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Squadron Supreme (1985) #1-12
Squadron Supreme
Collects Squadron Supreme #1-12, and Captain America #314.
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1997
26 people are currently reading
667 people want to read
About the author
Mark Gruenwald
919 books44 followersGruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity. Before being hired by Marvel, he wrote text articles for DC Comics official fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics. Articles by Gruenwald include "The Martian Chronicles" (a history of the Martian Manhunter) in issue #13 and several articles on the history of the Justice League in issue #14.
In 1978 he was hired by Marvel Comics, where he remained for the rest of his career. Hired initially as an assistant editor in January 1978, Gruenwald was promoted to full editorship by Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter in 1982, putting Gruenwald in charge of The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Spider Woman, and What If. During this period, he shared an office with writer/editor Denny O'Neil, whom Gruenwald considered a mentor.
In 1982, Gruenwald, Steven Grant, and Bill Mantlo co-wrote Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions, the first limited seriespublished by Marvel Comics. As a writer, Gruenwald is best known for creating the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and his ten-year stint as the writer of Captain America during which he contributed several notable characters such as Crossbones, Diamondback and U.S. Agent. He made a deliberate effort to create villains who would be specific to Captain America, as opposed to generic foes who could as easily have been introduced in another comic.
His 60-issue run on Quasar realized Gruenwald's ambition to write his own kind of superhero. However, he considered his magnum opus to be the mid-1980s 12-issue miniseries Squadron Supreme, which told the story of an alternate universe where a group of well-intended superheroes decide that they would be best suited to run the planet
In 1978 he was hired by Marvel Comics, where he remained for the rest of his career. Hired initially as an assistant editor in January 1978, Gruenwald was promoted to full editorship by Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter in 1982, putting Gruenwald in charge of The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Spider Woman, and What If. During this period, he shared an office with writer/editor Denny O'Neil, whom Gruenwald considered a mentor.
In 1982, Gruenwald, Steven Grant, and Bill Mantlo co-wrote Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions, the first limited seriespublished by Marvel Comics. As a writer, Gruenwald is best known for creating the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and his ten-year stint as the writer of Captain America during which he contributed several notable characters such as Crossbones, Diamondback and U.S. Agent. He made a deliberate effort to create villains who would be specific to Captain America, as opposed to generic foes who could as easily have been introduced in another comic.
His 60-issue run on Quasar realized Gruenwald's ambition to write his own kind of superhero. However, he considered his magnum opus to be the mid-1980s 12-issue miniseries Squadron Supreme, which told the story of an alternate universe where a group of well-intended superheroes decide that they would be best suited to run the planet
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
October 10, 2016
Still targeted primarily at children, most pre-Watchmen superhero comics are a bit on the cheesy side, and Mark Gruenwald’s 1985 maxi-series Squadron Supreme is generally no exception to the rule—at least as far as characterization, dialogue and plot development are concerned. On a conceptual level, though, Squadron Supreme stands out as an early attempt to deconstruct the superhero paradigm in a real-world setting, raising questions along the lines of: Wouldn’t beings with superhuman abilities get tired of cleaning up our mess? Wouldn’t they take control of the world’s governments and run the planet at their discretion? What would such a totalitarian world look like? Recommended to anybody interested in the history and ideology of superhero comics!
July 8, 2013
Marvel’s one hundred (100) percent ripoff of DC’s Justice League of America. I mean, it was obvious Hyperion was Superman, Doctor Spectrum was Green Lantern, Power Princess was Wonder Woman, et cetera. No one ever tried to make a secret of it. So why in 1986 did I feel a need to buy a Justice League copycat when I could have just read the DC original?
Simple answer: Mark Gruenwald.
Say what you will of Gruenwald, but he was one of the best comic writers of the time imo. He was that rare writer who could take something absolutely not cool (Prime example is Quasar imo) and make it readable. Gruenwald could even take it further, crafting a relevant, thought-provoking storyline without having to turn his comic into a mature, adult-only book. This is exactly what he did with this mid-80s mini-series.
We pick up the Squadron Supreme of Earth-712 dealing with the aftermath of their paramount failure: becoming mind-controlled pawns of two super villains who used them to rule over and destroy Earth-712. With the aid of the Defenders, the Squadron has previously regained their freewill, defeated the villains but is left with a post-apocalyptic earth to rebuild. That leads them to the ultimate question every team of super-heroes contemplates: why don’t we just take control of the earth and make it into utopia instead of dealing with all these idiotic politicians and governments? (Honestly, if you were Hyperion/Superman or Power Princess/Wonder Woman, can’t you envision that question bouncing around in your heads 100 times a day?) This series explored exactly what would happen if a team of super-heroes answered that question by saying: “Hell yes, lets take over.”
The story that follows has its up and downs, but it generally stays true to this initial premise. We see the team splinter over their decision; friends become enemies instantaneously over ethical questions. Moral issues of a person’s inherent right to freedom of thought are explored, and we have - in the comic book sense of that time - terrible consequences rain down upon the heads of our enlightened despots. Numerous deaths directly and indirectly result from this conflict of ideals, which at the time was somewhat surprising of this type of comic. In the end, our remaining heroes show us exactly what can occur when power is not used wisely.
Now, before anyone mentions this, I am not saying this series compares to the Watchmen. Squadron Supreme is not the same “type” of mature comic as Watchmen, so a side by side comparison is not fair. However, Squadron Supreme was very forward thinking in its exploration of the interplay of power, responsibility and inherent freedoms of others in the decisions of super-heroes, and it showed the writing ability of Mark Gruenwald. For those reasons, it was well worth the read.
Simple answer: Mark Gruenwald.
Say what you will of Gruenwald, but he was one of the best comic writers of the time imo. He was that rare writer who could take something absolutely not cool (Prime example is Quasar imo) and make it readable. Gruenwald could even take it further, crafting a relevant, thought-provoking storyline without having to turn his comic into a mature, adult-only book. This is exactly what he did with this mid-80s mini-series.
We pick up the Squadron Supreme of Earth-712 dealing with the aftermath of their paramount failure: becoming mind-controlled pawns of two super villains who used them to rule over and destroy Earth-712. With the aid of the Defenders, the Squadron has previously regained their freewill, defeated the villains but is left with a post-apocalyptic earth to rebuild. That leads them to the ultimate question every team of super-heroes contemplates: why don’t we just take control of the earth and make it into utopia instead of dealing with all these idiotic politicians and governments? (Honestly, if you were Hyperion/Superman or Power Princess/Wonder Woman, can’t you envision that question bouncing around in your heads 100 times a day?) This series explored exactly what would happen if a team of super-heroes answered that question by saying: “Hell yes, lets take over.”
The story that follows has its up and downs, but it generally stays true to this initial premise. We see the team splinter over their decision; friends become enemies instantaneously over ethical questions. Moral issues of a person’s inherent right to freedom of thought are explored, and we have - in the comic book sense of that time - terrible consequences rain down upon the heads of our enlightened despots. Numerous deaths directly and indirectly result from this conflict of ideals, which at the time was somewhat surprising of this type of comic. In the end, our remaining heroes show us exactly what can occur when power is not used wisely.
Now, before anyone mentions this, I am not saying this series compares to the Watchmen. Squadron Supreme is not the same “type” of mature comic as Watchmen, so a side by side comparison is not fair. However, Squadron Supreme was very forward thinking in its exploration of the interplay of power, responsibility and inherent freedoms of others in the decisions of super-heroes, and it showed the writing ability of Mark Gruenwald. For those reasons, it was well worth the read.
January 19, 2015
I want to start this review with the beginning words of every issue of this great story arch. "When civilization tottered on the brink of collapse, they stood united against the forces of darkness... men and women of vast power who solemnly vowed to do what no group of beings had ever done before - to create a paradise on Earth!"
To put it in the words of the Gru himself, the premise of Squadron Supreme in a nutshell is: "that the Squadron Supreme decides to do what no other group of superbeings has done before, and that is to actually improve the world. Most of our super-teams, such as the Avengers exist to react to menaces that are out there, that are beyond the scope of traditional law-enforcement agencies. They never attack the disease, what makes crime happen, only the symptoms, crime itself." The Squadron Supreme on the other hand will try to solve all of the world's problems and create a utopia on Earth. They'll go out and live up to the potential of their superhuman powers."
