(Prize Comics 004, 1940)
The year is 1982! The world languishes under the heel of a global dictatorship, and the economy is tanking - presumably the Mongols were running a war economy that failed to stand up to the post-world-conquering peace.
Emperor Seng I offers nothing but empty promises to his subjects, until Power Nelson, as committed as ever to working within the system, bursts in and strongarms him into making... real promises? Frankly, this is Power Nelson at his worst. He was created to remove the dictator's yoke from around the neck of the people and he consistently works to make the absolute dictator a better leader rather than, say, destroying him utterly. Like, I know that conflict is the essence of storytelling and if Nelson had just broken Seng I's neck in Prize Comics 001 there would be less of that but... come on, man. Forcing the Emperor to say he'll make some jobs isn't going to do anything.
In fact, Nelson's threats probably make Seng I more amenable to the offer he receives when he is visited by Bloor, dictator of Uranus. After all, how can Power Nelson complain after thousands of men are given jobs? And how could the Emperor know that they were actually being sold into slavery, wink, wink?
The men are of course disappointed to learn that they are effectively slaves, to the extent that none of them seem to notice the high-fashion look that their captor is sporting and how much is contrasts with the simple purple pants of the planet's leader. A bit self-involved, but who am I to judge?
Power Nelson of course does not abide this, and busts everyone free at the first opportunity. Note also the factory foreman's look - orange sunburst bonnets must be "in" on Uranus in 1982.
Power Nelson does not fight women and so Bloor's strategy to send his Amazon Regiment to capture him really pays off. But who are these Amazons? Is this what female Uranians look like or are they mercenaries from some other planet? Is this a sex thing for Bloor?
Power Neslon is of course held in place not by ropes but by the power of his own antiquated ideas about gender and he frees himself just in time to get attacked by some really excellent cylindrical robots that, alas, have no visible gender signifiers and are rendered into so much scrap.
Bloor is forced to release and pay the men, but in keeping with Nelson's dedication to preserving existing power structures suffers no further consequences. I do really appreciate how committed he is to his role as a manager of Uranus rather than a traditional dictator - he might just be our first villain who operates almost completely from a desk.
The men all head home with a week's wages and I guess that that solves the financial crisis. Everyone is happy under the boot of Seng I. Thanks, Power Nelson!
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