Powers: Roleplay


Powers Volume 2, Number 8 - 11

Created and Produced by: Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
Color Art by: Pat Garrahy (separation assists by Ojo Caliente Studios)
Lettering by: Garrahy and Bendis
Editor: KC McCrory
Business Affairs: Alisa Bendis
Published by: Image Comics

Pan in on the familiar sky line, and the usual credits. The second Trade Paperback from Brian Michael Bendis and Image Comics starts you off in the familiar cop drama intro before diving into the hive of scum and villany that is...Whoops, wrong writeup.

The second volume of Powers contains the second Powers storyarc, as well as a neat back feature called "Anatomy of a Cover Concept..." Continuing with their mission to never create a "normal" comic cover for the series, they explain what the Comic Book Cliches are for covers, and then quietly and artfully break them entirely by not only showing you the past covers, as many books do, but also telling you what the inspiration was for them. All of the covers in this arc, btw, were inspired by Album Covers, including one drawn from the Beatles White album, and a discarded one from Spinal Tap.

But enough with the extra stuff, on with the story.

For those unfamiliar or having forgotten some of the primary concepts of this story, let me sum up for you.

The City (not the same as from The Tick, though that would likely be quite amusing...Ben Edlund/ Brian Michael Bendis Crossover, anybody?) is the only place where there are Superheros, or "powers", so far as we know. There are a variety of ways to become a superhero, as explained by the Powers coloring book (to be covered later), but once you have realized that you do indeed possess powers not normally limited to the human race, you have to go and register them, and then, if you wish to actually put on a costume and do superhero stuff, you have to get a license.

They are extremely serious about this. You may not wear a pre-existing powers' costume, to do so breaks the law. So, for instance, if you went trick-or-treating in the City and had you kid dressed up as, say, Spiderman, you would both likely be in the clink rather quickly. That's how serious they are about this kind of thing.

At the opening of the book, we meet a bunch of college kids, all discussing exams and generally being the usual, angsty kind of kids you expect to see at college. One of them has an argument with his girlfriend, but then is called away to the rooftops by the cry:

The call to arms has rung out, old friend!! The Spectre of Doom has risen to challenge us again!!!

And we all know what they say about people who use multiple exclamation marks.

In the night sky, sillouted against the moon, stands a caped figure. The boyfriend is called away, despite the protestations of his girl friend. He dashes into an alley, tears open his shirt, and exposes the sign...of a pre-existing costume.

Then he climbs to the roof tops, looking for his prey. Two pages later, we are rewarded with the site of his broken teenage body lying in a puddle of blood. Followed by several of his friends, in the same manner.

Thus, our two intrepid cops must discover: 1. Why are these fucking kids wearing costumes, especially Walker's? 2. Who is killing the fucking kids, possibly doing us all a favor in the process, because you have to be at least a little dumb to break the law in that way, and 3. How do they stop the guy who is killing the fucking kids?

I thought that it was about time to use the "F" word in the node, just to establish my legitimacy, and wake up anybody who was sleeping at this point.

Cool quote stuff:

    Walker: Because I try not to think about it.
    Pilgrim: Try not to think about it? This guy -- This Time master guy.
    Walker: Timebomb.
    Pilgrim: Timebomb. He can turn back time to suit his own purposes -- totally fucking with existence.
    Walker: Yeah?
    Pilgrim: Say the guy goes on a bad date. He can turn it back the world like that Bill Murray movie so he can make it like he gets some -- and me and you? Everyone's life gets all zazzed out of whack and like we don't even know it.
    Walker: I said: Try not to think about it.
    Pilgrim: I just don't understand how that doesn't totally --
    Walker: It's like: How do I know that when I see the color blue -- How do I know that you are seeing the same blue I am? It's just one of those questions you just try not to think about --
    Pilgrim: Oh my God! How do I know that the color blue is the same to me as it is to you? I --
    Walker: Officer, what do we --
    Officer: Well, Ta Daaa...
    Walker: Huh.
    Pilgrim: Woof.

And to find out what the woof was about, and why there are much worse things that can happen during a teleport than having a fly involved, you'll have to read the book. Later...

Powers | Who Killed Retro Girl? | Powers: Little Deaths | Powers: Supergroup

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.