If The Power Fantasy has proven anything over its run, it’s that in this world, victory isn’t won by fighting, it’s won by not fighting. Issues #9 and #10 reaffirmed that for readers, and now #11 raises the stakes: this time, they never promised you they wouldn’t kill. I’ll say no more, but it very much seems like the cold war of it all just got a lot hotter.
The Power Fantasy #11 opens with a handy guide concerning who Etienne can affect with his mind powers. Three categories reveal who can be outright controlled, read, or simply spoken to. It’s a handy guide and a nice reminder as we enter a story where a kind of heist will be undertaken. Leading this “heist” is Dev and Eliza, and it’s so high stakes, with a target assassination in mind, you’ll be on the edge of your seat for most of the issue.
The sequential story opens in Melbourne in 1999. Etienne is enjoying a coffee in an empty soccer arena, where Valentina meets him with a birthday present. A convening of the superes will take place soon, but before they do, the story cuts to three days earlier, where Dev and Valentina convene.
Everything is fine…right?
Credit: Image
This issue is well plotted, cutting between scenes 3 days prior to 1999 as a plan is figured out, and eventually will be hatched. The dark visuals by Caspar Wijngaard in the past juxtapose well with the brightly lit soccer stadium. The heroes in 1999 have no idea what is about to happen, but we do, making for a delicious level of anticipation. All the tension builds nicely to a satisfying, albeit shocking, moment. If you’ve enjoyed this series and dropped off, now might be the right time to jump back on.
As far as the cliffhanger, readers don’t get a rest from the tension. One can imagine things are going to get very bad going forward.
My only gripe is that the conversation between Dev and Eliza can feel a bit slow and tedious. Maybe it’s because they don’t have much to do, and it’s drawn in mid to close-up shots.
The art continues to be striking, with Wijngaard’s color choices and textures adding to the mood and tone. Splatters and streaks of white in the Dev/Eliza scene are eye-catching in a punk rock kind of way. Meanwhile, the scenes in the soccer stadium are colored warmly with less going on and more white space. The double-page splash shocker is excellent, making me pine for Wijngaard to draw an X-Men book.
The Power Fantasy #11 delivers a tense, tightly constructed chapter that raises the stakes for the series in a big way, pairing high-wire plotting with Caspar Wijngaard’s masterful visual contrasts. Even with a few slower conversational beats, the payoff is more than worth it.
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