Mark Gruenwald God rest his soul, did some revolutionary stuff with the Squadron Supreme, he tackled issues that weren't touched upon in the era it was written. Individual rights vs. the good of society to name a big one. "The Squadron is faced with choices that most super heroes have never had to cope with before, because they've never tried to do what the Squadron is doing", said Gruenwald.
My favorite characters have to be Nighthawk and Amphibian. These two characters are the voices of reason throughout the story. They are the only two who oppose to the ideas the Squadron comes up with. They don't want to forfeit the people's individual freedom for any kind of Utopia.
This is an omnibus and an omnibus with a story where you have a lot going on. I could keep on writing about this book. It's one of the best comics I've ever read. And I recommend it to each and every comicbook enthusiast.
It's one of those stories that was innovative and thought-provoking when it first came out and still is to this day.
P.S. There are some great characters, the art is great, there are some tragic events. Although it's a story about people with superpowers, it's a very realistic story, with relatable issues and situations. Highly recommended reading!
To put it in the words of the Gru himself, the premise of Squadron Supreme in a nutshell is: "that the Squadron Supreme decides to do what no other group of superbeings has done before, and that is to actually improve the world. Most of our super-teams, such as the Avengers exist to react to menaces that are out there, that are beyond the scope of traditional law-enforcement agencies. They never attack the disease, what makes crime happen, only the symptoms, crime itself." The Squadron Supreme on the other hand will try to solve all of the world's problems and create a utopia on Earth. They'll go out and live up to the potential of their superhuman powers."
Mark Gruenwald God rest his soul, did some revolutionary stuff with the Squadron Supreme, he tackled issues that weren't touched upon in the era it was written. Individual rights vs. the good of society to name a big one. "The Squadron is faced with choices that most super heroes have never had to cope with before, because they've never tried to do what the Squadron is doing", said Gruenwald.
My favorite characters have to be Nighthawk and Amphibian. These two characters are the voices of reason throughout the story. They are the only two who oppose to the ideas the Squadron comes up with. They don't want to forfeit the people's individual freedom for any kind of Utopia.
This is an omnibus and an omnibus with a story where you have a lot going on. I could keep on writing about this book. It's one of the best comics I've ever read. And I recommend it to each and every comicbook enthusiast.
It's one of those stories that was innovative and thought-provoking when it first came out and still is to this day.
P.S. There are some great characters, the art is great, there are some tragic events. Although it's a story about people with superpowers, it's a very realistic story, with relatable issues and situations. Highly recommended reading!
April 6, 2012
Written in 1985 by Mark Gruenwald, the Squadron Supreme mini-series may well be a transition point in comics. It stands on the line between Avengers/Justice League comics of the 70's and earlier 80's and the darker grittier comics that began about 6 months later with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. I truly think this series influenced the comic industry and the writers more than most let on to. It is about a bunch of super heroes who after a horrible tragedy try to restore peace and justice through any means possible. The dark, non-powered billionaire with strong moral convictions decides he cannot go along with the plans. Sounding similar to a certain Alex Ross title from 1996? Maybe. Though they do have striking differences, the times were different in 85-86 and in 96. I just reread the entire Squadron Supreme mini-series yesterday. It is still just as good as it was when I read it years ago. It is full of drama, deception, moral and ethical questions, loss, triumph, philosophical quandaries, surprises, and awesome comic book action!
If you aren't familiar with Squadron Supreme, they are a purposeful-marvel-carbon-copy of the Justice League. Hyperion - Superman, Power Princess - Wonder Woman, Amphibian - Aquaman, Dr. Spectrum - Green Lantern, Lady Lark - Black Canary, so on and so on... But what Gruenwald decided to do with these twenty year old joke characters is genius. He put them in a more real world setting. Asking, "If you possessed the power of Superman, how far do you go to bring the world peace? How would the government react? What about the people? What do you do about crime? poverty? prisons? guns?" The answers might startle you, but they follow and make logical sense.
The series impacted so many comics to come too: the aforementioned Kingdom Come, Astro City, Marvel's Ultimates, The Authority, and numerous DC Elseworlds. I see reflections of it in so many places. I think this mini-series should be required reading for an "comic book fan".
Not everything in the mini-series is perfect. A few things seem a little rushed, and in order to get the whole story, you also have to pick up Captain America # 314. Well, you don't really have to pick up Cap #314, because of my final complaint. There is a lot of recapping in nearly every issue. I realize that it was important at that time - if you missed an issue, you were out of luck. I recommend just skipping it when it comes up though.
Neat characters with individual minds and ethical standards and personal drives really make this tale come alive. Whizzer and Arcanna have families, Nuke's parents are dying, Nighthawk is President of the US when the series begins, Lamprey is so blood-thirsty he is comical at times... my point is simply "wow". Couple that with a cool plot, complex adversaries, and a little bit of Utopia and A Clockwork Orange and you get this great achievement in comics.
Pick it up. Read it. Love it.
If you aren't familiar with Squadron Supreme, they are a purposeful-marvel-carbon-copy of the Justice League. Hyperion - Superman, Power Princess - Wonder Woman, Amphibian - Aquaman, Dr. Spectrum - Green Lantern, Lady Lark - Black Canary, so on and so on... But what Gruenwald decided to do with these twenty year old joke characters is genius. He put them in a more real world setting. Asking, "If you possessed the power of Superman, how far do you go to bring the world peace? How would the government react? What about the people? What do you do about crime? poverty? prisons? guns?" The answers might startle you, but they follow and make logical sense.
The series impacted so many comics to come too: the aforementioned Kingdom Come, Astro City, Marvel's Ultimates, The Authority, and numerous DC Elseworlds. I see reflections of it in so many places. I think this mini-series should be required reading for an "comic book fan".
Not everything in the mini-series is perfect. A few things seem a little rushed, and in order to get the whole story, you also have to pick up Captain America # 314. Well, you don't really have to pick up Cap #314, because of my final complaint. There is a lot of recapping in nearly every issue. I realize that it was important at that time - if you missed an issue, you were out of luck. I recommend just skipping it when it comes up though.
Neat characters with individual minds and ethical standards and personal drives really make this tale come alive. Whizzer and Arcanna have families, Nuke's parents are dying, Nighthawk is President of the US when the series begins, Lamprey is so blood-thirsty he is comical at times... my point is simply "wow". Couple that with a cool plot, complex adversaries, and a little bit of Utopia and A Clockwork Orange and you get this great achievement in comics.
Pick it up. Read it. Love it.
November 24, 2024
When the Squadron Supreme vows to fix all the world's problems, Nighthawk balks and vows to bring down the Squadron at any cost...
Is this better than Watchmen? Fuck no. Is it better than most 1980s super hero comics? Fuck yes.
Okay, so this is basically What If The Justice League tried to save the world by tackling social issues. A bunch of Justice League analogs start confiscating guns, using behavioral modification devices to reform criminals, and other such programs. Nighthawk, the Batman of the group, decides they're going too far and vows to bring them down.
Is this a deconstruction of super heroes? What does that even mean anymore? Squadron Supreme deals with some of the same themes as Watchmen but this still feels like a super hero story rather than a murder mystery. The Squadron Supreme takes the super hero concept to it's logical conclusion and makes hay with it.
Gruenwald is no Alan Moore, however. This very much feels like a 1980s super hero book and not a transcendent work. The best I can say about Gruenwald's writing is that he kept the trains running on time. Same with the art by Bob Hall, Paul Ryan, and the rest of the creative team. The art didn't pop at all, feeling like the monthly super hero book churn, albeit on the good side of that spectrum.
Still, Guenwald touches on themes that would later be touched upon in Identity Crisis and other works. When demi-gods walk the earth, who's going to tell them they're going too far?
I initially read the first issue so I could talk about it on Bluesky but wound up reading it all in one day. That says something about how readable Squadron Supreme is 30+ years later.
