Squadron Supreme Omnibus

Squadron Supreme (1985) #1-12

by Mark Gruenwald, Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart

Get the full story of Marvel's most superior superteam! They're the mightiest heroes of their dimension, but what happens when the Squadron Supreme encounter the Serpent Crown...and the Avengers? Then, in one of the most celebrated miniseries of all time, the Squadron expand their ranks - and take control of their United States in a bid to create utopia! COLLECTING: AVENGERS 69-70, 85-86, 141-144, 147-149; THOR 280; DEFENDERS 112-114; SQUADRON SUPREME 1-12; CAPTAIN AMERICA 314; SQUADRON SUPREME: DEATH OF A UNIVERSE; QUASAR 13-16, 51-52; AVENGERS 5-6; AND MORE!

Genres: Marvel, Comics, Graphic Novels, Collections, Action, Science Fiction, Fiction

1240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity. Before being hired by Marvel, he wrote text articles for DC Comics official fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics. Articles by Gruenwald include "The Martian Chronicles" (a history of the Martian Manhunter) in issue #13 and several articles on the history of the Justice League in issue #14.

In 1978 he was hired by Marvel Comics, where he remained for the rest of his career. Hired initially as an assistant editor in January 1978, Gruenwald was promoted to full editorship by Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter in 1982, putting Gruenwald in charge of The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Spider Woman, and What If. During this period, he shared an office with writer/editor Denny O'Neil, whom Gruenwald considered a mentor.


In 1982, Gruenwald, Steven Grant, and Bill Mantlo co-wrote Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions, the first limited seriespublished by Marvel Comics. As a writer, Gruenwald is best known for creating the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and his ten-year stint as the writer of Captain America during which he contributed several notable characters such as Crossbones, Diamondback and U.S. Agent. He made a deliberate effort to create villains who would be specific to Captain America, as opposed to generic foes who could as easily have been introduced in another comic.

His 60-issue run on Quasar realized Gruenwald's ambition to write his own kind of superhero. However, he considered his magnum opus to be the mid-1980s 12-issue miniseries Squadron Supreme, which told the story of an alternate universe where a group of well-intended superheroes decide that they would be best suited to run the planet

Reviews

[Relstuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gist of story is that the world is just starting to recover after an Alien took control of the super-hero population and began to take over the world. The heroes ended up fighting him off but were left with a world with a broken economy and a lot of suffering. So, they set out to be pro-active instead of re-active and figure out how to solve all the world's problems. Hunger, violence, crime, and disease. But, to solve these issues they have to take control. Take away weapons from military, police, and private citizens. Brainwash criminals so they want to do good. They end up setting up a super hero tyranny for the good of the people. Several of the team object. They leave before or during the efforts. The objectors finally gather some additional forces and showdown occurs between the two good guy factions over whether you can force the world to be better by brute power or not.

While there is plenty of fun comic book fisticuffs Gruenwald deals with a lot of mature intellectual issues in this book. Issues of free will and proper use of power and sacrifice. Unlike many mainstream comics of the time, people die and stay dead in this book and people have to deal with it just like we do in real life. A quote that resonated with me: "Death claims all men eventually, and the tragedy of each loss is measured by the mark that man has left on the world."

This book pre-dates The Dark Knight Returns, The Watchmen, Kingdom Come, Identity Crisis, yet these aforementioned books deal with some similar philosophical issues but usually not to the same extent we see in Squadron Supreme. Worth the read.

[Javier Muñoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quizás no sea tan conocido, pero este cómic juega en la liga de watchmen, kingdom come, astrocity... Además es anterior a todos ellos, se puede decir que Mark Gruenwald fue pionero en el intento por acercar los cómics de superhéroes a los problemas del mundo real, al tiempo que respondía preguntas incómodas que la mayoría de autores del género en esa época intentaban rehuir: ¿podrían los superheroes utilizar sus poderes para mejorar la vida de los seres humanos?, ¿sería adecuado?, ¿deseable?, ¿sería el remedio peor que la enfermedad?.

El origen del escuadrón supremo es curioso, surge de una especie de broma entre los autores de los vengadores en el año 1971 (Roy Thomas y Sal Buscema), que necesitaban un grupo para enfrentarse a los vengadores y decidieron crear uno de trasuntos de los grandes personajes de DC (Halcón Nocturno - Batman, Hyperion - Superman, Zumbador - Flash y Doctor Espectro - Green Lantern), que formaban un grupo llamado el escuadron siniestro.

