Dynamic Duo
After four issues, Power Girl has me smitten. I assure you it has nothing to do with her rather *ahem*... ample assets (to which I assure you, the title of this review has nothing to do with but rather is referring to a plot development in this issue. TRUST ME), but rather that her book continually manages to walk the line between being comedic, action-oriented, light and frothy, dark and gritty, girly, and manly. It might seem like this means Power Girl has a bit of an identity issue and while it's true the story could use a more laser-guided focus, that doesn't stop it from being a series worth checking out. Issue 16 only exemplifies that fact.
Enough Entendre
For those not in the loop, the new Power Girl story arc (written by Judd Winick and penciled by Sami Basri) has Karen's company going bankrupt, the result of an inside embezzling scheme. So, not only is Power Girl still fighting shadowy and super-powered villains and dealing with the return of Maxwell Lord (whom the first issue shows she no longer remembers due to sinister means), but she's also having to deal with the impending death of the company she worked so hard to get off the ground. To top it all off, her friend and former employee, Nicholas Cho, has discovered that she's Power Girl. The issue deals with most of these sub-plots, including Karen discovering what happened to Donna, the woman whom she trusted with her company's money and supposedly stole it, as well as a resolution to Nicco's little discovery. It's all handled with an efficient grace and tact by writer Judd Winick. Nobody can ever accuse Winick of over-writing, and he really does interaction between people really well. He mixes in humor, but doesn't force it, and gets plot points across without seeming like he's writing for the benefit of the audience. The problem is that he sometimes doesn't seem to know when to let the pictures tell the story in terms of super-hero fights. Some of his banter is just... eh, and while I did really like Karen's humorous quips about constantly getting her ass kicked (which has been happening an awful lot lately, which she points out), I could have done without some of the talking during fights.
Art Shines Again
What I could do with a lot MORE of, however, is Sami Basri's art. I'd describe it as being "soft" and expressive, as opposed to some artists that quite frankly have a style that's a bit harsh to look at. His faces look great, and he draws each scene dynamically, whether it's supers duking it out or it's just two people arguing. Also, although it shouldn't surprise those following the story, the cover is actually an actual thing that happens in this issue, and it's even more starkly grim in the book than it is on the cover, and it shows Basri's versatility to draw both light and comedic happenings as well as... not so comedic events. It's all punctuated once again by the bright and vibrant colors of Sunny Gho.You Could Do a lot Worse
Overall, Power Girl has just been an extremely solid series so far and #16 is just more evidence to that. If you're not necessarily pre-disposed to liking PG, the great writing and art may be enough to draw you in. I can't say it's the BEST series out there right now, but it definitely is worth a look if you're at least a tad interested in Karen Starr and her continuing adventures.Power Girl #16 gets 4 stars out of 5.
