Line #17 ComicBook/PowerAndGlory


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/power-and-glory_9903.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:What's a nice Jewish boy like you doing with a ''metumtam'' like him?]]
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4	->“Face it — the real world isn’t a god damned comic book. But you had to make an ''ubermensch'' — a fantasy solution to real problems”
5	-->-- Michael Gorsky, issue #3
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7	''Power & Glory'' is a short-lived ComicBook series written and illustrated by Creator/HowardChaykin, and released by Mailbu Comics as part of their creator-owned "Bravura" line. It was originally released in 1994 as a four-issue limited series and a one-shot holiday special, and was later re-released in a trade paperback.
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9	The title is about A-Pex, "the American Powerhouse", the nation's RealLife all-star super hero complete with blonde hair, boyish good looks, and HeroicBuild. In reality, A-Pex is Allen Powell, an amoral, narcissistic government agent with [[TerrifiedOfGerms a pathological fear of being touched,]] leaving him incapable of fighting villains. To prevent Powell from becoming an embarrassment, his handlers bring in Michael Gorsky, a dedicated if cynical agent, to covertly do the real heroic work. Powell takes all the credit, but Gorsky gets the results. Complicating matters is the fact that Gorsky is going through a divorce from his boss's assistant, Powell is chasing after vapid pop star Belladonna, a drug-dealing third-world head of state wants both of them eliminated -- and Powell and Gorsky hate each other...
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11	''Power & Glory'' left readers divided, while some finding it too muddled and confusing in its original four-issue format. Fans, however, enjoy it as a hilarious dark comedy that satirizes super heroes and nineties pop culture while providing generous helpings of multi-layered plots, witty dialogue, and over-the-top sex and violence that one would expect from Creator/HowardChaykin.
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13	----
14	!!''Power & Glory'' demonstrate the following tropes:
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16	* AllAmericanFace: A-Pex, who was created by the U.S. government as a product of nationalist fantasy.
17	* AmbiguouslyJewish: Averted by Gorsky, whose Judiasm is neither ambiguous or [[InformedJudaism informed.]] At one point, a villainess prepares to take over his body and [[TooMuchInformation comments on his circumcision...]]
18	* BadBoss: Malcolm [=LeStrange=], leader of the NIA, who pals with drug dealers, carelessly kills nuns, and embezzles money from the United Nations' Childrens' Milk Fund.
19	* BadassNormal: Michael Gorsky, who does all of A-Pex's hero work without any of the powers.
20	* BodyHorror: In the holiday special, a sentient, flowing mass of blood intends to slither up Gorsky's nose and take over his body.
21	-->"Don't bother struggling, Gorsky -- your nose will do just fine as an entrance."
22	* BulletproofHumanShield: Gorsky does this with A-Pex on [[http://www.comicvine.com/power-glory-4/4000-39069/ the cover of issue #4.]]
23	* CanonWelding: A brief gag at the end of issue #4 ties ''Power & Glory'' to ''ComicBook/AmericanFlagg''
24	* TheCape: The public perceives A-Pex as this, thanks to the NIA's publicity campaign.
25	* CorporateSponsoredSuperhero: A-Pex, of course.
26	* {{Expy}}: Belladonna, an obvious stand-in for Music/{{Madonna}}.
27	* FlyingBrick: A-Pex.
28	* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: A-Pex is created by the National Intelligence Agency.
29	* HeadbuttingHeroes: Powell and Gorsky.
30	* HeroicBuild: A-Pex, of course, though some of the artwork gives Gorsky a similar stature.
31	* HypercompetentSidekick: Gorsky does all the hard work while A-Pex takes credit.
32	* IdealHero: Much of the appeal of the comic is deconstructing this concept.
33	* {{Narcissist}}: Powell, who only gets worse after he becomes A-Pex. He cheerfully brags about his “invulnerable body of throbbing pink steel” without the slightest touch of irony or sarcasm.
34	* PatrioticFervor: A-Pex has this as part of his manufactured public persona.
35	* PowerfulButIncompetent: A-Pex is a FlyingBrick, but his extreme mysophobia and general cowardice make him completely ineffectual at crime-fighting.
36	* SupermanSubstitute: A-Pex appears to be this on the surface, but his neuroticism and ego mean he's completely impotent when it comes to actually being a superhero.
37	* SuperpowerLottery: Done literally in the holiday special, where the organization responsible for giving A-Pex his powers raffles off an opportunity for a regular person to become a similar superhero for a week.
38	* SuperZeroes: Despite his powers, A-Pex is way too cowardly and neurotic to actually be a superhero.

Context ComicBook / PowerAndGlory