Review: Power Girl #14
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â Leah Williams
Art:Â Adriana Melo
Colors:Â Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters:Â Becca Carey
Reviewed by:Â Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Omen is in the dumps and even as Power Girl and Natasha Irons try and provide support, Ejecta comes calling, and in turn we learn a little bit more about her.
Positives
Unequivocally, the best single thing about Power Girl #14 is the cover by Yanick Paquette. Lose the jacket and it’s perfect. Adriana Melo is a good artist. No doubt Melo works hard to tell a story well. But, her art is wasted when her presentation of the title character is literally fighting against the way she is written. Melo’s art feels right for the character. One could rescript this story and get the art and words to work together. Curiously with this issue, Power Girl doesn’t get completely obliterated by Williams’ characterization. There are moments where she feels pretty right, but certainly not wholly.
It’s no surprise that the revelation in this issue is Ejecta’s mechanical mastermind IS in fact Power Girl’s symbioship. It seemed obvious last issue and this is a long running plot thread that Williams has seeded since issue #4 and it comes back around again here. Hopefully, the resolution with this arc and final defeat of the symbioship will bring this series to an end and we will finally be put out of our misery with this series and Power Girl can get a new start in a series that respects her history and the substance and nuance of her character. Retcon this thing away or make Paige Stetler the Absolute Universe Power Girl and bring back the real Power Girl, Karen Starr.
Negatives
The tone of this issue is the worst of the series. But, that said, the issue is also uneven in this sense. Williams writes the characters like a stupid, silly girls. We know Williams doesn’t know this, but Power Girl should be at least 30, with the experience of running her own start up company. She’s supposed to be a mature woman. And, while Williams has consistently written PG and other characters as silly and childish throughout the series, this issue feels like it’s even worse. It adds to the consternation that Williams seems incapable of writing PG as a solo character. She only seems interested in how she relates to Omen and now Natasha Irons as a the cast expands into more of an ensemble. At times it doesn’t even feel like Power Girl is needed because Williams almost always has another character who is more competent than PG. It’s been Lois, Omen, and Superman in different issues.
Last issue, there was the hope, the feeling like there was something sinister going on behind the scenes with Omen. While there are still a few detail in Power Girl #14 that may leave the door open for this to still be the case, too much of this issue is just disheartening and depressing. One of the oddest sequences takes place with Mariposa, the Daily Planet intern.
Negatives Cont’d
In an admittedly clever bit of connective tissue Williams references Mariposa recent attention in Rainbow Rowell’s back ups in Action Comics #1067-1069. Mariposa was also seen back in Power Girl #2. (It still makes no sense that PG didn’t know what an intern did…and Williams doubles down on it in this issue). In Power Girl #14 we learn that Mariposa is acting managing editor of the Daily Planet while Lois is out of the office. What? Is that really what an editor would do with an intern? This makes no sense. But, what makes even less sense is that Power Girl reveals her secret identity to Mariposa (exposing Omen and Natasha Irons as well, is Natasha’s ID secret?). Is she also going to tell Mariposa that Clark Kent is Superman?!?!?!?!?! Based on the limited relationship they have it’s completely nonsensical to reveal her identity to Mariposa. Williams’ only viewpoint seems to be that PG MUST have friends and can ONLY be defined by these relationships. She’s ignoring all of Power Girl’s traditional and existing friendships in the JSA.
Axel has not been a good addition to the cast. He’s a by the numbers “love interest” that is just superficial.  This issue adds a bizarre element to the proceedings as we get to see them shower together and have a an argument about Harley Quinn while in the shower.  More insipid dialogue!  Of course, the whole incident is actually related by Omen to Natasha which adds a strange layer. Williams also includes a bit about Supergirl insinuating that Power Girl can’t operate without the Girl of Steel being present for anything major going on. So now PG has to have Omen, Supergirl, Natasha AND Mariposa around to be valid?!?!?!? Omen also delivers a very troubling quote about Power Girl, saying that “Power Girl’s too soft.” Is this how Williams sees Power Girl, or is this some of that “hope” that may exist that we’ll eventually get a surprise and discover some sinister plot behind all the poor characterization and non-sensical need for the new identity of “Paige Stetler?”
Verdict
The sort of “can’t tell” verdict on last issue is swayed by the poor quality of Power Girl #14. It seems like it really is just bad writing (and complete and utter lack of understanding and respect for the character) on Williams’ part that Power Girl #13 appeared to provide hope for a good turn. Williams must be blackmailing people at DC for this book to still be published. It’s expiration point was after the first arc that ended in issue #4. Williams is well beyond her skill as a writer to depict Power Girl. She’s connected the dots on some of the plot elements, but overall this series is a disaster of almost unparalleled proportions.
