Superhero comics for mature readers are often cynical, genre-bending satires or revel in violence to shock audiences, but Steve Orlando and Davide Tinto's Commanders in Crisis is something entirely different. It is fundamentally hopeful. Commanders in Crisis is an inventive superhero story full of brilliant ideas and high concepts that explode off the page.  Make no mistake, however, this book is for mature readers and does not shy away from violence or the adult relationships that come with these intense experiences. This new trade paperback collection presents the first six issues of the Image Comics series.

The story begins after a crisis has torn apart the multiverse, leaving only a single Earth in its wake. Transported from different universes for their leadership and ability to inspire, a group of ground-breaking former US presidents are gifted with unique superpowers and establish a team to monitor for potential signs of "multiversal sepsis." Together, Prizefighter, Seer, Originator, Sawbones, and Frontier fight to make the world a better place so that it may avoid the same fate as their homes. The diverse cast, each with unique powers, is faced with a murder unlike any other. Empathy itself has been killed and this "ideacide" portends doom.  While the world crumbles without compassion and the United States is on the brink of separating into 52 distinct nations, the Commanders in Crisis must determine how to make a difference and inspire hope in a people robbed of the ability to care.

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Steve Orlando's story is full of high concepts springing out of every corner. The basic plot is a whodunnit mystery but even that point is maximized and abstracted in new ways. Orlando's breathtaking array of ideas work because he roots the story in an endearing cast that, while broken in their own ways, are willing to endure sacrifice to save the world. Just when the plot seems to be moving in a predictable direction, Orlando throws an existential curveball that leaves the team emotionally beaten in a way no physical threat could ever manage. Existence itself is on the line, and the only way the Commanders can save humanity is through inspiration. Summarizing the story and its complexities is difficult because so much of the joy is going along for the ride and experiencing Orlando's inventive ideas.

Davide Tinto's art brings those inventive ideas to life and grounds the fantastical story. His art is deceptively simple, relying on a classic cartooning that builds from readers' familiarity with superhero stories to ground them before launching into truly bizarre and wondrous directions. Tinto perfectly balances big action and small character moments. If there is one place to be critical it is that Tinto's figures all look young and beautiful, making it sometimes hard to remember that the main cast are all former US Presidents. This can make it difficult to tell if some characters are meant to be presented as older.

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Tinto is aided by Francesco Carotenuto's bright colors. Carotenuto keeps the palette for the characters within the scope of the limited colors available to silver-age superhero books which helps make the characters appealing and easily identifiable as heroes. Orlando is not interested in exploring a group of bitter people and the art keeps the book light, reminding readers that this is not a cynical story. Similarly, Fabio Amelia's letters support the classic feel, not shying away from old-fashioned thought balloons that have largely fallen out of favor in mainstream comics but remain an iconic part of the language of superheroes. Thanks to Amelia's work, it is always clear who is speaking and readers can easily follow the pages.

For those who might feel burned out on the idea of superheroes, Commanders in Crisis offers a fresh and inventive story that taps into the big themes of compassion and hope that have made superheroes enduring. Orlando has a pulse on the current national moment that plays off the paranoia and political divisions that seem to tear at the very fabric of our society.  This book utilizes a familiar visual language to launch into an inventive world and story that speaks to the power of compassion to make the world a better place.

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