Powers follows detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim as they investigate powers-related crimes. At first blush, Walker appears to be the typical loner cop who doesn't need a partner and always has to do the driving. Deena seems like the cliché upstart partner who's going to teach the veteran a thing or two. That is just a rouse. Both Walker and Pilgrim prove themselves to be far more complex. Deena, a new transfer, projects brashness in an attempt to prove her worthiness and competence to Walker. Her partner, the wily vet, has a secret, one that justifies many of his actions and offers a different perspective on a cop's motivations.
The new hardcover collects the first eleven issues of Powers Vol. 1, which includes one of the greatest cameos in comics history. While the first story arc, "Who Killed Retro Girl", earns much deserved praise, the true gem of Vol. 1 is the stand-alone story "Ride-Along" starring Warren Ellis. The cynical "graphic novel" writer follows Walker for the day, learning the gritty truth about police work. Inevitably, things turn horribly wrong, ending with a fitting finale for Ellis.
Bendis is well known for deft one-liners and a love of Tarantino-style rambling dialogue. He's in fine form in this first hardcover collection. While Bendis has since done great things with superheroes in Ultimate Spider-Man and New Avengers, Powers has its own, unique rhythm. Only Bendis' Alias comes close to mirroring the cadence of Powers. And while most series take at least a half-year to hit their stride, Powers is great right out of the gate. Picking up the first year's worth of tales isn't a step down from what's to come.
Surprisingly, the much-ballyhooed dialogue-writing skills of Brian Bendis is not his greatest attribute. In fact, it is Bendis' ability to find harmony with his creative partners that sets him apart from most writers. Bendis' run on Daredevil would be a pale shadow of itself if not for the artistic talents of Maleev and more so Bendis' ability to craft stories to fit that talent. The same can be said for the Powers tandem of Bendis and Oeming, both great creators on their own made the better when placed together.
Oeming is the anti-Frank Miller, eschewing realism and forced grit. Instead of embracing the dark side, Oeming uses a cartoonish-style that plays perfectly against some very serious storylines. A different art style might have made Powers too grim and dark, pushing the reader away from the characters. Oeming's artistic choices are like a welcoming beacon, allowing readers to more easily embrace two hard-nosed cops who find themselves in extreme situations.
Oeming's art, however, doesn't perfectly match the hardcover's format. There are several two-page spreads from the original comic-book that suffer when collected in hardcover. Though only an issue for a handful pages early in the collection, the book's binding hides a few of the border panels in the fold. It's more than just an annoyance as a couple of word balloons get lost from view. Nothing of importance to the story is lost, but it's certainly annoying not to have the chance to read every last sentence in the book.
Powers HC Vol. 1 Written by: Brian Michael Bendis |
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Along with the first eleven issues of Powers, the hardcover includes the Powers Activity Book, several Powers comic strips, the complete script to Powers #1, a cover gallery, sketchbook, cameo gallery and best of letters section. In other words, this HC is packin'. There's more than 150 pages of extras. Yes -- 150. Despite the fact that my brilliant letter comparing Bendis to Alan Moore didn't make the "best of" section, this is still as good as it gets for extras. While deeper insight or director's commentary from Bendis and Oeming would have pushed this over the top, there's little more a fan could ask from a hardcover in terms of extras. Best of all, it's only 30 bucks. Cheaper than whatever crappy videogame you're considering buying.
Powers Vol. 1 HC is a near-perfect collection. The stories inside are among the best in Bendis' career, the extras plentiful and the cover price reasonable. Don't hesitate picking this book up. Go on. Get to it.