Review: Power Girl #13
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Leah Williams
Art: Adriana Melo
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters: Becca Carey
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Natasha Irons is representing Steelworks at a “Young Professionals” event and she’s asked Omen to tag along to get ahead of any agitation from the Blue Earth Group. And, it’s just sort of awkward….
Positives
Like so many of Leah Williams’ issues of Power Girl, the best part about the issue is the cover. Yanick Paquette and Arif Prianto. It’s strange that it has absolutely nothing to do with the interior. But, it’s not just an iconic pin-up poster sort of image, it actually looks like it could’ve been used for the cover of Power Girl #12, last month. Power Girl is depicted with her traditional cape instead of that awful jacket, and it’s a great look. The other tweaks to her costume really work with the cape. We need to lose the “S” shield from her costume anyway, and this is a great look that does that while still keeping the other updates to her uniform.
Adriana Melo returns to the title after Travis Moore’s turn on the book last month. Melo’s style works well for this series. Overall, her approach fits much better than Margeurite Sauvage and Eduardo Pansica who have contributed the art for issues #1-10, except for Power Girl #5 which was drawn by David Baldeon. Melo really communicates a lot in her depiction of Omen. And, that’s where things get tricky. It’s really hard to tell what’s going on with the story. It’s also hard to tell if it’s a positive or a negative. We’ll try to parse things and discuss the “positives” and “negatives” separately for this aspect of Power Girl #13.
Positives Cont’d
There’s an instance of Omen using her power to get rid of unwanted male attention (completely unrelated- it feel like Williams is writing Omen and Natasha as a couple or two people that are interested in each other that are not committed yet) from a creeper with some bad pick-up lines. What stands out about Omen’s depiction is the fierceness and hate in her face, especially her eyes when she scares the dude. His reaction seems appropriately shocking for what we learn she did, but Omen’s expression comes off as something way over the line. This should be something humorous, we’ve all seen this sort of thing before, elsewhere. And, the guy’s flight response fits that, but Omen has a “burn in Hell for eternity” look on her face, not “leave me alone, creep.” If I’m reading this right (and I’m not sure that I am) it suggests something is going on with Omen. It’s been suggested before in the series with the “Psychic Jerk Jar,” first seen in issue #8. It really seems to bring into question Omen’s motivations and that’s something that seems to be expanded on in Power Girl #13.
This issue introduces Ejecta a self-professed “hero” who is on the scene to stop Omen before Omen kills a bunch of people- Ejecta is apparently a precog. Common sense normally tells the reader that Ejecta is either a) misguided b) just reading the situation wrong or c) mind controlled herself or d) a villain with a hate on for Omen. However, we’ve seen Omen do some suspect things in this series and this issue. Beyond the “Psychic Jerk Jar” theme in this issue it feels weird that Omen would be reading everyone’s minds at the event. It comes off as a serious abuse of power and unethical. Furthermore, the opening sequence is really weird….
Positives Cont’d
Power Girl #13 opens with closeups of Omen at a mirror putting on eyeliner. When she makes a mistake she says, “I think I’m going to leave it.” She turns to Streaky (Supergirl’s cat), “Instead of doing that thing where I make one wing bigger and bigger to compensate. You (Streaky) understand? It’s proof of concept.” The way Melo stages the scene and frames the panels, it REALLY feels like Omen is talking about something else entirely…like she’s been doing something repeatedly to conceal something and has to constantly make bigger and bigger efforts for it to work…and this time, she’s backing off a bit because maybe she doesn’t need to? Because whatever she’s been concealing/ messing with has been done enough that people will see it anyway even if she doesn’t “go bigger and bigger to compensate?” The whole thing is strange, and it’s hard not to see this as that long game plot of Omen manipulating Power Girl. We’ve already seen the Symbioship do it…and we know it’s back…and we’ve seen these suspect elements of Omen.
The identity of Ejecta is also something that appears could be a significant reveal. I can see elements pointing to it being either some sort of version of either Omen or Power Girl, herself. I don’t know which would be more impactful…is it Power Girl trying to take her life back by getting rid of the person controlling her, or is it the real Omen trying to take her life back and in turn freeing Power Girl from the control of this “evil Omen.” Right now, I’m just not sure.
