Power Girl #2 Review

    

   

Written by: Leah Williams
Art by: Eduardo Pansica, Júlio Ferreira
Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters by: Becca Carey
Cover art by: Gary Frank (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: October 25, 2023

Power Girl #2 finds Dr. Paige Stetler, aka Power Girl, procrastinating over Superman's assigned mission to investigate a lethal virus of Kryptonian origin. Meanwhile, Amalak finds himself becoming an involuntary host.
Is Power Girl #2 Good?

Well, Power Girl #2 is a very clear step back from the decent beginnings in issue #1. Whatever hopes you had for reading an exciting, engaging Power Girl story may have been misplaced. Let's get into it.

When last we left Dr. Paige Stetler, aka Power Girl, her mysterious alien tech auction to raise money for sustainable environment innovations went awry when Amalak and his space pirates arrived to loot the items up for sale. Power Girl appeared to save the day, but not before causing an International incident with the Atlanteans by sending Amalak's diversion bomb into the ocean with her new dimensional portal powers. After a stern lecture about using powers responsibly, Superman gives Power Girl an assignment to investigate a deadly virus in South America, a virus that appears to come from Power Girl's version of Krypton.

Now, Paige chats with interns, her boss at the Daily Planet (Lois Lane), and her bestie (Omen) to avoid departing on Superman's assigned mission. When Power Girl eventually arrives in South America to question the coroner about the recent deaths, Amalak appears under the mind control of one of the artifacts he stole from the auction to attack Power Girl.

Structurally, this series is moving in a particular direction, but Leah Williams just doesn't have a handle on writing an engaging comic. Plot points appear out of nowhere to justify subsequent plot points. Characters act out of character and often without common sense, and the issue seems designed to get Paige from point A to B without proper motivation, urgency, or efficiency.

What's great about Power Girl #2? The potential return of the Symbioship could be a formidable foe for Power Girl, physically and emotionally. Most writers who've tackled Power Girl in recent years keep getting hung up on Power Girl wrestling with her past and her place on this Earth. Bringing back the Symbioship could be an opportunity to evolve the character and get past that tired trope.

What's not so great about Power Girl #2? Williams stumbles on pacing and character work. Power Girl spends too much time chit-chatting about some things that matter and other things that don't because she doesn't want to go to South America. Why? Why is she reluctant to go if it would help prove her worth to Superman and herself? When did Omen move into Power Girl's apartment, and why are their inconsequential texts to each other oddly personal? When Power Girl visits the coroner in South America, why does his house suddenly blow away in the wind, giving Power Girl an excuse to save him?

For these questions and several more, Williams injects a lot of fluff and contrivances to paint a picture of Power Girl as a scared girl-in-the-city who doesn't want to go do her job. Since when has Power Girl become a mousy, apprehensive wallflower who's afraid of a challenge? Since when has Omen become a clingy roommate (girlfriend?) who pines for Power Girl to come home?

How's the art? Not Pansica and Ferreira's best work. Some panels look great, but other panels look loosely sketched and rushed. In short, the art is a mixed bag.



About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Power Girl #2 takes a sizable step back from the first issue when Leah Williams injects a lot of slice-of-life fluff, weird character personality shifts, and random plot developments for a disappointing issue.

5.5/10