[.ca] Powers Volume 1: Who Killed Retro Girl? (ISBN 1582406693)

Something new in the graphic novel genre:
I am a recent fan of graphic novels. Like many people, especially girls it seems, I had not read comics as a child. I thought they were all cheesy, concerned with flashy pictures and action, not indepth stories. Then a friend introduced me to Brian Michael Bendis. Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl? is in the super hero genre...but not. It starts of the series with a bang, and what's most interesting about the use of super hero storylines is that it explores the strange side stories you would never hear about in an issue of Superman or Daredevil. Super heroes in the news, as regular people, their home lives, what they are before and after powers, and how what they can do would effect the "real world" around them. This is truely a unique series and the writing of Bendis in any comic shows what the medium can really do. This was my introduction to comics and it ensured I would continue to come back.

Powers, Vol.1:
With all the superheroes flying around, one has to wonder if the police department has a specialized unit that deals with specific crimes committed by any individual with superpowes. Enter Powers, a crime comic written by master scribe, Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spiderman, Daredevil) that details just that. Detective Christian Walker and his new partner, Detective Deena Pilgrim, are investigating the murder of well known and loved super heroine, Retro-Girl. But this case is unlike any other that Walker has been on. There's something personal about this. There's an apparent connection between Detective Walker and Retro-Girl that is unkown to his new partner (and it's not what you're probably thinking). This book is a magnificent noir detective story that doesn't pull any punches. The artwork by Oeming is very cartoony and reminds me a lot of the character designs for the DC realted animated series (such as Batman and Justice League) but with some of the best lighting effects and shadowing I've ever seen in a comic book. All in all, Powers is simply one of my favorite titles out there. A rich and detailed noir atmosphere that doesn't disappoint on any level. As a side note: check out TORSO, my favorite of Bendis' adventures into crime-drama.

Good little read...:
Let me first say that I have read many of the other reviews which are for the most part very good. I would probably have given this 3.5 stars if it was available but alas it was not. If you want a description of the comic's plot check those out. As for me I found the book to be somewhat inconsistent. Don't get me wrong, the writing (story) was very good, and the characters were fun and likeable. The killers reason for committing murder was new, believable, and interesting; in short I liked the twist. The only real criticism I can give to the book is that some of the dialogue is a bit fake. Detective Walker is often written as though he should be talking through the mouth of some 19 year old dispatch (or inarticulate rock star for that matter), and some of Pilgrim's lines seem a bit to ridiculous to not be contrived, i.e. "Why are you so far up my uterus, man?" Perhaps Oeming was trying to emmulate Kevin Smith dialogue here (who he has also worked with) but I for one, consider borrowing from a hack, unwise. (If this is untrue or slanted my deepest appologies to Mr. Oeming, but Kevin Smith really does \ostink\c.) That aside there was also too much cut and paste art work in this for my taste, and the art work was not really what I am partial to; but that is personal preference and shouldn't effect wether or not you buy this (assuming you haven't); for all-in-all it is a good little read and worth the 15 bucks, or whatever you spend on it. Take it home, plop down on the couch and try to enjoy yourselves - it wont be very hard.

Cops and Capes:
For a few years now, there's been some fascination in the comic book world with fusing law enforcement stories with superhero exploits, merging the world of mundane but dangerous police work with metahuman action. To my way of thinking, this got kicked off with the underrated and dark "Marshal Law" series from Marvel's Epic line back in the late '80s. And of course, "Judge Dredd" laid some of the groundwork. More recently, we've seen "Sam and Twitch" spin off from "Spawn", and Alan Moore has given us the great "Top Ten". "Powers", the first few issues of which are collected in the trade paperback "Who Killed Retro Girl?", is another step in this direction. The premise is that there are significant numbers of super-powered types flitting about, some good, some bad. There's a substantial media genre devoted to covering their deeds and misadventures, but in many ways, their existence is just taken as another fact of life. The cops, in particular, are for the most part rather blase about co-existing with these uber-vigilantes and high-powered punks. This matter-of-fact attitude amongst the police force is one of the strengths of this book, giving us hilarious scenes where the bored cops stand by and watch a pair of dueling arch-nemeses while providing world-weary snarky commentary and complaining about having to miss the ball game while waiting for the super-brawl to end. Sure, some of the officers are a little starstruck, but only by the big names in the hero game. Since not all of the metahumans can be a Superman-level hero, though, there are all too many of them that are essentially punks poncing around in tights, endangering the populace and getting treated by the police force like any other perps. The art is rather stylized (shading more towards the "cartoon" end of the spectrum than the super-realistic "Alex Ross" end) but works well for the most part, though a few panels end up being so murky and poorly laid out that it's hard to fathom what's going on. The main plot itself isn't altogether that terrific, but it's engaging enough. The real treat is the dialogue and the characters. Deanna Pilgrim and Christian Walker (gee, could the names be any more heavily freighted with symbolic import?) are well-developed protagonists with unique voices, the more so in the case of Pilgrim, who is the more flippant and excitable partner, largely in reaction to Walker's stoicism. This is a solid and entertaining tale and a great introduction to an intriguing and ongoing series. (The second collected volume, "Roleplay", is rather a disappointment, but the current monthly issues are quite good.) A lot of background is established here, supporting characters are introduced, and the requisite hints at backstories are planted. For fans of this sub-genre of comics, this is definitely worth the time.

Bendis's best work in my opinion!:
Powers is yet another attempt at making those with "powers" more realistic and is a compilation of a series from Image (collecting the first 6 issues) that has been turned into this great graphic novel, continuing the marketing trend towards targeting the twenty and thirty-somethings who grew up reading comicbooks and who are thus more open-minded than the average reader. Powers reminded me of Alan Moore's Top Ten in many ways, but this isn't a bad thing! The Powers story arc presented revolves around the murder of Retro Girl (cool name by the way), an all-American girl who is pretty, spunky, and superpowered and thus beloved by the people. Lucky for her she wasn't a hunchback pygmie I guess. The main character is a stoic detective named Christian Walker, who is actually a nice guy (think Clark Kent as a cop) and this was very refreshing as I think we've all seen the mean uncompromising tough cop routine wayyyy too many times already. He is partnered with a diminutive female detective who's personality varies from being a nosy you know what to an effective yet idealistic cop. There's also a hilarious little girl that Det. Walker has to take care of who keeps asking him what a clitoris is. Bendis writes some of the best natural dialogue I've encountered. People stutter, make jokes that are sometimes lame, and the characters don't all sound the same. This is what has been lacking in other similar works in American pop culture. The story centers around the death of Retro Girl, but there are sub-plots that mainly help the reader learn more about the world that Det. Walker and company inhabit. There is, for example, an interesting Ironman/Tony Stark-like character who has a past connection to Retro Girl and is considered a suspect. There's the strange yet eclectic criminal element that adds spice to this rich world. There are only a few credible leads for the detectives to follow up, but the story never gets boring. We also get the now common use of tv commentary and news segments that Frank Miller started back in his original Dark Knight series in 1980s. Bendis keeps things moving and interesting you'll find yourself done in a matter of hours. Aside from the 6 issue story, this graphic novel contains an interesting script of the 1st issue and this could prove useful to those people looking to become writers of graphic novels and are looking for a superlative example of the medium. There is a short promotional strip that appeared and a gallery of characters and the evolution of how the characters were given their current appearances. Kind of superfluous if you ask me, but fans will appreciate I imagine. This graphic novel comes with a hefty price tag though (I got lucky and got it used less than half the price), but this one's kind of worth it, especially considering its immense entertainment value. Highly recommended.