Powers of Diabolik!

The movie "Danger: Diabolik!" directed by cult master Mario Bava with John Phillip Law as Diabolik and Marisa Mell as Lady Eva Kant is one, if not, THE ultimate psychedelic movie from the end of the sixties! Although the movie was filmed in 1967, it obtained his copyright in 1968. The movie was not a success when it was originally released, but during the following years, it graduately climbed the ladder of cult success untill it reached the number "1" spot, keeping it to this day. So it isn't strange that during these years, a lot of young people became influenced during their formative years by this movie, his director and his vision. One of these Diabolik infected artists is Michael Avon Oeming. Michael Avond Oeming is best known in the comics world as author and especially as artist for his stark art style which he uses for telling sophisticated and mature subject matters. His most famous comic is called "Powers"! Powers is set in a world where superpowers are relatively common but not mundane. It follows the lives of two detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, police officers in a Homicide department devoted to cases that involve "powers" (= people with superpowers). Walker himself used to be a costumed superhero named Diamond, but became a police officer after he lost his abilities. Though stripped of his powers, he still retains his contacts within the superhero community, even becoming engaged to an ex-colleague, who is later killed. In later issues, Walker is offered the chance to become the world's latest secret Guardian as part of The Millennium Guard, a secret group of intergalactic guardians, accepting the responsibility and the powers that come with it. Deena Pilgrim, his partner, is also hiding at least one troubling secret. She contracted superpowers during a fight with an underworld thug named the Bug, an event which she kept under wraps. As a result of this, she unintentionally kills her abusive boyfriend in self-defense, and hides the evidence, although coming under investigation by Internal Affairs.

When publishing house TwoMorrows, specialised in celebrating the art and history of comics, asked Oeming to make a cover for their 6th issue of "Write Now", cover date July, 2004, he found his cover idea rather quick by going back to his childhood memory of the movie "Danger: Diabolik!" and selecting one of the most recognizable photos of the cult couple and transforming it with his own creations into the present cover at the beginning of the entry.