Publisher: Dynamite
Writer: Ryan Browne
Artist: Pete Woods
Colourist: Pete Woods
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $3.99

Way back in the mists of time, 2008 to be exact, Jim Kreuger and Alex Ross helmed a Dynamite Entertainment extravaganza which breathed new life into dozens of Golden Age heroes, re-inventing them under the title Project Superpowers.

Now, in Hero Killers #1, Dynamite have handed the creative reins to Ryan Browne and Pete Woods in yet another re-invention of those same characters. Hey, you can’t have too much of a good thing, right?

Let me set the scene in Hero Killers #1, Libertyville U.S.A. is overrun with superheroes; they get tax breaks, a regular salary, affordable housing and a bonus based on crime-stopping performance. No wonder they outnumber the bad guys four to one. In Hero Killers #1, fast talking Libetyville Mayor, Smooth Willie Williams Junior, takes us through Libertyville’s recent history and explains why this seemingly idyllic state of affairs isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

In Hero Killers #1, when heroes get bored they tend to get fractious and a band of bootlegging robots (even though prohibition has been over for seventy years) brings them out in force, tripping over each other’s capes (not literally, but in Hero Killers #1 it’s the sort of thing that could easily happen) and bickering over who got to punch which miscreant first.

Fed up with the squabbling of their senior partners some of the teen sidekicks try to put things right and behave like real heroes for a change; a plan that literally blows up in their faces.

Hero Killers #1 may not sit too well with fans of the original Project Superpowers series, which was glossy and uber-realistic, but if you loosen your stays and let yourself be open for some belly-laughs then Hero Killers #1 really hits the spot. Not quite a spoof, not quite a serious sideways look at the superhero phenomenon, it carves out its own niche with a flavour that is distinctive and memorable. Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess, but it’s a safe bet there are going to be laughs and surprises in store every step of the way.

 

 

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker