Steve Orlando has plenty of experience crafting new, imaginative stories involving the most iconic superheroes in mainstream comic books. From a prolific run on Justice League to smaller, more intimate superhero stories with characters like Midnighter and Martian Manhunter, Orlando has had a chance to explore the numerous possibilities of the genre while putting his own voice to it. Orlando is joined by up-and-coming Davide Tinto to create the new Image Comics series Commanders in Crisis, which revisits many of the same genre tropes -- but deconstructs and subverts them as its heroes investigate a disturbing murder.

The 12-issue maxiseries has a team of superheroes and last survivors from their respective universes continue to save the day on a new Earth, each with their own unique powers and personas. As the value of compassion and empathy appear to fade in the face of increased divisiveness and volatile politics, the heroes stumble across a murder mystery that could completely unravel the free world they've sworn to defend.  The investigation will take them across space and time -- and challenge the team's principles while they battle for forgotten, discarded virtues.

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Orlando previously deconstructed the superhero genre -- with a knowing wink to readers -- when he co-wrote the 2018 Justice League/Doom Patrol crossover, Milk Wars.

In Commanders in Crisis, he more or less plays the premise straight: This is a story that feels very timely at this moment in American history and while there are certainly fun, escapist moments in the opening issue, the stakes feel incredibly real. Orlando isn't subtle about the themes or social commentary of the story, which appear to be very much intentional. At the same time, Orlando knows he's delivering a superhero book: Come for the cape and cowl action, stay for the meditation on reviving and defending moral virtues that are too easily dismissed.

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Tinto, who previously illustrated Marvel Action superhero titles, is no stranger to bringing superhero derring-do to visual life. Joined by colorist Francesca Carotenuto, the art team brings the requisite superhero designs and action sequences, but with enough of its own edge where it feels different right from the start.

Carotenuto's choice in color palette, in particular, makes the visuals stand out from most of the Commanders in Crisis's mainstream counterparts, while Tinto is given the chance to showcase each of the team's unique powers as the issue unfolds. Some of the facial work is largely uniform, particularly in the male characters, but this becomes less noticeable as the story progresses.

Drawing from current real-world concerns and the more divisive, less altruistic spirit of the times, Commanders in Crisis is a superhero title that allows Orlando to stretch creatively and directly call attention to pressing social matters in a way he wouldn't have been able to for mainstream publishers. Joined by co-creator and artist Tinto, there is plenty of rousing superhero action to be had as the creative team puts its costumed defenders on a wonderfully weird and abstract murder mystery ride.

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