Powers (comics)

AUTHOR: Bendis, Brian Michael

ARTIST: Michael Avon Oeming (illustrator); Nick Filardi (colorist); Pat Garrahy (colorist); Peter Pantazis (colorist); Brian Michael Bendis (colorist and letterer); Ken Bruzenak (letterer); Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

PUBLISHER: Image Comics; Marvel Comics

FIRST SERIAL PUBLICATION: 2000-

FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 2000

Publication History

The first thirty-seven issues of Powers were published by Image Comics, starting in 2000. Writer Brian Michael Bendis had previously published other crime noir books at Image, but during the Powers years, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Comics that would prevent him from doing piecemeal work for another company. Following negotiations with Marvel, Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming chose to move Powers from Image to Icon Comics, their new invitation-only, creator-owned publishing imprint at Marvel. Establishing Icon allowed Marvel to retain its talent while permitting the creators to work on non-Marvel projects and have greater control over some of their intellectual property. Icon’s first issue started the series’ second volume.

Plot

The first story line, “Who Killed Retro Girl?” introduces a setting in which superheroes are commonplace. The book primarily focuses on two homicide detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who investigate crimes involving “powers”—that is, people with superhuman abilities. Walker is established as the straight man of the duo; he uses an economy of dialogue and is serious when many other characters are not. Pilgrim is Walker’s opposite in several respects, a talkative rookie who seems to enjoy the grim task of investigating homicides.

The second story line, “Roleplay,” establishes the love/hate relationship that the world has with powers. Children dress up as and imitate superheroes, but powers are often still the victims of prejudice and discrimination. Many of the superheroes in Powers are media savvy; through much of the first few story lines, “Roleplay” and “Little Deaths” in particular, the reader is exposed simultaneously to the media’s “spin” story and, as the detectives uncover it, the real story. This media savvy on the part of the superheroes proves a liability in later story lines, when they start being stalked and hunted.

The third story, “Little Deaths,” foregrounds the media arc over the detective arc, as the death of the superhero Olympia is investigated. The title refers to the orgasm that led to the hero’s untimely demise. Walker begins a romantic relationship with a power named Zora.

In the story “Supergroup,” one power leaves supergroup FG-3 and another is brutally disemboweled. In the course of the detectives’ investigation, they question FG-3 member Boogie Girl, who temporarily knocks out Pilgrim and flees. During the ensuing confrontation, Boogie Girl and Zora fatally wound each other in a battle that destroys part of the city. Zora dies in Walker’s arms, and he subsequently retires.

The “Anarchy” story starts with a vigilante group murdering several powers. Pilgrim and her new partner catch one of the perpetrators, who refuses to talk to anyone other than the still-retired Walker. Pilgrim drives to the secluded cabin where Walker is living, seemingly at peace. Later, when an attack intended for him kills Pilgrim’s new partner instead, Walker is provoked into coming out of retirement to solve the crime. They catch the vigilantes responsible and Walker is reinstated.

In “Sellouts,” Walker and Pilgrim investigate deaths related to the release of a sex tape. This case has worldwide consequences, as people with superpowers start to destroy religious sites. Over the course of the investigation, an encounter with a power causes Pilgrim to confront her own humanity. In the wake of the destruction of Utah and several sites in the Middle East, the use of superpowers is outlawed.

The story “Forever” is a seven-issue interlude that provides the reader with a glimpse into Walker’s origin. Though he does not remember his past, he is an immortal who has lived many different lives. He has been a Cro-Magnon, a barbarian warrior, and a masked avenger in 1930’s-era Chicago, among others, but he lost his powers in 1985 during a battle with another power who had followed and fought with him throughout history. In the final story of the Image run, Walker’s nemesis confronts him one last time, causing an explosion that is intended to kill Walker but fails.

“Legends” is the first story of the second volume. Powers are outlawed and a new Retro Girl starts appearing, eventually revealed to be Calista. Walker met Calista as a child in “Who Killed Retro Girl?” following the disappearance of her mother; in “Legends,” she wants Walker to become her mentor. At the same time, a power named Bug tortures Pilgrim, driving her to siphon off some of his power and kill him. She then covers up the murder, as well as her new powers.

