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Supreme Power (Collected Editions) #6
Supreme Power: Hyperion
Now that the world knows his dark secret, Hyperion suddenly finds himself both alone and hunted. Four new super-powered individuals - each based on a character from the original Squadron Supreme - are after his hide, and they've got the will and means to take him down!
Collecting: Supreme Power: Hyperion 1-5
Collecting: Supreme Power: Hyperion 1-5
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
J. Michael Straczynski
1,365 books1,277 followersJoseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 10, 2016
Hyperion finds himself isolated from humanity and the US Government can't abide by letting such a power go. They recruit other humans enhanced due to the virus from Mark's ship and send them out with the objective to bring Hyperion back by any means necessary. When they attempt to do so the entire group gets transported to another universe where Hyperion has conquered the world.
This is the typical alternate world story where everything has gone bad and the main characters are at odds with one another. While the story failed in originality, it at least succeeded in being an easy and quick read. I still feel like Marvel is trying to tell a DC story and it really shouldn't be. I've enjoyed the recent Squadron Supreme comics, but these older ones just feel like a shameless copy of the Justice League with little added value to justify it's existence.
2.5 out of 5 stars
This is the typical alternate world story where everything has gone bad and the main characters are at odds with one another. While the story failed in originality, it at least succeeded in being an easy and quick read. I still feel like Marvel is trying to tell a DC story and it really shouldn't be. I've enjoyed the recent Squadron Supreme comics, but these older ones just feel like a shameless copy of the Justice League with little added value to justify it's existence.
2.5 out of 5 stars
June 25, 2020
With his dark secret exposed to all and sundry, Hyperion is at odds with his position; but America has still more to throw at him, as he is hunted by four beings with familiar powers! Dan Jurgens picks up the art duties for J. Michael Straczynski's story of America's next steps to bring Hyperion back in the fold. 8 out of 12.
March 3, 2014
Supreme Power was an ambitious attempt by Marvel Comics to flesh out one of the more ingenious concepts of the Silver Age; namely the utilization of characters who would serve as stand-ins for the Justice League of America whenever the Avengers needed an otherworldly punching bag.
The original series, which ran from 2003 to 2005, chronicled the ascent of these ersatz versions of familiar heroes. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, the progression of the characters was horrifyingly believable in its darkness. They gradually develop a keen understanding of the deeply-rooted injustices of a world which far more accurately reflects our own than traditional comic book realities accomplish. It was in this way that Straczyski managed to successfully justify the inevitable evolution of his modern take on the Squadron Supreme towards their traditional representation in Marvel Comics. To wit, the Squadron would eventually take control of the levers of power, creating a world that is very much a utopia, but for its reliance on complete control by the super-powered authorities.
The first steps towards this descent were the subject of the Supreme Power: Hyperion mini-series, which ran from 2005 to 2006, and were collected in the edition reviewed here.
Straczynski is at his best when focusing his pen on the corruption of power and its effects on society, a trait which he employs to great effect in this collection. While Mark "Hyperion" Milton has developed a keen distrust of the government which raised him, as well as its institutions, the series begins with him having adopted a passively resistant approach to society. He has distanced himself from the world, seeking refuge in the arctic, something which long-time fans of his inspiration character will readily recognize. It is not until the government which had previously used him a super-human enforcer attempts to reassert its control over him that Hyperion is forced back into action.
In showcasing the core cast of characters assembled to confront Mark, Straczysnki highlights one of the core conceits of his Supreme Power universe: super powers, flashy costumes, and daring exploits do not make one a HERO. Each of the members of the government squad are deeply flawed at a psychological level. Emil Burbank, in particular, is shown to be even more brilliantly manipulative than Hannibal Lecter. That this nature is recognized by his government handlers and determined to be both acceptable risk and valued asset reflects the key point of this universe. The powers that be do not care what someone's motivations are, only that they do as they're told.
On its surface, the adventure which makes up the core narrative is simple enough. The conflict between Hyperion and the support team led by Burbank results in the opening of a gateway which sees all parties transported to a world where Hyperion and a fully realized roster of JLA knock-offs have taken complete control, just as in the classic Marvel stories. What separates this tale from its four-color predecessors is the commentary by Hyperion on his reasons for doing so. In the meeting of two supermen, the Hyperion native to the world they've been transported to explains his reasoning to his counterpart.
To hear this sort of critique coming from a character who is, for all intents and purposes, Superman, is both unnerving and telling. It speaks to the core problem that character faces even today. In a real world where so many people are hyper-aware of the injustices perpetrated daily upon them by those in control, how can the world's greatest hero be blind and deaf to the call to correct them?
