In The Power Fantasy #3, we were given a detailed breakdown of the chronological timeline of the events of the series. One of those events included in the timeline was the arrival of The Signal, which the text calls a “gestalt of intelligence from a dying world”. We have now arrived at the point in the narrative in which The Signal arrives on Earth and tries to take over the minds of a billion people. The timeline also makes note that in issue #10 The Pyramid is in Hell, and that is the context for where we find ourselves when we are dropped into this week’s issue.
The Power Fantasy #10 opens in China in 1978, where The Signal is admiring the beauty of the Earth. He/She tells Magus that The Signal is dying and disrupting, and asks if he can help. Initially, Magus believes he can help but then admits that he can’t. Magus admires The Signal, acknowledging the gestalt intelligence as a “good idea, they just f***** up the execution”. Magus also realizes that The Signal will attempt to take over their bodies to survive. Magus acknowledges that he may have to neutralize the threat of The Signal if necessary. While Magus appears to accept this responsibility, there also appears to be some reluctance on Magus’ part.
From there the scene shifts to The Pyramid in 1999, where Eliza has just discovered that Jacky Magus is her long-deceased ex-husband following the shocking reveal at the end of The Power Fantasy #9. Eliza asks for an explanation, but before he can give her one, the pair engage in some…intimate acts. Interspersed with scenes of Eliza “reuniting” with her ex-husband are scenes set in Manchester in 1989 during the Summer of Love event in which The Queen attempted to destroy all reality (see The Power Fantasy #7 and #8 for more on this). These flashbacks detail how Eliza’s ex-husband came to take the place of the real Jacky Magus.
A tender reunion between Eliza and her long-deceased ex-husband who was not actually dead. Courtesy of Image Comics.
The issue details the grave sacrifices by the Magus and the Pyramid that were made to forestall The Queen’s efforts to destroy all of my reality, ultimately buying enough time for Eliza to defeat The Queen for good. The resolution to the issue also ends up setting up future conflicts between Etienne, Heavy, Valentina, Eliza, and the Pyramid, which are sure to be followed up on in subsequent issues of the series. Throughout the series, the superpowers have maintained an uneasy balance to prevent an all-out war between the Atomics and other superpowers. What will happen once that balance is disrupted, and can the Earth survive when the superpowers do go to war with each other?
The Power Fantasy continues to be an ambitious, thought-provoking book that recontextualizes superhero mythos by taking innovative approaches to the familiar themes and ethical questions surrounding superpowered beings with Godlike powers. Every single panel of Casper Wijngaard’s is astonishing and breathtakingly gorgeous, and throughout the entire book thus far, Wijngaard’s art has also remained incredibly consistent in quality. While at times the book requires a close reading to the sheer depth and scope of what the work is trying to accomplish, the book always excels at telling really fascinating, intriguing, and complex stories that keep readers highly invested in the next installment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.