When creators leave a series, there are two possibilities – the series goes out with a bang with everything wrapped up in a tidy bow, or every plot point and story line leaves the readers hanging as they are never resolved. As Palmiotti, Gray, and Conner prepare to depart Power Girl, they leave the reader with a really good feeling.
Power Girl #12
Writers: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Amanda Conner
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: John J. Hill
Editor: Mike Carlin
Publisher: DC Comics
Previously in Power Girl: Power Girl came face to face with the real evil that is Terra, as it was revealed that the Ultra Humanite had taken over her body. With a bunch of fighty-fighty and some mystical cloning and mind-wiping, the underground kingdom that Atlee called home seemed to restore the status quo. All is well with the world…
THE LONG GOODBYE
Fans of the Power Girl series since Palmiotti, Gray, and Conner kicked off the series, are going to feel a bit sad after reading this issue. No, this isn’t a terrible piece of entertainment, instead, the creators use this issue as a big goodbye. Terra and Power Girl get to spend some time together, having a heart felt moment where they confess that each is their best friend. There are plenty of moments where we can all go “awww”, but when Terra tells Kara she’s going to stay behind a few more days to spend time with her family, readers instantly understand this isn’t just a goodbye between friends, but a way for the creators to create a clean break between Power Girl and every character she’s been involved with since the series began.
Vartox also returns, in a hilarious alien battle that requires Power Girl to step in and sort everything out, and when Karen Star’s company needs a financial boost, the Vega 9 are there with a 20 million dollar investment. Even the blackmailing kid, who forced Power Girl to go with him to the comic book store gets a nice ending moment in this issue. There is even a hilarious one-page sequence where Power Girl finally gives her cat a name. And all the while, Kara goes about her business with a smile on her face.
There are some side splitting moments in this series but as the issue draws to a close, the laughter turns to tears as it really hits home that we aren’t going to see this incarnation of Power Girl appear in comic book pages anytime in the near future. DC had a wonderful thing on their hands with Gray and Palmiotti whipping up fantastic stories that were fun to read, but also continued to develop the Power Girl character. I seriously doubt we are going to see anything as awesome as this again.
I’M GONNA MISS THE CHEESECAKE
Palmiotti and Gray would have had a tough time finding readers if it wasn’t for the fantastic art of Amanda Conner drawing readers in with here heaping helping of wonderful art that makes one drool – not over the sexy lines of the female form, but also for the awesomely sexy lines found throughout the series. And readers won’t be disappointed in this issue, as Power Girl goes from wearing a super tight and super skimpy bathing suit, to her PG duds, and she even looks great wearing a tight sweater.
Conner could blast through her pages and do a half-assed job, but I’m glad she took care in creating her run on the series, as it will go down as one of the best artists runs of all time. I can honestly say, that over the last year, Amanda Conner has become one of my top three artists of all time. If I had the money and time, I would hunt down every single piece of original art from these first 12 issues, frame them, and hang them on a wall in the Major Spoilers Comic Book and Pop Culture Museum. Conner’s art is so fetching and breathtaking, that there’s never been a single panel that has disappointed.
BOTTOM LINE – BUY IT! BUY IT NOW!
I don’t know what is in store for us when Judd Winick takes over in issue #13, and quite frankly if that issue doesn’t grab me by the short hairs on the first page, my interest in Power Girl will quickly come to an end. Fortunately, I have 12 fantastic issues to return to again and again whenever the desire strikes. Power Girl #12 is a fond farewell, and is worth every penny. No surprise then, that Power Girl #12 earns 5 out of 5 Stars.
5 Comments
Sweet. Now I have to wait for the trade. :)
Why is the word balloon coming out of her cleavage? :D
Because they are the real stars of the series, and the ones that the eyes go to first.
I’m not holding my breath that the series will be anywhere near as good from this point on.
Aside from Winick killing my interest in Green Arrow back in 2003, the Gray/Palmiotti combo has been stellar since the get-go.
With Power Girl this good, why does the post-Crisis (and post-Identity Crisis and post-52 and post-Infinite Crisis) DCU need Supergirl?
I mean, really. I always thought DC’s failure to address PG and Superman’s relationship (apart via retcon) never made a lot of sense. Plus, she just seems like a more interesting a well-rounded character.
Incidentally, whatever happened to Kal-L and the Superman and Power Girl of (post-52) Earth-2?