REVIEW: Power Girl #7
Power Girl #7, “Journey Out of Ferimbia”, concludes the three part story arc that started with the Streaky solo adventure in issue #5. Altering narratives and art styles, this fun filled adventure tale also shows off the talents of Leah Williams and Marguerite Sauvage that makes the story more immersive. This one is definitely not your run-of-the-mill superhero installment which could have a fascinating impact on Power Girl’s role in the greater DCU.
Amy Reeder’s standard cover teases exactly what’s to be expected within the pages of this issue. Although Paige and Kara’s wardrobes are different and Ferimbia is far too fantastical to have mere horses, the Medieval Mayhem title is well suited. It’s definitely a fun cover and fits the feel of the story being told.
In honor of Women’s History Month, and her recent passing, we’re graced with a variant by Ramona Fradon. Showcasing her classic style on some of today’s character designs, Fradon easily reminds us why she was one of the greatest. Accompanied by Sandra Hope and Trish Mulvihill we get a glimpse of a bygone era and what these women of DC once and could’ve looked like.
Jae Lee and June Chung’s variant is a great display of being stronger than a locomotive. There’s something uniquely special about the minimalist inking style that makes the colors pop. Spinning the cliched trope of saving someone distracted or helpless on its ear, Power Girl is actually assisting a young girl who’s trying to rescue a dog from the oncoming train, showing us anyone can be a hero.
Other great variants are by Jon Bogdanove & Brad Anderson, Kevin Wada, and Sosomaika.
Once again Marguerite Sauvage handles all the interior art. This issue she completely changes her style to accommodate the other dimensional nature of Ferimbia. The more childlike storybook visuals add to the fun of the adventure but doesn’t distract from the story being told. It’s always impressive to see artists adopt different styles within their body of work which says much for the talents of Sauvage. Even the prologue and epilogue to this issue are done differently than the rest of the book. It’s fascinating to see Sauvage’s imagination run wild in creating the fantastical world of Ferimbia and you really get the sense she had a blast drawing this issue.
Leah Williams also changes her narrative style in Power Girl #7 to that of a fairytale nature. Using the classic “Once Upon a Time” introduction immediately informs us we’re about to read something a little different. Becca Carey also flexes her lettering talents by adding a calligraphy-esque style to the narrative boxes. Beginning with a brief origin summary of the new villain Madame Avice, Williams also connects the dots from issues #5 and #6 to bring us up to speed with the entire situation in Ferimbia. Although powerless in this magical realm, Paige and Kara never hesitate to spring into action to save the people enthralled by Madame Avice’s mind control devices. Again, you can tell Williams had a blast writing this adventure which is not your typical superhero story. Paige and Kara also feel more like partners in this issue and play off each other much better than before. By story’s end, we have a new villain established for Power Girl, a new world in the greater DCU, and a new role for Power Girl to take on in possible future stories.
(8.5/10) The art is fantastic and adds an inviting all-ages aspect to the comic as a whole. The writing has been stellar from the beginning, but this one is especially fun done up like a fairytale. The story is well contained but I actually wouldn’t have minded staying in Ferimbia a bit longer. My guess is we haven’t seen the last of these new concepts as long as Leah Williams remains the writer.
