Guess what’s back? (Back again). “Powers” is back! Tell a friend!
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Mike OemingA new chapter of the Eisner Award-winning POWERS that sends Deena Pilgrim into the big leagues!
Pilgrim is now a federal agent and dealing with the biggest powers cases in the entire country. But will this new life close the closet full of skeletons she carries with her? (Absolutely not!) And what does this mean for her old partner, Walker?
This is a bold game-changer for the iconic crime superhero comic that started it all and an amazing jumping-on point for new readers!
“Powers” is, potentially, the best thing that Bendis and Oeming have ever done. It’s such a great series and has been since it first launched, really solidifying the work Bendis and Oeming both would become known for. Full of Bendis’ best Mamet impersonations and Oeming’s penchant for exciting, inventive and gory artwork, the launch of the book was a beacon for comic fans towards a new talent that was worth watching.
Fortunately, “Powers” never relented. Through three different volumes, it kept its mojo, and all was well. At a point it might have leaned on its shtick a bit hard (as seen here, basically), but it always remained as a great pastiche of superhero culture from two guys that clearly “got” superheroics. The last volume even took it to extremes, as the biggest superhero cliche – the “game changing event” – was brought into the series, and turned out just to be that. Everything went nuts, left went right, and the series actually was changed forever, particularly noticeable in contrast with “Invincible” #100 which looked at the event and just snickered. No, “Powers” knew its audience and “Powers” delivered. And that brings us to “Bureau.”
Things are different now. This isn’t just a cop procedural anymore. Now it’s a big time book, a book for bigger cases and stories but with the same familiar characters. There’s just only one problem then, kinda sorta: things are different now.
From the get-go, there is one major and noticeable behavioral difference here – that “Powers” seems to have lost that sharper edge it’s known for. It’s not tame by any stretch of the imagination; the book still has a filthy tongue and its fair share of violence. Yet, where “Bureau” differs from the other three volumes of “Powers” is that it has a clear, stronger focus on bringing new readers in. This book doesn’t introduce a new case, but gives us some Deena backstory (which was relevant to volume 3 but there was no time to be given it) and just barely gives us Walker for what turns into a character issue. There’s this big new change here, what with everyone becoming FBI agents at the end of the last “Powers,” and all things considered we spend very little time seeing what that means.
This essentially switches up the dynamic entirely, as the first issue becomes a character piece over something focused on a new ongoing mystery, and it’s odd to take in at first. That’s the thing about “Powers” – this was a procedural that dealt with cases dealing with heroes, and it just happened to have two endearing characters at it the lead, fortunately. We didn’t need to spend too much time in the personal lives of Deena or Walker because their personal life was the job. It evolved, sure, but at a slower rate; the job came first. That’s sort of the trope about police procedurals in any medium: case first, real life second. The case is the hook, the character interactions are ultimately why we stay. Now it seems Bendis and Oeming want you to care about Deena from the start, especially if you don’t know her, and perhaps even Walker too. It’s a major change to the way book has always operated.
It’s important to note, however, that there isn’t any focus on the new FBI dynamic. It’s there, but it also feels sort of irrelevant. Since the issue is mainly about making sure people know who Deena is and that Walker is important too, everything else feels tertiary or inconsequential to the greater scheme of things. The way things are delivered is very clearly done to give short tips of the hat to things that have been important in the past, like the Powers Virus, and its definitely smart to put that into the story as opposed to any excessive infodumps. But when you look at the issue from a distance, it’s unmistakably just a book about Deena and her world, as opposed to the world which Deena happens to live in.
Continued belowAll things considered, though, this whole “new reader friendly” dynamic isn’t inherently a bad thing. The last volume of “Powers” rather noticeably didn’t care too much about new readers so much as it was a new beginning, and that aspect shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. For someone who’d read every issue of “Powers,” it was a great new place for a story to begin, but for someone else, someone who hadn’t been reading “Powers” but knew who Bendis and Oeming were, the book was a tad esoteric – and, I should note, I say this from personal experience, having recommended “Powers” v3 #1 to friends as a jumping on point and being met with general malaise. “Bureau” is more friendly, a fresher start to the world this series encompasses. It feels like a different book because of it, and one that is certainly playing it a bit safer, but it’s ultimately not something that really ruins the experience.
So “Powers: Bureau” is a mixed bag. Is it a bit unexciting for readers who’ve read 78 other issues of the book? Sure. The edge seems to be a little off, it’s definitely a different form of a start, but it’s still good. It’s not “Powers” good, but we can assume that’ll be changed once the introductions are set aside.
Discussing the talents of Bendis and Oeming here seems largely unnecessary. It’s the sort of thing where, well, you know that peanut butter and Nutella in a sandwich is good, right? And you’re never shocked when it’s delicious. You could eat peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches every day for lunch and never get tired of it, because it’s awesome. Every now and then it can even surprise you how good it is, depending on if you add a little bit more Nutella that day. So when looking at the book, it’s absolutely no surprise how well Bendis and Oeming go together, because the duo has been working together now for nearly 80 issues on this series. They live in this world, encompassing every aspect down to the grimiest, darkest corner; if you’ve ever read “Powers” before, you’ll feel right at home, and if this is your first, you can expect this level of talent every issue. Guaranteed.
When the world ended, “Powers” lost a bit of the tooth and claw. Yet, as “Bureau” kicks off, it would seem that Bendis and Oeming have no intent of abandoning this fan favorite work, and the new direction for the series is a welcoming one. While long time fans will certainly notice the attitude change, this really is a remarkably nice spot for new readers to jump in and get the gist of whats going on. Lets just hope that “Powers: Bureau” can remain consistent with its release, because there is one thing that has caused the book to suffer in the past, its the delays.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy
