Looking for some super heroics from a decidedly different perspective? The Almighties might be just your thing. Let’s talk a peek after the jump.

The Almighties #0

Writers: Sam Johnson, Mike Gagnon

Artists: Pablo Zambrano, Eleonora Kortsarz, Ron Gravelle, Fran Jung, Graham Pearce

Colorists: Jennifer Scott, Lisa Lamb, Giuseppe Pica, Miguel Marques, Nimesh Morarji

Letterers: Kris Johnson, Jacob Baste

Cover Artist: Juan Ramirez

Editor: Sam Johnson

The Almighties from Actuality Press is an Avengers-esque super team, from a decidedly warped perspective. This zero issue gives you an intro to the various members of the team and functions as a sort of origin story. The book never takes itself too seriously, or seriously at all. It’s funny stuff, though with it being more a collection of short stories for each of the characters, you get some good jokes, but not a whole heap of story. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you get nothing that carries you forward, but it really is couple pages each for the characters and how they came to be. There is a story running in between with some Cosmic Cube (and GameCube looking) time travel shenanigans which tie things a bit more firmly in with issue #1. Speaking of issue #1, lets take a look over at that issue next.

The Almighties #1

Plots/ Edits: Sam Johnson

Scripts: Sam Johnson, Mike Gagnon

Art: Eleonora Kortsarz, Pablo Zambrano, D.C. White

Colors: Mike Gagnon, Gulliver Vianei, Jennifer Scott

Letters: Kris Johnson

This issue isn’t the most recent issue, but since they sent it along as well, let’s dive right in. I’m not sure if it’s because this is more of a standard issue in format, or if it’s because I read this issue second, but I enjoyed this issue quite a bit. Without getting into spoiler territory, we start seeing that the person that is sending the team on missions has actually been using them to further his own unpleasant agenda. There are jokes here that both stand on their own, simply as funny gags in the context of the issue, as well as a deeper level of satire at work here. This isn’t just fluff parody, but a cutting look at America focused, punch first, ask questions later world of those good looking, and oh so white super heroes that Assemble in pop culture. Both books are fun, but the real fun comes in seeing how they weave together, using the tropes of comics, to poke fun at comics.

I didn’t want to go too far into storylines or spoilers here, the fun comes with the reveals, and the payoffs come from reading things in the larger context of the stories. Thanks to Actuality Press for sending these my way, they are definitely worth checking out if you want a laugh.You can read the books in print here or digitally here.  Almighties Amass!

-Kris