Jonathan Ross & Bryan Hitch Team For AMERICA's GOT POWERS Comic Series
Released by Image Comics, the story follows a teenager from San Francisco who works at a merchandise stall in the stadium which hosts a T.V. show that recruits new members for America's number one superhero team.
Last week, artist Bryan Hitch announced he was leaving Marvel Comics after ten years, during which he worked on The Ultimates, Captain America: Reborn, and Fantastic Four. Since announcing his departure, his Twitter feed was counting down to something. No one knew what it was, or what the weird star symbol that was his Twitter I.D. signified. Only thing we knew was when we would find out. 3rd of January 2012. But the news broke early when, yesterday, Jonathan Ross, chat show and author of comic book 'Turf', tweeted: Morning! New year and a new beginning! Am beyond excited to announce that Bryan Hitch and I are publishing new comic with Image this springAmericas Got Powers Full on superhero angst and action as Americas most gifted super powered teen wannabes slug it out on tv for a place in the worlds only official super- teamHitch followed up with:
A new year, a new horizon. Very proud to announce an amazing new comic in partnership with broadcast legend Jonathan Ross @wossy in spring! AMERICAS GOT POWERS by me and the brilliant @Wossy is coming from image this spring. The full story and first art on CBR tomorrow.Talking to Comic Book Resources, the pair shed light on the project which puts on a comic book spin on the public's current fascination with televised talent shows, such as The X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent.
We are dealing with a world that has superpowers for sure but only one super team and the winner earns a place on it, Hitch said, It's easy to see how taking that reality show, gladiatorial framework and applying super powered teens to it can lead to all sorts of drama and massive action, and I'm very much at home with that sort of thing!Released by Image Comics, the story follows Tommy, a teenager from San Francisco who works at a merchandise stall in the stadium which host America's Got Superpowers, a T.V. show that recruits new members for America's number one superhero team. Tommy is also one of the many children born in San Francisco at the same time eighteen years previously. But the difference between him and the other kids is that while they all exhibit some sort of super power, Tommy, sadly, doesn't. But this doesn't stop him from entering the reality show, and somehow getting through, powerless.
What interested me here is the exploitation of those who are encouraged to take part, Ross said, In 'AGP' there's more than just a little pressure on them these kids with powers don't have that many other options in a society that finds them fascinating and irresistible but ultimately scary. So it deals a little I hope with the dark side of these shows the way talent is used up and, when it no longer feels novel or fresh, thrown away. As for superheroes, well, as readers we love to see them in action, fighting, protecting the weak and smiting the strong. In this scenario, thats a given. Like 'Rollerball' or 'The Running Man,' it's built into the format a certain amount of danger, of blood and guts. But it's when it escalates and people get to see the REAL purpose of the show that things will get interesting.The project came about in the Summer of 2010 when the two were introduced by mutual friend Mark Millar. Of the ideas that Ross had to tell Hitch, America's Got Powers proved the biggest draw for Hitch.
All he said was 'AMERICA'S GOT POWERS, X-factor for super heroes!' That was all it took. I got the hook immediately and saw the full potential, he said. I have to say that Jonathan's a very good writer and working to improve all the time. He knows story. He knows movies, pacing, drama. He knows TV and he knows comics. You can see a tremendous learning curve in 'Turf' as he worked out how to handle the medium. I certainly wouldn't be involved in this without an absolute certainty he could write and write well.They were both were aware that Hitch's contract with Marvel was coming to an end, so they waited it out, shoring up the story and hammering out the final details. As Hitch says himself,
We're world-building here. America's Got Powers is the name of the show around which this story takes place but it's also a statement in itself and that understanding can lead to something even bigger. This is like we came up with the Marvel universe in one go but needed to find a pathway into it we could build from. I'm confident we can entertain, interest and wow you, I'm also confident we will have you wanting much, much more."Currently scheduled for the second quarter of 2012, this isn't the only comic book coming from Ross in 2012. His follow up to 'Turf', with that book's artist Tommy Lee Edwards, 'The Golden Age' is due for release in June, also from Image. The series revolves around a group of elderly heroes brought out of forced retirement by the government to tackle a threat the current heroes can't handle. Even though it hasn't being released yet, it is rumored that Matthew Vaughn, director of Kick Ass and X-Men: First Class, has expressed an interest in bringing the story to the big screen.