“Power Pack” #1 is so goddamn cute. I circled different words, tried different phrasing, even burned through thesaurus.com to find something might work better but not nothing does. “Power Pack” is cute to its core and I am here for it.
Written by Ryan NorthCover by Ryan Stegman
Illustrated by Nico Lean
Colored by Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by VC’s Travis LanhamPower Pack is back! Katie, Julie, Jack and Alex Power have been super-heroing since they were learning to tie their own shoes. It?s been ages since they fought side by side as a family, but a special occasion ? and an old grudge ? is about to put the gang back together. There?s just one teeny tiny hiccup: a brand?new law restricting underage super heroes! But surely, if the fate of all New York City is at stake, the powers that be will make an exception? Keep your fingers crossed as the Power siblings fight for their right to save the world!
The comic opens with what in other hands would be the single page exposition dump Marvel adores but here is a three page crayon drawing. While the rest of the comic has the sleek but stylish look of a teen comic post-“Runaways,” this embraces the childish whimsy of the characters. It establishes mood and tone instantly while allowing us a glimpse into the heart of our narrator.
And what a cute heart she says.
It’s a testament to the creative team that this all works as well as it does. What in lesser hands could have been hackneyed and trite, here feels refreshing. Ryan North (writer of “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl,” the best comic Marvel was publishing at that time) knows how to make childhood feel like childhood, the weird specific darkness that entails.
The villain choice of the issue especially shows off this skill. He takes a D-lister named Bogeyman transforming them into a perfect children’s comic antagonist. His refrain that he just wants to eat some orphans could’ve been taken out of a lost Roald Dahl novel.
The art by Nico Lean (artist on “Ms. Marvel,” one of the few comics that could compete with “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” for best comic Marvel was publishing at the time) with coloring by Rachelle Rosenberg (“Spy Island,” “Sword Master”) overarchingly lives up to this script. The world is bright and fun. Every page is a joy as colors fly across the page. Action is dynamic catching the eye and guiding you from panel to panel effortlessly.
The only complaint to be made here is in the designs for the children. The costumes are works of wonder, updating silly costumes and maintaining their souls. However, I often found myself struggling with the ages of the characters involved. This problem gets worse and worse with the younger characters. But at the end of the day, this is a minor critique. The characterization is still strong and the art still imbues them with life. The faces sing their feelings. The bodies clearly demarcating where they stand.
Oh, and I would be remiss not to mention the phenomenal work by VC’s Travis Lanham (letterer on “Savage Avengers,” arguably the best comic Marvel is currently publishing. Side note: “Savage Avengers” is what your dad imagines his life is like when he re-listens to old Metallica albums). He is required over the course of this issues to pull off a variety of different types of voices, styles and techniques doing so with aplomb.
As a single issue, this comic works fantastically with a creative team bringing everything they can to a comic that could’ve easily been a throw away title. Instead, they turned it into a must read. It is worth noting that this does serve as an extension of the ‘Outlawed’ event running across the Marvel teen line. This is another notch in the belt of what is shaping up to be the best event of the year.
Final Verdict: 8.9 – If you’ve been following ‘Outlawed,’ this is a must read. If you haven’t been following, this is a must read. Regardless of if you are a child or an adult or one of those man-children that exists only in Judd Apatow movies, this is still a must read. It’s cute and cuddly while still packing one hell of a right hook.
