The Power Fantasy Volume 2: Mutually Reassuring Destruction

The Power Fantasy #6-11

by Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard (artist)

Imagine six people of such power that if they ever came into conflict, the world would end. Now imagine them never coming into conflict. Which is easier to imagine? The critically acclaimed series’ second volume continues to pull blocks from the Jenga tower of total annihilation.Come dance to the ticking of the doomsday clock with KIERON GILLEN (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, DIE) and CASPAR WIJNGAARD (HOME SICK PILOTS, ALL AGAINST ALL) in the second collection of this sell-out epic. Collects THE POWER FANTASY #6-11

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2025

About the author

Kieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.

Reviews

[mrglasswillbreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eliza was a devoted Christian woman, and a low-ranking member of Magus’s pyramid cult, who used magic she learnt from her higher-ranking husband, who had learnt it from Magus, to sell her soul and attain unlimited demonic power so she could defeat The Queen. The Queen, an alien being containing the consciousness of her entire race, came to Earth and tried to destroy the world, until Eliza killed her. However, the ensuing battle destroyed the entire continent of Europe, an event since referred to as the Second Summer of Love.

Magus joins forces with the US military in a bid to bolster his power, and Etienne finds out about Heavy’s superpowered son. These events destabilize the fragile power dynamic of the nuclear family, forcing them to choose sides. Magus reveals to Eliza that he is really Dev, her previously presumed dead husband, who took over Magus’s abilities and identity after the events of the Second Summer of Love. This convinces her to join him and they both plot a way to safely kill Etienne. She joins him, and they execute the plan, killing Etienne in front of the other members of the nuclear family, but Etienne is revealed to be alive in a different body.

Another Epic volume. Love this story so much and can’t wait to see what comes next. The writing, characters, pacing, and art are all top-notch. Strongly Recommend.

[Dan P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kieron Gillen writes comics for people who read perhaps too many comics. He plays with tropes and expectations in an expansive way: fun for everyone, but especially for people who think they know what's coming next. A true joy

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the story and artwork!

[Alex Sarll]

Having shown us a world on the brink in the first volume, obviously Gillen and Wijngaard spend the next installment poking at the house of cards. Some of this comes through rolling the clock back, showing us more of Jacky Magus and Eliza Hellbound, who didn't get as much spotlight as some of the other superpowers in the opening issues. There's also the whole Europe thing to address, and why in this timeline the press would have been more than justified in getting as worked up about the Second Summer of Love as they did here. As sins past will tend to, these and other matters set faultlines crackling towards the story's present, and soon people are being forced into hasty actions because they feel cornered, which we all know never ends badly. But what makes it truly tragic is that while all of the characters have their flaws, none of them, not even the one who sold her soul, are actually bad people. As Gillen says on the letters page, "really, 'What does a fuck do with power?' isn't that interesting. We know what fucks do with power. We live on Earth." But it turns out certain familiar phrases about power, and good intentions, hold true even for the non-fucks. I'd like this series to run for a while yet, and part of that is simply because it's a very good comic, but also because I really don't want to see its world, battered as it may already be, end as horribly as it looks like it's about to.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a series comes along that clearly has more going on under the hood than what's going on in the panels. The Power Fantasy made a statement about fighting being the failstate in it's opening arc, and the followup exemplifies that well.
Showing pieces of the infamous "Second Summer of Love" it's like putting a puzzle together over time. In the present, as secrets get loose and a new face is invited to the party, a deadly plan is hatched, and we finally have a casualty. Who it is, a bit expected. But what comes out of it!? that's what vol 3 will be for.

