Valentina arrived to save everyone. But everyone is making that task a very difficult thing to do. Your Major Spoilers review of The Power Fantasy #3 from Image Comics, awaits!

THE POWER FANTASY #3

Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Katie West
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 23rd, 2024

Previously in The Power Fantasy: Since 1945 superpowered beings have become part of society and have impacted historical events in major ways. They are called Atomics and Valentina is considered to be one of the most powerful.

THE MUSIC OF THE FUTURE

The Power Fantasy #3 starts off with the birth of Valentina. Moments after being born, she begins to fly and informs everyone in the room that she has come to save them all. The events of this issue jump around a lot between a few different time periods. As a child, Valentina is shown to have been partially brought up by the Brazilian military, but she abandons them when they ask her to destroy a tank. She meets Etienne for the first time in person when she’s a teenager and reveals that she is an angel but doesn’t remember heaven. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Valentina destroys the missile launchers in both Cuba and Turkey. Later in the 60s, the US Government tries to assassinate her by nuking a music festival she’s at. In the present Magnus tries to warn her that Etienne is getting stronger and is changing. Later on, Etienne contacts Valentina and asks for her protection as he travels to Tokyo.

STILL CAPTIVATING, BUT LOSING LUSTER

The Power Fantasy #3 is another reminder that this series is not far off from becoming one of the best things out there right now. This issue puts most of its focus on Valentina, who so far is the character who has the clearest comparison in other superhero fiction, that being Superman. What’s interesting is that there does seem to be a real effort to give the reader a Superman-like character who isn’t a white American, who was tied to elements of history that weren’t a part of the clean-cut conservative Midwest, yet Kieron Gillen did a great job showing a similar sort of innocence is present in Valentina that is also there in a lot of depictions of Superman. It’s unfortunate that such an interesting character study is hampered by some poor choices in narrative. The Power Fantasy #3 indulges too much in ambiguous phrasing of things and half-complete sentences that try to convey familiarity between characters without giving the reader anything concrete or explicit, especially when discussing what is going on or what has happened. Also, since the initial issue, this series has slowed down quite a lot in terms of pacing. Granted, this issue is primarily focused on the history of a specific character, but there is next to zero plot development coming from the sections that are supposed to be taking place in the “present” timeline. In fact, the major plot point is revealed on the last page, which is also another situation where nothing is explained, just referenced. That doesn’t detract from Valentina’s story, though, which is a majority of this issue, making it still one to take a look at.

SUBTLE APPROACH

The art in The Power Fantasy #3 is more subdued than the previous two issues. There are still some great moments, like the blending of a vinyl record spinning and Valentina watching the planet spin, but for the most part, it’s all fairly straightforward visually. The best aspect of this issue’s art is how the different eras are depicted. Rather than doing anything super obvious, Caspar Wijngaard opts for small moments, like a single panel with 60s-styled flowers, or a slightly less detailed style in scenes when Valentina was younger, suggesting that some of the details of her youth have faded with time.

BOTTOM LINE: NOT PERFECT, BUT STILL WELL EXECUTED

The Power Fantasy #3 is a thoughtful comic that raises questions about the difference between being ethical and being moral, as well as shows how archetypes can exist in different settings under different circumstances but still remain intact. Its approach to these heady concepts makes it such an enjoyable read. Where it’s not so enjoyable is the way that it’s bound and determined to be an enigmatic thing but achieves this in some frustrating and clumsy ways. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.