In the “Psychotic” story line, a power named Blackguard is murdered. Over the course of the investigation, the reader learns that Blackguard’s archnemesis, the Joke, has also been murdered. Pilgrim’s former boyfriend stabs her, and in response she kills him with her powers. She covers up this murder as well.

In “Cosmic,” a cosmic superhero accidentally murders a bystander. Internal Affairs has been looking into Pilgrim’s activities, and Walker is offered a position with Earth’s Millennium Guard, an intergalactic police force, that would give him superpowers once again. Pilgrim kills a drug dealer and considers killing herself.

In the “Secret Identity” story, powers who resist the registration act begin losing family members and wind up dead. The conspiracy leads all the way to the president. Pilgrim discovers Walker’s identity as a power after a building collapses on him and he emerges unscathed, but does not reveal her own secret powers.

“The Twenty-Five Coolest Dead Superheroes of All Time” is the last story line of the second volume. The powers virus spreads through city, and several teens dressed as superheroes turn up dead. Eventually, a hero named Triphammer returns from exile and shoots Pilgrim with a beam that cures her of her powers. The police pick her up. Pilgrim expects to be destroyed, but instead is presented with a check for three million dollars for the time she served “undercover.” Anything illegal she did is explained away as result of the powers virus, and her crimes are covered up. Despite this, Walker’s new partner and the representative from Internal Affairs confront Pilgrim after the fact.

In “Z,” the first story line of the third volume, Walker is partnered with former Internal Affairs officer Enki Sunrise. They are investigating the death of Z, the man who ended World War II. In his capacity as Earth’s representative of the Millennium Guard, Walker destroys a threat to the Earth and is then saved by Retro Girl, whom he told not to intervene. During the course of the investigation into Z’s death, a question of jurisdiction is raised when Pilgrim shows up flashing an FBI badge.

Volumes

•Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl? (2000). Collects Volume 1, issues 1-6. Introduces detectives Walker and Pilgrim as they investigate the murder of Walker’s former lover, Retro Girl.

•Powers: Roleplay (2001). Collects Volume 1, issues 8-11. The detectives investigate the murders of college students dressed up like superheroes.

•Powers: Little Deaths (2003). Collects Volume 1, issues 7 and 12-14. Walker and Pilgrim investigate the sex life of superhero Olympia after his untimely death.

•Powers: Supergroup (2003). Collects Volume 1, issues 15-20. A group of powers breaks up, and its members start to die one by one.

•Powers: Anarchy (2003). Collects Volume 1, issues 21-24. The murder of powers by a vigilante group hits close to home for Walker.

•Powers: Sellouts (2004). Collects Volume 1, issues 25-30. After a superpowered individual causes a disaster, powers are outlawed.

•Powers: Forever (2004). Collects Volume 1, issues 31-37. Relates Walker’s origin story.

•Powers: Legends (2005). Collects Volume 2, issues 1-6. Walker mentors the new Retro Girl. Pilgrim is tortured by a power and then kills him, acquiring his powers in the process.

•Powers: Psychotic (2006). Collects Volume 2, issues 7-12. Blackguard is murdered. Pilgrim is stabbed by her former boyfriend and kills him with her new powers.

•Powers: Cosmic (2007). Collects Volume 2, issues 13-18. Internal Affairs starts to examine Pilgrim’s activities. Walker joins the Millennium Guard and regains his powers.

•Powers: Secret Identity (2008). Collects Volume 2, issues 19-24. The president is part of a conspiracy to kill those resistant to the Powers Registration Act. Walker’s secret identity is revealed to Pilgrim.

•Powers: The Twenty-Five Coolest Dead Superheroes of All Time (2009). Collects Volume 2, issues 25-30. Introduces Walker’s new partner, Enki Sunrise. The powers virus spreads through the city. Pilgrim is cured of the powers possessing her and is redeemed.

•Powers: Z (2010). Collects Volume 3, issues 1-6. Detectives Walker and Sunrise investigate the death of Z. Retro Girl and Walker act as partners. Pilgrim reappears as an FBI agent.

Characters

•Christian Walker is an immortal who has been a Cro-Magnon, a barbarian, and a superhero named Diamond, among other identities. He is a detective in the powers homicide division and, secretly, a member of the Millennium Guard.

•Deena Pilgrim is a former member of the powers homicide division and Walker’s previous partner. She had powers for a brief time but was cured, although not before she killed several people. She is a member of the FBI.