The fact that the art on this book was provided by none other than Dan Jurgens, the man responsible for showing Superman's most epic adventures of the 90s, makes its message even more profound. While Gary Frank managed to create a great many subtle distinctions between Mark Milton and Clark Kent in the original Supreme Power series, Jurgens' Hyperion is all but identical to his traditional counterpart. When one looks past the uniform, it is far too easy to see these words being spoken by a disenchanted Superman.
In many ways, Straczynski was ahead of his time. The populist cries of this passage would be echoed, less than a decade later, by the forces that would eventually coalesce into the Occupy movement and various Springs around the world. While the citizens of the world possess none of Mark Milton's otherworldly abilities, the ability to "hear" the cries of despair from around the globe would find its way into the hands of the multitudes by way of social media, a concept still in its earliest infancy when Straczynski wrote Supreme Power. The idea of a Superman who becomes so disillusioned with the nature of the world around him that he takes control of it is one that has become increasingly dominant in recent years, featuring in Tom Taylor's Injustice ongoing series as well as being scattered all across the last decade of stories from DC.
Supreme Power: Hyperion is a frighteningly prescient tale which forecast the future of the Man of Steel while aligning one of Marvel's more ambitious attempts to revitalize a dated concept with its original intent. It's a jarringly good read and certainly merits a place on your bookshelf.
The original series, which ran from 2003 to 2005, chronicled the ascent of these ersatz versions of familiar heroes. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, the progression of the characters was horrifyingly believable in its darkness. They gradually develop a keen understanding of the deeply-rooted injustices of a world which far more accurately reflects our own than traditional comic book realities accomplish. It was in this way that Straczyski managed to successfully justify the inevitable evolution of his modern take on the Squadron Supreme towards their traditional representation in Marvel Comics. To wit, the Squadron would eventually take control of the levers of power, creating a world that is very much a utopia, but for its reliance on complete control by the super-powered authorities.
The first steps towards this descent were the subject of the Supreme Power: Hyperion mini-series, which ran from 2005 to 2006, and were collected in the edition reviewed here.
Straczynski is at his best when focusing his pen on the corruption of power and its effects on society, a trait which he employs to great effect in this collection. While Mark "Hyperion" Milton has developed a keen distrust of the government which raised him, as well as its institutions, the series begins with him having adopted a passively resistant approach to society. He has distanced himself from the world, seeking refuge in the arctic, something which long-time fans of his inspiration character will readily recognize. It is not until the government which had previously used him a super-human enforcer attempts to reassert its control over him that Hyperion is forced back into action.
In showcasing the core cast of characters assembled to confront Mark, Straczysnki highlights one of the core conceits of his Supreme Power universe: super powers, flashy costumes, and daring exploits do not make one a HERO. Each of the members of the government squad are deeply flawed at a psychological level. Emil Burbank, in particular, is shown to be even more brilliantly manipulative than Hannibal Lecter. That this nature is recognized by his government handlers and determined to be both acceptable risk and valued asset reflects the key point of this universe. The powers that be do not care what someone's motivations are, only that they do as they're told.
On its surface, the adventure which makes up the core narrative is simple enough. The conflict between Hyperion and the support team led by Burbank results in the opening of a gateway which sees all parties transported to a world where Hyperion and a fully realized roster of JLA knock-offs have taken complete control, just as in the classic Marvel stories. What separates this tale from its four-color predecessors is the commentary by Hyperion on his reasons for doing so. In the meeting of two supermen, the Hyperion native to the world they've been transported to explains his reasoning to his counterpart.
There will never be any peace. Not for you. Not for us. Unless things change. Unless we change them. Unless we... save them. Every day, in their temples and churches and mosques and synagogues, they listen to the voices that tell them they are God's noblest creatures... that they are blessed, special above all others. But we know otherwise. We know because we can hear the other voices. With our powers, we see it all, we hear it all. We have no choice. Moans of despair from bundles of rags and pain. Cries for help that fall on silent stones. And the small voice in all of them that says 'is this all I was born for? To live in pain and die before my time? To die before I have even lived? The voice that says, THIS IS NOT THE WORLD I WAS PROMISED. And it's not fair... It's just not fair.
To hear this sort of critique coming from a character who is, for all intents and purposes, Superman, is both unnerving and telling. It speaks to the core problem that character faces even today. In a real world where so many people are hyper-aware of the injustices perpetrated daily upon them by those in control, how can the world's greatest hero be blind and deaf to the call to correct them?
The fact that the art on this book was provided by none other than Dan Jurgens, the man responsible for showing Superman's most epic adventures of the 90s, makes its message even more profound. While Gary Frank managed to create a great many subtle distinctions between Mark Milton and Clark Kent in the original Supreme Power series, Jurgens' Hyperion is all but identical to his traditional counterpart. When one looks past the uniform, it is far too easy to see these words being spoken by a disenchanted Superman.
