THIS WEEK: We test in on Paige and Streaky in Power Girl #1!
Note: the assessment under comprise spoilers. If you desire a fast, spoiler-free purchase/go suggestion on the comics in query, try the underside of the article for our remaining verdicts.
Power Girl #1
Writer: Leah Williams
Penciller: Eduardo Pansica
Inker: Júlio Ferreira
Colorists: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letterer: Becca Carey
Cover: Gary Frank and Brad Anderson
For the final a number of months, the Superman line of books has been firing on all cylinders in a method it actually hasn’t because the Nineteen Nineties. The books aren’t fairly as linked as they have been again then, nor are there fairly as many, however each single considered one of them feels prefer it has its personal place within the ongoing story of the characters and is including to the entire moderately than simply doing its personal factor.
Part of that has been how Action Comics has been utilizing its new anthology format to springboard into new concepts and tales. Action Comics proper now looks like a non secular successor to Batman: Urban Legends, and like that e-book, a number of the aspect tales at the moment are getting spin-off collection. The newest of those is Leah Williams taking her Power Girl story and attending to run with it in a brand new ongoing e-book.
Williams has been primarily given a clean slate to do what she needs with Power Girl, largely as a result of of the character’s convoluted historical past. Williams has simplified and expanded that historical past. This model of Power Girl is from Krypton, however not our Krypton, and simply doesn’t really feel like she belongs on this model of the Superfamily. Williams’s work thus far has been to get this character in a spot the place she feels a bit extra comfy solely to yank the rug out from beneath her.
This difficulty introduces us to Dr. Paige Stetler, Power Girl’s new secret identity. Paige, appears to be like a bit off to me, however that’s in all probability as a result of the selection in glasses that Eduardo Pansica and Júlio Ferreira gave her actually make her appear to be Linda Lang from Jamal Igle’s Supergirl run. I do know they’re basically the identical individual, however she actually appeared youthful than I believe she ought to.
Other than the look of Power Girl in her secret identity although, the artwork actually does sing on this difficulty. Pansica and Ferreira had lots of enjoyable with the finery of a flowery gala, and their face performing all through the difficulty is expressive and enjoyable.
The introduction of the “new” villain, Amalak, really pulled the wool over my eyes. Before he introduces himself, all we see is a red-skinned man with dreads, and my Nineteen Nineties-fueled mind went instantly to Massacre, a minor villain from that period. But as an alternative of a minor villain launched by Karl Kesel, it’s a minor villain launched by Jim Shooter. Amalak first appeared in 1966’s Superman #190, and very similar to this new model, that one was a space-pirate who hated Kryptonians. I at all times love when a artistic workforce digs deep into historical past to seize an unknown character to carry again to the forefront.
I really feel just like the mysteries of Power Girl’s Krypton, and this new feud with Amalak are going to drive this collection, and I believe that this primary difficulty was a incredible jumping-on level for that. Oh, and I’ll at all times take extra Streaky wherever I can get him.
Verdict: BUY
Round-Up
- Si Spurrier’s Flash additionally began this week. Joe has an interview with him proper right here. The first difficulty actually began arduous on the creepy cosmic horror angle proper out of the gate, however I’m very, very fearful that Spurrier goes to interrupt up Wally and Linda once more, and I don’t need that in any respect.
- Steve Orlando returning to DC Comics was good to see, and seeing him accomplish that on considered one of my favourite characters is the cherry on high. I like Donna Troy and Orlando actually captured her spirit in Tales of the Titans: Donna Troy. It was cathartic watching Donna beat the snot out of nazis. It was additionally good to see Orlando’s JLA get a bit little bit of the highlight once more, that collection was an underrated gem.
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