Customer Reviews

Powers Volume 3: Little Deaths (Powers (Graphic Novels))

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am liking Bendis' Powers more and more with each subsequent volume. The series tells the story of a world where superheroes are very common. Known as powers, these people try to protect the city from more sinister powers, though there is a good amount of corruption and ineptitude throughout the ranks of the powers. That is why there are people like Det. Christian Walker and Det. Deena Pilgrim, who work in the powers-related crimes department of the police precint. If a powers is killed, commits homocide, or is involved in any other type of crime, Walker and Pilgrim are on the scene to investigate.
The main story in Little Deaths has to do with the death of Olympia, a powers who was admired by many women for his good looks and strong build. When he is found dead in a ratty apartment building without any marks or blood, Walker and Pilgrim begin an investigation that for a long time leads absolutely nowhere aside from the fact that Olympia apparently had a redhead fetish. Ridealong is a brilliant one-shot story with guest star Warren Ellis as himself! Bendis writes his colleague into the story to serve as a shadow to Walker. Ellis is writing a new crime comic and wants to make it as realistic as possible. What ensues are a bunch of awkward moments between Ellis and Walker, who is none too pleased to have some random guy tagging along on an assignment. One small problem with Ridealong is that it is issue 7, but it is put after issue 15 in the TPB format, and there are references to the Who Killed Retro Girl? arc that may seem weird and outdated if the reader didn't know that the issue was supposed to take place before the second trade paperback.
Other material includes the special Issue 1/2, the annual, and the Powers coloring book, which is absolutely hilarious (it makes fun of superhero genre cliches).
The biggest problem with this collection is not the story but the binding. Bendis uses a lot of 2-page spreads, and some of the art and dialogue gets lost in the binding, which is extremely annoying. However, if you can get over this, the art and dialogue that you can see is great.

This book is not a single storyline, like the other books in the series, but rather three different stories--the death of a popular super hero, a fun annual featuring Warren Ellis as himself, and a has-been hero involved in a (semi) mysterious plot.

While not exactly fitting into the ongoing continuity of the series, this collection offers another unique look at Bendis' and Oeming's super hero world. Included in this odd compilation is a People-esque "Powers" magazine, an entire script from an unseen court case, and a humorous section of a coloring book. Some notables in this collection are Oeming's stylish noir style, the good coloring work, and, of course, Bendis' fantastic dialogue and writing.

Even though this volume doesn't really fit into the continuity of the series, and is not as strong as other books in the series, it is definitely worth checking out by "Powers" fans.

NOTE: this book is recommended for older readers due to strong language and violence/gore (a comic book equivalent to an R-rated movie).

Brian Michael Bendis, Powers: Little Deaths (Image, 2001)

I'm still not quite sure what to make of Little Deaths, the third book in Brian Michael Bendis' Powers series. For one thing, there's a story arc to it-- kind of-- but that takes up very little time. For another, the things we've come to care about in the series-- the characters-- also take second stage. This is a book that feels like Bendis had wanted to do projects like this while working on some other lines, and since he now had his own, he was capable of doing them, so he sat down and did them. A coloring book? I mean, come on.

The stories, when they're there, are up to the usual standard. Warren Ellis takes center stage in the second story as a ride-along on one of Walker's calls, a scandal surrounds superhero Olympia when he dies while having an affair, and an outcast superhero and his old nemesis meet for a final time. There's some setting up of the next volume-- specifically, the ubiquitousness and power of the tabloid press in Bendis' dysfunctional metropolis-- but, really, this volume simply isn't integral to the series, and can safely be skipped. ** ½

While continuing the Powers series with good art and writing, this is a somewhat uneventful edition. It doesn't really extend the characters, and once again involves the mysterious death of a superhero, however this time it really doesn't lend any great revelation. A large part of the book is taken up by a humerous but lightweight childrens coloring book. Really not as much bang for your buck as the prior volumes, but still a decent read.

This volume of Powers has three different stories going on. First is the death of Olympia, a famed superhero found dead mysteriously in a ratty apartment. Next is a one-shot issue featuring the acclaimed writer Warren Ellis as himself in ride-along with Detective Walker. Last, there's a story about a washed up superhero called the Shark caught in a binding circumstance.

Overall, it's pretty disappointing in the sense that none of the stories amounts to anything particularly compelling or climactic. The story with Olympia is unsatisfying and the mystery of how and why he died isn't really answered. The Warren Ellis issue is interesting enough, but ends with an all-too-convenient cliff hanger that's a little frustrating. The last plot with the Shark ends up being the most enjoyable, as it features a short-and-sweet story with nice source material at the end.

A superhero dies coitus incompletus, so to speak. It turns out that he went through a lot of women, but lots of them actually were chasing him, some effect of his powers did things they really liked, other than the Atlas like build.

There is a backup feature where comics writer Warren Ellis does a Cops type thing and goes along on a case of Walker's. Bad things happen.

The third volume of the Powers saga continues the high quality story from the first two, and ends with a cliffhanger that will leave you dying for volume 4. While the main story is pretty short, there are a lot of fun extras. If you have not read Powers, you should.