Last week, I read Danger Club by Landry Walker and Eric Jones and wished they had a slightly different project. The full review is here: Danger Club #1 Review but the crux of it was, despite the very detailed plotting and fantastic art the comic just didn’t rise above the tropes for me.

I had a similar feeling going into America’s Got Powers. I love Hitch’s art, but I found Ross’s Turf a poorly conceived idea, written horribly. So the idea of him writing a superhero story that involved a reality TV setting did not have me pulling out pom poms and pennants before I read this.

I was, at least, glad, as I started reading, that we weren’t going to see this plot unfold entirely through the lens of American Media Satire. No Frank Miller’s Dark Knight talking heads reimagined as Simon Cowell or whatever gleaming smiles are currently hosting The Today Show.

The further I read, the more I liked it. When he did get to the point where we were seeing the action mostly through the voice overs of television hosts it made sense. All of the dialog felt, if not fresh, natural. Perhaps because Ross has years of experience as a broadcaster and absolutely none as a vampire during American Prohibition.

And while the marriage of Hitch’s paneling and Ross’s writing are partially responsible for why this rose above the tropes for me, and Danger Club #1 did not, I think the main reason is this: There was no character in Danger Club #1 that I latched on to. Yes they set up a great cosmic event. They made it clear that they (the creative team) knew where the story was going, and they wanted the reader to be as excited as they were when they came up with the idea. But without a strong protagonist, I just didn’t get excited for continuing with them on their journey.

I’m a reader who likes to know a character first, and then the world they inhabit. Opening with one person’s story and then telescoping out into their world and the cosmic ramifications of their actions is a sure way to hook me. It’s why I like this issue and anything by Brian K. Vaughan.

If you like actiony superhero stories driven more by character than plot, I highly suggest America’s Got Powers #1. Overlook the seemingly dated reality TV series angle, and it’s a fantastic read.