916 itself, the alternate Marvel reality that would host the entire Supreme Power / Squadron Supreme publishing line through the mid-2000s.
• The series was published under Marvel's MAX imprint, allowing explicit mature content; the story's central conceit — that the U.S. government intercepts the alien infant and raises him under a classified program called 'Project Hyperion' — is fully established here in issue #1.
• The full creative team: J. Michael Straczynski (writer), Gary Frank (pencils and cover), Jon Sibal (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters), Mike Raicht (editor), Joe Quesada (editor-in-chief).
• A Special Edition variant of issue #1 was released alongside the standard edition, containing Gary Frank character design sketches and color reprints of Avengers #85 and #86 — the original 1971 first appearances of the Squadron Supreme — as historical context for new readers.

Cast · 9 characters

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