Powers #6 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Walker and Calista go on their first adventure together, a god (maybe) is found murdered, and a certain someone makes her unexpected return in an unexpected capacity.

What’s Good: Calista comes out as the star this month.  While her role as Walker’s student expands with her first team-up alongside him, she’s the highlight this month if only because her personality really shines.  Calista is really at her most adorable this month, so much so that it’s impossible not to like her.  Best of all is that this likability is wholly natural and never saccharine, as it’s accomplished chiefly through Calista’s absurd sense of humor and Bendis’ writing of her youthful impatience.  Calista’s dialogue was a job well done by Bendis this month; she’s funny, she’s human, and her age and personality really come through.

Other than Calista-related awesomeness, this month is fairly devoted to set-up.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it’s intriguing and really promising for the future, as Bendis seems to intend this arc to address a region of superheroics that he’d left untouched so far.  It looks as though this arc is going to be dedicated to the mythological gods who always seem to somehow find their way into superhero tights in the comics world.  That Bendis has never even once mentioned this area before is stunning and that I had never thought of it myself is testament to how good Powers really is.  Considering the various intelligent riffs Bendis has made on superhero comics in Powers, I can’t wait to see what he does here.

Then of course, there’s the surprise return.  Even though it’s not really a surprise, given the solicitations and the cover of next month’s issue, the capacity in which the character returns is certainly an interesting one.