Is this better than Watchmen? Fuck no. Is it better than most 1980s super hero comics? Fuck yes.
Okay, so this is basically What If The Justice League tried to save the world by tackling social issues. A bunch of Justice League analogs start confiscating guns, using behavioral modification devices to reform criminals, and other such programs. Nighthawk, the Batman of the group, decides they're going too far and vows to bring them down.
Is this a deconstruction of super heroes? What does that even mean anymore? Squadron Supreme deals with some of the same themes as Watchmen but this still feels like a super hero story rather than a murder mystery. The Squadron Supreme takes the super hero concept to it's logical conclusion and makes hay with it.
Gruenwald is no Alan Moore, however. This very much feels like a 1980s super hero book and not a transcendent work. The best I can say about Gruenwald's writing is that he kept the trains running on time. Same with the art by Bob Hall, Paul Ryan, and the rest of the creative team. The art didn't pop at all, feeling like the monthly super hero book churn, albeit on the good side of that spectrum.
Still, Guenwald touches on themes that would later be touched upon in Identity Crisis and other works. When demi-gods walk the earth, who's going to tell them they're going too far?
I initially read the first issue so I could talk about it on Bluesky but wound up reading it all in one day. That says something about how readable Squadron Supreme is 30+ years later.
June 22, 2009
Granted, the Squadron Supreme was never my favorite concept for a group of characters. Essentially, they are Marvel's play off of DC's Justice League (Hyperion = Superman, Whizzer = Flash, Nighthawk = Batman, etc.) and they were frequent foes of the Avengers and brainwashed in just about every arc they appeared in.
But Mark Gruenwald, God rest his soul, took this book in a whole new direction. What if people with superhuman powers stopped simply fighting crime and/or injustice and actually took a more direct approach to create a utopia? The Squadron sets out do do everything; stop world hunger, cure cancer, end poverty, and even attempt to find a cure for death, jeeze, you're making Obama look bad.
Beyond breaking all the social and story limits of a comic book story, if one should buy this, one would actually be holding particles of the author himself. Gruenwald stated in his will that he wished to be cremated upon death and his ashes be mixed into comic book ink so as to actually be a part of a book. That is dedication my friends. I would have liked his memorial book to be a TPB of the 80's John Walker Captain America story, as this is my favorite Gru work, but this one is worth it by far. Rest in peace, Mark Gruenwald, it was you who gave me my life-long love of comic books when otherwise I would have just thrown those old books in the garbage when I was 10.
But Mark Gruenwald, God rest his soul, took this book in a whole new direction. What if people with superhuman powers stopped simply fighting crime and/or injustice and actually took a more direct approach to create a utopia? The Squadron sets out do do everything; stop world hunger, cure cancer, end poverty, and even attempt to find a cure for death, jeeze, you're making Obama look bad.
Beyond breaking all the social and story limits of a comic book story, if one should buy this, one would actually be holding particles of the author himself. Gruenwald stated in his will that he wished to be cremated upon death and his ashes be mixed into comic book ink so as to actually be a part of a book. That is dedication my friends. I would have liked his memorial book to be a TPB of the 80's John Walker Captain America story, as this is my favorite Gru work, but this one is worth it by far. Rest in peace, Mark Gruenwald, it was you who gave me my life-long love of comic books when otherwise I would have just thrown those old books in the garbage when I was 10.
November 18, 2021
I didn't read Squadron when it originally debuted, mainly because I couldn't stand the look of the characters. Having now read it, I can say I still don't like the character designs but the story is alright. Although the ending seemed abrupt and I want to know what happened with some of the characters.
August 15, 2016
The Squadron Supreme (Marvel's Justice League analog) are mind-controlled into destroying the country. After recovering, this last straw for the superteam convinces the majority of them to apply all of their powers to autocratically ruling the country as dictators and solving all of its problems. Hunger, crime, unemployment would all become history. Some members of the Squadron take issue with the methods: all guns are confiscated, criminals' brains are modified, and the dead are cryogenically frozen until they can be brought back to life. Of course these well-intentioned programs remove free will and are almost immediately abused, resulting in a clash within the Squadron and a devastating outcome.
I knew of the Squadron's leader, Hyperion, from his appearance in Hickman's Avengers, but I had no idea he was already a fully-formed character. I saw this on a list of the 25 essential Marvel collections between 1961 and 2000 and assumed that the SS were created here. Again, wrong. They were originally featured in Avengers #85 back in 1971 which again was a surprise. It's odd that I never really registered them in my mind, especially considering the quality of this miniseries.
Though it's got some of the worst features of 1980's comics (primarily surrounding long-winded exposition and clunky dialogue), this feels like a more accessible version of Watchmen in its extreme deconstruction of what it would be like if superheroes (the Justice League in particular in what feels like a purposeful "take that") started being proactive and took control, allowing the ends of a orderly and peaceful utopia to justify the disturbing means used to achieve it. The miniseries can be picked up and understood without any foreknowledge of the characters and the effects are brutally realistic and feel permanent in a way that few stories do. It's certainly one of the best things from the 1980's that I've read and does earn its spot as one of the best Marvel stories from that period.
I knew of the Squadron's leader, Hyperion, from his appearance in Hickman's Avengers, but I had no idea he was already a fully-formed character. I saw this on a list of the 25 essential Marvel collections between 1961 and 2000 and assumed that the SS were created here. Again, wrong. They were originally featured in Avengers #85 back in 1971 which again was a surprise. It's odd that I never really registered them in my mind, especially considering the quality of this miniseries.
Though it's got some of the worst features of 1980's comics (primarily surrounding long-winded exposition and clunky dialogue), this feels like a more accessible version of Watchmen in its extreme deconstruction of what it would be like if superheroes (the Justice League in particular in what feels like a purposeful "take that") started being proactive and took control, allowing the ends of a orderly and peaceful utopia to justify the disturbing means used to achieve it. The miniseries can be picked up and understood without any foreknowledge of the characters and the effects are brutally realistic and feel permanent in a way that few stories do. It's certainly one of the best things from the 1980's that I've read and does earn its spot as one of the best Marvel stories from that period.
May 28, 2022
Muito antes da saga Crise de Identidade, da DC Comics, o escritor Mark Gruenwald desenvolveu para a Marvel, na saga do Esquadrão Supremo (um decalque proposital da Liga da Justiça), um plot de lavagem cerebral e troca da polaridade. Ou seja, heróis se tornavam vilões e vilões se tornavam heróis. Essa é uma das partes mais interessantes e bem trabalhadas de Esquadrão Supremo. Mas o compilado tem seus problemas, tirando o horrível logotipo da versão brasileira da HQ. Trata-se de uma maxissérie em 12 edições que acho que poderia funcionar melhor em apenas 6 edições. Algumas vezes acabei me perdendo no propósito da história em quadrinhos, que além de tudo é bastante verborrágica, cheia de textos redundantes ao "melhor' estilo Marvel. Os desenhos de Bob Hall também não são os que me agradam mais. Dizem que Esquadrão Supremo é o melhor trabalho de Mark Gruenwald, mas eu não concordo. Acho que toda a saga e gênese de John Walker, o Agente Americano é melhor que estas histórias contidas neste encadernado. De toda forma é bom poder ter acesso a este material histórico.
May 3, 2024
This was intense. This came out right before Watchmen, and really this is an underrated series. It's one of the first series to really dig deep into mature themes. The superhero action was really only a small part of this story, as it dealt more with utopia vs. personal freedoms and similar themes. The ending was really dark, much darker than I was expecting.
The main complaint I have about this series was it was just too "wordy." When the word balloons are almost obscuring the art, there's a good chance the writing needs to be edited down. The best comics always have a synergy between the art and dialogue, and too much dialogue interferes with that. I think it was more a sign of the times, as the X-Men were sort of the blueprint for comics in that era, and that was a wordy book as well.
Overall this was a strong graphic novel, sort of precursor of things to come as comics began to mature around this time (although then in the 90s, they sort of reverted, before maturing again post 2000.)
