Customer Reviews

Powers, Vol. 10: Cosmic (v. 10)

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

 

 

I've been waiting for this trade ever since my local comic store got me hooked into this title a couple of years ago. For those of us avoiding buying the serial so we could have nice thick trades on our shelves it's been very frustrating watching Marvel push the release date back and back and back (especially considering that the book already existed in comic book form - have you guys ever heard of cut and paste?)

Luckily, this trade has been worth the wait. Long term story arcs are starting to get paid off and Bendis has dug Pilgrim into a moral hole which seems to be very difficult for her to climb out of: can't wait to see what she does next.

The world of this story had a real risk of going stale pretty quick once all the basic physics questions had been answered (what was Walker's deep secret, what role does government play in a world like this, how does someone without powers operate effectively as a policeman in a world with powers and what psychological price do they pay etc) but Bendis has kept it fresh and really pushed his two protagonists into some great areas that make this title something more than "Watchmen the series" (unlike The Incredibles which ended up being Watchmen-lite).

I won't say too much, but the scene with Pilgrim and the cop from I.A. is a case in point: Pilgrim gets a set of questions put to her that put a spotlight on everything she's dealing with at the moment which then resonate through the rest of the book. When the I.A. cop drops her big suprise it just hit me out of the blue. Damn fine writing.

Hopefully Marvel can find a spare printer before the end of the year and get volume 11 out on the shelves.


*EDIT* Damn, just noticed someone else used the same pun in their review title. My bad. *END EDIT*

The latest installment in the superb "Powers" series, while not as richly scripted or utterly delicious as the previous nine graphic novels, was still a treat, and when I finished reading it, I groaned aloud because I would have to wait a while until the next volume came out. "Powers" is like the "Sopranos" of graphic novels, always better than you imagine and worth devouring in large chunks. It is an equally rich experience and now, sadly, seems to be following a similar creative arc (slight lull, probable explosive ending, possible conflict between the principal heros).

In this book (spoiler alert!!!!) Walker and Pilgrim are both sucked further into the world of powers, and inexorably pulled away from their duties as cops. He gets tapped for a new super-gig as part of an interstellar police force (think: the Green Lantern corps, with nudity) while she begins to sink into a vigilante mindset. What this will mean for their budding relationship is anyone's guess: will Walker have to confront an out-of-control Deena Pilgrim, and if so, will his cosmic protect-the-planet powers even work against her street-level zapping ability? We'll see, soon enough. I can hardly wait. (Joe Sixpack)

Although it was kind of expected, there was a slow departure from the Detective Film Noir theme into something of a grander scope. Don't worry, I won't leave any spoilers in this review.

Powers Cosmic is still an excellent read and Brian Micheal Bendis still excels in characterisation. The nature of the cast is consistently evolving and you are kept on your toes. Some twists are expected, others are not.

Is Powers still the crime solving mystery book it once was, perhaps not. It has somehow changed back into a Superhero story. Nonetheless, it is still a very very readable one and far better than a lot of the other stuff on the shelves. The artwork is still stunning and suits the book whichever way it chooses to meander.

Bottom line: read it. It's still as rewarding as it was from issue one. (Unless you are the kind who is absolutely resistant to change)

This is a collection of the Powers comic by Bendis/Oeming. Purely as a response to the other reviewer: Your local independant shop will not have this title yet, million year picnic in Boston didn't have it last week, the release keeps getting pushed back. Quit blaming amazon for a publisher's problem.

To everyone else: Great story arc, I read it serial fashion over a year ago, no clue why it's taken so long to get to market, but the comic has yet to jump the shark, so enjoy. I'll update when it finally ships.

One of the cool things about this series is the way Bendis writes murder mysteries that go to the logical conclusion instead of crashing into world changing conspiracies. Sometimes those happen but for the most part, the wife did it or the guy closest to the team killed the dude or it was just a heart attack. Too often writers can't give in to the temptation to make the mystery into a big all encompassing picture and its nice a small ending.

Even thought he does keep the murder itself small, the murder victim turns out to have some serious secrets concerning the nature of the universe, secrets which Walker gets sucked into. THe issue with the universe twisting bending narrative is particularly mind blowing. And then the framing device of the unfunny standup comedians grounds the story in the everyday existence of Los ANgeles citizens, reminding the reader that this is a comic about crime and people living under the world of the superheroes even when the cosmic world breaks into the everyday life.

It is raining super-types. Unlike rain, the impact of a body on the bitumen is bad news.

Also, it appears that the cop partners Walker and Pilgrim are just not your garden variety police types anymore, if Walker ever was, that is. Not the best of the Powers books by any stretch, but it is still a decent enough read to give it a go, for sure.