Review: Power Girl #18
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Leah Williams
Art: David Baldeon
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters: Becca Carey
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Power Girl, Natasha Irons and Omen must leave their housewarming party to tackle The Void of Three. It doesn’t end well for PG.
Positives
Overall, the most interesting thing about Power Girl #18 is The Void of Three. There seems to be a little more depth to them and they make a fairly formidable foe for Power Girl and….
Again, Leah Williams drops a small detail that seems like a hint that things are not what they seem with Omen or even Power Girl, herself. Back in Power Girl #13 there was something, and the solicit for Power Girl #20 outright states that Karen Starr is back in town. There can’t be two, right? How that plays out remains to be seen. It certainly seems like there have been aspects of this series that point to the current “Paige Stetler” incarnation being the imposter, or that Omen is somehow manipulating her. (There’s always the possibility that Williams’ writing is so bad that it seems like it even though it’s unintended because).
In Power Girl #18 when Omen faces the Void of Three one of them refers to her as a “parasite.” This is another indication that Omen is up to something. If this is accurate it’s a slow build up to Power Girl #20, and one has to wonder if this has been the plan all along, because…bad plan to purposely write a series so poorly. Still, it does provide some hope for those Power Girl fans who’ve been suffering since Williams began writing the character back at the end of 2022. If the real Karen Starr is revealed eventually, it’s not been a fun journey.
Negatives
When Power Girl takes on the Void of Three she’s taken out far too quickly. It really seems like Williams would rather focus on the other characters. Early on in this series, Power Girl relied on Lois Lane to tell her what to do, got berated by Superman and had to be rescued by Omen. This quick take out of PG falls into this category.
As the Star Building is enclosed inside a force field or something on page 1, Power Girl starts acting strange and lashing out. She reveals that she’s claustrophobic from her experience in the Symbioship. This has the possibility of being an interesting addition to PG’s character, but it’s 50 years to late to introduce it. Once again, Williams acts like Power Girl is new to the world. Also, it seems like with all Omen’s mind meddling she would’ve known this. It’s all played for laughs as well. And, that’s one of the problems with this series. Everything is a joke, but it’s not funny. It’s juvenile or just played poorly as this is.
Negatives Cont’d
This issue does get that Power Girl should be a fun book, but it all just seems awkward. Mariposa is awkward, all the Asgardians at the party are just written awkwardly. Part of the issue is that Williams writes Power Girl as an awkward character. The party of “hot Asgardians” would play humorously if Power Girl got to be the strong and confident character she’s always been before Williams began writing her. It doesn’t help the her Asgardian “boyfriend” Axel feels shoehorned, which loses the connection for why they are there.
Mariposa falls into the same hole. She’s just written awkwardly and it’s not funny. You can tell what it’s going for, but it doesn’t land. That a 13+ rating on the cover should be 13-15, because I don’t think anyone with the maturity level above 15 is going to find this genuinely entertaining. That points to the problem of Power Girl’s maturity level as well. She’s supposed to be an adult. She’s had a career as a professional already. She’s at least thirty. She’s not a young twentysomething.
Verdict
There are some aspects of Power Girl #18 that aren’t entirely terrible, but it’s going to take something really drastic to change to trajectory of this series. Almost nothing fits the character and everything stems from that. It really says something when the writer focuses more on an ensemble approach or makes the villains more interesting.