In many ways, Straczynski was ahead of his time. The populist cries of this passage would be echoed, less than a decade later, by the forces that would eventually coalesce into the Occupy movement and various Springs around the world. While the citizens of the world possess none of Mark Milton's otherworldly abilities, the ability to "hear" the cries of despair from around the globe would find its way into the hands of the multitudes by way of social media, a concept still in its earliest infancy when Straczynski wrote Supreme Power. The idea of a Superman who becomes so disillusioned with the nature of the world around him that he takes control of it is one that has become increasingly dominant in recent years, featuring in Tom Taylor's Injustice ongoing series as well as being scattered all across the last decade of stories from DC.
Supreme Power: Hyperion is a frighteningly prescient tale which forecast the future of the Man of Steel while aligning one of Marvel's more ambitious attempts to revitalize a dated concept with its original intent. It's a jarringly good read and certainly merits a place on your bookshelf.
February 6, 2016
What if power corrupted a superhero, or the government decided to manipulate superheroes to their own use. Straczynski does a fantastic job telling the stories these questions pose. Well above average art and exceptional story and characters make these pure please to read. Highly recommended
October 4, 2024
This is a good follow up to the Supreme Power series, although it did feel like we'd seen it before. We get to see some new members of the Squadron show up (Master Menace, Arcana, Shape, Nuke) as the government sends them after Hyperion. Then things get weird as they end up in an alternate universe where the heroes have basically gone bad and taken over. But there's a twist.
Overall this remains a very underrated series.
Overall this remains a very underrated series.
May 26, 2025
2.4 (from J…)
August 22, 2016
So what was the first misstep in the saga of Supreme Power? JMS wandering off for a year? Less skilled authors writing their own stories that can be totally ignored because they do nothing to advance the storyline? Or JMS writing this mess?
(I'd go with all of the above.)
Despite the name, this is effectively volume 4 of JMS' Supreme Power and it's a hard right turn from the previous books. They were all about character and a slow evolution of power on a different Earth. This ignores most of those previous characters and instead introduces yet another batch. Yes, they're all classic Squadron Supreme characters, and yes JMS imagines some of them (particularly Emil/Luthor and Arcanna/Zatanna) in interesting new ways. But they haven't had the three volumes of characterization that the previous characters had. And they're not particularly well characterized here, except maybe Emil.
Worse, this new book abandons the more realistic tropes of the previous three volumes and instead moves over to standard superhero tropes. Hyperion fights with the new JLA. Then they go to an alternate future. And more fights ensue.
The whole alternate future is the big plot twist of this volume, but I'm not certain it was ever followed up on, making this whole episode more disposable. Like the uninspiring books about Spectrum and Nighthawk that preceded it, this volume could probably be ignored too, if not for the question of how Hyperion came back to the US gov't.
(This book really ranks 3 stars as a mediocre superhero book, but it gets downgraded to 2 as a poor extension of the superior Supreme Power series.)
(I'd go with all of the above.)
Despite the name, this is effectively volume 4 of JMS' Supreme Power and it's a hard right turn from the previous books. They were all about character and a slow evolution of power on a different Earth. This ignores most of those previous characters and instead introduces yet another batch. Yes, they're all classic Squadron Supreme characters, and yes JMS imagines some of them (particularly Emil/Luthor and Arcanna/Zatanna) in interesting new ways. But they haven't had the three volumes of characterization that the previous characters had. And they're not particularly well characterized here, except maybe Emil.
Worse, this new book abandons the more realistic tropes of the previous three volumes and instead moves over to standard superhero tropes. Hyperion fights with the new JLA. Then they go to an alternate future. And more fights ensue.
The whole alternate future is the big plot twist of this volume, but I'm not certain it was ever followed up on, making this whole episode more disposable. Like the uninspiring books about Spectrum and Nighthawk that preceded it, this volume could probably be ignored too, if not for the question of how Hyperion came back to the US gov't.
(This book really ranks 3 stars as a mediocre superhero book, but it gets downgraded to 2 as a poor extension of the superior Supreme Power series.)
April 9, 2022
Se antoja a una reliquia de un pasado que es mejor no recordar. Marvel Cómics trató de volver a levantarse tras tantos tropiezos durante su década noventera reinventando sus personajes desde una perspectiva totalmente más adulta. Tratando de recuperar a sus lectores de confianza que ya habían madurado algo más de lo que les permitía disfrutar en muchas ocasiones de la clase de locuras y tramas festivas "pijameras" pasadas de rosca de los 90. Claro que muchos personajes como el Castigador o Daredevil, que partían de idiosincrasias más duras que la de la media de los héroes de Marvel Cómics, necesitan verse beneficiados por esto. Spiderman también agradeció tomarse más en serio. Y algunos personajes algo olvidados de las parcelas sobrenaturales o de terror de la editorial, como Hellstrom o The Zombie, gozaron de miniseries que habrían deseado Vértigo Cómics por aquel entonces. Luego llegaría Mark Millar literalmente creando un nuevo Universo donde poder trasladar su visión cínica y totalitarista de los superhéroes de su época en The Authority y demás con su reinvención de los Vengadores, ahí conocidos como Ultimates. En todo este sarao parece que se integra esta miniserie que muestra a Hyperion y su universo pasado por ese filtro "agresivo" de la línea Max de Marvel.
