Supreme Power #1

Supreme Power #1, published by Marvel Comics under the MAX imprint in 2003, represents a gritty, contemporary re-imagining of the Squadron Supreme characters first introduced in the 1970s. Created by writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Gary Frank, the series was conceived as a mature-audiences deconstruction of the superhero mythos, stripping away the traditional optimism of the Silver Age to explore how hyper-powered individuals would genuinely interact with modern political and military power structures.

The visual approach taken by Gary Frank was instrumental in grounding the series, utilizing a grounded, cinematic realism that contrasted sharply with the stylized aesthetic prevalent in mainstream comics at the time. By focusing on the psychological toll of isolation and government experimentation, the book was received as a dark, intellectual subversion of comic book archetypes, finding success as one of the flagship titles that defined the experimental and often provocative tone of the early 2000s MAX imprint.