By Bendis & Oeming
Publisher: Icon
ISBN: 9780785166023
Powers has been running for some time now as the home to Detectives Pilgrim and Walker as they deal with super-powered homicides, but following some serious changes Pilgrim finds herself as a federal agent specialising in powers cases and, naturally, this means Walker gets to follow.
Certainly not something for younger readers, Bendis’s scripted dialogue and a knack for introducing the human underbelly into the highfaluting world of god-like powers makes for one of the rawest, immersive reads in comicdom. In this volume alone we get a sperm-donor with a difference, a secret base accessed by walking into the nether-regions of a giant reclined woman on a mural, and some super-powered sex that turns into a punch-up.
Pilgrim persuades Walker to come on board, but he’s thrown immediately undercover to help root out who is breeding superhuman babies via innocent mums. It’s a dangerous play, where hired muscle with powers are barely tolerant of his presence.
Oeming’s artwork is fluid, visceral stuff, but what it lacks in detail and depth it makes up for in raw emotion, mood and movement. He’s a master of the black pen, using shadow to dramatic effect, and with an eye for layout that builds tension and cranks up the action and drama. Combined with the often brutal beat of the dialogue, where characters snipe, gripe and harangue as a matter of course page after page, the pace is somewhat electrifying. Both are seasoned comics professionals who understand and love the medium, and they use this knowledge to celebrate and subvert the medium when seen through the eyes of those watching the watchmen. This is very different to the more polished Astro City or the classic Marvels series, but that’s a good thing, as it’s made its own path and is wallowing in it.
Do I think this a good jumping on point? Possibly, but frankly this is such a consistently good series that you’d be better off heading back and enjoying it from the beginning. So go on, then.
And if you liked that: If you can find a copy, read Alias, also by Bendis
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