Mark gruenwald, gran aficionado a los cómics de superhéroes tanto de marvel como de DC, empleó otra encarnación de estos personajes, añadiendo otros trasuntos de personajes de la liga de la justicia (Anfibio - Aquaman, Princesa Poder - Wonder Woman, Lady Alondra - Canario Negro, Capitan Halcón - Hawkman, Pulgarcito - Átomo...) para crear esta serie limitada de 12 números que pretende convertirse en la historia definitiva de la liga de la justicia con personajes utilizables por marvel.

Aunque en su inicio se trata de un pastiche, desde las primeras páginas podemos apreciar que esta no es una historia de superhéroes típica, en el primer número ya se perfila la idea principal que impregna toda la serie: un grupo de los principales superhéroes de la tierra que se propone en el plazo de un año eliminar los grandes problemas de la humanidad para crear una utopía. A esto se opone desde el principio Halcón nocturno, que opina que las mejoras en la sociedad no deben ser regaladas sino conquistadas a lo largo del tiempo y ante el acuerdo del resto de miembros decide dejar el grupo.

A partir de este punto asistimos a una serie de movimientos del grupo de superhéroes para conseguir esa utopía, algunos de los cuales vulneran el libre albedrío y plantean diversos dilemas morales, diferencias entre los miembros del grupo y oposición de algunos grupos de ciudadanos. Esto ya de por sí provoca que el cómic se desmarque de otros de su época por los temas que propone, pero es que además el hecho de que los personajes tienen una importancia muy limitada en el universo marvel permite a Gruenwald utilizarlos a su antojo. Sin ánimo de entrar en spoilers sólo comentar que se pueden ver múltiples muertes de personajes importantes, decisiones muy controvertidas de algunos de los personajes... en general aunque es una historia muy superheroica nos muestra el lado débil de cada uno de los héroes, les hace falibles y humanos, con más conflictos y más contradicciones.

La historia se puede leer sin ningún conocimiento previo de los personajes, el dibujo no es de los mejores de su época pero cumple y tiene buenos momentos. En todo caso no es lo fundamental, aquí lo importante es disfrutar de una historia puramente superheroica, que se adelantó a su tiempo en muchos aspectos, planteando temáticas que veríamos luego repetidas en obras posteriores, intentando reflejar las dificultades que tendrían los superhéroes al enfrentarse a problemas del mundo real y mostrando el lado oscuro del impacto que pueden tener las decisiones de los héroes, por buenas que sean sus intenciones. Un clásico por mérito propio y el mejor trabajo sin duda de un gran autor como es Mark Gruenwald.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know they started as Marvel Comic's knock off of the JLA in an Avengers comic but they quickly grew into something different. Very interesting take on what Marvel would have done with a JLA style team. Nice art and story. Excellent collected volume. Very recommended

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took awhile to get through this massive book but I finally finished. This truly has every appearance of the Squadron and when read together, you get the big picture look of their history of interacting with the Marvel 616 Universe.

You can break it down to roughly:
Avengers and Defenders appearances (partially as the Squadron Sinister)
the Squadron Supreme maxi-series
the Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe graphic novel (a direct sequel to the maxi-series)
Some issues of Quasar that helps establish them in the Marvel 616
A couple issue battle with the Avengers in the Busiek/Perez run (which sort of pokes fun at previous appearances)
A few interactions with the Exiles
A one-shot when they return to their world
A fumbled, lame story in the Ultimate Universe

The initial issues are fairly basic fight sequences with a pseudo Justice League. The maxi-series makes a series attempt to show what could happen if a super group truly tried to take over the world, but in a good way. It's a little heavy on dialogue and this is when the characters start to become fleshed out more and not just copies of the DC heroes. It certainly is a step up from standard super hero faire, but is missing something to truly make it a genre breaking title.

The graphic novel is a worthwhile sequel but focuses on the end of their universe and just how do heroes react when there is basically no hope. Not a bad read.

The Quasar issues are sort of necessary and the final Avengers confrontation is a little bit laughable and seemingly meant to be, but has some fantastic Perez art. There's also a one-shot in there where the Squadron goes back their planet and has some interesting ideas. Probably the last thing worth reading in their history. The Exiles and Ultimate stuff aren't really worth reading but I believe the Exiles story lead to the one-shot.

If you want to know their full history, this will definitely give it to you. You'll end up with a better understanding of just what happened to them and what their personalities are like. But in the end it's pretty standard stuff for the 80's.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather magnificent collection of all the Squadron's major appearances. It sometimes cuts off other, connected stories, but this volume is nicely organized, at least telling you the fates of those other stories while the history rolls of the Squadron continue to unroll.

