Powers #5 – Review

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

The Story: Christian hits rock bottom as his relationship with Heather suddenly falls apart but unbeknownst to him, Heather has two very big secrets.

What’s Good: Oeming’s artwork is absolutely superb this month, but it’s really unique in that its greatest strength isn’t jaw-dropping visuals or stunning splash pages.  In fact, this is arguably a pretty restrained issue as far as Powers goes.  What makes the art stunning is how Oeming emphasizes the “sequential” in “sequential art” and what exactly that means.  The panel-to-panel transitions are incredibly smooth and both physical actions and mental processes are incredibly well plotted out.  There’s a great sense of logic and movement from panel to panel that leads to a really organic feel.  Honestly, it’s the sort of work that  makes most other comics feel stilted by comparison.  It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a comic with such a natural flow to it.

Plot-wise, quite a bit happens this month.  As the opening issue to a new story-arc, this issue certainly fulfills its function, offering tantalizing bits of some very major things to come.  When a first issue is giving you visions of an apocalyptic future, you know you’re going to be in for on heck of a ride.

It was also a very good month for Enki Sunrise, who Bendis is clearly trying to build up as a character.  He, more than ever, shows a softer, more human side to the character, letting us see a more sympathetic, even maternal Enki which really stands in juxtaposition to the hard-nosed Enki we’ve mostly seen these far.  Bendis is quickly adding texture to Enki and is making her a fully realized character and I like what I’m seeing.

Speaking of vulnerability, it’s hard not to feel for Christian when he’s down in the dumps.  Bendis has always done a great job of writing his leading man’s heavy burden(s) and that’s no different here.  It’s just always so easy to feel bad for Christian.