Review: Powers #7

Written by Brian Bendis
Illustrated by Mike Oeming

God is dead! And Walker and Sunrise are investigating his murder. Yeah. God. Don’t believe me? Then buy the book and find out what’s going on in this cops and capes drama that has NO RULES!! Oh, and Deena Pilgrim returns and the how and why is going to surprise you!! All that and Retro Girl finds herself infected with a deadly alien virus

Powers is back! Can I get a resounding “Aw, yeah!” from the crowd, please? Thank you. Powers is consistently one of the books that I look most forward to on the shelves, because despite it’s massive delays (five months since the last issue), the book almost never ceases to entertain. It is very much of the best things Bendis has done, and continues to be.

So now that it’s back, how does the latest issue play out? Find out after the cut.

There are very few constants in comics, and the constants that do exist are usually centered around big and bold statements. Let’s face it – almost no books are consistent in one form or another. Shifting creative teams, schedules, etc. cause comics to be an ever shifting medium, and those shifts to effect our books. However, just as one other book finally returned this week, so does Powers, and it’s a very welcome return.

It’s been five months in the real world, but in the comic it’s only be a few seconds. The issue picks up right where the last ended, with the return of Deena and a dead God on the team’s hands. While at the last issue it was unsure where exactly the story was going to be going with this story, the issue makes everything known right off the bat as if this was the true beginning of the arc. So a “God” is dead, Deena is the new “boss” (and she’s still full of sass), and now it has come time for Walker and Sunrise to start questionoing other Gods, who may or may not be Powers who are full of themselves. That’s the inherent question of the issue – are these people the real deal, or are they just egotists? It’s kind of funny to see Bendis, writer of the Avengers, tackling a subject like this with such a razor edge, because for the most part this kind of comic – which is ostensibly a superhero critique – is reserved for writers who aren’t writing a flagship title for one of the Big Two. Yet here it is, and Bendis is pulling absolutely no punches with the issue. It’s biting, it’s vicious, but it’s rather entertaining, and as Walker and Sunrise meet various Gods who are on Earth for one reason or another, the issue becomes a rather big ride-along for the reader as we are introduced to a brand new sect of characters within the Powers-verse.

On top of that, in an additional note, despite the five month delay the issue doesn’t feel that hard to get into. Powers has always been an accessible comic, but with this being the second issue of an arc you’d fear that it might take a minute or two to recall what happened. However (and this might be a personal thing, I suppose) I found absolutely no problem getting right back into the action and following along, and the delay ultimately had no impact on the enjoyment of the comic (as opposed to two other delayed books I can think of recently). So that’s always a plus!

Suffice it to say, the issue is written damn well. The idea of a pantheon acting as superheroes isn’t new to most readers, especially to those of Bendis due to his time at Marvel, but the use of raw wit and snarky dialogue here does make the idea seem more fresh than you’d initially expect. While he isn’t taking direct shots at anyone here, the use of the Powers-“Gods” does feel like a nice razz towards some of the work Bendis (and friends) have done in the past, offering up a much more realistic view of the idea. The issue is full of commentary from Bendis on the very nature of the simple idea of a higher power, and Bendis doesn’t shy away from saying things that might be fairly offensive to some (which is always a good thing). It’s a very realistic comic, and it fits with the whole Powers-theme of a real world view trying to tackle the notions of a super world. That’s an idea many comics have (heck, even other comics that Bendis has written – Alias and Pulse anyone?), but Bendis has always had a unique way of handling things and it shows with this issue. Due to his sharp ear for dialogue, the issue feels very naturally real, and while there are parts that feel a tad rambly (isn’t that to be expected?), it’s a very smooth read.

Of course, Oeming back for art is always a welcome site. Oeming has a very sharp edge to his art that features very large characters, and while to a certain extent it’s cartoon-y it definitely fits and always has. Oeming has such a great look artistically for the art, and you can tell as each issue passes that he’s trying to take himself out of his own box with more intriguing layouts for pages. Powers has always been rather intense in it’s presentation (especially in earlier issues that would feature 40 or so talking head two-page splashs), but it’s nice to see Oeming experimenting here. On top of that, you’d think that it would be rather easy for Oeming’s various Gods to look rather … similar to other things, but despite that Oeming manages to give each one a definitive look that is all of their own. Hecate is perhaps the most entertaining one, if only because it looks like Warren Ellis (on purpose, of course – and the dialogue certainlly adds an extra humorous note to that!), and with colors by Nick Filardi the comic definitely pops.

It’s with no hesitation that I say that Powers is back, and when the team is on they are on. This issue, over-sized for your pleasure, features a lot of content in it, pushing the current storyline forward massively and continuing it’s dedicate to the crime-sect of comics, with the issue dealing specifically with a murder mystery as opposed to just capes beating on capes. That’s what makes Power special and unique in the sea of work that Bendis has put out, and although a more consistent schedule would be nice, the comic is still good enough that it makes up for it’s delays rather nicely – and with an ending that is somewhere between “What.” and “What????!!!!”, it’s very nice to have Powers back.

Final Verdict: 9.6 – Buy