Let the Games Begin (Avengers 69-70). The introduction of the Squadron Sinister is magnificent for its cosmic scope, but you also have to love the Avengers of the time, with its close interrelations to other titles and its great characterizations. However, this story is just a building block for an entire universe [8/10].

The World Is Not for Burning (Avengers 85-86). After the introduction of the Sinisters, it's rather peculiar to suddenly see a heroic Squadron Supreme in another dimension. There's little explanation offered, but this is really the start of their saga. Sadly, it's a pretty "meh" story: heroes fight, then they fight against a deformed super villain [5+/10].

The Serpent Crown (Avengers 141-144, 147-149). This sequence of issues is a horrible mishmash. It's got Kang, Immortus, a trip to the past, the appearance of Hellcat, two fights against Brand, and a trip to the Squadron Supreme's Earth. Much of that running in parallel. I'm not convinced that author Engelhart had any idea of where he was going, and it sort of shows, particularly in the murky connections between the Squadron Supreme and Brand.

With that said, it's a wonderful mishmash too. Though they meander and muddle, these stories are epic. First, we get the last Kang story. (Ha!) Then we get the transformation of romance star Patsy Walker into superhero Hellcat. The Brand part of the story falls a bit short, but once we get to the Squadron's Earth we get a rather magnificent story of the Serpent Crown having taken over the whole planet (and the Squadron deciding to fight against it). It foreshadows the magnificent scope that later Squadron Supreme stories would enjoy [7/10].

(The excerpts from the 1989 annuals better explain the plot of these issues, but otherwise aren't that interesting or well-written, and also have a horrible spoiler from the Squadron Supreme miniseries.)

Hyperion (Thor 280). A shockingly bad story. I mean, Hyperion comes to Earth to convince the Avengers to film a movie. And then there's a random hero fight, followed by a major coincidence, followed by twin confusion. Agh! The only cool thing here is that Sinister and Supreme Hyperion meet [3/10].

The Overmind (Defenders 112-114). The Squadron Supreme really isn't very good at keeping their world safe, because here they are again, with another evil power having taken over their government. Whoops! This is a wonderfully epic story that feels much cleaner than the Serpent Crown affair. On the downside, it doesn't manage to give much characterization to most of the Squadron. Still, it's a fun story, deeply enmeshed in Defenders lore (including a rather shocking final surprise about Nighthawk) [7+/10]

Squadron Supreme. There had been numerous Squadron Supreme appearances before this mini-series, most notably the Serpent Crown and Overmind affairs. However, this was the story that truly turned them into real people, not just secondary characters and not just knockoffs of the JLA (though they continue to wear their Justice League origins on their sleeves). The character studies in this mini-series are wonderful and often full of heart.

However, this comic is truly great because it's one of the great superhero deconstructions of the '80s, right up there with Miracle Man, The Watchmen, and The Dark Knight. It imagines what heroes would do if they were going to change the world and what they would do if faced with human foibles. So Dr. Spectrum (Green Lantern) is more self-absorbed and selfish than Hal Jordon ever was; Nuke (Firestorm) is actually radioactive and causing the death of his parents; and Tom Thumb (Atom) is unsure of his place in the Squadron. The list goes on.

The plot of changing the world is a great one, because it's the sort of thing that superheroes should think of, but it was rarely even considered in earlier Ages. The Squadron Supreme may be the most complete investigation ever of the trope. It's not surprising that it inevitably leads the Fight of the Titans that also seems common in deconstructionist superhero stories of this type ... but Greenwald doesn't pull any punches, and the result is tense and heart breaking.

By the time you get done with this mini-series, your mood should be hovering somewhere between awe and the desire to read more [10/10].

Death of a Universe. After the scope and innovation of the Squadron Supreme series, this is somewhat of a disappointment. It's just a fairly normative (albeit well-written) superhero comic. It's great to see the Squad again, and it's great to follow-up on the miniseries just a week later. The artwork is also quite nice here, primarily (I think) due to the coloring. But the character moments are few and far between and there's nothing here that couldn't have happened in the Avengers (or the JLA). Oh, and the problem really is solved by a big (little) deus ex machina [6+/10].

Journey into Mystery (Quasar 13-16+). Interesting to see the Supremes continue with a tight timeline, as this continues straight on from Death of a Universe. Gruenwald gives the Squadron a convincing reason to be stuck on 616 Earth and also does a nice job of revealing the history of the Overmind. But beyond that, this is a somewhat dull comic, especially the last 48-page issue, which is an interminably long fight. The Squadron Supreme also isn't used well as they're (once more) mindless drones for much of the storyline [5/10].

