The Almighties Origins is a short comic that fills the gaps of their adventures in The Almighties #1 and their first official job for the US White House. The President has good reason to wonder about his new team of superheroes, since not all of them have the most pure motives for fighting crime.

At only thirteen pages, I was a little disappointed by the quantity, but I appreciated the humanity given to Stefanos, the kebab-wielding “superhero,” and Joe Cyborg as they evaluated the other member of the Almighties. Brief snippets of backstory helped to build up the players from the first issue, and kudos to the writers for a well-played A-Team reference; however, the ending felt extremely abrupt, and I had to double check my download to make sure something hadn’t been cut off. Rather than feeling like the vignettes had drawn to a natural close, the story just sort of ended.

The artwork for The Almighties Origins continues in the same style as the first full issue, which reflects the style of the superhero comics being parodied. It worked particularly well in Mason’s background tale, since he is a strong, burly military man who cries out for strong lines and bold colors. I appreciated the full color throughout the comic, as well, since that’s a lot of careful work even for a short piece.

Overall, as someone who had read The Almighties #1, I found The Almighties Origins a fun companion piece. I just don’t think it has much appeal to readers completely unfamiliar with the characters, since there isn’t enough overarching plot to get to know them as fully developed individuals.

3.5 Confidential Super Hero Files out of 5

The Almighties Origins is available to read or download for free at www.thealmighties.com.