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garrodot's review
3.0
A very strong opening issue, but the series rambled on without much of a point. A shallow exploration of the ideas in Rising Stars and Irredeemable.
vernip's review
1.0
This book was needlessly cynical...also, whose idea was it to ape the title from "America's Got Talent?" Did they think there would be some massive brand recognition and think it might be like the show? Ri-diculous.
drtlovesbooks's review
2.0
What it's about: A mysterious, giant crystal appears in San Francisco that causes hundreds of babies to be born, each with a "power." Years later, those children have grown up and are being tested and pitted against each other in gladiatorial contests. But one kid, Tommy Watts, is the only one who seems to have no powers; he's the only "zero"-rated kid to come from the experience. Then he accidentally finds out that's not the case.
What I thought: Meh. The message seems to be that violence begets violence, but there's not much evidence that another path would work better, so the message falls a bit flat. Also, the characters are pretty sparsely fleshed out, so it's tough to get too worked up about any of them; and their personalities seem to shift from page to page.
Why I rated it as I did: I love a super-powers story, and I appreciate when a story arc wraps up in a reasonable number of issues. But this was a story that would have benefited from being slowed down and giving the characters some background and emotional stakes, instead of everything being a reaction to a physical threat.
What I thought: Meh. The message seems to be that violence begets violence, but there's not much evidence that another path would work better, so the message falls a bit flat. Also, the characters are pretty sparsely fleshed out, so it's tough to get too worked up about any of them; and their personalities seem to shift from page to page.
Why I rated it as I did: I love a super-powers story, and I appreciate when a story arc wraps up in a reasonable number of issues. But this was a story that would have benefited from being slowed down and giving the characters some background and emotional stakes, instead of everything being a reaction to a physical threat.
s_brina's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 or 4 stars. I like the premise and am genuinely impressed by Ross. I want to see where this goes but I'm not that invested in the story or characters.
hisham's review against another edition
4.0
Jealousy. Greed. A hunger for a power that is not understood - and fear of the unknown.
America's Hot Powers by Jonathan Ross and Bryan Hitch is a brutal exploration of the baser and unpleasant human reactions to things and people that are different. It paints a picture of crass commercialisation of the mistreatment of a generation who have been mysteriously gifted strange and powerful abilities.
Internment camps, special privileges granted to some in exchange for violent gladatorial battles for the entertainment of the masses - and the weaponisation of media against a pliable and fearful populace to stoke and further control power.
This graphic novel came out in 2014 - but if anything it is even MORE relevant now in 2019.
As brutal as this story is, it is entertaining - the art is very good, and it has tight storyline.
I'm glad I read it.
America's Hot Powers by Jonathan Ross and Bryan Hitch is a brutal exploration of the baser and unpleasant human reactions to things and people that are different. It paints a picture of crass commercialisation of the mistreatment of a generation who have been mysteriously gifted strange and powerful abilities.
Internment camps, special privileges granted to some in exchange for violent gladatorial battles for the entertainment of the masses - and the weaponisation of media against a pliable and fearful populace to stoke and further control power.
This graphic novel came out in 2014 - but if anything it is even MORE relevant now in 2019.
As brutal as this story is, it is entertaining - the art is very good, and it has tight storyline.
I'm glad I read it.
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