Boyfriends and Girlfriends - Power Girl (2024) volume 2 More than a Crush

  

Front cover of Power Girl TPB volume 2: More than a Crush

This book collects the following comics: Issues #8-13 of the 2024 ongoing Power Girl series

Score (out of 5 Capes)

Two and a half capes out of five for a sweet if inconsistent portrayal of one of DC's most powerful women.

My Review

Power Girl could really stand a little more love and attention in the mainline DC universe. So it is a real delight to see this ongoing solo title, which gives the creative team room to breathe and explore different facets of this fascinating character.

Writer Leah Williams has not been shy about exploring life beyond the spandex tights and feats of metahuman powers. The result: a Power Girl who is as much about her down-to-earth relationships as stopping the baddies with shows of strength.

Her roommate Omen is the most enduring example of Williams' lower-testosterone take on a superhero book. No slouch in her own right, Omen makes ample use of her diverse telepathic powers throughout these pages. Whether she is giving an obnoxious suitor an undeniable mental nudge, catching a tumbling Power Girl or doing a room-wide mind-scan in a solo chapter, she wields her powers with more confidence than she feels in applying her makeup and making an appropriate dress selection for a gala.

The extended midnight girlfriend-chat between Power Girl and Omen in #11 is probably the best, most condensed example of the different direction Williams takes this series. The relational angst, the nuances in how she handles a hard performance review conversation with her boss, the charming date sequences are all deftly handled.

I especially enjoyed the sequences depicting the budding romance with Axel and his magical Asgardian powers.

Where it starts to go astray is in holding this Power Girl, with her passions and curiosity, her moments of self-doubt, alongside the other sections of these stories. When the spotlight turns from the relationships to other aspects of her life and work, like doing superhero things, a very different character emerges.

This is most prominent in the chapters that tie into the House of Brainiac crossover stories. Something big is happening in the Superman books and it bleeds over into the Power Girl pages as a multi-part battle with some disaffected Czarnian army characters. Including the Crush of the trade paperback's title.

Eduardo Pansica does some pretty cool visuals in these chapters, popping the action from the page in unique and clever ways. A little more visual distinctiveness in the Czarnians would have been helpful, as the handful of more significant ones fail to stand out visually.

These little visual and narrative shortcomings do begin to add up over the course of the book and become increasingly annoying. None more so than the unnecessary attempts to portray Power Girl's vulnerability, so well-done in emotional and psychological terms, with parallel physical ones. See the "What I didn't love" section below for a longer gripe.

TPB collections usually include little bonus features and this one is no exception. No preliminary sketches or other in-progress peeks, but it does include all the covers and variants, a wonderful addition as a variety of artists contributed some amazing covers to this series! Lead cover artist Yanick Paquette set a high bar that several guest cover artists - W. Scott Forbes' #8 and David Talaski's #9 stand out in particular - offer some strong contenders.

In all, there is much to love in these pages, and I was repeatedly delighted by how Williams portrayed the friendship with Omen and the increasing attraction with Axel. Some manga genres are all about relationship, with no superpowered distractions, but this is a superhero book so heroics are expected. Sadly that is when this book stumbles and falls.

The result is a middling two and a half capes out of five.

What I loved

Definitely more than a crush!

I love the budding relationship between Power Girl and Axel Guest. Williams deftly portrays the angst and confusion around questions like: are we flirting? are we not flirting? is this a date? are we just friends hanging out?

When a villain prompts them to both reveal, mid-date, the secrets behind their surface identities, they become too distracted to actually battle the villain. But, forced to be their real selves with each other, it pushes their relationship into becoming deeper and more real.

These two are having such a great time together 

These stories are in no hurry to move on to grander battles. Instead, Williams keeps the focus on their growing appreciation of each other, the joys of new romance and the delight Axel and Power Girl get simply from being in each other's presence. Wonderful!

What I didn't love

Safety gear feels like overkill for an invulnerable hero

The mighty Power Girl is imbued with the abilities of other Kryptonians we know and love. But that does not mean she can automatically do things that require practice to build up muscle memory. So it is cute and charming to see her struggling with balance and control, like the rest of us mere mortals, while learning to roller skate.

Where this otherwise charming sequence fails, of course, is in the protective equipment she wears while practicing. Wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads, even a helmet. All sensible precautions for a new skater.

Except isn't invulnerability one of her characteristics? Smashing through a brick wall or getting smacked across the back and head with a table in battle seem even riskier than having a little tumble on your roller skates. 

