Comic Book Consideration: POWERS

One of the things that I enjoy about reading comic books is that I tend to read en masse. While it may put a dent in my monthly funds, it certainly provides me with things I’m willing to go back and read more than just once. POWERS is a perfect example of this; It’s certainly made me a follower and it’s put out a ton of interesting material for reading over the last decade.



The series has had a rocky history at times; it switched hands from IMAGE comics to marvel's umbrella company ICON, allowing Bendis to retain creator's rights and get his graphic gory violence and foul language while also allowing him to not have to pull punches where it counts. beginning about a decade ago, it has twice been halted for periods of time, and just this past november came the third "volume", currently on shelves once a month.

The premise is quite simple: How does Law Enforcement cope with superpower-related incidents? If one were to stop and think, how would a cop handle a superhero’s accidental property damage? Hostage negotiation with a man whose powers include being bulletproof? If two superheroes are fighting, what about the innocent bystanders who are literally just going about their day as an epic battle develops overhead and around them? How does a police force go about investigating cause of death of one of the most powerful and beloved superheroes of the generation?
It’s this last question which launches us into the series, with the wonderful intro arc/volume of Trade Paperback, titled “Who Killed Retro Girl?” Reading about the people powerless to stop the superhuman forces they face daily is a fascinating twist to the comic book/super hero existence that I, and I think most comic book readers, are used to. And the approachable, understandable human flaws of Detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim provide wonderful, well-rounded protagonists that a reader can relate to. Now, it’s hard to talk about this book without the various spoilers and cool twists that writer Brian Michael Bendis often throws at us, but I will do my best; Suffice it to say that their involvement with superpowered individuals has complex history and, as one reads, fascinating futures; They become just as active in the limelight as the gruesome cases continue as the famed fantastic figures they investigate.

Furthermore, the idea of superheroes being something akin to celebrities in the eyes of the common public is a central topic to the series. Through this we are asked various questions that are successful in making us squirm, while an undertone of familiarity faces us with each story; The universe in POWERS is neither DC or Marvel but I’ll be damned if you pick it up and can’t find a superhero almost exactly like the one you’re reading about. And that makes the questions of Superhero Ethics even more awkward—what would you do if Batman had a female robin, and raped her? What if the Avengers were having tiffs and resorted to murder within the ranks? What if superman decided to define justice on his own, and obliterate a warring country right off the face of the planet? With the scrutiny and daily-presence of a celebrity, these superheroes are quite naturally a perfect target for inspecting our own codes of morality as one reads the series.

Both cops provide an interesting dynamic- they may not love each other but they’re great at their job. Taking turns playing Good Cop/Bad Cop provides a wonderful twist because they know how to tango with the creeps they put behind bars, and when a conflict gets too personal the other becomes the voice of reason (or sometimes the support voice egging on the police brutality). And often, the horrific images (beautifully drawn by Mike Avon Oeming) provide an understandable slap-in-the-face that such incidents would have in our own world. Murders are never neat and clean, and the creators like to remind us of how messy a crime scene really can be.

The series does a wonderful job of sticking to the basics of Noir style format; this is exceptionally enhanced by the artwork; one part Bruce-Timm-era-style cartoon, two parts Oeming's unique blend of silhouette and color bash. This is evident throughout the series as one of two styles tends to be predominant: either a monochrome-and-shadows string of images, or a vibrant assault of color. The latter tends to come when the superheroes are present; the former is useful for subtly setting mood without ruining the moment the reader and character are experiencing.

Sometimes, though, that monochrome use is just brilliant; In the world of POWERS, technology has developed so that Law Enforcement can handle criminals while incarcerated. the "Power Drainers" are found in many stations, and their sickly green light is quite clearly an homage to Kryptonite. The coolest part though, is when you turn the page and see a wave of green, you know they'll be interrogating and the gloves are coming off:


Now, a caveat; there are some issues where dialogue is almost assaulting the eyes. Bendis jokingly refers to them as "walls of text" but for all the gripes he sometimes gets, I would like to suggest you look at them like the world-builder snippets of "Watchmen"; mostly the comic uses them as TV News Reports, though occasionally you do get a monologuing going on with a character. Then again, you get some glorious full-page full-color spreads that are blessedly devoid of dialogue. Like them or dislike them, I feel that they're not as painful a problem as other readers- In fact, it actually enhances the "celebrity" motif because the news bulletins and live-interview sections that will run parallel to a dramatic scene provide a nice juxtaposition that is quite akin to a film-montage with an underlying audio that isn't of the scene playing out but is still entirely relevant;

I really can't say I have any problems with this comic. Since I began reading it, I have voraciously gone through all of the softcover trades, and now in fact own everything up to the current Re-Start since they don't have trades yet. Eager as I am to discuss some of the inner topics, I'd rather urge you all to read it instead of me spoiling some of the awesome game-changers.

Five out of Five Bat-Points! happy reading, folks. bring you a new recc in a day or three.