For those who missed the first "chapter" of Superpowers, you've already missed the return of many public domain superheroes from the Golden Age, as well as a plot that involves an illuminati-like organization that uses zombies as US soldiers in the Middle East, supervillains becoming terrorist organizations in Europe and the true nature of the atomic bomb as a diversionary tactic revealed. Project Superpowers: Chapter Two, which launched this past Wednesday, looks set to keep the weird level up with a President who (spoiler) just happens to be a supervillain from the future, and the return of all manner of child sidekicks ready to kick their former mentors' asses just to keep them in line. But if you're concerned that all this oddness detracts from old-school superhero action, then take a look at the covers for the first four issues of the series below and tell us if they don't make you feel nostalgic for a past you've never had.

Project Superpowers: Chapter Two #0 is available now in comic stores.

The series, launching later this year (with a preview issue in May), revamps the character and mythos for a new century, but Ross' amazing cover manages to evoke old-school pulp covers without even breaking a sweat. If the rest of this series looks this good, we're completely on board.

Buck Rogers #1 by Cassaday and Ross [CBR]

Ignore the Sylvester Stallone movie from the '90s - Starting next year, America is going to find out what it really means to know Dredd. Announced yesterday at the Wizard World Chicago convention, Dynamite Comics is going to bring the UK's futuristic lawman Judge Dredd back to American comics after more than a decade.

While the character - a hard-ass cop in a far-future America - has been published continually (in a variety of titles alongside the core 2000AD series) since his 1977 debut in his native United Kingdom, the character hasn't had his own American series since his 1995-96 run with DC Comics. That will change midway through next year, when Dynamite Comics - publisher of comics based on The Terminator, Highlander, Battlestar Galactica and an upcoming Buck Rogers series - plans to create an all-new series written by the character's creator, John Wagner, with input from Preacher's Garth Ennis.

No word on who'll be drawing the series yet, but something to thrill old-school Dredd fans: Brian Bolland has been confirmed as one of the cover artists (alongside Kingdom Come's Alex Ross), returning to the character that made him famous.

Dynamite Does Judge Dredd [Newsarama]

Famous names: Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross

Crunchy goodness: 5

Elevator pitch: It's like Piers Plowman meets Galactus and the Green Goblin!

The shit: Busiek's technique of focusing on a street-level view of grand operatic happenings got its start in Marvels, and was at its most finely honed.

Life lesson: Superhero angst actually looks more impressive from a distance. And heroes look better when you're looking up at them — unless Hercules is wearing his leather skirt again.

9th Art Review by Brent Keane

Famous names: Mark Waid, Alex Ross

Crunchy goodness: 3

Spinoffs/Sequels/Copycats: In 1999, DC published the out-of-continuity The Kingdom, which forms a prequel and sequel to Kingdom Come, in which a villain named Gog travels through time and kills Superman over and over. The Kingdom introduced the concept of "hypertime," which allowed the DC Universe to have alternate universes again — until every other writer ignored it.

Deja vu: Kingdom Come owes a lot of its sheen to its painted artwork by Alex Ross, who also did the art for Marvels. And it features a central "everyman" character, Norman McCay, just as Marvels had "everyman" photographer Phil Sheldon.

Most painfully dated moment: Not only does Ross' painted art look less special than it did in 1996, but also the whole "superheroes are getting too mean and violent, waah" sermon feels a bit old hat at this point.

Ten Years Later: Reflecting On "KINGDOM COME" With Alex Ross by Jonah Weiland