[Colin Post · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book and recognize that it’s very good - smart writing, excellent art, intriguing concept - but I can’t fully get into it for similar reasons as to why I bounced off Disco Elysium. It’s very forward about how smart it is in terms of politics and philosophy, but it’s all right there on the surface. It is indeed a very smart book, but on the nose or on the sleeve. That kind of vibe doesn’t get as much mileage from me, but I’m at least intrigued enough to keep reading, especially since I’m reading this one via hoopla.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is like a superhero version of DIE
if you like die you will like this

i like the first vol better but this was a good continuation
i hope there more as it wasn't really a ending

[Perry Moreton · Rating 5 out of 5]

just keeps getting better.

as should be true of a story about realpolitik, it's always hard to guess what happens next. not in the sense that events aren't foreshadowed but in the sense that, perhaps unfortunately for the world, these superpowers are all humans with clear ideologies, often understandable motivations and unique personalities which means that when faced with the consequences of their own and each others' powers, their actions and reactions are tempestuous and plans are constantly changing. and really, that's what a political thriller should be and where Gillen has always shone most (so much of his work centres around similarly powerful yet human ensembles trying to wrestle with their impact on the world, and so many of his best moments come from them doing shocking things that you just know are gonna have a million unexpected ripple effects, cf issue 10 of Immortal X-Men and the last few of WicDiv's fourth volume.

also shoutouts to Wijngaard's art which is also getting better and more dynamic as more characters come into play. for example, in the issues flashing back to 1989 (as an aside, i'm so glad those exist, i needed more details about that after the allusions to it in volume one), the contrast between the fluorescent pastel colours and panels moving across the page like sunbeams which create the psychedelic peaceable utopia of the Queen and the harsh reds and blacks of Eliza's hell powers. oh and the combination of his art and Cowles' lettering is also exceptional in depicting the strange bi-gendered alien from the 70's, with split reds and blues like it's being seen through 3d glasses.

we're in for yet another all timer here, just wish i didn't have to wait for more

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic stuff. I wonder where Gillen is headed with this. I can't imagine the series ending with the Earth still intact.

[Amelia L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down kieron gillen you’ve done it again

[Lio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of satisfying stakes and new details and twists explored in this volume. I'm thoroughly enjoying digging deeper into the core cast. The final few pages have me practically barking in anticipation and desperation for the next volume. I think this may be some of Keiron Gillen's sharpset writing (though I have yet to read The Wicked & the Divine, so take that as you will).

The incredible execution of story and art cements this as one of my favourite comic series, easily. The "summer of love" segment has one of the most magnificent full spread comic pages I've ever seen. One of my personal favourites, at least; obviously, taste is subjective, but I truly think this series is worth flipping through for Caspar Wijngaard's illustration skills alone.

[Lukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome series.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gillen is the world master at writing compelling stories about unlikeable middle-aged sad sacks* in extraordinary circumstances, and I'm here for it.

But is it ethical?



* OK not Valentina, I like her, but she is also eternally youthful and Brazilian-hot, sooo...

[Odo · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10

[Freddie Domaille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't wanna say that "this is as good as comics can get" but it's very tempting.
I genuinely don't think any version of this story could be half as good if it was attempted in another medium, which is kinda why I'm not even going to mention anything to do with the plot. They know they're making a comic, so they're using the storytelling devices unique to comics to their fullest capacity. It's hard not to sound pretentious but this really is to a comic book what a "film" is to a "movie."
Gillen, Winjngaard, Cowles, Hughes, and West are all at full-throttle, relentlessly batting a hundred with every panel. They all know what they're doing, and they're doing it masterfully, and when it all comes together it's genuinely astonishing.
I keep prattling on about the art medium and stuff, but also the story and characters and themes are all just really top-tier by themselves.

Pretty solid comic, all things considered.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some answers about the Second Summer Of Love put the relationship between the Superpowers into sharper perspective. Meanwhile, Heavy makes his move, someone steps out of the shadows, and someone explodes, quite literally.

I was worried that I'd have forgotten too much about this book between trades, but I slipped back in almost right away, which I always find is a good sign. The world's compelling, the characters are all various degrees of terrible in different ways, and just when you think everything's going one way, it goes the other.

