Despite the Justice League’s best efforts, public opinion of superhumans is at an all-time low. That’s where Josiah Power comes in. Your Major Spoilers review of DC Power: The Rise of The Power Company #1 from DC Comics awaits!

DC POWER: THE RISE OF THE POWER COMPANY #1

Writer: Brandon Thomas/Zipporah Smith/John Jennings/Vita Ayala
Artist: Charles Stewart III/Anthony Fowler Jr./Kelsey Ramsey/Caanan White and Atagun Ilhan/Ray-Anthony Height
Colorist: Ulises Arreola/Francesco Segala/Andrew Dalhouse/Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Andworld Design
Editor: Marquis Draper
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: January 29, 2025

Previously in The Rise of The Power Company: The Justice League’s watchtower looming in the skies is intended to inspire hope and faith in superheroes, but not everyone believes metahumans act in humanity’s best interests. The fringe beliefs that “Waller was Right” have grown louder as paramilitary groups take to the streets to take Earth back for the human race. Enter Josiah Power, a meta-attorney who’s seen enough of rising hate and sets out to assemble a team not only to protect black and brown communities from these new threats but also to rebuild human faith in heroes.

THE “HUMANITY FIRST” MOVEMENT?

In the wake of Amanda Waller depowering the world’s metahumans, most have their powers back, and the heroes are trying to get back to normal. Even supers like Josiah Power, who has been out of sight since the disbanding of his Power Company some years ago, are back in the spotlight. Josiah is making the rounds of various podcasts and shows, working to rebuild the public’s trust in superhumanity. The difficulty comes in the fact that Josiah, like so many metahumans, hasn’t actually got complete control of his abilities yet, and since his power to absorb ambient energy now comes with a massive explosion and release of radiation at the end, it’s extra-complicated. Other heroes, like Bolt, the would-be apprentice of Black Adam, have it somewhat easier, but when Vixen arrives, seconds ahead of anti-meta forces, he resorts to the old Shazam. Green Lantern Jo Mullein teams with Cyborg to face the most dangerous threat of her career, while The Signal and Batman Jace Fox find that they have more in common than just wearing pointy helmets.

I AM INTRIGUED

The previous volumes of DC Pride have been true anthologies, traveling across the various DCU settings to show us interesting moments without a connecting narrative. This issue is different, as we see DC’s highest-profile Black heroes all facing the same crises in the All-In era, with Josiah assembling a new Power Company and dealing with his power problems. His recruitment of Black Lightning is the first step toward the new team, while the bonding between Batman and The Signal provides something that the regular Bat-family books tend to overlook. The various art teams are all quite solid, though I had hoped to see a bit of Khary Randolph, who will be the artist on the upcoming Power Company ongoing series. Ray-Anthony Height’s work really stands out in this issue, traveling the gamut from evil-punching action to a quiet game of Spades on a rooftop and making it all look good, while the story manages to use the current state of DC as a metaphor for the less-than-ideal state of the real world. Not only does it work, it works very well, and gives the story a little extra gravity.

BOTTOM LINE: LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE POWER

The previous iterations of DC Power were fun reads, but giving this one an overarching plot also gives DC Power: The Rise of The Power Company #1 an edge, with a wide variety of creators turning in interesting art and story, a fun array of characters, and an interesting story hook, adding up to 3.5 out of 5 stars overall.

I’m hoping to see more like the Batman/Signal team-up when The Power Company launches this April.

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