Helmet, knee and elbow pads, gloves, super-skin
yet Omen catches her anyway?

Maybe the padding is out of concern for protecting her secret identity? If other park-goers saw her fall and smack her head on the sidewalk but get up without a scratch, would they suspect something?

Yet Omen seems unconcerned about the attention drawn by using her powers, the visible green glow connected to her telepathic powers. It's why, when she brings extra security to a gala party, she must observe from out of sight.

It all adds up to another frustrating inconsistency in the story.

Related Reviews

Power Girl in a hilarious team-up with Harley Quinn

With Earth 2 origins, she appears in several Earth 2 books

An occasional member of the Justice League (I Can't Believe it's not the Justice League and Generation Lost)

A 4-parter with Huntress in Batman / Superman

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Leah Williams
Artists:  Eduardo Pansica 8-10, Adriana Melo 11 & 13, Travis Moore 12
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Feb 25, 2025
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of Power Girl TPB volume 2: More than a Crush

Rhi-Gwen? Really? - Spider Gwen: Shadow Clones (2023)

  

Front cover of Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones TPB from Marvel

This book collects the following comics: Spider Gwen: Shadow Clones #1-5

Score (out of 5 Capes)

A candy-colored story that is about as nutritious as a bag of candy: sweet but not very filling. Two and a half capes out of five.

My Review

I had high hopes for this series and this collected trade paperback. Spider-Man has had a few of his own Clone Sagas, the biggest of which has become a modern-day classic among his many, many stories. So I loved the idea of giving Spider-Gwen a clone saga of her own.

This one will not reach the same status of "classic story" in her own canon.

It is not without its charms. But it is both too light and non-filling while also at times being dark and ponderous.

Author Emily Kim took the idea of clones in an exciting new direction: instead of simply copies or clones of our hero, these clones consist of some of Gwen and some of a classic rogues-gallery villain for Prime Universe Spider-Man.

The result of this mad-scientist mash-up are characters with physical similarities, personalities and memories from Gwen, overlaid upon other abilities and personalities from each of the villains. And each gets a cutesy Gwen-based name.

Like Gwen-Ock, part Gwen Stacey and part Otto Octavius, Doctor Octopus, with prosthetic tentacles and an analytical but harshly dismissive mind.

Or Sandgwen, mixing Sandman into the Gwen mix.

The part-Gwen, part-Rhino so-called Rhi-Gwen lacks intelligence or much of Gwen's distractedly bubbly personality. And gets the worst name of the bunch. Not that I can come up with anything better - Gweno? Gwino?

No reader should be remotely surprised by the big revelation of the mastermind behind all the clone mash-ups: it was so strongly telegraphed from the very first pages. Once she emerges from the shadows, though, the story takes a much darker turn. Themes of pain, loss, revenge, images of suffering and physically mangled bodies dominate the second half of the series.

It turns what had been a goofy and candy-colored tale, filled with pinks and greens and yellows, into much darker, more heavily inked and muted pages. Artist Kei Zama has the chops to handle the switch, particularly excelling at the dystopian tech images with the tentacles, science experiments and more.

Through the power of friendship and commitment, OG Gwen manages to pull her clones away from the control of the twisted Doctor Lyla Bennett, no supervillain moniker needed. But with six Gwens, what will happen on Earth-65, how will they co-exist? That's a story for another day.

In the end, this is a pleasant enough read, with fun glimmers of friendship and romance, peeks inside the overlap between the different dimensions of the multiverse, some of the expected Spider-character levity and witty banter. But it gets too weighed down by its own dark undercurrents. That is why I gave it 2.5 capes out of 5.

What I loved

Manga-inspired influences creep into the art,
as in Gwen's reaction

Japan-based Kei Zama gives the art of this book more than a little manga flair. Perhaps it shows some of their local influences. Still lots of American-style comics sensibilities throughout, but the occasional reaction blends in manga traits. Like Gwen's face in the panel above, with the large, round eyes, the flat, simplified facial lines and the hovering punctuation marks.

More art reminiscent of manga

Elsewhere, Zama throws lots of classic manga action lines behind the movements. Gwen diving for her phone? Zama amps up the drama and tension of the moment, the speed of the dive and grab, with those action lines.

It's a visual trick familiar to American comics, of course, but manga takes those lines to another level and Zama often follows suit.