This was the late Mark Gruenwald's magnum opus, and it is a worthy work. Overall I'd recommend this to any fan of superhero comics.
The main complaint I have about this series was it was just too "wordy." When the word balloons are almost obscuring the art, there's a good chance the writing needs to be edited down. The best comics always have a synergy between the art and dialogue, and too much dialogue interferes with that. I think it was more a sign of the times, as the X-Men were sort of the blueprint for comics in that era, and that was a wordy book as well.
Overall this was a strong graphic novel, sort of precursor of things to come as comics began to mature around this time (although then in the 90s, they sort of reverted, before maturing again post 2000.)
This was the late Mark Gruenwald's magnum opus, and it is a worthy work. Overall I'd recommend this to any fan of superhero comics.
March 24, 2015
I admit that I had something of an odd soft spot for the Squadron Supreme.
Those parallel Earth Marvel characters began life as a joke. They began life in an Avengers story as barely concealed Justice League clones. They popped up a few times over the years, usually either under the influence of mind control or somehow otherwise misled into fighting heroes from Marvel’s main world. But creators usually put enough of a spin on the team to make them interesting.
The team was an unusual choice for their own limited series, but the late, very talented writer Mark Gruenwald had a vision that led to the 1985-86 12-part Squadron Supreme. Working primarily with artists Bob Hall and Paul Ryan, Gruenwald brought to Marvel some of the deconstructionist spin that DC was plying very successfully at the time with series like Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns and Camelot 3000. Squadron Supreme doesn’t get the recognition that those more famous books do, but it’s worth checking out if you’ve never read it.
Squadron Supreme picks up shortly after the team’s last appearance in Defenders. After an alien presence mentally enslaved most of the Squadron’s world, the planet is teetering on the edge of collapse. Hyperion, the group’s leader and the team’s Superman correlate, proposes the Squadron take a more proactive approach to addressing the world’s issues. The Squadron essentially seizes control of the U.S. government and implements its Utopia Program. The team intends to make the world safe and prosperous again and then will return control to an elected government. Nighthawk, the Batman equivalent and a key pawn in the previous adventure, vehemently objects to the Utopia Program. He leaves the team and considers assassinating Hyperion before deciding to lead a resistance movement.
The Squadron Supreme takes some controversial measures. They ban all armaments and go on a sometimes violent campaign to confiscate and destroy all weapons. Most controversially, the team creates a “behavior modification” machine that it uses to essentially brainwash criminals into behaving. As the issues go past, some members of the team don’t handle the burden of this power well. Several fall away from the team, some die and a couple join the opposition. The violent final conflict was shocking for its body count. Superhero massacres were not par for the course in 1986.
Throughout the series, Gruenwald played effectively with the notion of what a world filled with super-powered vigilantes who chose to use their abilities to take over would look like. The tension between “the common good” and individual liberties is ever present. Gruenwald and his collaborators illustrated how difficult it can be to keep in sight the line between necessary service and totalitarianism. The choices and compromises the characters make over the course of the series demonstrated the toll such a course would take on all involved.
But beyond the thorny political theories explored, Squadron Supreme is a great adventure. The creators do a nice job fleshing out the Squadron’s Earth and contrasting it to the main Marvel Earth. There are some first rate action scenes and really involving interpersonal drama. The character Tom Thumb, previously a grotesque parody of the Atom, becomes a compelling, tragic figure. Nuke, a wan Firestorm knockoff in his prior appearance, becomes dangerous and sorrowful, showing the negative impact a hero can have on his loved ones. And the romance depicted between Hyperion and Power Princess is one of the first in-depth explorations of how a Superman/Wonder Woman romance could play out.
Whether you immerse yourself in its political allegory or just enjoy it as a dystopian alternate world adventure, Squadron Supreme is an ‘80s vintage saga worth reading.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
Those parallel Earth Marvel characters began life as a joke. They began life in an Avengers story as barely concealed Justice League clones. They popped up a few times over the years, usually either under the influence of mind control or somehow otherwise misled into fighting heroes from Marvel’s main world. But creators usually put enough of a spin on the team to make them interesting.
The team was an unusual choice for their own limited series, but the late, very talented writer Mark Gruenwald had a vision that led to the 1985-86 12-part Squadron Supreme. Working primarily with artists Bob Hall and Paul Ryan, Gruenwald brought to Marvel some of the deconstructionist spin that DC was plying very successfully at the time with series like Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns and Camelot 3000. Squadron Supreme doesn’t get the recognition that those more famous books do, but it’s worth checking out if you’ve never read it.
Squadron Supreme picks up shortly after the team’s last appearance in Defenders. After an alien presence mentally enslaved most of the Squadron’s world, the planet is teetering on the edge of collapse. Hyperion, the group’s leader and the team’s Superman correlate, proposes the Squadron take a more proactive approach to addressing the world’s issues. The Squadron essentially seizes control of the U.S. government and implements its Utopia Program. The team intends to make the world safe and prosperous again and then will return control to an elected government. Nighthawk, the Batman equivalent and a key pawn in the previous adventure, vehemently objects to the Utopia Program. He leaves the team and considers assassinating Hyperion before deciding to lead a resistance movement.
The Squadron Supreme takes some controversial measures. They ban all armaments and go on a sometimes violent campaign to confiscate and destroy all weapons. Most controversially, the team creates a “behavior modification” machine that it uses to essentially brainwash criminals into behaving. As the issues go past, some members of the team don’t handle the burden of this power well. Several fall away from the team, some die and a couple join the opposition. The violent final conflict was shocking for its body count. Superhero massacres were not par for the course in 1986.
Throughout the series, Gruenwald played effectively with the notion of what a world filled with super-powered vigilantes who chose to use their abilities to take over would look like. The tension between “the common good” and individual liberties is ever present. Gruenwald and his collaborators illustrated how difficult it can be to keep in sight the line between necessary service and totalitarianism. The choices and compromises the characters make over the course of the series demonstrated the toll such a course would take on all involved.
But beyond the thorny political theories explored, Squadron Supreme is a great adventure. The creators do a nice job fleshing out the Squadron’s Earth and contrasting it to the main Marvel Earth. There are some first rate action scenes and really involving interpersonal drama. The character Tom Thumb, previously a grotesque parody of the Atom, becomes a compelling, tragic figure. Nuke, a wan Firestorm knockoff in his prior appearance, becomes dangerous and sorrowful, showing the negative impact a hero can have on his loved ones. And the romance depicted between Hyperion and Power Princess is one of the first in-depth explorations of how a Superman/Wonder Woman romance could play out.
Whether you immerse yourself in its political allegory or just enjoy it as a dystopian alternate world adventure, Squadron Supreme is an ‘80s vintage saga worth reading.
A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com
April 5, 2021
This is a book that really doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It was the superhero deconstruction before Moore’s more famous one with that guy in the trenchcoat and the naked blue god. This book is what would happen if the Justice League from Marvel’s Distinguished Competition decided to take over. The Authority, the Justice Lords, all of those and more owe themselves to Gruenwald’s take here even if they don’t know it. It may be clumsy in places, but that’s only because it was one of the first taking steps *in* those places. It’s almost amazingly forward thinking in others. And still somehow feels relevant over 40 years later.
Gruenwald is one of the sadly more undersung Marvel scribes, even though his legacy is vast (just watch Falcon and Winter Soldier on Disney Plus to see his The Captain arc adapted.) I really can’t recommend his work enough. When it comes to themes he swing s for the rafters. His writing style is very 80s Marvel, but it has a modern verve to it.
The artists here are no slouch. Bob Hall may be rough, but his linework is solid. John Buscema’s a classic and his brief contribution is welcome. Pauls Ryan and Neary are equally capable.
If I have to give any complaints despite being 12 issues it felt like the end was a bit rushed. It almost did too good a job of making the Squadron seem more right than the rebels (and it doesn’t help with some of the stuff the rebels pull near the end)
It reminded me of Jupiter’s Legacy a bit, but that did a better job of making the authoritarian superheroes flawed in more dangerous and inevitably unstable ways, with their leader in particular being already flawed and a far call from the Superman and Wonder Woman pastiches here. Meanwhile here it’s essentially a moral victory on a mountain of corpses, something that Watchmen would later do to the Nth degree.
