Comic Book Review: Power Girl #17

Literary & Artistic Credits

Writer: Judd Winick

Penciller: Sami Basri

Colorist: Sunny Gho & Jessica Kholinne

Letterer: John J. Hill

Cover Art: Basri & Gho

Editor: Mike Carlin

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

#17 sees Power taking part in a new superhero relationship with the Caped Crusader in hopes of solving a murder and discover where a bit of high-tech equipment was shipped off too.  Power Girl leaves for the arctic to locate the armaments only to discover something I don’t think anyone saw coming.  It’s a tights-a-wearin’, boob flashin’, in-your-face Kryptonian knock ‘em sock ‘em fist fight, just the way we like our Power Girl book to be!

The internet is a-buzz with this new team-up of Power Girl and Batman, hoping to see it flesh out even more.  I won’t disagree, it was a nice little touch on Winick’s part, but not necessarily something I need to see more of.  Power girl is no push over, we all no that, but neither was Bruce Wayne, which made him almost unlikeable.  Dick Grayson truly is his own Batman in no way like Bruce was.  Power Girl LIKES Grayson and is able to have a decent conversation with him, even having little flirtatious moments that borderline on the verge of being cute.  How very refreshing it is to see a Batman that the other superheroes can like and trust.

The new “side-kick” that PG is utilizing is a lot more fun than I had anticipated.  Nico is a witty and fun character who knows how to put Power girl in her place; off her “high and mighty” horse.  But with all Nico’s qualities and intelligence, he’s still as much of a nerd as the next techie; attempting to explain his findings in great detail on this mysterious new villain and forgetting that Power girl just wants to know how to defeat the wench.  Their constant bickering and friendly banter really gives off a positive vibe.  If I were a betting man, I’d bet everything I own that these two would make a very interesting and cute couple.

Sam Basri has a real talent for the painted anime look, and I do have misgivings about that.  I like it, don’t get me wrong, but there are times when I feel each character to be a bit too wooden.  The colors and shading are gorgeous, but the motions and action about 40% of the time seem very stiff and unmoving.  But this is no complaint by any means as I will always be a huge supporter of Basri’s art, but I am noticing the inconsistencies within the character structures.  But one thing I must applaud Basri for is how expressive he makes each character.  Just like Amanda Conner, Basri gives Power Girl an arsenal of different “pissed off” looks that not even the men of the “real world” can deny is fucking scary!

Let’s face it, Winick is always going to be compared to the perfect tea of Grey, Palmiotti and Conner who never delivered a bad issue in the twelve months spent on this title; Basri especially has a lot to live up to seeing as how Conner’s artistic approach was exceptionally popular among fans.  But no one should deny the fact that Winick is making Power Girl his own while keeping many of the traits that Gray and Palmiotti brought to the table.  Bringing Batman into the mix was exceptionally helpful in this issue as it shows how respected and admired she is among the rest of the DCU heroes.  But Winick also keeps PG as strong and pushy as she always has been, but making her even more likeable than his writing predecessors did.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

Power Girl, just like the Secret Six, has been almost flawless since it began.  This title keeps my interests in comics alive and vibrant.  I like to talk a big talk about Superman and Wonder Woman, but Power Girl is one of the best comic book titles on the stands today.  You’d be a fool to think that she isn’t worth your time and money.  If I were to recommend a comic book title to a non comic book reader, I’d recommend Secret Six.  But that recommendation would be closely followed by Power Girl.

Rating: 9.66 out of 10

Writing: 10

Art: 9

Themes: 10