“You’re selfish. You’ve always been selfish! A ticking time bomb!”
Last issue of Power Girl saw Paige taking a trip across the realms to Asgard, where she realized that the guy she was on a date with in the issue before that was basically the Asgardian Indiana Jones; a vision through one of his artifacts brought her attention to Lilith Clay, her roommate, alone and in a state of distress. This issue is an Omen solo adventure detailing what led to the moment Paige saw, finally giving us a glimpse into the tortured mind of Power Girl’s quirky girl best friend that the series has sorely needed, and while it has some minor drags it does not disappoint.
An issue focused on the former Titan, Lilith Clay, was no surprise as Leah Williams had been slowly putting more and more of a heavier focus on the character since her and Marguerite Sauvage’s Power Girl backup stories in Action Comics. However, what is a surprise is how Williams uses this issue to lay the groundwork for the series moving forward much like the fifth issue, which planted the seeds for the Journey Into Ferimbia two-parter. Unlike that arc, we’re greeted with the introduction of a new villain Ejecta, who reflects the aesthetic and pre-cognitive prowess of a Naltorian, the species of the Legion of Super-Heroes’ own Dream Girl. Williams has frequently channeled Keith Giffen’s style of humor and this was no exception as issue #13’s script is riddled with camp-oriented comedy.
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Williams approaches the story as a dissection of Omen’s character which both aids and complicates the story. It opens up questions on Power Girl and Axel’s presence in the book after the previous installment, or the latter’s lack thereof since there is no resolution to the previous issue’s date. The focus also somewhat complicates Steel’s presence as we see the aftermath of Paige and Axel’s disastrous date on Earth before they disappeared off to Asgard as Natasha Irons and Lilith venture off to Perry White’s political rally. What does help Natasha’s presence in this story work is the lore-building presented to readers about Perry White and his stance against Blue Earth, the terrorist organization introduced back in Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Rafa Sandoval’s Action Comics. It is a solid issue for Omen’s characterization as we see personality callbacks more in line with her days as a Titan that injects intrigue into her current status as a Power Girl co-star.
Williams leans into showing Omen’s dependency on the titular heroine and in doing so incidentally flirts with the idea that the two are more romantically compatible than Paige is with Axel, a character that has no presence in the story aside from a passing mention despite being on Yanick Paquette’s cover. Since the beginning of her run, Williams has shown that these two characters share a strong bond as Lillith and Paige live in a borderline domestic environment and have this need to be together, but this issue tests that as Lillith feels lost without Paige which is reflected in her emotionally weighted confrontation with Ejecta. Whether intentional or not, there is a strong romantic undertone between these two characters and it only keeps growing more apparent with every arc.
All of this is uplifted by Adriana Melo’s art who leans on her usual girl aesthetic with an added dash of bittersweet sorrow in each and every panel. Melo’s Omen wanders throughout the story as someone who is lost and looking for someone to help her feel safe and comforted, and Melo succeeds at conveying just that. Melo also knows the right moments to lean into the more campy elements of Williams’ script as we see a lot of visual gags in the art whether it’s Streaky’s mental scape or Natasha’s charmingly awkward demeanor.
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Additionally, Melo’s art is greatly uplifted thanks to Romulo Farjardo Jr’s coloring, which adds to the overtly present girly aesthetic of the book. These two are a delightful art duo for the book and help continue the thematically resonant hyper-femme demeanor the book has carried since Power Girl was reinvented for this series. Sauvage left an impact on the character as more hyper-femme due to her fashion-focused art style and as a counter to Bilquis Evely’s regal style in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Melo and Farjardo Jr continue that atmosphere and find a fitting balance.
In Power Girl #13, the creative team flips the script on the dynamic between Paige and Lilith, since up to now it has been the latter consoling the former. There is a vulnerability to this issue that makes it stand out among previous entries, furthering the intrigue of both Paige’s love life and the shared bond between her and her telepathically linked roomie. Ending on a somber note wraps everything up perfectly before we get back to next month’s regularly scheduled programming, but this issue was a much needed sidebar before we get back to the action.
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