The Good
It's been a while since I have reviewed this series: for a while it had become a bit lackluster, the dialogue had grown (in my opinion) uninteresting and the character interactions had become a bit mundane. There was something about it that simply did not feel a whole heck of a lot like the Power Girl and Huntress that I had enjoyed before, and that saddened me. I decided to give this series another shot to see whether or not it had improved and I was happy to see that these two characters have begun to feel a bit more like themselves. In fact, the interactions between them is what really struck me as particularly interesting.
One of the things that really stood out to me was the fact that Karen and Helena seem to have a good relationship here: they are constantly working together towards a common goal, and it is written in a way that is interesting and unlike what we have seen in these characters before. Although Power Girl isn't exactly portrayed as the 'sharpest tool in the shed,' so to speak, she redeems herself by being portrayed as a more compassionate character. Karen has heart, and even though she may not be all that intelligent, her heart is in the right place. In addition, she does seem a little bit more street smart than she had been, knowing she has to be someplace to get the job done, she does what she has to in order to reach her goal. It is obvious that, based on the events, these two characters have been manipulated and it will be interesting to see not only how they deal with being manipulated, but also how they deal with the deaths that have resulted in the process. Will they mourn the loss of certain characters? This is definitely something that will be interesting to see and it will also determine the quality of this particular issue.
For the most part the art is really very good, which isn't always the case when you have such a large group of artists on a single issue. I was actually pleasantly surprised. The characters are a bit stylized and I think the artists exaggerate a bit because this is Power Girl's series, but overall it is well done. There is plenty of nice details in the characters, even if the backgrounds were a bit plane. The inking is really well done as well and the vibrant colors serve to compliment the issue beautifully.
The Bad
Michael Holt fans will not be very pleased with the portrayal of Mr. Terrific here, neither will they appreciate the fact that the relationship between he and Karen is treated so poorly.
As I mentioned above, the events that follow this issue will really serve in determining how good it is. If Karen and Helena go about their daily lives without feeling any remorse or compassion for those that they have left behind, well, that will be a big problem. The deaths that occur in this issue have to signify something to both of these characters: they have to recognize their mistakes and they have to mourn. Only then will the story we see here prove to be any good.
As good as the art was in this issue some of the backgrounds (particularly the panels towards the beginning of the issue) were lacking a little bit. There is some discrepancy in where exactly the story is taking place because the backgrounds are simply a series of solid colors, there is no real distinction in terms of what anything is and where the story is supposed to be set. This improves as the issue progresses, but it could definitely have been better in those first few panels.
The Verdict
I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised after reading this issue: there are plenty of good things about it that I was not really expecting. First, you have some relatively good art here, in general. The characters have a lot of detail (even though the backgrounds could be more detailed) and the colors really compliment the art overall.
There is a real sense of teamwork here in this comic and I love the way the relationship between Karen and Helena is portrayed here. The writer manages to capture some very interesting moments in this issue via some solid dialogue between the two characters which is really nice. I was happy to see that these two characters are essentially portrayed relatively well. I also thought the story was pretty good and the dynamic between the heroines in this title and the adversary is a pretty interesting one, particularly if you are someone who has been following the story carefully from the very beginning.
Overall, this was actually a pretty good issue. It presents some solid character interaction, pretty and stylized art, and a story hat leaves readers excited to see what will happen next. It builds off a story that we have been seeing all along, but manages to also be accessible to new readers.
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