Sacred Geometries (Quasar 51-52). Quasar fights some silly cosmic being. The Squadron appear in the background, still stuck on 616 Earth three years later. [5/10].

Avengers (5-6,A1). Though Hawkeye jokes about it, the first two issues are about the Squadron getting mind-controlled. AGAIN. After that long fight we then get a super long fight against Imus Champion. About the only good thing about these three issues is that after eight years the Squadron is finally sent home! [3/10].

New World Order. It's so nice to have the Squadron back on their proper Earth, and to see their supporting cast and enemies again. But this graphic novel is sadly uninspiring. I mean, it's the government taken over my evil, yet again. And maybe this time it's humanity doing it to itself, rather than being taken over from the outside, but that doesn't make it much less repetitive. Beyond that, the writing is flat: the villainy of the world is over-the-top, the plot is meandering, and the characters are uninteresting [4/10].

Exiles (Exiles 77-78). This crossover falls somewhat flat too. First we get the way-too-typical superheroes fighting, then a court trial that's essentially a clip show. The only good element of the story is that it gives some closure to the Squadron — but even that feels rushed [5/10].

Ultimate Power (UP 7-9). Though we only get three issues of Ultimate Power, they're the right three issues, as Ultimate Scarlet Witch suddenly brings in the original Squadron Supreme, to allow for even more fighting. Or maybe it's not them, because they just act like clones of the Supreme Power characters. I suppose it's nice this is included from the viewpoint of completeness, but it adds nothing past the stuff in the Exiles issues.

Overall, this is a stupendous collection for a very interesting superhero group — the exact sort of thing that an omnibus can excel at. The early material is great, up to Death of a Universe, but then it sputters out under the weight of less talented authors and less focused stories. The real inheritor of the Squadron Supreme in the later era was JMS' Supreme Power ... though that sadly sputtered out too. (But they should also get an omnibus!) In any case, it's great to see all the original Squadron Supreme stories in one place.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

***
The Omnibus collects Squadron Supreme #1-12, Captain America #314 as well as the Squadron Supreme: Death Of A Universe graphic novel.
***

On the face of it, this is a solid 4-star book, but a number of elements & factors bump it up to 5 stars:

- it shows a realistic progression of events once the heroes decide they'll take over "for the greater good" (something the JLA, or the Avengers, or the FF either don't have the balls for or were never permitted to do)
>> within the group (schisms, dissension, parting of ways, betrayals, etc.) and also
>> without (apprehension, rebellion, reluctant acceptance from some and absolute refusal from others).

- it pre-dates the so-called "seminal" works of the mid-80's, namely Moore's Watchmen and Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns I personally found them both highly overrated and Watchmen especially boring. Gasp! Blasphemy! Grab you torches and pitchforks! It also pre-dates Identity Crisis, not exactly the best book around, but it had caused quite a stir when it first came out when it revealed that [some of the JLA] heroes had been brainwashing/mind-wiping the villains for years !! Well, sorry Mr. Meltzer, but Mark Gruenwald already explored that road in this book, and handled it beautifully, too!

- the characters (even though they were new to me) felt fully developped and they went through more character growth in 12 issues than the JLA do in years . Even the villains were fun!

- some characters die and - OMG! - actually stay dead!

So, sure, this 80's book might seem old-fashioned to you "kids" out there. I personally grew up with these comic books, but I also grew OUT of them. The art with the limited colour palette I can tolerate (no digital colouring back then) but it is usually the script, the cheesy dialogue, the thought-bubbles, and the "witty" [that was sarcasm] comments from the editor that turn me off. I go for more modern stuff nowadays.

That I rated this book 5 stars (even 4 would've been good, no?) just goes to show you (1) how ahead of its time it was, and (2) that it's just a really good book.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's the deal with Squadron Supreme and why I'm rating it two stars: I'm reading this collection after the fact, fully aware that this mini-series is hugely influential and has been a huge source of inspiration for many other stories in the superhero genre. Having said that… I read those stories first and it put me off SS a little. It's solid, workmanlike comic storytelling but I found it a bit of a slog. Your mileage should and probably will definitely vary on this one though.

[Jason Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concept that starts off equal parts goofy and heavy handed, actually becomes exciting, nuanced, and manages to make social issues the central sphere without ruining itself with hokeyness, but with actual curiosity and dramatic tension.

