Yes, this issue came out the same week as Green Lantern #52, the penultimate issue of Blackest Night. No, this issue had little to nothing to do with that DCU-spanning event. Power Girl is always good, but how did it hold up this week? Hit the jump to find out my feelings on this issue.
Creative Team
Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Art: Amanda Conner
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We start off where we left Power Girl last week: Satanna has attached a gravity well generator right over PeeGee’s boob window and it’s slowly killing her. Terra has shown up to take down Satanna and save Power Girl. The battle begins, and it goes on it’s clear that Terra is a bit…different. She’s ruthless and threatens to kill Satanna if she doesn’t shut off the generator.
She backs down, and Terra saves Power Girl. Satanna is forgotten as Terra tries to get Power Girl to go see Doctor Mid-Nite, but Power Girl insists on getting back to her job so her employees don’t think anything is amiss. PeeGee berates Terra about her attitude, and Terra dismisses it as battle talk. They discuss Terra joining the JSA or the Teen Titans.
The two head back to Karen’s place to change into civilian uniform, but they are interrupted by the kid who had taken pics revealing Power Girl’s identity as Karen Starr a few issues back. He requests three things in return for the photos: 1. That Power Girl accompany him to the comic store that afternoon; 2. to get a gang of bullies off his back; 3. to help him ask a girl out. Power Girl reluctantly agrees and tells him she will meet him at the shop at 6.
Karen and Terra head back to Karen’s office. Karen talks business with her employees while Terra wanders around the building. Afterward, they head out to meet the kid at the comic store. They meet the kid and he and Power Girl enter the store. The customers flip out, and they all think the kid is the coolest. The kid, whose name is Fisher, gets his comics on the house.
He and PeeGee head outside and she tells him to destroy the photos immediately and that she will still honor the other two requests. She explains that those photos could cause harm to her and the people she cares about. Fisher agrees, and Power Girl and Terra decide to grab some food.
We cut back to Satanna, who, along with her badger sidekick, is feeding some shrouded creatures some raw meat. They decide to release the creatures at dark.
The next few pages are PeeGee and Terra just walking and talking about the reasoning and motives behind the supervillains they’ve fought. Power Girl explains that they are sick, and Terra seems to take offense to this. As they are walking, they get attacked by Satanna and her creatures, which are Manhawks from the planet Thanagar.
They fight, and Terra starts shooting to kill. Power Girl calls her on this, and they defeat the Manhawks. Power Girl confronts Terra. She does a scan to see if it actually is Terra, and she checks out. Terra attacks Power Girl and threatens to kill everyone Power Girl cares about because she knows her secret identity.
Power Girl attacks and she figures out that the Ultra-Humanite has somehow taken over Terra’s body. End of issue.
The Good: Man, another issue of Power Girl knocks it out of the park. The writing is once again spot on, with just enough humor thrown in to mix things up. Little things, like PeeGee using her freeze breath on a flasher in an alley and casually walking away, are what make this book so darn good. I’ve honestly tried to drop this book and trade wait, but I can’t do it. The writing is just too good.
The way Terra’s personality issues are revealed piece by piece, it’s just paced so well that you really can’t tell until the end that something is genuinely wrong with her. Also, the use of Fisher was really good. This kind of “side-quest” could easily break the pace of the issue, but it flows so naturally.
The art is once again spot on. I’ll say to anyone that Conner has the best art in superheroes today. Her expressions are top-notch, they really bring out exactly how the characters feel at all times. I can immerse myself in an issue of Power Girl like no other book, and this issue is no exception. I’ll be sad to see her go after issue #12 (and will be sure to follow her to whatever she decides to work on next!)
The Bad: Honestly, the only bad thing I can say about this issue is that it makes me more upset that the entire creative team is leaving after issue #12. I can’t think of any other negatives. This is the best comic I’ve read in weeks.
Overall: So, in a week that saw the release of Green Lantern #52 as well as the highly overhyped anticipated Nemesis from Millar and McNiven, how does Power Girl #10 fare? It’s the best book I’ve read this week. That doesn’t say much when held up against Nemesis, granted, but against the stellar Green Lantern that is some high praise indeed, and I mean every word of it. Go buy this book now.