Comic Book Review: Power Girl #18

Literary & Artistic Credits

Writer: Judd Winick

Penciller: Sami Basri

Inker: Sami Basri

Colorist: Sunny Gho & Jessica Kholinne

Letterer: John J. Hill

Cover Art: Basri & Gho

Editor: Mike Carlin

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

What?  A relative of Superman is cloned?  I’m completely and utterly shocked!  Never in a million lifetimes would I have guessed Power Girl would be cloned!  Very nice Winick, very…very…nice…

Ok, seriously, I actually don’t mind the whole “cloning” driven plot, but when will DC get it through their heads?  Cloning is WAY overdone in the superhero world.  And thanks to Superman dying all those years ago, it has only gotten worse.  But it extends further than cloning doesn’t it?  What with the Crime Syndicate and other alter-egos of superheroes from alternate dimensions.  Clones, alternate versions of heroes, doppelgangers, whatever!  It’s time to move past this and invent something new.

Excuse me, let me exit from this negative and ill-favored room and enter into a much more prestigious and uplifting room where I’m allowed to discuss what I loved about Power Girl #18. 

This story ties two very significant plotlines together; the story of Donna’s mysterious disappearance and the whole Maxwell Lord fiasco, both of which were exceptionally interesting.  It shouldn’t take anyone too long to read (unless you’re like me and read while gazing at the artwork as well.) as the bulk of it focuses on the brawl that Power girl has with her evil, black haired twin.  To be honest, I never would have thought Basri had this level of intensity within his artwork in him.  I’m sure most of you would agree that Basri’s characters always seem rather stiff and wooden, which isn’t a negative criticism, but it does leave little room for an expansive visual appeal.  This issue never faltered and delivered some fantastic action sequences that I haven’t seen from Power Girl since this series began a year and a half ago.

I’m having a little difficulty figuring out Nico’s purpose.  Sure, he’s a genius, but he always seems to point out the obvious to Power Girl; always a smidge too late and getting the information PG needs after she’s taken one too many hits to the face.  Nico will either become a very funny running gag, or a ridiculous addition to an awesome series. 

Power Girl is a total badass in this issue!  (Not that she wasn’t already.) It’s a shame that the outcome being that of a Power Girl clone brought the impact down a bit.  Sure, it’s cool as first, but with the whole “compare and contrast” motif that’s been so overplayed, I had trouble getting into the story as much as I would have liked.  Even Basri, who soared above what he normally does, copped out with the obvious visual statement of White is good, therefore black must mean bad. (Do you get it?  Power Girl’s suit is white, evil Power Girl’s suit is black.)

Maxwell Lord is building up quite nicely I must say.  I’m not following the JLA: Generation Lost series so I’m lost (no pun intended) as too what’s going on with Maxy for the most part, but it’s interesting to see how easy it was for Power Girl to get her memory of Mr. Lord back.  Funny how we haven’t seen anything dealing with ol’ Maxy in Brightest Day huh?

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

Despite what I say, the issue is still fun and enjoyable to read.  Even I, the person who scolds stories with overly predictable plots, still enjoyed it.  It’s Power Girl, you can’t go wrong with Power Girl.

Rating: 7.33 out of 10

Writing: 7

Art: 9

Themes: 6