It starts with a lot of prolonged exposition, but once you're through understanding its an alternate universe, and explaining how the Squadron Supreme wants to save the world from its underlying ills, and wondering why they seem like DC's Justice League but this is Marvel, and the tension of how the Squadron will do these things, how ethical things are, if they'll get away with it, etc. it moves quite artfully and well.

There's a great issue to issue feeling of exploring new ground, doing unexpected things and taking risks with colorful and at least passably interesting superhero characters. Lots of exciting things are possible on a universal scale.

The crossover with Captain America was not that different than the usual Squadron Supreme narrative, but still interesting and well written by Mark Gruenwald.

The resolution of the "Squadron fixes the world's problems" was kind of the peak of the book.

There's a separate graphic novel afterwards, where the Squadron Supreme must face a giant white blob in space that threatens to eat the universe. It's a pretty good story, mostly an odd breath of relief after the fractional world fixing storyline that is 6/7th of this book, but I'd say it's mostly ok.
A lot of prolonged, PROLONGED graphic novel length dread with a couple weird almost cop out endings.

But the graphic novel's definitely above the good side on the writing even with its relative banality, and always, in every issue, great art work from a couple different artists (Paul Ryan was one of them) keep it nice to look at it.

But its Gruenwald's writing that make this worth the effort, very imaginative and shocking while still superhero fun stuff you expect from Marvel. A real dramatic story, not just a comic book.

Wish there was more of this in the world.
5/5

[Camilo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, interesting compilation to read. I had read the "original' Squadron Supreme Omnibus [that had the original twelve issue series in it, the associated Captain America issue, and the Death of a Universe graphic novel]. This compilation expands the issues so that it includes some early issues of the Avengers and Defenders as well as issues of Quasar, The Exiles, and the last three issues of the Supreme Power mini-series. It was a pretty hefty compilation, coming in at 1240 pages [nearly 800 more than the "original" omnibus that featured Mark Gruenwald's series and the graphic novel].

I thought it was supposed to be EVERY issue in which they appeared, but, sadly, it is not. I would say it is composed primarily of the issues that would make [ensure?] a somewhat-coherent storyline. As it is, there are individual pages that give "brief summaries" of the gaps that take place in between some of the storylines. I do not know if those gaps cover individual issues or multiple issues in every case, but based on what was said I think I would have enjoyed reading those issues as well. I realize it would have probably required two omnibuses to tell the 'whole story' of the Squadron Supreme [up to the point of the Ultimate universe cross-over].

I liked how this omnibus includes the early appearances of the Squadron [when it was the "Squadron Sinister"] in the early issues of the Avengers. It was interesting to learn how some of the came into being, initially. I had not read those issues of the Avengers before, so they were more enlightening than I thought they would be granted, I could not figure out what the "punishment" was going to be after issue 69; perhaps it was revealed in issue 71?.

It was also interesting to see how a team composed of "less powerful" Avengers fared off against the Squadron on their world granted, it could also have been the authors did not know how to write the Scarlet Witch, the Vision or Iron Man the best in terms of demonstrating their capabilities and strengths. The "team" of Avengers that showed up on the Squadron's world was composed of the Vision, the Beast, Iron Man, Captain American, Scarlet Witch, and Patsy Walker. So, they were not 'the weakest team ever' [like the team consisting of Quicksilver, Wanda, Cap, and Hawkeye might have been], but it still seemed like the Squadron should have been 'more powerful,' overall, in the strength department because of Hyperion and Power Princess alone. The storyline in those issues of the Avengers was quite hectic - it involved "two teams" of Avengers in different parts of the timestream as well as in different dimensions. There was quite a bit going on. On the side, I enjoyed the "banter" between Moondragon and Thor as she tried to convince Thor he was "slumming" on Earth when he could have [and should have] been doing so much more with his strengths, abilities, and capabilities.

The lone issue of Thor was interesting and corny. I guess the Hyperion from the Squadron Sinister was still stuck on Earth, and he followed Thor and Hyperion back to Hyperion's world. "Good" Hyperion wanted to try and convince Thor to convince the other Avengers to star in a movie back on his Earth. He ends up getting into a slugfest with the "Sinister" Hyperion before Thor returns to "his" dimension. It was definitely wacky and offbeat!