Overall it’s a solid read, with some genuinely surprising moments, a lot of firsts, and a really fleshed out cast making very human mistakes. Even the gods are imperfect.
Gruenwald is one of the sadly more undersung Marvel scribes, even though his legacy is vast (just watch Falcon and Winter Soldier on Disney Plus to see his The Captain arc adapted.) I really can’t recommend his work enough. When it comes to themes he swing s for the rafters. His writing style is very 80s Marvel, but it has a modern verve to it.
The artists here are no slouch. Bob Hall may be rough, but his linework is solid. John Buscema’s a classic and his brief contribution is welcome. Pauls Ryan and Neary are equally capable.
If I have to give any complaints despite being 12 issues it felt like the end was a bit rushed. It almost did too good a job of making the Squadron seem more right than the rebels (and it doesn’t help with some of the stuff the rebels pull near the end)
It reminded me of Jupiter’s Legacy a bit, but that did a better job of making the authoritarian superheroes flawed in more dangerous and inevitably unstable ways, with their leader in particular being already flawed and a far call from the Superman and Wonder Woman pastiches here. Meanwhile here it’s essentially a moral victory on a mountain of corpses, something that Watchmen would later do to the Nth degree.
Overall it’s a solid read, with some genuinely surprising moments, a lot of firsts, and a really fleshed out cast making very human mistakes. Even the gods are imperfect.
August 5, 2020
I'd read many things about Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme over the years, and it got to the point where I felt I really should give it a read.
Going into it I knew it didn't take place on Earth 616 like the rest of the main marvel stories, but was surprised to find it takes place in the multiverse still (Earth 712) and that the Squadron had made appearances in The Avengers before, via inter-dimensional shenanigans. I had thought it was its' own separate entity. Every day is a school day!
Gruenwald does a great job of explaining these previous encounters in this volume, which helps place it in its' context with the main 616 stories. It does happen in the issue of Captain America (which Gruenwald was also writing at the time) that occurs between #6 and #7 though so I guess anyone who didn't read that issue at the time might have missed out on some context.
That issue isn't particularly important when it comes to the narrative of the main series but it does utilise the issue's page count to show what Nighthawk is up to as we see very little of him after he leaves the team in #1.
Did I enjoy the story though?
Absolutely. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't say it's perfect though.
This guy reading it in 2020 found some of the costume design horrendous which from an artistic point of view stops it from being timeless. I know they're all based on members of the Justice League but that doesn't mean they had to have disgusting costumes though. Doctor Spectrum and Golden Archer are the worst, and I can't say I particularly liked Nighthawks either.
Some of the plot points seem a little simplistic. The brain modification machine for example. It plays a huge part in the story but I feel it needed more. More explanation as to what it actually does. The way it was written about seemed a little wishy-washy and amateurish to me. I'd have liked a little more depth about a few aspects of the story actually, which leads me on to my last point...
Modern comics are often accused of decompression; stretching out a 4-5 issue story into 6 issues cos it makes it easier to package as a paperback down the one.
With Squadron Supreme it has the opposite problem. I often felt Gruenwald was trying to cram too much into the twelve issues. In most of the issues he gives a re-cap page (cleverly worked into the context of the story but still a waste of space in my opinion) which for a limited series seems a bit silly. That space could have been better utilised.
It also reads as if he suddenly ran out of pages in the final issue. There's the end of the battle between the WTF? As a reader I felt like I deserved another couple of pages just to tell us what the Squadron did afterwards. What surrendering actually meant in the grand scheme of things? It was very abrupt.
But I did enjoy the story very much. A wonderful tale about power, freedom and choices.
Going into it I knew it didn't take place on Earth 616 like the rest of the main marvel stories, but was surprised to find it takes place in the multiverse still (Earth 712) and that the Squadron had made appearances in The Avengers before, via inter-dimensional shenanigans. I had thought it was its' own separate entity. Every day is a school day!
Gruenwald does a great job of explaining these previous encounters in this volume, which helps place it in its' context with the main 616 stories. It does happen in the issue of Captain America (which Gruenwald was also writing at the time) that occurs between #6 and #7 though so I guess anyone who didn't read that issue at the time might have missed out on some context.
That issue isn't particularly important when it comes to the narrative of the main series but it does utilise the issue's page count to show what Nighthawk is up to as we see very little of him after he leaves the team in #1.
Did I enjoy the story though?
Absolutely. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't say it's perfect though.
This guy reading it in 2020 found some of the costume design horrendous which from an artistic point of view stops it from being timeless. I know they're all based on members of the Justice League but that doesn't mean they had to have disgusting costumes though. Doctor Spectrum and Golden Archer are the worst, and I can't say I particularly liked Nighthawks either.
Some of the plot points seem a little simplistic. The brain modification machine for example. It plays a huge part in the story but I feel it needed more. More explanation as to what it actually does. The way it was written about seemed a little wishy-washy and amateurish to me. I'd have liked a little more depth about a few aspects of the story actually, which leads me on to my last point...
Modern comics are often accused of decompression; stretching out a 4-5 issue story into 6 issues cos it makes it easier to package as a paperback down the one.
With Squadron Supreme it has the opposite problem. I often felt Gruenwald was trying to cram too much into the twelve issues. In most of the issues he gives a re-cap page (cleverly worked into the context of the story but still a waste of space in my opinion) which for a limited series seems a bit silly. That space could have been better utilised.
It also reads as if he suddenly ran out of pages in the final issue. There's the end of the battle between the WTF? As a reader I felt like I deserved another couple of pages just to tell us what the Squadron did afterwards. What surrendering actually meant in the grand scheme of things? It was very abrupt.
But I did enjoy the story very much. A wonderful tale about power, freedom and choices.
June 19, 2017
My friend Mark warned me this would be a good book. He's a big Squadron fan. And with good reason: this plot moves fast, it is very innovative, and Mark Gruenwald is clearly a very good world-builder. There's so much context this story takes place in, you'll think you've missed 7 back-issues that were never actually written. There's only one prob:
It takes place in the '80s.
Now, I like the '80s, and you probably do too, but the problem is that it CLEARLY takes place in the 1980s. It loses its timeless appeal when the characters have '80s hair, '80s slang, and abide by 1980s superhero campy rules. A machine that brainwashes bad people, erasing their badness? Yeah, that was done already in a Silver Age Superman What If comic.
What IS timeless about Squadron is the way Mark Gruenwald becomes the first to mimic a Justice League without doing so overtly, poorly, or as a parody. You care about the characters like you would Supes, WW, or the Caped Crusader. Gruenwald creates an alternate JL as seemlessly, if not better, than Robert Kirkman does decades later. And as in Marvel's Civil War, it's just not that easy to identify the good guys and the bad. You understand the motivations of everyone involved. The storyline is campy--no joke, the camp is real--but it is otherwise believable. Hard to pull off for a pre-Watchmen classic.
It takes place in the '80s.
Now, I like the '80s, and you probably do too, but the problem is that it CLEARLY takes place in the 1980s. It loses its timeless appeal when the characters have '80s hair, '80s slang, and abide by 1980s superhero campy rules. A machine that brainwashes bad people, erasing their badness? Yeah, that was done already in a Silver Age Superman What If comic.
What IS timeless about Squadron is the way Mark Gruenwald becomes the first to mimic a Justice League without doing so overtly, poorly, or as a parody. You care about the characters like you would Supes, WW, or the Caped Crusader. Gruenwald creates an alternate JL as seemlessly, if not better, than Robert Kirkman does decades later. And as in Marvel's Civil War, it's just not that easy to identify the good guys and the bad. You understand the motivations of everyone involved. The storyline is campy--no joke, the camp is real--but it is otherwise believable. Hard to pull off for a pre-Watchmen classic.
January 19, 2022
It's interesting to finally read what's considered the original "superheroes become totalitarians" story, along with Miracleman. While it's not awful, it's not great, either. The art's quite good in spots and the story's got some fun ideas, though the ending's fairly rushed.
