REVIEW: ‘Power Girl Special,’ Issue #1

Power Girl Special #1 from DC continues the epic story that first began in Action Comics. This one-shot contains two stories, the first one penned by Leah Williams, art by Marguerite Sauvage, with colors from Sauvage and Marissa Louise, and letters by Becca Carey.

During the Lazarus Rain, Power Girl was stricken by that magical precipitation with telepathy. While it had her lost for a bit in the astral plane, it helped her to meet a new character Omega, a very powerful telepath who encourages Kara to set up a telepathic therapy office for metahumans. She helped Supergirl (Power Girl being the Supergirl of Earth-2 for those not in the know), Superman (Jon Kent), and Nightwing. But along the way, a psychic puzzle was found in the heads of the Super Family, one Kara unlocked. Behind that puzzle was Johnny Sorrow, the classic Justice Society villain, himself a maddeningly potent psychic.

Now out in the world again, with Jon and all of Metropolis under a psychic haze, Sorrow goes on the offensive, first capturing Kara (now called Paige after Jon’s advice) and the city in a black and white perfume ad. Nifty bit of film noir villainy, and right away let me say Williams is one of comics’ finest writers. I have loved the journey she has taken Paige on in helping others, being tough and vulnerable, and her issues with not being close to the Super Family.

When you pair such bold writing with the gleeful art of Sauvage, with some of the cleanest lines out there, the tiny bits of broken thing sin so many panels, the flairs, faces…chef’s kiss. Louise dips in and helps to create that wondrous breadth of bright colors. Even in Sorrow’s scenes and with the monsters he summons, you can’t find an ounce of inking. Every page has bright, lush, brilliant saturations. And when you need lettering FX both classic and new while helping the art flow, Carey is the one to call. An out and out stupendous adventure for one of my favorite superheroines and I’m glad it looks like it may continue down the road.

But wait. There’s more. Because Joanne Starer has written ‘Hot Water,’ starring the JLI’s Fire and Ice. It was a real shock seeing these two heroes in their own story, and it’s been a long time coming. Backup stories in comics should always be standard so that other heroes don’t get left behind. Fire and Ice have been a close team since the 80s, and this story finds them stopping a disaster in Baltimore. Too bad Ice’s old beau, Guy Gardner (a Green Lantern) arrives and Fire, as protective bestie, is not amused.

So, sparks fly in all the wrong ways. But good thing this is all laid out in style and smoothness by artist Natacha Bustos, who brings a bit of whimsy to the characters involved. It looks like this story is meant to lead into something larger later in the year, and I’m ready for it. Bring it. Keep putting great characters out there and advancing them.

Power Girl Special #1 is what you want in a comic. A big story, big action, amazing art with shiny colors and easy letters, and characters you can really dig and root for. This is a great way to meet three heroes and become fans of them.

Power Girl Special #1 is available wherever comic books are sold.