The issues of Defenders were fun to read. I had read The Defenders intermittently when younger - it was never one of my favorite series, anyway. I did like some of the storylines, though, and I would have enjoyed these two issues had I read them. I do think it says something about the Squadron Supreme, though, that they find themselves so easily mind-controlled is this a reference to DC's Justice League? It seems like I remember seeing older issues where the League had been placed under some kind of mind-control on a pretty "regular" basis. If so, that might explain why the Squadron has been portrayed "so often" as having their minds easily taken over?.

The twelve-issue series by Mark Gruenwald looked at a logical extension of super heroes - what if they forced their will upon the world to try and make the world a "better place"? It looks at some of the systems that would have to be put into place to ensure such a "Utopia" might come into existence [such as removing and destroying all guns and weapons of war, forcibly rearranging the minds of criminals so that they stop committing crimes, and forcing the people to comply to their wishes, etc.]. Overall, I thought Mark Gruenwald did a good job exploring such an environment, but I am sure the Comic Code Authority and its rules probably limited Mark's exploration [as he did not take things as far as he could have, whereas the MAX Squadron Supreme series took things further in a more "adult/mature" presentation of the ideas Mark explored]. Overall, it was a good series, although I 'hated' how it ended. Hahahah! Overall, this "maxi-series" was fairly well written; the artwork was decent; and the story was fairly well thought-through and executed. I thought the "long monologue" at the end where Kyle Richmond was lecturing Hyperion was a bit much, but he still made good points about why Hyperion's "Utopia" would ultimately fail. I think the "biggest weakness" for me about this series was that at first it was supposed to focus exclusively on the United States, but then it kept making references to the rest of the world falling in line. Otherwise, the Squadrons were complete and utter fools and imbeciles if they truly believed that destroying America's military was going to bring about "world peace" and that the "enemies" of the United States would not use the complete and unilateral disarmament of the United States as an opportunity to either launch an attack to either conquer or destroy the United States [during that time period]. Granted, I am assuming there were Communist powers or other dictatorships of equivalent military might and opposition that opposed the United States of the Squadron's world [based on some comments made throughout the series]. In addition, Emil Burbank [the Master Menace; this world's "Lex Luthor"] indicated he had conquered at least three Middle Eastern countries because the Squadron [especially Hyperion] was focused on the United States and nowhere else. So, I could not quite decide if their efforts were focused exclusively on the U.S. of A. or the entire world.

The issues from Quasar explained how the Squadron came to the 616-Universe and what happened shortly thereafter. Interestingly enough, all but one or two of them fell under the mind-control of another entity. In this case, it was the Over-Mind of the 616-Universe who took control. It was "interesting" in that the Over-Mind sought to kill the Stranger due to a prior conflict that took place between the two of them several years previously [and involved the Fantastic Four] whereas the Stranger was investigating the deaths of ten Watchers. In the end, the Over-Mind defeated himself, Quasar "saved" the race of Watchers from committing suicide, and the Squadron Supreme returned to Earth in control of their mental faculties with Quasar. The next issues of Quasar involved some goofy aliens that lived their lives based on geometric and trigonometric calculations, trying to explain the "Universal Constant" in the form of an equation that answers "everything" and takes into account "everything." These were okay stories; the artwork was definitely hit-and-miss. The Squadron did not have the 'chance' [opportunity] to develop as characters due to the prior mind-control or the next two issues of Quasar that were mentioned.

The "next" "major" appearance of the Squadron Supreme was in the third volume of the Avengers comic, in issues 5 and 6 plus the annual for that year. The Avengers have returned to Earth after having been believed to be dead for a year, and the Squadron believes them to be fakes. As it turns out, the Squadron has fallen under the mind-control of another villain, and a few battles ensue between the two groups before the controlling villain is revealed. It was interesting as there was quite a bit of humor in the issues mixed in with some serious issues/concerns [i.e. - Carol's growing drinking problem and not revealing she cannot access her "binary" powers anymore, Wanda's powers behaving "differently" enough to throw her off and affect her ability to battle their opponents, Haywire's discussing the death of his girlfriend [in the graphic novel] with Hawkeye and how he was dealing with it, is Simon Williams truly dead or not?, etc.]. The annual involves the both teams opposing Imus Champion in a battle to save every major city on the planet. At the end, it is discovered the heroes have somewhat 'thrown' the fight against Champion in order to ensure the most lives are saved. Champion merely fought to defeat the teams because he wanted "more excitement" in his life whereas the two teams fought to save the lives of the innocents threatened by Champion's arrogance and orbiting weapons. At the end of the annual, the Squadron is sent back to their own planet [finally!]; well, all but Haywire, who remains on 616-Earth [he does not want to return to a world without his beloved Inertia]. The artwork in these issues is phenomenal, to be honest. Well, in the issues from the series; the annual was so-so.