Since the whole tale is set in the alternate, Spider-Gwen dimension of Earth-65, I love the added distance between this setting and the Prime Universe that these manga-like touches provide.

What I didn't love

Big plot gaps and long flashbacks

The opening five pages of the entire mini-series set the stage for what was to come. An insanely obsessed scientist suffered tremendous pain and loss as collateral damage from a Ghost Spider battle with some baddies. She emerged feeling that the hero had abandoned her and not done enough to help in her moment of need.

Yet her role master-minding the entire wave of clone attacks is given the big-shocking-revelation treatment at the end of the third chapter. And half of the fourth chapter is back-story and flashback.

How she recovered. Where she got the necessary materials to create the clones. What her grand plan hoped to accomplish. Monologues from maniacal menaces are standard fare in the realm of superhero comics. But this goes on for pages, filling in details we either already knew or could easily have guessed.

As much as I like the artistic distinction given to the flashbacks - the rounded panel corners, Triona Farrell's purple-and-sepia colouring - less of them would have made this a much more enjoyable read.

Related Reviews

The Warzones! Spider-verse tie-in is the only other review I've made to date that includes Spider-Gwen

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Emily Kim
Artists:  Kei Zama with Triona Farrell (Colors)
Published By:  Marvel Comics
Published When:  Oct 17, 2023
Parental Rating: Teen+

Back cover of Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones TPB from Marvel Comics

Un-Coverup Quest: Supergirl (2019) Killers of Krypton

Front cover of Supergirl: Killers of Krypton TPB by DC Comics

This book collects the following comics: Supergirl (2019) #21-26

Score (out of 5 Capes)

A new creative team takes Supergirl in a new direction, kicking off a space-spanning saga. It is an uneven start, mixing some fun moments with gaps and cringey ones. Three capes.

My Review

After a brief hiatus of four or so months following issue #20, the Supergirl ongoing series that started with the DC Rebirth launched a new creative team and a new direction with #21. Mark Andreyko took over the writing from Steve Orlando, with Kevin Maguire as the lead artist.

For reasons I have never heard explained, the collected trade paperback restarted the numbering. Orlando's twenty-issue run was collected into four numbered volumes while the new team and direction got released as a new "volume 1" - and maybe that is my answer, a whole new team and direction merited resetting the volume numbering.

The new direction sends Kara Zor-El, Supergirl, back into space. Her quest: having learned that Krypton was destroyed not by natural causes but by Rogol Zaar, and that he was not working alone, she set out to uncover the larger conspiracy and find his co-conspirators.

With Rogol Zaar's mighty axe in hand, and Krypto the super-dog at her side, Supergirl's first stop was the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps, to mine their records for clues.

They were not forthcoming, though, causing her to don a new, stealthier costume with more black and less skin. Although the large amounts of brilliant red do mute the stealth effect!

The Corps, for its part, was very divided over whether to stop her, imprison her, give her the benefit of the doubt, or aid her. In the end, planet-sized lantern Mogo got the last say and aided her on her way.

With the distance from Earth's yellow sun causing her powers to wane, Supergirl found a new ally in Z'ndr Kol. With a backup story filling in some of his history and motivations, they set out and ultimately wind up where Krypton used to be, only to be defeated by Splyce, a woman with a blend of powers from different mighty races and individuals.

Captured and imprisoned by Harry Hokum, then rescued by the Omega Men, Supergirl's quest moved at a very fast pace throughout these chapters, although the reader is left wondering if she is actually making any progress. The dark conspiracy of The Circle seems still so enshrouded and so in control that clearly this quest will continue into the next collected volume.

There are definitely similarities with the Marvel Comics series Captain Marvel from three or four years previously: Earth's mightiest woman goes into space for an extended time on a quest, meeting new challenges and foes plus some established space-based characters. But while Captain Marvel was more centered on a single planet and people, surrounded by a team of recurring characters, in this volume Supergirl jumps from place to place, largely solo except for Krypto and eventually Z'ndr Kol.

Sepia-toned flashbacks to her childhood on Krypton fill in some gaps in the story, while the later chapters split into a main story and a shorter, 8-page backup one to fill in some others. Both are helpful because the narrative does have a number of gaps in the telling. The team focused more on the personalities and relationships, especially as conveyed through subtle facial expressions in Maguire's images, but at the expense of attention to the little details the reader or plot needed.