Hablar de Hyperion ya es complicado de por sí. Lo es mucho más cuando se trata de mostrar tanto a este personaje como a sus compañeros de apoyo y trama general con unas formas que creo que ni colarían en un cómic de Wildstorm o otra editorial de superhéroes independiente. Realmente resulta una lectura totalmente antipática. Aunque creo vislumbrar bastantes cosas que Stracynski buscaría trasladar con algo de mejor acierto en su actual cómic The Resistance.
Hablar de Hyperion ya es complicado de por sí. Lo es mucho más cuando se trata de mostrar tanto a este personaje como a sus compañeros de apoyo y trama general con unas formas que creo que ni colarían en un cómic de Wildstorm o otra editorial de superhéroes independiente. Realmente resulta una lectura totalmente antipática. Aunque creo vislumbrar bastantes cosas que Stracynski buscaría trasladar con algo de mejor acierto en su actual cómic The Resistance.
February 2, 2025
Questa miniserie serve a Straczynski per due scopi principali: il primo è quello di presentarci queste versioni alternative di altri membri dello Squadrone Supremo, come Arcanna, qui dotata di poteri quantistici di mutamento della realtà, o Nuke, caratterizzato come l'originale come un pericolo per tutti quelli che gli stanno attorno, come conseguenza dei suoi poteri radioattivi.
Il secondo scopo è quello di trasportare Hyperion ed i suoi nuovi avversari in un futuro forse alternativo e forse no, nel quale lo Squadrone installa una pseudo dittatura come nella maxi serie di 12 di Gruenwald e Ryan Squadron Supreme.
Sarà questo il futuro a cui vuole portarci Strac?
Ai disegni abbiamo Dan Jurgens, che non è d'effetto come Gary Frank, ma è comunque un bravo disegnatore.
3 stelle e mezza.
Il secondo scopo è quello di trasportare Hyperion ed i suoi nuovi avversari in un futuro forse alternativo e forse no, nel quale lo Squadrone installa una pseudo dittatura come nella maxi serie di 12 di Gruenwald e Ryan Squadron Supreme.
Sarà questo il futuro a cui vuole portarci Strac?
Ai disegni abbiamo Dan Jurgens, che non è d'effetto come Gary Frank, ma è comunque un bravo disegnatore.
3 stelle e mezza.
March 11, 2024
What a let down. Never a good sign when the ratings for a volume in a good series falls off a cliff. No idea what happened in the real world publishing context, but this is nothing like the previous volumes. It technically picks up where Vol. 3 left off, but it’s like reading a fake comic book in the background of a TV show or video game. It’s derivative, and does not do the story it had built any justice. We’ve seen the JLA rip-offs, evil Superman facsimiles, but to this point JMS was writing a compelling version. I would have read a lot more of what we got in Vol. 1-3, but evidently it just didn’t have the juice.
November 29, 2019
A bit of a dissapointment after the first three volumes. This elevation of side characters from the Supreme Power run, to explore an alternate reality (?) Hyperion, didn't satisfy the promise that the series laid down in the previous volumes.
It's still worth checking out.
It's still worth checking out.
August 16, 2023
Me parece muy lioso con la fisica cuantica simplemente para crear un universo paralelo
November 20, 2023
story continued okay but art was not so great
still fun
3.49 stars
still fun
3.49 stars
November 20, 2025
1 out of 5 stars. Snorefest. Straczynski is a verbose bore.
October 6, 2010
I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as the first 18 issues of Supreme Power. (Spoiler) I don't like that they went forward in time and recapped what happened previously. Not only was it obvious that was what had happened, thus rendering the "twist" ending worthless, but it was a cop out way to summarize events. In general I don't like time travel, and I especially don't like it when people go back to their normal time with "knowledge that can change the future." This is the same issue that ruined the television series Heroes.
July 1, 2013
Che delusione.
Realtà alternative, nulla che non fosse stato già visto, e raccontato senza la usuale abilità di Straczynski.
Realtà alternative, nulla che non fosse stato già visto, e raccontato senza la usuale abilità di Straczynski.
January 21, 2018
ABSOLUTE RATING: {2.5+/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
November 22, 2015
Not bad, but the Superman wanna-bes had been done to dead...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews