REVIEW: Power Girl #6
Power Girl #6, “Journey to Ferimbia” has DC’s two Maidens of Might team-up to investigate a new drug that has a tendency to cause the user to disappear. It also brilliantly ties in last issue’s solo Streaky adventure as a relevant prologue to this new story arc. Not only do we get to see Kara and Paige tap into their scientific backgrounds, things get pretty magical by issues end.
The standard cover by Amy Reeder is simply elegant. A backdrop of Metropolis is framed with a white Superman emblem where Power Girl and Supergirl float back-to-back. Seemingly preparing for a fight as Paige roles up her sleeves and Kara’s eyes glow red goes far to show how these two differ in their approach to conflict. This is sure to be a fun filled team-up and this cover perfectly sells it.
Brad Walker and Nathan Fairbairn’s variant is a playful depiction of Power Girl being bulletproof. Paige gives a impish smirk as bullets flatten off her from smoking guns. There’s a definite comedic feel to the cover, but it’s also a great image of Kryptonian invulnerability.
The variant by Carla Cohen gets the foil treatment and showcases Power Girl and Supergirl’s team-up once again. With art that pays homage to the ’90’s trading card days, there’s also a photorealistic feel to the cover. Paige and Kara look ready to take on the world in this gorgeous, epic image.
Other variants can be found by Dan Panosian, and Laura Braga.
Marguerite Sauvage handles all aspects of the interior art. There’s some dimensional hopping involved and Sauvage seamlessly alters her art style to differentiate between worlds. She also captures the body language of Paige and Kara that makes them stand apart beyond their differing fashion. Being the beginning of a mysterious new arc, the one real action scene ends up being a comedy of errors as these adversaries wield magical powers. Sauvage expertly depicts both the frustration of Power Girl & Supergirl as well as the slapstick style comedy of the scene. It really is a fun book to read and that has a lot to do with Sauvage’s art.
Leah Williams, lettered by Becca Carey, send Paige and Kara in search for clues as to why a new party drug called Avalon has users disappear without a trace. Tying into last issue’s Streaky adventure, we discover the lab she wrecked was illegally testing the drug on animals. Williams does a lot with this issue, from having Power Girl and Supergirl utilize their extrasensory powers to survey a crime scene to going undercover as college students to a party, and a myriad of events in between. It’s fascinating to see these characters take on challenges outside their usual wheelhouse but Williams makes it seem commonplace.
Turns out there’s some inter-dimensional magicks surrounding Avalon and its manufacturers which spells trouble for the Kryptonian duo. Not realizing the extent of the magical influence, they end up powerless and trapped in a fairytale kingdom as the issue ends. Power Girl #6 sets us up for what’s sure to be a fun, fantastical ride of a story arc as Leah Williams continues her character redefining run.
A few personal biases keep this issue from being absolutely perfect for me. I’ve been a huge fan of Marguerite Sauvage’s art for years now, but was hoping to see Paige sport her eye patch a bit longer. Also, Supergirl came to Power Girl for help because there might be some slight illegal activity involved but the two minor incidents that occur, she she takes great exception too which felt a little out of character. Otherwise it’s a fun issue that does an expert job of setting up the next arc.