November 23, 2021
Squadron Supreme est le précurseur de Watchmen, Dark Knight, et du Dark Age of comic en général.
On y trouve en germe l'un des premiers exemple d'un monde de superhéros "réaliste". Un monde où les héros sont pervers, narcissiques, psychopathes, etc. Un monde tous ne sont pas motivé par une soif insatiable de justice. En ce sens, Squadron Supreme est l'ancêtre de The Boys.
C'est la première histoire (aujourd'hui un trope usé) où les superhéros, fatigués de se contenter d'arrêter quelques criminels quand l'occasion se présente, d'évidence de prendre le pouvoir. Ils décident alors d'imposer leur utopie liberticide à la population. "Pour son bien". En ce sens, Squadron Supreme est l'ancêtre de Injustice.
Squadron Supreme, à la base, c'est un plagiat ou une parodie de la Justice League, publié chez Marvel. On y retrouve un cryptosuperman, wonderwoman, flash, batman, etc.
Cryptobatman se fait élire Président, et un supervillain aux pouvoirs télépathiques prend contrôle de lui et le force à faire envahir le reste du monde par les USA.
Quand le comic commence, après ces événements, le monde est en ruines. Les superhéros décident alors qu'il est temps qu'ils se mêlent de politique. Eux seuls ont les pouvoirs de tout reconstruire. Et tant qu'à reconstruire, pourquoi s'arrêter là?
Pourquoi pas... Éliminer la pauvreté? La pollution? Le crime? Les prisons? L'armée?
Et les récalcitrants? Ont leur offre le choix entre l'enfermement ou le reconditionnement! (Pensez Orange Mécanique.)
Pour les arrêter, seul reste Cryptobatman, quelques superhéros de seconde zone, et surtout, une poignée de supervillains. (La ligne entre les deux se brouille, un peu à la Marvel Civil War.)
Bref, Squadron Supreme est le précurseur d'une partie importante des bonnes choses qui sont arrivées dans les comics des dernières décennies. Et pourtant, je comprends pourquoi il n'a pas connu la même postérité. Malgré toutes ses bonnes idées, Squadron Supreme reste un comic très "1985". De cette période qui attendait avec impatience 1986 pour découvrir son plein potentiel artistique et philosophique.
On y trouve en germe l'un des premiers exemple d'un monde de superhéros "réaliste". Un monde où les héros sont pervers, narcissiques, psychopathes, etc. Un monde tous ne sont pas motivé par une soif insatiable de justice. En ce sens, Squadron Supreme est l'ancêtre de The Boys.
C'est la première histoire (aujourd'hui un trope usé) où les superhéros, fatigués de se contenter d'arrêter quelques criminels quand l'occasion se présente, d'évidence de prendre le pouvoir. Ils décident alors d'imposer leur utopie liberticide à la population. "Pour son bien". En ce sens, Squadron Supreme est l'ancêtre de Injustice.
Squadron Supreme, à la base, c'est un plagiat ou une parodie de la Justice League, publié chez Marvel. On y retrouve un cryptosuperman, wonderwoman, flash, batman, etc.
Cryptobatman se fait élire Président, et un supervillain aux pouvoirs télépathiques prend contrôle de lui et le force à faire envahir le reste du monde par les USA.
Quand le comic commence, après ces événements, le monde est en ruines. Les superhéros décident alors qu'il est temps qu'ils se mêlent de politique. Eux seuls ont les pouvoirs de tout reconstruire. Et tant qu'à reconstruire, pourquoi s'arrêter là?
Pourquoi pas... Éliminer la pauvreté? La pollution? Le crime? Les prisons? L'armée?
Et les récalcitrants? Ont leur offre le choix entre l'enfermement ou le reconditionnement! (Pensez Orange Mécanique.)
Pour les arrêter, seul reste Cryptobatman, quelques superhéros de seconde zone, et surtout, une poignée de supervillains. (La ligne entre les deux se brouille, un peu à la Marvel Civil War.)
Bref, Squadron Supreme est le précurseur d'une partie importante des bonnes choses qui sont arrivées dans les comics des dernières décennies. Et pourtant, je comprends pourquoi il n'a pas connu la même postérité. Malgré toutes ses bonnes idées, Squadron Supreme reste un comic très "1985". De cette période qui attendait avec impatience 1986 pour découvrir son plein potentiel artistique et philosophique.
September 1, 2024
Squadron Supreme #1-12 y Captain America #314. Calificación 3.5/5 estrellas.
Buen arte de Paul Ryan, John Buscema, hay demasiado texto de Gruenwald que leer y es cansado como es cansado leer a Claremont, Busiek, Moore, Miller. Hay mucho resumen de flashback del capítulo anteriores, los dialogos cursi, un drama de telenovela, un comic viejo para niños de los 80s. Pero cuando te enganchas con la historia lo disfrutas.
Lo comparan en su deconstruccion con Watchmen, tal vez es el resultado del espionaje corporativo y se adelantó Marvel a DC con Watchmen, pero en realidad es un plagio de Justice League, pero con personajes que no actúan como la Justicie League o corresponden a su peor versión. Golden Archer fue una basura el peor de todos. Tom Thumb era un idiota hacerse enfermar de cáncer, podía hacer máquinas de lavado de cerebro o crear máquinas para viajar en el tiempo pero no pudo crear la cura para el cáncer como si fuera más fácil que viajar en el tiempo. Nighthawk fue el peor traidor, conspirador un idiota total haciendo alianza con un cobarde criminal como Master Menace.
Miracleman años antes en su desconsruccion salvo el mundo, el Squadron Supreme estában destinados a fracasar por la intromisión y tonterías de Nighthawk o el mismo guión, parece según el libro que la moraleja es que lo mejor es el sistema capitalista esclavista explotador ya establecido por los sujetos que se benefician como sanguijuelas de la mayoria de la gente, ellos son lo que te dicen que es lo mejor y es por nuestro propio bien que existe el sistema y no hay salvación o modo para cambiar a un nuevo orden.
Quieres algo realmente original, haz que todo salga bien y Squadron Supreme gane, luego que se alejen de la humanidad y deje a los idiotas gobernar. Que vivan y dejen morir.
El ultimo número que no va en orden cronológico debieron excluirlo o ponerlo en orden sucesivo después de Squadron Supreme #6.
Debería DC sacar el comic basado el la trama escrita por Alan Moore The Twilight of the Superheroes.
Buen arte de Paul Ryan, John Buscema, hay demasiado texto de Gruenwald que leer y es cansado como es cansado leer a Claremont, Busiek, Moore, Miller. Hay mucho resumen de flashback del capítulo anteriores, los dialogos cursi, un drama de telenovela, un comic viejo para niños de los 80s. Pero cuando te enganchas con la historia lo disfrutas.
Lo comparan en su deconstruccion con Watchmen, tal vez es el resultado del espionaje corporativo y se adelantó Marvel a DC con Watchmen, pero en realidad es un plagio de Justice League, pero con personajes que no actúan como la Justicie League o corresponden a su peor versión. Golden Archer fue una basura el peor de todos. Tom Thumb era un idiota hacerse enfermar de cáncer, podía hacer máquinas de lavado de cerebro o crear máquinas para viajar en el tiempo pero no pudo crear la cura para el cáncer como si fuera más fácil que viajar en el tiempo. Nighthawk fue el peor traidor, conspirador un idiota total haciendo alianza con un cobarde criminal como Master Menace.
Miracleman años antes en su desconsruccion salvo el mundo, el Squadron Supreme estában destinados a fracasar por la intromisión y tonterías de Nighthawk o el mismo guión, parece según el libro que la moraleja es que lo mejor es el sistema capitalista esclavista explotador ya establecido por los sujetos que se benefician como sanguijuelas de la mayoria de la gente, ellos son lo que te dicen que es lo mejor y es por nuestro propio bien que existe el sistema y no hay salvación o modo para cambiar a un nuevo orden.
Quieres algo realmente original, haz que todo salga bien y Squadron Supreme gane, luego que se alejen de la humanidad y deje a los idiotas gobernar. Que vivan y dejen morir.
