The Royals: Masters of War. Rob Williams, Simon Coleby, Gary Erskine, and J.D. Mettler. 2014. Vertigo. 144 pages.
Rating: 3/5
The year is 1940 and all the super powered people in the world are members of the royal bloodlines. These are the families that have ruled nations for centuries. They've managed to hide their secrets until one young man can't take the destruction being rained down on his home.
I dig the concept behind this book. It's cool that the superheroes are restricted to this specific group of people, which gives a sort of legitimacy to their rule. The characters felt bland though. There is the well meaning prince that uses his powers to help the common people, his selfish brother that is more interested in drinking and sex than helping anyone, their sister who is mostly forgettable, and their father who will do anything to protect their family.
Some aspects of this book were great, particularly the attempt by the United States to form a group of superheroes to represent themselves along the real powers of the world. This is contrasted by some things that didn't make sense, like why these English princes would abandon the war in Europe to fight in the Pacific. The thing that really kept me from enjoying this book more is that I felt no connection to any of the main characters and had little interest in their role of historic events.
For the most part, I liked the art. I think it captured the feel of the era and went well with the events portrayed. There is a grittiness that plays well with some of the darker aspects of the book.
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