America's Got Power #1

[superfangirl1]

Seventeen years ago, a crystal magically appeared in San Francisco and every pregnant woman within a five mile radius immediately gave birth to a super powered baby, regardless of the period of her pregnancy.

Reality television has been cranked up to an extreme level, as super powered teenagers participate in a televised battle, which may or may not result in death, to win a coveted membership spot on the only government super team in the world, The Power Generation.


Last year’s season finale resulted in both the final two competitors dying… and a spike in the ratings. Thus, this year, the producers of the show have lifted certain restraints, allowing the young heroes to go all out in combat and they have allowed the robotic enforcers in the ring, Paladins, to also use maximum force against the kids.

Comments

[roguefankc]

...one of these days, I'd like to read a comic about teenage superheroes who are raised in a population where everyone treats them with compassion and kindness. =/

[blueprintstyles]

so it just be a regular comic book?

[thatnickguy]

Is it just me or does Hitch's art just not have that "wow" factor? I mean compared to his other wowing work like Authority, JLA, and Ultimates.

I can't put my finger on what it is exactly, but at least going by these scans, there's just not that same amazement I get from his work.

Also, is the series really called "America Got Power"? Because from a grammar standpoint, that's terrible. It should be "America's Got Power" or something.

[majingojira]

It's "America's Got Power" No worries there.

I'm not sure, but it may be due to the colorist being different (if it is a different colorist of if Hitch does his own color work). The art is there, but the color seems to be what's off primarily.

That's what I see, at any rate.

[majingojira]

I read this one. By itself,it almost killed the modern day gladiator/reality TV show goes lethal genre for me.

And I grew up in the days when "Bloodspot" was being rerun constantly on TV.

Because I keep thinking of the logistics of it and the reasoning behind it and it almost always falls flat on its face due to sheer stupidity. Everyone's apparently bought the Hollywood version of what Rome did and ignored the truth of the matter (IE: Survival Rates), their reasons behind it, how it developed over a long period of time and social structure needed to support such a system and so on.

I also think about the society they think is around them and making such biting commentary on with the classic "We're just a few steps away from Gladiator contests!"

Without realizing that people have been killed in combat sports in the past and the cultural collective reaction was the exact OPPOSITE of what they are supposedly commenting on. It takes a LOT to build up people's appetites for Gladiatorial Games. One Syrian ruler fell in love with the games, but when he held his own the people were HORRIFIED. He had to wean them onto the idea over time, deliberately.

But this is not just gratuitous, it's mind numbingly STUPID.

This is almost as bad as the Manwha "Freezing" where the people give girl and boys super powers, tell them to work as a team to fight an alien threat and then install a ranking system based on a multi-person free for all melee held ONCE.

Oh, wait, that's exactly what they're doing here, except they make it an annual showing of stupidity, running the same generation through the ringer again and again to see who comes out on top, without a new supply to refresh it!

At least Freezing pretty much exists to give excuses for interesting fights, hints at sinister behind the scenes reasoning (to the point of further stupidity) and glorious amounts of fan service (as well as a lead character whose default modes of dealing with other characters are (in order of general use) "Ice Queen" and "Stabbity" -- going into moe-moe nervous paralysis when neither of those works/is an option that I find hilarious.)

But this? I just see "Hero rises above corrupt system, showing he's better than average society while fighting impossible odds."

Which might work if his villains had more to grasp on than hollow cliche that falls apart under scrutiny.

Edit: cleared up a sentence, changed icon.

[thatnickguy]

Ah, thank you.

And yeah, that may be it. Or it could be the inker, as well, who knows? There's definitely something "off," that's for sure.

[majingojira]

But then it wouldn't be Grim, Gritty or "Realistic"

Because we all know that people never raise well adjusted kids. Nope. never.

[majingojira]

Oh, and throw in the classic "Even though you're a fan of the sport, you still make a rookie mistake that's so obvious that readers who are totally unfamiliar with the concept of the sport can see it coming a mile away" bit pictured and we have a Cliche' storm unworthy of Roger Corman.

If not even "The Legend of Korra" could get away with it without me rolling my eyes, what makes ya think that a comic that already has a premise mired in outdated concepts and no thought into the world building could?

Ugh.

And I say all that as a person who actually, under normal circumstances, LIKES the genre. I just wish they'd think about it for 5 minutes. Or 2 seconds.

Or just more than this one was given.

[featheredserpent]

ew. I'm going to go read some Liefeld to cleanse my palate after that one.

[silverzeo]

DOes Tiger and Bunny count in a way?

[majingojira]

If definitely shows up in some sub plots, so I'd say it can count!

Mostly because Tiger & Bunny is fun.

[majingojira]

Okay, one last thing:

It also hurts that Superboy is pulling the exact same bullshit at the same time as this is out.

Yeah, this plotline needs to rest for a little bit or at least get someone who THINKS to tackle it.

[suzene]

*slow clap*

[icon_uk]

I think I'll go re-read Wildguard, the Todd Nauck series about a super-team/reality show that was imaginative, and FUN.

This? This is Battle Royale in spandex meets The Running Man.

[espanolbot]

To be fair in regards to the Legend of Korra example, she'd only ever heard if played over the radio before, and the announcers weren't exactly the kind of people to explain the rules as they wouldn't be that interesting.

[md84]

Except Battle Royale (not the manga version, but the book and the movies) and the Running Man (the movie) were actually entertaining if rather dark. It helps that both ended on a relatively high note. Also that the whole "blood sport reality show" idea wasn't totally overdone when they were made.

[md84]

Tiger And Bunny also had some of the cynical elements too, which I won't spoil. But overall it was a fun and idealistic series.

[icon_uk]

Indeed, The Running Man is a rather guilty pleasure (for a given value of pleasure) and Battle Royale is well made, if bleak as hell.

Ditto "Series 7 - The Contenders" too.

[icon_uk]

Where the population have READ the Evil Overlord list, the situation above is analagous to this;

"48. I will treat any beast which I control through magic or technology with respect and kindness. Thus if the control is ever broken, it will not immediately come after me for revenge."

[endis_ni]

Goodness. Someone's clearly decided they fancy a crack at all the popularity the Hunger Games is enjoying.

[darkblade]

If this didn't come out right on Hunger Games' coat tails I might give it some thought. Unfortunately it even had the bad timing to come out after the long delayed Battle Royale American DVD release.

[mishalak]

Thank you so much. I was thinking I was going to have post a rant about how very bad this comic is, but you did it for me, thanks!

So what Majingojira said with an extra side of, "Where the hell are the parents? Parents from anywhere allow their kids, superpowere or not, to be sent somewhere call 'the camps'? Especially parents from San Francisco of all places???"

Bah.

[filthysize]

Are we sure this is written by Jonathan Ross? I don't see dozens and dozens of balloons covering up 60% of the page.

[freezer]

"'Hunger Games cash-in?' I don't know what you mean!"

[icon_uk]

It takes a LOT to build up people's appetites for Gladiatorial Games.

WWF and Mortal Kombat have a lot to answer for between them!

That might be the way to look at that aspect of it. This could be being pitched as "video games come to life". All the violence of a video game, but an arena show as well!