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Powers # 33

By Leroy Douresseaux
August 24, 2003 - 14:04

Brian Michael Bendis current story arc for his series Powers, "Forever," basically defines the origins of this book's shiny universe. What began in #31 with two super-powered Cro-Magnon ape-men fighting over a woman moves to #33's formation of the first super team and how the members struggle with the philosophical conundrums of interfering in the affairs of normal men.

Brian has that gift which allows him to boldly wear his influences on his sleeve without a blush of shame. Read Powers, and you'll recognize where his ideas come from – cop shows like "Homicide" and comic books like Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, among others. Brian's other gift is execution, because no matter how much this talent borrows, he always manages to make it seem fresh. Take the superhero and put him in "the real world" is what a lot of writers do. Brian just does the same thing with finesse.

Since the first issue, artist Michael Avon Oeming has visually made this series look like the sexy, black kid who just moved into the staid neighborhood of mainstream comics. He's a strong solid cartoonist, less like his contemporaries who are mired in photo-realism and more like the vanguard cartoonists who defined independent comics in the 1980's, like Matt Wagner and Howard Chaykin. Add colorist Peter Pantazis' hues, and Avon's art is also just so darned pretty.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12