No matter how you slice it, there seems to be something really dark beneath the surface going on. And, after Omen gets her ass handed to her by Ejecta, and Omen walks back to event (it’s a distance ass kicking) and dances with Power Girl who’s shown up off panel, and then they start dancing and then Omen breaks down and cries. This all creates something very different from the surface level aspect that has been a part of this series. If this isn’t something intentional from Williams, it’s really, really weird…or…
Negatives
…INCREDIBLY bad writing. It just throws the tone off entirely. I mean sure, Williams has a stupid joke between Natasha and Omen, but that’s just cringy bad. If this isn’t intentional it’s completely and utterly bizarre and makes no sense whatsoever. None of it seems to fit Omen. Her powers in the past always seemed to be rooted in empathy. Did Williams read the Wikipedia entry on Lilith and learn she was once possessed by Azar and she’s trying to connect that? Williams record on this series has been bad, so it’s just not possible to tell at this point.
It’s really strange that Power Girl only shows up for the last couple pages in Power Girl #13. This is basically an issue of “Omen.” She’s clearly the focus and even Ejecta has her sights set on Lilith and not Power Girl. Axel from the last two issues is not in tow, and while no one wants him around, it just seems weird that after Power Girl’s vision of Lilith in trouble, the two would’ve raced to find her together. Furthermore, it’s weird that Power Girl would just be at the event hanging around waiting for Omen to show up…not even a little frantic to find her…how did she go from scared for Omen’s safety at the end of issue #12 to just standing there like a prop until Lilith walked back in from her ass kicking.
Negatives Cont’d
This last bit is so bizarre…. Omen doesn’t tell Power Girl ANYTHING about what’s happened. She’s been attacked, and said nothing to PG. She just wants them to DANCE. There are so many questions. Why is PG in regular clothes if she was racing to Omen’s assistance? Why doesn’t she tell Omen what she saw in the vision and why’s she’s raced to her aid?
Nothing about this scene comes off right. There doesn’t even appear to be any aftermath of Ejecta’s attack on Omen. Ejecta accused Omen in front of everyone at the event of being a danger and announced loudly she was trying to stop Lilith from murdering people. Something is going on. Something else is happening.
BACK to a Positive…
There’s one more wrinkle that is part of Ejecta’s attack on Omen. There’s someone else in attendance at the gathering that is coordinating with Ejecta. From the way this character’s dialogue is executed by letterer, Becca Carey, this almost certainly has to be the Symbioship that we’ve seen teased in the “House of Brainiac” tie-in issues. This is a subplot that was seemingly gone, then teased, so it’s good that Williams is returning to it. It is one thematic aspect the feels like it belongs to Power Girl’s past, even if she did defeat the Symbioship in her first solo outing back in Showcase #97, #98 and #99.
If this is the Symbioship working with Ejecta or is Ejecta working FOR the Symbioship (?) it suggests the identity of Ejecta. It feel like we’re supposed to know Ejecta. It’s certainly not Princess Projectra from the Legion of Super-Heroes, but her physical depiction is overdone to the point that it seems like something is being purposely hidden. Omen is a bit of a precog herself…is this some other version of Omen? Omen from the future? Or is the Omen in the series not really Omen and Ejecta is the real Omen? If so, is the real Omen here to stop “Omen” and free Power Girl from her control (the sinister aspect suggested in the background), thus releasing Power Girl from this hideous “Paige Stetler” identity and giving reader the Karen Starr we’ve know and loved for over 45 years?
Verdict
Omen #1…er, Power Girl #13 is such a bizarre issue. It’s either written incredibly poorly and awkwardly, or it’s really setting up something sinister with Omen. If it’s the former, then…we’ve experienced this before…if it’s the latter, well this may be the best issue of the series so far. As such this issue has to fall right in the middle. This is one of those instances that only through hindsight will we really be able to judge it. At the very least, it’s interesting even if I’m reading it incorrectly and adding more than Williams intended to be there.
