DC’s critically acclaimed anthology, DC Power, returns for Black History Month on January 29 with “DC Power: Rise of the Power Company.” This 32-page one-shot celebrates DC’s Black superheroes and storytellers while paving the way for “The Power Company: Recharged,” a new DC All In one-shot launching on April 30.
“DC Power: Rise of the Power Company” features “Company Man,” a two-part prelude to “The Power Company: Recharged,” written by Brandon Thomas, who is known for his work on Black Lightning, and illustrated by Charles Stewart III, Anthony Fowler Jr., and Ulises Arreola.
Readers will be reintroduced to Josiah Power, an attorney, metahuman, and former leader of the now-disbanded Power Company—a group of superheroes for hire. Co-created by Kurt Busiek and Tom Grummett, the Power Company first appeared in 2002’s “JLA” no.61, which included well-known DC superheroes like Manhunter and Firestorm.
As Power mourns the death of his nephew Daniel, who was killed due to Amanda Waller’s actions, he realizes that his energy-manipulating powers are spiraling out of control. He concludes that a new iteration of the Power Company may be the solution to the growing anti-meta sentiment, with Jefferson Pierce, also known as Black Lightning, being a key figure in this effort.
“DC Power: Rise of the Power Company” explores the repercussions of Amanda Waller’s campaign of disinformation and mistrust of metahumans through a compelling lineup of stories by an exciting roster of writers and artists. In “Ring of Power,” written by Zipporah Smith and illustrated by Kelsey Ramsay and Francesco Segala, Vixen and Bolt team up to combat anti-metahuman sentiment in a hospital where citizens are being treated for their emerging abilities.
In “Unfinished Business,” written by John Jennings and illustrated by Caanan White, Atagun Ilhan, and Andrew Dalhouse, Cyborg and Green Lantern Jo Mullein face off against Despero. Meanwhile, “Dynamic Duo,” created by writer Vita Ayala and artists Ray-Anthony Height and Chris Sotomayor, presents a unique Batman and Signal team-up as Jace Fox and Duke Thomas fight crime, enjoy ginger beer, and play Spades on the streets of New York.
“The Power Company: Recharged,” written by Bryan Edward Hill (marking his return to DC), features art by Khary Randolph and Alitha Martinez. This new series dives deeper into how the new iteration of the Power Company—comprised of Power, Black Lightning, Batman (Jace Fox), the Signal, and Vixen—will work to rebuild humanity’s faith in heroes, confront the rising tide of anti-metahuman hate, and track down a serial killer targeting metahumans in Atlanta.
The main cover for “DC Power: Rise of the Power Company” is by Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez, with variant covers by Alitha Martinez (featuring Mark Morales and Andrew Dalhouse), Davi Go, and Valentine De Landro. The main cover for “The Power Company: Recharged” is provided by Edwin Galmon, with variant covers by Ryan Benjamin, Sanford Greene, and Paris Alleyne.
