DC Comics announced two new Dawn Of DC series starring Power Girl, Fire, and Ice. The two new Dawn Of DC, Power Girl, and Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville, series will be spinning out of the upcoming Power Girl Special releasing on May 30th. With DC Comics introducing new Dawn of DC titles this is a good time to examine the creative teams and potential of these new series. First up I’ll be taking a look at Power Girl, which releases on September 5th.
POWER GIRL’S DAWN OF DC DIRECTION
With Power Girl by Leah Williams and Eduardo Pansica, we know that when it is published on May 30th it will be an ongoing series. Power Girl will also be getting a head start in terms of the Dawn Of DC status quo for her character. That is thanks to Power Girl having a foundation set for her Dawn Of DC status quo in the recent issues of Action Comics. In one of the three stories featured in Action Comics #1051-1053 where Power Girl is established as using her new psychic powers to start up a superhero therapist company with Omen as her partner. That is a story that looks like it could conclude in the upcoming Power Girl Special
Based on the teaser for Power Girl #1 it appears Knight Terrors will also play a key role in how the series will begin when it comes out on September 5th:
“Power Girl’s story will continue in her standalone series Power Girl by writer Leah Williams and artist Eduardo Pansica. After the events of “Knight Terrors,” a long dormant Kryptonian threat has returned to take down Superman and his family. Who could possibly stop it? Well, according to Superman, it’s Power Girl. You won’t want to miss this road trip race against time as Paige reconnects with her roots and strives to save her newfound family.” – DC Comics
Given that we don’t know a whole lot about Knight Terrors beyond the pitched information it is not clear what role Power Girl will play in the event. It is possible that like with Lazarus Planet, Power Girl gets involved in something that sets her in a new direction. Though given that Williams is writing the Power Girl ongoing will continue the therapist status quo along with her role as a member of the newly united Superman Family.
POWER GIRL CREATIVE TEAM
When it comes to Power Girl getting an ongoing that is a great thing. DC Comics needed to add more titles not only starring their extensive cast of female superheroes but also titles with female creators at the helm. With both ties to the Superman Family and JSA, Power Girl has shown she has a ton of potential to have different types of stories told around her character. Just go back and read Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner’s Power Girl series from 2009 to see that potential.
That said, it is tough to get excited for the creative team for the Dawn Of DC Power Girl series. When it comes to series artist Eduardo Pansica he will do well. He has a long history of working on various DC Comics titles from Green Lantern to Suicide Squad to Wonder Woman. In all those comic books he has drawn Pansica has shown a lot of talent to work within the DC Universe. He will certainly carry on how Sauvage did a great job in establishing Power Girl’s presentation in Action Comics.
Where I have my doubts about Power Girl come from series writer Leah Williams. Williams is a writer I was first introduced to from her work on Amazing Mary Jane. That was a series that I enjoyed for how fun it was as Williams did a good job at showing how Mary Jane Watson could carry a series on her own. But since then the majority of Williams’ work has just not been great. Namely her creative run on X-Factor and opportunity to write the Trial Of Magneto event were not good. While her run on X-Factor started off with potential it quickly became a major disappointment with a final issue that is just terrible. Trial Of Magneto was no better as it damaged all the characters involved in the event.
Going over to Williams’ work with DC Comics all we have to go by is the Power Girl story that is part of Action Comics #1051-1053. On the Comic Book Revolution Podcast review for Action Comics #1051, I mentioned that Williams’ story got off to a good start. But in the follow-up chapters of Power Girl’s story, William’s tried to do too much trying to get over the new direction for the character. The story didn’t flow at a natural pace even though it had the incredible artwork by Sauvage to prop up the story as best as it could.
KNIGHT TERRORS IMPACT ON POWER GIRL
The Superman franchise has not shown to be as strong as the Batman franchise in terms of sales outside the two core titles. DC Comics certainly is trying to invest in the Superman franchise with how many titles beyond Action Comics and Superman they are publishing during Dawn Of DC.
Then there is the fact that September is set up to be a month where all of DC Comics’ ongoing titles that went on hiatus during Knight Terrors will return. Because of that Power Girl could easily get lost in the shuffle as non-Superman fans will be more invested in the status quo of their favorite DC Comics superheroes post-Knight Terrors.
If Power Girl wasn’t one of their favorite heroes those readers are more likely to stick to the books they were reading prior to Knight Terrors. That is where their investment is. So Power Girl will need good word of mouth to rise out of the pack during the stacked month of September it’ll begin in.
FINAL THOUGHTS
When it comes to Power Girl she is a character with a ton of potential. We’ve seen it both in JSA and her own solo adventures, Power Girl is a character that can carry a series. Especially with how she has basically been off the table since the New 52 there is a chance for a fresh start for Power Girl’s character. That said, Leah Williams has not shown much in the opportunities given, including with Power Girl, for this new series having legs. I hope Williams and Pansica prove me wrong and make Power Girl one of DC Comics’ best titles. But as of now it will be a wait-and-see with this new Dawn Of DC series.