It is an intriguing new direction, and the volume ends with Supergirl and the Omega Men (re)captured by Harry Hokum's forces. So look forward to the next volume to see if Supergirl can complete her quest to expose the conspiracy behind Krypton's destruction.

3 capes out of 5.

What I loved

Awkward silence between Supergirl and Z'ndr Kol
Supergirl #24

How much influence does artist Kevin Maguire have? A sequence like the one above, inserting a series of stacked panels, all identical except for the very simply yet subtly rendered facial expressions, is classic Kevin Maguire, dating back to his run with the Justice League books in 1990s and 2000s.

But Maguire sat out issue #24, the source of these panels. That chapter was drawn by Evan Shaner. Did he follow layouts from Maguire? Deliberately mimic his style?

In promoting the new team and new direction of the series, Supergirl writer Mark Andreyko said of Maguire, "He has some of the best grasp of facial expressions and character acting of almost any artist working in the business." (Mike Avila, "Exclusive: Supergirl returns with new creative team and brand new costume" in Syfy)

While Maguire has not been the most prolific of artists, his work is always recognizable and memorable. It is especially well paired with a story that is light-hearted in tone and, despite its at-times dark themes, this new direction for Supergirl mingles in lots of levity and comic relief.

All of which makes this collection a delight to read. When you hit a sequence of panels like these, by Maguire or one of the other contributing artists, be sure to linger over them and soak in the subtle shifts. Wonderful!

What I didn't love

Ambush Bug bombs in a dive bar, Supergirl #24

How can we show that the story, with its dark themes of revenge and deeply buried conspiracies, is not all darkness and evil but has shining moments of redemptive humour and fun?

We could throw in one of DC's classic goofball characters, like Ambush Bug!

Next time that answer comes to mind, please, please resist.

A strong creative team is able to handle the balance and interplay between levity and foreboding or struggle through the narrative and visuals. Throwing an Ambush Bug into the tale, however tangentially, is an unnecessary and unwelcome short cut.

While it is at times hit-or-miss, more often than not, Andreyko does manage the balance in these pages. Clever banter at key moments or insights into Supergirl's thoughts swirl in a streak of humour. It makes moments like these, from Supergirl #24, all the more glaring and distracting.

Related Reviews

Supergirl Silver Age volume 2, stories from 1962-63

Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (volume 1) from the early 1980s

Supergirl by Peter David (Book 1) from the mid-1990s

Ghosts of Krypton from Supergirl's 2005 ongoing series

New 52 (2011) reboot volume 1 - Last Daughter of Krypton

Supergirl (2016 Rebirth era) volume 1

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Marc Andreyko
Artists:  Kevin Maguire 
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  April 30 2019
Parental Rating: Parental Guidance

Back cover of Supergirl: Killers of Krypton TPB by DC Comics

Nailed the Newbie Struggles: Supergirl (Rebirth) vol 1 - Reign of the Cyborg Supermen (2016)

 

Front cover of Supergirl (Rebirth) volume 1:
Reign of the Cyborg Supermen

This book collects the following comics: Supergirl (2016) #1-6, Supergirl Rebirth #1

Score (out of 5 Capes)

4 out of 5 capes for a more sensible portrayal of the adjustments a mid-teens girl would face as one of few survivors of her homeland, with a jolt of new powers and abilities but sheltering in a land that is less technologically advanced. All told in a fun and imaginative way.

My Review

The DC Comics Rebirth era followed the New 52 years and drew a strong contrast from its predecessor's often dark, despairing themes and character shifts. The difference even comes out in the packaging of collected editions, from the dark greys and blacks of New 52 trade paperbacks to the white background and blue swooshes on the Rebirth books.

The new Rebirth approach comes through very clearly in the new Supergirl ongoing series. Gone is the emotionally distant, rage-fueled Kryptonian survivor of the New 52 era. In her place, we meet a more believable mid-teenaged girl, struggling with all the many changes in her life while still finding moments of joy.

Writer Steve Orlando scripted a number of Rebirth one-shots for DC Comics, especially on several second-tier Justice League characters (the Atom, the Ray, Vixen). His Supergirl: Rebirth work leads off this collection with a charming story of a Kryptonian werewolf pulled accidentally from the Phantom Zone while a powerless Supergirl was off-planet. 

OK, that last sentence does not sound like a "charming" story. But Orlando uses that main conflict to introduce us to Rebirth Supergirl, her powers and limitations, her struggles to fit in (hello high school!), her assigned handlers posing as foster parents, and more.