El ultimo número que no va en orden cronológico debieron excluirlo o ponerlo en orden sucesivo después de Squadron Supreme #6.
Debería DC sacar el comic basado el la trama escrita por Alan Moore The Twilight of the Superheroes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2025
I don’t understand why people rave about this book. First of all, it drags an insufferable amount, and instead of using that time to properly discuss and show the nuance of the topics they’re depicting, most of the time it’s just pointless drama or mentions repeating that the new members of the squadron supreme were brainwashed. This book really did a poor job of showing you both sides of the conversation. Yes, nighthawk and a few other people are opposed to the utopia, and at the very end he mentions that a lot of the non-super-powered people are opposed to it. But, we never actually see them. Another area with a lot of missed opportunities was the actual brainwashing machine. They sure do mention it a lot, but I was expecting that after the brainwash of the former villains was undone they would mention that, in contrast to what the squadron though, parts of their personality were actually gone when they were brainwashed, since their perspective on the world and actions determined a lot of how they acted, or that when the villain died cause he was saving people from the building, they would discuss how much was he doing that out of his own free will, and how much was he doing it because he was programmed to. But no, they just mention over and over again that they brainwashed the villains and that they’re taking away free will without actually meaningfully discussing the topic. And, the last aspect I want to touch on was the horrible job they did at depicting assault and harassment issues. When Power Princes is harassed (and we’re putting it lightly) by Power Spectrum he gets absolutely zero repercussions. Power Princess only made him do a boring mission he didn’t want instead of properly alerting the team, and what’s worse is that at the end of the issue she has to comfort it because he accident killed someone. I also had issues with that plot point since a figure of authority using excessive force on an individual that lead to their death is something that does happen in the real world, and by only making him have guilt of his actions instead of properly punishing him made me uncomfortable. The archer brainwashing storyline doesn’t get any better. At least he was kicked out, but letting the woman he literally brainwashed into loving him leave with him instead of keeping her with them so they could maybe work on a cure was insane in an Avengers #200 way, and what’s worse is that we never know if they actually reversed the brainwash on her.
May 10, 2018
Superheroes as you've never seen them- out to rule the world.
The Squadron Supreme has just survived the Overmind, a powerful alien being out to take over their Earth. The United States was the Overmind's base of operations, and he used President Kyle Richmond (formerly the superhero known as Nighthawk). From behind the scenes, Overmind used the mind-controlled Richmond and the Squadron Supreme (minus Hyperion, who escaped his control) to take over, and in the aftermath of his defeat, the planet lies in shambles.
The country and the world blame President Richmond and his enforcers the Squadron for reducing the world to this state. As the heroes assemble after surveying the country, Hyperion exhorts the group to go beyond their former scope. Instead of stopping random disasters, he proposed they use their powers to solve all the world's problems: hunger, poverty, crime, disease, even death. Everyone but Nighthawk agrees to give it a try. Nighthawk resigns from the Squadron in protest while the others put their plans together. Hyperion, Power Princess, Amphibian, Dr. Spectrum, Nuke, Tom Thumb, Golden Archer, Lady Lark, Arcanna, Blue Eagle and the Whizzer- 11 people- promise the country they will take control of the country for twelve months to repair the damage they inadvertently did and solve the above mentioned problems.
From there, the story is amazing. Usually when a comic book character or group tries to rule the world, they do so for evil purposes. Here we have a team of superheroes taking over the country for noble purposes. Some think they are misguided- others embrace their efforts. Can they actually do it? Feeding the hungry is one thing, but how do you end crime? How do you stop disease? And will Nighthawk do anything to stop their efforts? How about their super-villain enemies?
Great story- I couldn't put it down
The Squadron Supreme has just survived the Overmind, a powerful alien being out to take over their Earth. The United States was the Overmind's base of operations, and he used President Kyle Richmond (formerly the superhero known as Nighthawk). From behind the scenes, Overmind used the mind-controlled Richmond and the Squadron Supreme (minus Hyperion, who escaped his control) to take over, and in the aftermath of his defeat, the planet lies in shambles.
The country and the world blame President Richmond and his enforcers the Squadron for reducing the world to this state. As the heroes assemble after surveying the country, Hyperion exhorts the group to go beyond their former scope. Instead of stopping random disasters, he proposed they use their powers to solve all the world's problems: hunger, poverty, crime, disease, even death. Everyone but Nighthawk agrees to give it a try. Nighthawk resigns from the Squadron in protest while the others put their plans together. Hyperion, Power Princess, Amphibian, Dr. Spectrum, Nuke, Tom Thumb, Golden Archer, Lady Lark, Arcanna, Blue Eagle and the Whizzer- 11 people- promise the country they will take control of the country for twelve months to repair the damage they inadvertently did and solve the above mentioned problems.
From there, the story is amazing. Usually when a comic book character or group tries to rule the world, they do so for evil purposes. Here we have a team of superheroes taking over the country for noble purposes. Some think they are misguided- others embrace their efforts. Can they actually do it? Feeding the hungry is one thing, but how do you end crime? How do you stop disease? And will Nighthawk do anything to stop their efforts? How about their super-villain enemies?
Great story- I couldn't put it down
March 7, 2025
Conversations about the deconstruction of superhero comics that normally involve Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, should also spare a mention for Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme maxi-series. The fact that they normally don't lies, I think, in the fact that the scripting and art is much less sophisticated. Mid-80s Marvel through and through, it's recap heavy and very wordy. But the premise - Justice League analogs who decide to create a utopia by forcibly ending war, poverty, crime and disease - is one that would break normal superhero universes and was done again, perhaps to death, in the decades following (most successfully in The Authority). Gruenwald's other notable innovation is to make each issue take place a month from the last, over a real-word year. I liked the JLA remixes, and though the story heads for a necessary Big Fight(TM), the group's utopian solutions are interesting and should feel controversial. The collection also includes Captain American #314, a crossover with the main series, annoyingly tacked on at the back instead of when it's supposed to happen. Generally glad to have read it, but what would have blown my mind at age 14 now seems a little clumsy.
October 27, 2025
While Gruenwald doesn't sidestep all the tropes of superhero adventurism and the ending winds up being a little too pat (Nighthawk's speech to Hyperion wasn't THAT moving!), SQUADRON SUPREME does an effective job of raising questions about the limits of superheroes and universal authority. In the end, I think it maybe should've gone a little farther onto the slippery slope of "power corrupts," because while the Squadron goes too far in many cases, the ends almost seem to justify the means. LOL
One thing that really hit me while reading this - how fucked up DC's IDENTITY CRISIS really was. Rewriting people's personalities is the ultimate sin in SQUADRON SUPREME, as it should be, and the SQUADRON suffers some horrible losses because they went too far and had to face the backlash of their choices. But in ID CRISIS, some poor pregnant lady who wasn't part of the Justice League has to bear all the consequences of the Justice League's raping of their villains. Man, that book just gets worse and worse the farther you get from it, and here was SQUADRON SUPREME, almost twenty years before it (and forty years before now) already telling us that it was a horrible crime.
One thing that really hit me while reading this - how fucked up DC's IDENTITY CRISIS really was. Rewriting people's personalities is the ultimate sin in SQUADRON SUPREME, as it should be, and the SQUADRON suffers some horrible losses because they went too far and had to face the backlash of their choices. But in ID CRISIS, some poor pregnant lady who wasn't part of the Justice League has to bear all the consequences of the Justice League's raping of their villains. Man, that book just gets worse and worse the farther you get from it, and here was SQUADRON SUPREME, almost twenty years before it (and forty years before now) already telling us that it was a horrible crime.
November 29, 2025
Just about any reader of superhero comics, beyond a certain age, may find themselves asking the same questions: Why couldn't Superman stop World War II? Why doesn't Batman find a cure for cancer? What if all presidential debates were held within the confines of Wonder Woman's magic truth-telling lasso? A few authors and directors have explored these ideas (notably in this past summer's Superman movie) but no one has delved quite so deep as Mark Gruenwald did in Squadron Supreme, which imagines what would happen if an almost-Justice League decided to go beyond catching purse-snatchers and rescuing cats from trees and actually try to fix everything wrong with the world, from nuclear weapons to global hunger.