The next 'story' is a kind-of "one-shot" comic, except it has seven parts [chapters?] to it, so it must have been a pretty good-size issue. They return to their home to discover the citizens of their planet have taken the plans for the Squadron's "Utopia" and expanded upon them to an extreme. Even though they promised at the end of their "maxi-series" to never impose their will again upon the citizens of Earth, they cannot abide the changes that have occurred. In the end, they seek out this universe's equivalents of Batman, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman to begin the process of overthrowing the government in place and restoring the freedoms lost [given up] by the citizens after this new totalitarian governmental power was put in place. It is like the authors of this one-shot decided to take Gruenwald's work and push it to an extreme to show how bad it could have become without the Squadron around to act as a counter-balance. Plus, it merely reinforced Kyle Richmond's opposition to the original plan [he said that the only way it would work would be if the Squadron remained around to enforce it; otherwise, once the Squadron members either died or retired, the system would collapse upon itself due to 'human nature']. The issue ends with the reformation of the Justice League Squadron Supreme with the original seven members.

This one-shot issue was kind of sad, because Hyperion believed his old foe, Emil Burbank, to be the puppeteer behind the curtain controlling the despots in charge. He was shocked to find Emil a frail old man living in fear of his life. Emil had traveled to the future and spent fifteen years there trying to devise a device to save the Earth in the graphic novel, and upon his return to Earth he was even more frail after the 'failed' mission. Hyperion took mercy upon his old foe and took him back to the Squadron's new headquarters for safety and so he could help them overthrown the totalitarian regime in power.

We also learned eight years had passed since the events in the graphic novel and eventual return to their universe. It is kind of odd, though, because their children have not aged a day despite eight years having passed.

The issues with the Exiles were interesting, as they pick up some time after the Squadron has been fighting to overthrow the New World Government [or whatever it is called]. The Exiles team up with the Squadron to [finally!] overthrow the despotic government and allow "free elections" to take place and institute a new governmental body. It ends with Princess Power leaving with the Exiles for a time [before she apparently eventually returns to the Squadron's universe]. It was an okay series of stories; the artwork was all-right. I think it did add something to the Squadron as it showed how they were faring in their attempts to free their planet. Granted, if Hyperion had truly cut loose, it should have been no contest.

The "cross-over" with the Ultimate Universe and Max-Squadron Universe was fun; I really enjoyed it. Granted, it was the final three issues of a nine-issue series, so a lot of stuff had already happened before these issues. Still, though, it was fun to see two different versions of each of the Squadron's members squaring off with each other.

The issues with Quasar explained how Hyperion regained his sight, but the issues in this collection never explained how it was that Doctor Spectrum regained his "humanity" [i.e. - returned to looking normal]. In the final issue of the twelve-issue limited series, an arrow from the Golden Archer had struck Spectrum's power prism, causing it to shatter into dust that was absorbed by Spectrum's body. Both his suit and his skin were bleached of all colors as result; Spectrum would turn into "solid colors" of the spectrum depending upon how he was using his powers. Yet, after the Squadron arrived in the 616-Universe, he had returned to 'normal' in terms of his appearance and costume. Maybe it was a 'temporary affliction'? ;D

It was a fun compilation to read, despite not being as "complete" as advertised. The artwork was hit-and-miss between issues [or runs]. The Squadron probably had the 'best' character development during their twelve-issue limited series [which only make sense, on the one hand, as it was about them and their decision to 'play god' and directly influence the course of history for their planet]. I also liked some of the conversations between the characters and the Avengers when they joined forces against Imus in the annual. There was some good stuff that was shared. I am glad that I read this compilation; it was as good as I hoped it would be.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un trabajo muy interesante que siembra semillas para los grandes hitos del final de década. La verdad que es una lectura muy fluida, con algunos dejes de la época pero genial construida.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squadron Supreme. There had been numerous Squadron Supreme appearances before this mini-series, most notably the Serpent Crown and Overmind affairs. However, this was the story that truly turned them into real people, not just secondary characters and not just knockoffs of the JLA (though they continue to wear their Justice League origins on their sleeves). The character studies in this mini-series are wonderful and often full of heart.

