Friday, May 26, 2006

Isn't She From Krypton? II

One of the problems with the compressed storytelling format of 52 is that the needs of exposition, characterization, and narrative development can sometimes run at cross purposes.

Though I'm aware that we shouldn't put too much stock in what appears on the covers of our comics, 52 Week 3 has a "crawl text" on the bottom of the cover reading "Power Girl unleashed!" Consequently, though I had found the previous two issues of the title somewhat lackluster, I had high hopes for this one.

I was disappointed.

Things start off well enough, with Power Girl ably in pursuit of a villain, but it went wrong for me when it became clear, in the middle of her appearance, that Power Girl was included in the story not on her own terms, but rather as a device to bolster Black Adam's general bad-assery.


I know he's got the power of Shazam. At this point, who's not aware that he's got no compunction about tearing people limb from limb? But (even though he's surprised her in mid-flight), I don't think Power Girl should allow even Black Adam to get in her face like he does in these two panels:


Sure, I'm interested in learning exactly how many people died during the crisis. And I also welcome any opportunity to understand Black Adam's motivations. But I don't think the writer needed to make Power Girl look like a powerless child in order to achieve either of these ends.

Though I had other expectations for the new DCU, it appears that Power Girl is destined to remain a permanent "girl" figure. Though I haven't ever thought this before, maybe the multiverse was a better place. In Power Girl's case, her existence on Earth-Two meant that a writer could depict her as powerful as she needed to be, without any concern that her strength levels might need to be modulated or lessened out of concern for any of the other active Kryptonians.

Comments:
That was another aspect of the Black Adam story I found bothersome.

Power Girl shouldn't take any @#$% from anybody.
 
Power Girl shouldn't take any @#$% from anybody.

That's *&%@?!% absolutely right.
 
I missed that before, having only glanced through, though I do recall really wanting to see Power Girl break Adam's jaw, then catch the doofus (whoever he was) anyway.

Yeah, she really does need to be eye-to-eye with him, not backing down.

Is anyone else having trouble publishing posts today?
 
I was also surprised by that sequence in the comic. It's strange how she can kick ass in Supergirl, yet be scared in 52.

I just realized I spent $2.50 on this comic, and $3.50 on Justice. Wow.

We've seen Clark in 52, do you think we'll see Diana and Bruce also?
 
I was too busy being pissed off at the art to despise the story. That boob-window is impractical, and her butt is too small. Come on, now! Power Girl's boob-window is best drawn as a small window that could be seen as a sports-bra line, and she has the hips to balance the breasts. Hourglass figure, don't forget the bottom.

That artist should never draw her again.
 
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
 
I'm sure if Black Adam yanked on her arm just a bit more her boobies would fall out of her "boob-window." Of course, that could be technology from Krypton that is keeping her boobies back. If so, PG should share this technology with WW.

Sigh. There I go again.
 
Calvin: I much prefer your scenario to what DC printed.

Nida: Power Girl and scared are words that definitely do not belong together. I'm beginning to think that appearances by the big three in 52 (outside of Donna Troy's "History" section) might be cameos, like Clark's was.

Ragnell and Nida: Yeah, the art was a problem on several levels — clearly the penciller had other goals, since he didn't even try to provide Power Girl with a realistic physique or costume.
 
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