This isn't a deconstruction -- the Squadron's heroes never become corrupt or cynical. They do, however, have to deal with the consequences of their actions, such as the loss of human achievement, human agency, and even free will. That's a lot of philosophical ground to cover in 12 years, but Gruenwald makes it work -- while shoehorning in an appearance by Captain America. As a certain supervillain memorably said, "What more could you possibly ask?"
This isn't a deconstruction -- the Squadron's heroes never become corrupt or cynical. They do, however, have to deal with the consequences of their actions, such as the loss of human achievement, human agency, and even free will. That's a lot of philosophical ground to cover in 12 years, but Gruenwald makes it work -- while shoehorning in an appearance by Captain America. As a certain supervillain memorably said, "What more could you possibly ask?"
November 5, 2021
The Squadron Supreme is a pastiche of the Justice League from an alternate universe. After a catastrophe caused by them being taken over by a supervillain, the vast majority decide to remake the world and solve all of its problems. Yet some of their members question what they've done and are determined to stop their undermining human rights and free will no matter what the cost.
This was actually an interesting book with solid art, some well-drawn and emotionally characters and some really good moral conflicts. The characters are typical bronze age superheroes, but to me, this is a positive. I actually got into this and engaged it with more than Watchmen. Because as a fan of this era in superhero comics, the conflicts and situations seemed more closely related to the Superhero comics of the time rather than trying to redefine the genre.
The one Captain America comic was a bit of a filler issue, and at least one of the villains seemed more like a pastiche of Doctor Doom than a DC villain. Still, this was a really solid and vastly underrated maxi series that takes a look at well-intentioned characters and the cost of crossing moral lines to fix the world. Overall, an engaging and memorable read.
This was actually an interesting book with solid art, some well-drawn and emotionally characters and some really good moral conflicts. The characters are typical bronze age superheroes, but to me, this is a positive. I actually got into this and engaged it with more than Watchmen. Because as a fan of this era in superhero comics, the conflicts and situations seemed more closely related to the Superhero comics of the time rather than trying to redefine the genre.
The one Captain America comic was a bit of a filler issue, and at least one of the villains seemed more like a pastiche of Doctor Doom than a DC villain. Still, this was a really solid and vastly underrated maxi series that takes a look at well-intentioned characters and the cost of crossing moral lines to fix the world. Overall, an engaging and memorable read.
December 27, 2022
Arguably Mark Gruenwald's magnum opus this 1985 12-part series (plus one Captain America tie-in) is probably the most memorable entry in the Squadron Supreme canon. Admittedly I wasn't familiar with SS before reading this and found it pretty interesting. It explores lot of interesting concepts that comics wouldn't really come back to until much later. A small part of the Bronze/Modern Age transition (The release of the SS overlaps with both Crisis on Infinite Earths and The Dark Knight Returns), it asks questions on how superpowers and world power would go together.
Lots of interesting characters in here (the comparisons to Justice League are obvious) and I don't feel like much was missed out without the history of the characters. There is a bit of a recap at the beginning but the series is much more interest in where we're going rather than how we got here. Worth a read and a bit longer but holds up as a lesser work of the time compared with some of the landmark works that came out at the time.
Lots of interesting characters in here (the comparisons to Justice League are obvious) and I don't feel like much was missed out without the history of the characters. There is a bit of a recap at the beginning but the series is much more interest in where we're going rather than how we got here. Worth a read and a bit longer but holds up as a lesser work of the time compared with some of the landmark works that came out at the time.
April 22, 2025
A few isolated examples aside, I tend to struggle with comic books from the 1980s. They're written too simplistically, in too much of a rush and, of course, are usually aimed primarily at children. One of Marvel's earliest crossovers, the year-long Squadron Supreme is (in many ways but not all) a very different matter entirely. Conceived in the late 1960s as a way for Marvel to get away with using obvious Justice League characters and used sparingly since, this twelve issue tale from 1985 predates both Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns and asks some of the questions those books are generally credited with asking about what it means to be a superhero. There's some big, big stuff in here about the uses and abuses of power, about accountability, unintended consequences and the morality of being superpowered. There's a lot of very '80s silliness too and sometimes these sit uncomfortably with each other but, forty years on from its publication, Gruenwald's classic remains well worth a read and still feels somehow fresh and relevant - in itself, an impressive achievement.
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July 4, 2021I don't tend to review my graphic-collection purchases, since it's hard to decide whether to think of them as individual pieces or collections. But this was an interesting read. It was one of the earliest of the comics that tackled head-on the later individual-freedom versus need-for-safety-and-peace paradigm that became repetitive in the comic world (aka "Civil War" and so forth, not to mention the theme of many of the Batman narratives, and Watchman). My own opinion is the series starts of a bit clunky, but then I kept enjoying it more and more as it went along. I was happy that instead of a kind of heavy-handed dialogue explaining the problems of freedom-v-authority, it often just demonstrated things by plot. No matter how much one tries to control even "oneself," conflict will occur, which is why, then, things fall apart at the larger level. The text does a nice job of making that implicit, rather than explicit.
July 29, 2020
The Squadron Supreme is Marvel's version of the Justice League, with versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, down the line. The book attempts to tackle a more "realistic" story, where the Squadron Supreme decide to make America into a utopia, and what the consequences of that act would be, as well as the moral question of the free will of the individual versus the good of society. Not exactly the most original idea, but one of the first times it was really explored in comics. What sets it apart from latter versions of the Justice League is that it's clear just how much Gruenwald loved the characters, and wanted to show them as noble and flawed people, rather than just horribly corrupt monsters (see, for example, Mark Millar and Garth Ennis). The story does feel dated in many ways, particularly the way the book is very text heavy, but still enjoyable to return to.
December 30, 2022
A sadly overlooked and underestimated part of comic book history. It's easy for some readers to dismiss this super-hero team as a Justice League rip-off, but there's a more important narrative aspect here: this is a team of heroes who live in a world that doesn't completely follow comic-book logic. When the whole world is taken over by a hostile alien consciousness? Guess what, everyone doesn't go back to work the next day, like they do in the core Marvel and DC Comics universes. And when heroes and villains fight? Their are injuries; there are casualties. And the classic "with great power, comes great responsibility" dictum gets stretched to its ethical limit when it seems like the only way to fix the world is to take it over. By the heroes! This is a story that takes risks and goes places that most comics won't, even in the modern day.
September 21, 2019
This book was fine. Marvel ripped off The Justice League and then Mark Gruenwald wrote a precursor to Watchmen and here it is.
It was fine.
Halfway through, I put the book down and forgot about for a few months. I was struggling to get through it. Not that it was bad, but it is a relic from the days when comics were...different. So, it was slow, a bit obvious, over the top, etc.
Fast forward to about two days ago when I found the book again, and I tore through the last half in no time. Stayed up late to read it.
So I dunno. I think I really liked it?
I didn't hate it. I can see where lots of writers who came after used bits and pieces of what is found in this book.
So yeah.
It was fine.
It was fine.
Halfway through, I put the book down and forgot about for a few months. I was struggling to get through it. Not that it was bad, but it is a relic from the days when comics were...different. So, it was slow, a bit obvious, over the top, etc.
Fast forward to about two days ago when I found the book again, and I tore through the last half in no time. Stayed up late to read it.
So I dunno. I think I really liked it?
I didn't hate it. I can see where lots of writers who came after used bits and pieces of what is found in this book.
So yeah.
It was fine.
July 15, 2023
Historically interesting because it touches on some of the deconstructionist themes of Watchmen and other gritty 80s superhero comics but was started a few months before that epochal work came out. Something was definitely in the air. Still, this mostly reads like a typical workmanlike Marvel comic of that area, so you get lots of melodrama, recaps every issue, and art that is functional but not really exciting (and also multiple artists in a preplanned 12 issue miniseries, shows how much this was just another comic instead of a special event). And it all ends with some punching and some awkward monologuing.
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