However, this comic is truly great because it's one of the great superhero deconstructions of the '80s, right up there with Miracle Man, The Watchmen, and The Dark Knight. It imagines what heroes would do if they were going to change the world and what they would do if faced with human foibles. So Dr. Spectrum (Green Lantern) is more self-absorbed and selfish than Hal Jordon ever was; Nuke (Firestorm) is actually radioactive and causing the death of his parents; and Tom Thumb (Atom) is unsure of his place in the Squadron. The list goes on.

The plot of changing the world is a great one, because it's the sort of thing that superheroes should think of, but it was rarely even considered in earlier Ages. The Squadron Supreme may be the most complete investigation ever of the trope. It's not surprising that it inevitably leads the Fight of the Titans that also seems common in deconstructionist superhero stories of this type ... but Greenwald doesn't pull any punches, and the result is tense and heart breaking.

By the time you get done with this mini-series, your mood should be hovering somewhere between awe and the desire to read more [10/10].

Death of a Universe. After the scope and innovation of the Squadron Supreme series, this is somewhat of a disappointment. It's just a fairly normative (albeit well-written) superhero comic. It's great to see the Squad again, and it's great to follow-up on the miniseries just a week later. The artwork is also quite nice here, primarily (I think) due to the coloring. But the character moments are few and far between and there's nothing here that couldn't have happened in the Avengers (or the JLA). Oh, and the problem really is solved by a big (little) deus ex machina [6+/10].

[Devero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un Omnibus dedicato alla copia Marvel della Justice League non me lo sarei aspettato, però l'hanno fatto. Nel complesso hanno fatto un ottimo lavoro. Si parte con le storie dello Squadrone Sinistro contro i Vendicatori, per passare alle vicende del vero Squadrone Supremo, sempre contro i Vendicatori. Poi le loro apparizioni con i Difensori, storie a mio avviso inferiori a quelle contro i Vendicatori, specie per i disegni, ma nel complesso interessanti.
Quindi inizia la loro mini di 12, il capolavoro di Mark Gruenwald, che affronta alcuni dei temi che poi Alan Moore affronterà, meglio, nel suo capolavoro Watchmen, qualche anno dopo.
Una grande storia, triste ed epica, che vede lo scontro di due diverse filosofie supereroiche in un esperimento che, giustamente, nell'universo 616 non si poteva ne doveva fare.
Poi quell'altro gran gioiello della graphic novel dedicata allo Squadrone, e ai suoi due più significativi avversari. In seguito a quell'evento, lo Squadrone finirà nuovamente nel nostro universo, e avrà a che fare con Quasar e poi coi vendicatori di Busiek e Perez, che torna a disegnare questi personaggi dopo un ventennio abbondante.
Quindi lo one-shot New World Order, che credo sia l'unico albo inedito in Italia di questo omnibus. Un albo interessante, ma che alla fine non ha avuto realmente un seguito. Le storie degli Exiles sono gradevoli, poi seguono, per chiudere, le brutture disegnate da land sulle serie Ultimates.
Interessanti le introduzioni ai masterworks di Thomas e altri, e il ricordo di Catherine Gruenwald dello scomparso (troppo presto) Mark.

Vero, avevo già letto praticamente tutto, ma ne è valsa la spesa e la pena di rileggere quasi tutto d'un fiato questa raccolta.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never read the series in its entirety but did read several issues and the Grand Guignol finale.

I haven't noticed, for example, the enthusiastic discussions of the morality of behaviour modification. Or the way people seemed opposed to large scale cryogenic preservation. Slippery slopes were something that my juvenile mind didn't quite absorb.

The story is an expansion on the marvel cornerstone "with great power comes great responsibility". The Squadron Supreme, a marvel analogue of dc's Justice League, finds their nation in ruins after a run in with a pair of super villains and a Batman presidency.

So they enact the Utopia protocol, to make everything better. They rebuild the country's infrastructure and commence to eliminate crime and poverty.

They also try to eliminate guns, which I think must have seemed a lot less ludicrous prior to the Reagan assassination attempt and the following passage of the Brady bill.

[Mario Mikon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Liked a lot more than I thought I would.
I really liked the classic drawings. Felt dated, but good dated.
Storywise... really fun. Not Watchmen levels of quality, but, really, really fun. One very nice reinterpretation of the DC superheroes, with some reinterpretations of Marvel characters too.

[Ondra Král · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skvělý příklad toho, jak má vypadat omnibus, ve kterém není souvislý run.

[Juliano Bittencourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

O Watchmen da Marvel? Sim! Mark Gruenwald pegou personagens irrelevantes e criou um épico atemporal. Acredito ser uma das primeiras histórias em que um autor mostra heróis realmente mudando o mundo.