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Powers
Who Killed Retro Girl?
Trade Paperback
Vol 1- [Reprints 1-6]
[Mature Readers]
Publisher: Image
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Michael Avon Oeming
Inks: Michael Avon Oeming
Colors: Pat Garrahy
Letters: Pat Garrahy & Brian Michael Bendis
Price: $15.95/R229.00 SA |
Months have gone by without me touching this title, I am afraid
to admit this, considering Powers has to be one
of the hottest books out there at the moment. In reality I was waiting
for the first trade to get back into stock at my local comic shop
before launching into reading the series. So now that I finally
got off my behind and into the swing of things lets take a look
at this kick-ass title.
First off I must say that after reading the first issue online [check
it out for free at www.imagecomics.com],
I was not all that impressed with the artwork. Normally art draws
me into a new title, otherwise I find buying stuff on storytelling
alone always a bit of a gamble. Once having finished the first six
issues enclosed in this trade, I have changed my mind. All credit
must go to both parties involved on this one. Brian Michael Bendis
is terrific, and this is one book I would have bought even though
I thought the art was suspect, he’s just that good folks,
believe me.
The art has grown on me and I must apologize to Mike Oeming, at
first I thought his stuff was just far too simple and cartoon based
for such a hectic story, but boy was I wrong. He is definitely the
right guy for the job, he brings great characterization to the story
and his facial expressions and use of the eyes of characters really
make this book special. The simplicity of the visuals work in stark
contrast to the sometimes heavily realistic storyline but yet somehow
come out as an overall enhancement of the story.
My only annoyance on the artwork side was a small one. Oeming seems
to use a lot of repeat paneling with slight eye-shifts or zooms
to keep the story going. Although I can see why, sometimes this
repetition comes out to look like laziness on his part. The zooms
also pixelate and take away from the sharp lined inking, of course
this is a famous “independent” technique, but it broke
the sequence of clean art on many of the pages for me, made me stop
and disconnect with the characters to study the pixels, and then
I had to get back into the book again. Not a biggie, and more of
a personal no-no than a reason not to give this title a read.
Storywise this series is spot on. It’s a superhero comic unlike
anything you’ve seen before. It’s not actually about
superheroes as such, but rather the heroes are the cops that investigate
the heroes themselves. Sound confusing? Well it’s not that
bad. We follow a tag team pair of superhero homicide detectives.
The smooth and calm Christian Walker and his somewhat
panicky, anger- ridden riot grrrl rookie partner Deena Pilgrim.
In this first arc they find themselves hunting down the killer of
the beloved Retro-Girl. All of the super-heroes
on call are either created by Bendis and Oeming personally or borrowed
from other independent creator’s books. This helps to establish
a really individual and new feel to the old hero shtick. Nice fresh
new heroes and seedy villains to explore here, really makes the
book interesting. This also takes away the face of the bigger named
heroes and allows Bendis to explore avenues that haven’t yet
come up in the mainstream books, Bendis can let rip with some hardcore
views on the modern super-hero stereotypes.
Bendis does use some extreme language in this title and it’s
worth bringing up that this book is not aimed at kids but rather
at a more mature audience, sex and violence are also along for the
ride, nothing too hectic but be warned.
This title is very dialogue heavy, but it’s this exact point
that makes it so brilliant. The constant back and forth banter between
the two detectives and their battles within the department and with
the media make this a stunning read. They struggle with everyday
cop-shop issues as well as the personal trials that we all go through.
The best parts to read are definitely the super-hero related ones.
At one stage the coroner is cutting through retro-girls body with
a blow torch due to her unbreakable skin and the discussions and
arguments that stem from such issues amongst the primary characters
are engaging and fun to read. It’s these original and off-the-wall
situations that bring Powers into its own and make
it a really great book.
The first arc of Powers is amazing as a whole, a compelling crime-mystery
based in a sweetly rendered streetwise world. Mike and Brian have
really created a stunning book worthy of your collection, if you
have been meaning to read this, do yourself a favor and go pick
it up ASAP, this one will rock your world, an awesome book.
Score 10/10
Reviewed By:Iain Duncan
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