P:Andora has tracked his missing box to earth, and his agent, the Death-Defying Devil goes after young Imani Cooper who could be the only one who can stop him. But will she even survive?

PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #4

Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Sergio Davila
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 21, 2018

Previously in Project Superpowers: Things were heating up! The entity known as P:Andora was tracking his missing box, and narrowed the location down to Earth. After disabling flight across Earth, he sent a flying army down to attack worldwide. Imani Cooper, chosen by The Flag, lay unconscious in the hospital as The Scarab and The Black Terror wondered who the heck she is. Then Masquerade joins them – only she has been taken over by the Death-Defying Devil who suddenly reveals himself as he attacks!

PLENTY OF ACTION

I love the opening to Project Superpowers #4. There is a brief flashback to Masquerade’s life – and love – in 1944. She spends the night with her lover, who went on to die on D-Day, a sacrifice to the greater good. And she feels that’s her choice now, back in the present day. The Death-Defying Devil wants Imani dead, and that could mean that Imani somehow has the power to stop him. Masquerade uses all her strength to try to take control over the Devil.

It isn’t going so well, and then the Black Terror crashes through the Devil, again breaking him into several smaller pieces. He reconstitutes (and there is a great scene where he is talking – without a head, which Black Terror comments on), and we cut away to the Scarab.

So far as we know, the only tech on Earth that functions now is the Scarab’s. He flies out to P:Andora’s ship and encounters the alien fleet. He cannot communicate with anyone back on Earth. But he realizes that the alien fleet is powered by the same kind of power as his suit, and he can draw upon it, which he does. He is confident that this will allow him to destroy P:Andora’s ship, but P:Andora has anticipated this, too, and instead cuts the Scarab off from his power completely. His plan has been to take the mightiest heroes on one at a time and kill them, and so far, it seems to be working.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Samson continues to fight the aliens. As previously noted, his dialogue (monologue?) is genuinely entertaining, especially when in mid-battle, he politely excuses himself and leaps basically into orbit. He may be blind, but his aim is true, as he catches the falling Scarab, which P:Andora was totally not expecting. He even has the nerve to jump to P:Andora’s chest and use him to springboard back down to Earth, landing again back at Battery Park amidst the aliens.

Amani wakes up, finding herself in the middle of a fight, and her Flag pinned to the wall. P:Andora comes down to Earth, and causes the Death-Defying Devil to grow enormous. The Devil grasps Imani and prepares to destroy her at P:Andora’s command.

WONDERFULLY DYNAMIC

The art in Project Superpowers #4 just flows. There are so many beautiful moments in it. I like the way the opening sequence with Masquerade captures the wistfulness of her memories. The color tends toward sepia tone as well, which not only sets it off as being in the past, but gives it a warm feeling. The passion and affection of Masquerade and her lover, Ted, for each other really make it poignant.

The Death-Defying Devil is humanoid, but the way he is depicted really makes him seem uncanny. In the close fight in the hospital, there is a panel of him crouching over Imani, and he looks weirdly asymmetric and almost double jointed which emphasizes how creepy he is. A bit later, he is depicted with his head totally twisted backward.

The space scenes with the Scarab are powerful and lovely at the same time. I don’t know which part I like better – seeing the Earth depicted from orbit, or the bright, crackling energy surrounding the Scarab. Despite the complexity of the fight, it’s relatively easy to keep track of everyone, which is no mean feat. All in all, this book is a treat to look at

BOTTOM LINE: WE’RE AT THE POINT WHERE THE PLOT THICKENS

Project Superpowers #4 is a fantastic superhero book. It is beautifully drawn, and has drama, tragedy, humor, action, and excitement. What more could you want?