•Zora is a former lover of Christian Walker who died while fighting the rogue power Boogie Girl.

•Calista Secor is a young girl at the beginning of the series. Since then, she has grown up and become the second Retro Girl.

•Enki Sunrise is a former Internal Affairs investigator who became Walker’s partner in the powers homicide division. She still harbors suspicions about Pilgrim.

Artistic Style

Powers is primarily a police procedural, with a dialogue style that lends itself to the tight composition of the pages, a different layout design from most superhero comics. The series features numerous close-up images of the characters in a shot/countershot layout, creating the look and feel of a police show in which people interrupt each other in conversation. In addition, pages often go to the edge with no bleed, a design that also minimizes the gutter between panels.

Oeming’s art style looks like that of an animated series, with flat, angular characters and settings; Walker’s face, for example, is almost a square. His characters stand out against the background. As the series has progressed, Oeming’s art has become cleaner, with thinner lines, causing the colors to appear less washed out. Several colorists have worked on the series, and though the palette has remained largely the same, the way in which each colorist uses that palette is slightly different.

The animated style and bright colors of the series may seem to be a bit of a mismatch for a comic that regularly features brutal murders, but in fact it helps to defuse that brutality. It also shows how superheroes would look against the backdrop of the real world. This style interacts well with story elements such as the Powers That Be television program, which turns superheroes into celebrities by placing them under the lens of a fabricated bright and shiny world, in a way that addresses the ludicrous nature of such a worldview.

Themes

The primary themes throughout the series are the struggle of good versus evil and the ambivalent nature of that struggle. Few of the perpetrators whom Walker and Pilgrim deal with are completely evil, and most have reasons for their actions. For example, Pilgrim is a protagonist and a sympathetic character throughout the series, yet she murders several people in cold blood. Instead of being punished, she receives a reward. Another recurring theme is the power of celebrity; superheroes have been elevated to celebrity status by citizens and the media, and as a result, many of them are utterly self-absorbed and ultimately motivated by money. Powers stresses the corruption inherent in the more powerful sectors of society.

The compelling influence of the media on celebrity culture and superheroism is reflected in the television show Powers That Be and in E! Web site mock-ups that follow the characters’ every move. The impetus for the killings in the “Sellouts” arc is the release of a power’s sex tape. Celebrities are both worshiped and vilified in Powers, reflecting the reality of modern society. The series’ primary thematic preoccupations are the influence of the media and how the average person’s perception of heroes differs from the reality; it poses the question, “Why are people interested in those who are more powerful?” Interestingly, in the world of Powers, the powerful people respect authority, and the police are quite often able to deal with them effectively.

Powers also touches on the subtlety of racism. A person with powers lives with a constant undercurrent of tension. Later in the series, a registration act is created to ban powers outright in the wake of terrorist attacks.

Walker’s dissatisfaction with his disempowerment is another repeating theme. It is unclear if this is an analogue for age or for disability, and it is sometimes treated as both. Prior to regaining his powers in the “Cosmic” story line, Walker rarely cracks a smile.

Impact

Powers helped launch the careers of both Bendis and Oeming. Bendis became known for his decompressed style of storytelling, in which much of the action occurs after long stretches of conversation. The book’s success proved that an audience existed for other superhero cross-genre pieces, such as Alias (2001-2004), also written by Bendis. The book X-Statix uses the same art and content mismatch that Powers does, illustrating brutal violence in a bright and cartoony style. Some of the plot elements and motifs employed by Powers would later be echoed in other Marvel products; for example, the idea of a superhero registration act is raised again in the megacrossover Civil War (2006-2007).

Further Reading

Bendis, Brian Michael. Jinx (1996).

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. A.k.a. Goldfish (1994).

Bendis, Brian Michael, and Michael Gaydos. Alias (2001-2004).

Milligan, Peter, and Michael Allred. X-Statix (2002-2004).

Bibliography

Jenkins, Henry. “Best Contemporary Mainstream Superhero Comics Writer: Brian Michael Bendis.” In Beautiful Things in Popular Culture, edited by Alan McKee. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2007.

Oeming, Michael Avon, and Bill Baker. Michael Avon Oeming on His Work and Career. New York: Rosen, 2008.