Emanuela Lupacchino pencilled the Rebirth one-shot and her women especially stand out. Kara, Agent Eliza, Director Chase are all strong, dramatic presences in these pages, if maybe a bit repetitive in their hair styles.

Once the collection turns to the six issues collected from the ongoing series, Brian Ching takes over as lead artist and brings a stark shift in visuals. Ching's style is much more angular with sharp corners, spikes, even elbows everywhere. It lands somewhere between the usual range of styles in North American superhero books and Japanese manga, with its larger eyes, sharper chins, and swapping lines of motion for backgrounds at dramatic moments.

For me, the power and drama in Ching's style works best as single images. They would make awesome posters. His covers and full-page spreads can be spectacular. His cover for issue #2 in particular. capturing the head-to-head battle between Supergirl and Cyborg Superman, is incredible! But I tire of his style when seeing it panel after panel, page after page. It becomes a visual overload of triangles.

None of which takes away from how wonderful it was to read this collection.

Cyborg Superman has returned, claiming - with some compelling evidence - that he is in fact Kara's father. Supergirl must confront him, on Earth, in space, on a revived and Earth-bound Argo City. She must also confront her own sweet and cherished memories, her survivor's guilt, the nervous and controlling lectures from her handlers (especially foster parents Agent Eliza and Agent Jeremiah Danvers). And of course the demands that she try and "fit in" to the teen scene in high school and a job placement program with Kat Grant.

Orlando's storytelling weaves tender moments of flashback, nostalgic memories of Krypton and what has been lost, with times of confusion and hesitation, but when necessary expressions of immense strength and resiliency. There is so much to like about this Supergirl.

Cyborg Superman is a real threat, both to Kara and to Earth. Or parts of Earth at least - his grand invasion of zombie cyborg Argo City denizens seems concentrated to a very limited part of our planet, including by some grand, cosmic comic coincidence, Supergirl's adopted city.

His claim to be her father leads to no shortage of emotional conflicts and brings out her survivor's guilt. Orlando works all the pieces of Supergirl's life, including Kat Grant and her empire, into the final climax to both defeat and try to save Cyborg Superman, leaving open the question - could it really be her father?

In the hands of this creative team, Rebirth-era Supegirl finally got it right around the mental and emotional state of this nearly sole-survivor refugee from Krypton. A very enjoyable collection, I give it 4 capes out of 5.

What I loved

Mid-teen Kara Danvers learns to drive

The Supergirl series of the DC Comics New 52 era retold her origin story, following the main outlines but falling short on the emotional response. Kara emerged from her Kryptonian escape pod angry and ready to shoot first, ask questions later. As big as the presumed trigger, her trauma of being one of the few survivors of the destruction of her planet, might be, it never lined up with her back-story. It was too far out of character.

The DC Comics New 52 was followed by the DC Rebirth era, and Kara's origin story was retold. The same larger elements still match. But this time, Rebirth Supergirl got the little things right.

Instead of the fight-first warrior woman of New 52, this Kara feels like a mid-teens girl ripped from one cultural context into another, very different and more primitive one. 

The emotional struggles to adapt, the need to quickly master her new abilities, the struggles with backwards old-fashioned technologies, the acceptance of mentors and adult influences, are all contained in these pages. Yet the creative team manages to transcend the more obvious coming-of-age tropes, giving us a delightful ride through a hero's learning curve. Kind of like the "Year One" books but brighter, cleaner and very entertaining.

What I didn't love

Brian Ching's excessively angular art

Artist Brian Ching's images are made for posters. His covers and full-page spreads have a striking, dramatic feel with his unusual perspectives and unique, stylized angles.

But on a page by page or panel by panel basis, those same characteristics become visually overwhelming and mentally tiresome.

He eschews detailed backgrounds for manga-like lines of motion, sometimes enhanced by his colorist, and fragmentedly detailed foregrounds. It creates an over-abundance of his unique style that must be worked through rather than enjoyed.

Related Reviews

Supergirl Silver Age volume 2, stories from 1962-63

Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (volume 1) from the early 1980s

Supergirl by Peter David (Book 1) from the mid-1990s

Ghosts of Krypton from Supergirl's 2005 ongoing series

New 52 (2011) reboot volume 1 - Last Daughter of Krypton

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Steve Orlando
Artists:  Brian Ching 
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  May 23, 2017
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of Supergirl (Rebirth) vol 1: 
Reign of the Cyborg Supermen