[Presley Hinkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to begin. This was better than the last and I am so pumped for the next! This volume essentially “fixed” all of my problems with the last one and gave us even more in this wonderfully fucked-up world. As always, the art-style and storytelling was terrific. No notes.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Power Fantasy Vol. 2 continues much of the themes from the first volume, but, to have the most impact, readers are better off reading volume 1 back-to-back so that the significance of the events depicted here do not fall flat.

[Bertazzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved how Gillen went Full Wic/Div on this volume: sex, power and religion.

And Valentina... 🥵🥵🥵

[Eric Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Interested to see where it’s going but I found this volume pretty confusing. The perspective and time jumps didn’t help.

[bogo_lode · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the first volume a lot, but this one felt like it ran in place and left me pretty cold on things.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 5 out of 5]

W00000000000000000ww!!

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

In truth, this series operates in a lot of suspense driven by my least favorite technique: characters vaguely references past event so that didn’t happen on page. The reader has to read about them talking about this Big Awful Thing and wait for details about it to be revealed. I wonder why this entire series has to utilize flashbacks and time jumps, but I didn’t write it. *shrug*

Etienne remains the most fascinating character to me. I think there’s so much to be done with a character that’s hellbent on the “ethical” choice absent of any attached emotion. He’s a wildcard with a firm moral system. It’s interesting.

I wish I understood what Tonya’s purpose was. Initially, I thought she was going to be a forum through which the Atomics tell their stories. An easy way to get their backgrounds and lore stories about the past. In some ways, she is that. However, she’s not present here enough to do more than listen to Heavy’s story and ask questions about the new character we meet in the cult.

Eliza doesn’t fascinate me as much her character design made me think she would. I wasn’t compelled to feel anything for her. Again, her design is killer.

This ends in a really interesting way.

[Adam Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really special series. Can we call it "Game of Thrones, but for superheroes"? Volume 2 brings a ton of payoff for threads laid in Volume 1, filling in a lot of backstory on major historical events previously hinted at, and propelling the story into seriously high gear for Volume 3.

I may have to start buying this thing issue by issue...

[Estibaliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no better feeling that seeing all the promises of the first volume being fulfilled on the second... and then some.

Kieron Gillen does an excellent work, once again, when it comes to world and character building, and is able to keep the readers engaged at all times, whether we are revisiting past events to better understand the present, or just going along for the wild ride that is said present.

And, of course, we also get that superb art to boot, in what surely is the most imaginative and inventive story about superpowers made lately.

Plus, big surprises and revelations all along, and even a bigger cliffhanger of an ending to leave us wanting for the next one.

Fun times! End times?

[Adam Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful, intriguing volume of this political sci-fi/fantasy thriller.

[Monica]

Got about 50 pages in. Decided this series is not for me. If you are into the Wicked + the Divine series, you will be into this.

[Des Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. The suspense is ridiculous. I am so hooked, and while I would prefer if the exposition wasn't so flashback heavy, I understand why the choice was made to work backwards as often as Gillen does here. The work is just incredible though. The characters are fantastic, and it's impossible to not want to read the next issue immediately.

The first volume wows with its premise, this volume wows with its narrative.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy]

DNF

This series just really misses the mark for me. I will hopefully come back to it in a few months or years and find what everyone else seems to see.

[Zaynab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if I can review this because I don't know how to not let what I have read since cloud how I felt about 6-11. However.

I think this may be the strongest section of this story so far. Issues 1-5 through were very good (with issue 1 being the strongest period), but never quite strayed away from feeling like an introduction. We were constantly being reminded things about characters and dynamics that made it feel repetitive, even when reading across month. By issue 11, we don't have etienne dropping the word ethical every 10 pages so that marks an improvement there.

I began to see the bigger picture and feel for the characters, the tension ratcheted up. I really find these characters and dynamics and I wish they were dug into a little bit more than they are.