REVIEW: Power Girl #16

Power Girl #16, “Lovely Ejecta’s Unlovely Coda” is packed with action as it wraps up the first story arc with Paige’s new nemesis. There’s also a huge nod to Paige’s former life as Karen Starr with a hint of a possible new direction for the series as a whole.  

The standard cover is by Yanick Paquette and Arif Prianto. Power Girl and Ejecta fighting above innocent bystander penguins is an amusing image for the brutal confrontation these two have in the pages within.

Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson’s variant has Power Girl saving a group of miners from an apparent cave in. The Dodson’s work is always a treat to behold and this cover is no exception.  

The variant by Miguel Mercado is a clever image of a classic look of Power Girl using her jacket in a way that makes it look like her old cape style. It’s also just a fun rendition of Paige as she flexes for us fans.

Adriana Melo and Colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr continue their fantastic work on this series. The slugfest between Power Girl and Ejecta not only feels brutal but also poignant, which feels odd to say about a fight sequence. Still, there’s more to this showdown than just two super powered beings fighting and the emotions involved are seen and felt alongside the powerful blows to their faces. You can definitely tell the art team had fun drawing this issue as it comes through in their work.

Leah Williams, lettered by Becca Carey, does an excellent job of putting into context what this fight is all about in Power Girl #16. There’s the obvious good vs. evil, heroine vs. villain angle, but it’s also Paige facing her trauma and trying to help someone who’s experiencing that same abuse who doesn’t want help. More than one life hangs in the balance and Power Girl shows her resilient nature as Ejecta reveals her truer colors. Once Paige realizes there’s no getting through to her adversary, she makes sure Ejecta knows she’s not one to be crossed lightly and sends a message to Symbio which results in raising his ire. Ejecta’s debut story arc may have concluded but it’s safe to say we haven’t seen the last of her.  

(8/10) It was a total treat to see Power Girl unleashed in a way that fits this version of her. Known for being a brutal power house, the fight is tempered with compassion and finality. Although I would have liked to see more of Omen’s struggle within her mindscape inter mixed, it probably would have detracted from the relevancy of the title bout.