REVIEW: Power Girl #11
Power Girl #11, “Fun! Fish! Facts!” happens to be a lighthearted romantic comedy in the midst of Absolute Power. There’s still plenty of action and important character developments, but you’ll be hard pressed not to chuckle just a bit at Paige’s first date jitters. And yes, this issue is indeed full of fun fish facts.
The standard cover is by Yanick Paquette and Arif Prianto. Dressed to dazzle, Power Girl happily opens the door to her new suitor who may or may not have the best intentions in store for our heroine. There’s even more than just a little nod to Power Girl’s classic outfit design in her choice of evening wear. The image really sets up the tone of the issue as Paige’s social anxiety kicks into high gear with all the terrible possibilities of being a part of a bad date you want to go well.
Terry and Rachel Dodson offer their amazing work as a gorgeous variant to this issue. Flying high and feeling free, Power Girl soars amongst the birds and clouds. This series has been an elegant new beginning for P.G. and this cover captures the essence of that well.
Inhjuk Lee’s variant is also a striking image of Power Girl. Having a more relaxed and casual feel to the piece, she still gives us her signature no nonsense look. Either that, or she’s just trying to figure out if Conner’s old glasses are a good fit for her.
We get a new interior art team this issue by the way of Adriana Melo joining Colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr. They bring a lot of emotion and heart to the story that makes it hugely relatable. Their attention to detail is also magnificent. At one point two very different stories are playing out at the same time in each panel. Drama and dialogue ends up being in the forefront but there’s some decent action sequences in the background being told purely through the art. Without treating both scenes with equal care it’s doubtful the comedic nature of it all would have affectively landed. If this issue is any indication, the rest of this arc is going to look amazing.
Leah Williams, lettered by Becca Carey, not only expertly removes Power Girl from the events of Absolute Power she also manages a fun rom-com inspired issue amongst all the despair and darkness within most other DC books right now. That’s not to say there isn’t any serious moments, but this issue feels like it was intended to have you smiling most of the time. There’s lots of changes happening to Paige all at once and it’s really spiked her anxiety levels which allows for the addition of fun fish facts as she tries not to focus on what she’s feeling. Apparently, Paige really likes fish, which may or may not be a nod to her once-upon-a-time Atlantean descendant origins debacle. The hijinks are only just beginning as we discover a major secret about Axel (the guy Paige has been flirting with since issue one) before he whisks Power Girl away to Asgard…or so he claims.
(9/10) This book had me chuckle more than once and had a “feel good” quality to the story. The art is fantastic and I can only imagine what’s in store for us in later issues. I look forward to this arc being a nice interlude to the Absolute Power event.
