The debut issue of Powers 25 did the impossible: not only did it reunite the original creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, but it also managed to deliver a story that appeals to both newcomers and longtime fans of the original Powers series. That’s a tall order, but an even taller one is following up with a second issue that’s as good or better. Thankfully, Powers 25 #2 more than lives up to expectations.
Powers 25 #2 immediately picks up where the first issue left off, as newly minted Powers Detective Kutter has found a badge belonging to Captain Deena Pilgrim. Said badge was apparently used as a part of the pot in a gambling game before things went south and led to a man literally getting a hole punched in his face. But since this is a world of superheroes and supervillains, a simple murder case is nothing like it seems.
Bendis’ signature wit is on full display throughout Powers 25 #2; there’s a full monologue about how many badges Deena has lost. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot. Bendis also starts crafting an intriguing mystery that shows just how terrifying superpowers would be in the real world. What happens when a simple wound transforms into a portal to another dimension? Or if you get caught in the middle of a battle between superpowered forces? Add in hints about Kutter’s past, and you have a recipe for a compelling tale.
Dark Horse
Oeming also deserves credit for how he continues to balance the fantastic and the mundane. A moment that sticks out comes in the opening pages, where a strange creature is being hauled away as Kutter and Pilgrim discuss the poker murder. This being is hard to describe – it looks humanoid, yet also resembles a pile of walking rocks covered in a semi-transparent shield. Wilder still is when Kutter goes to visit the Grand, an A-list superteam; their headquarters is a stack of floating, semi-sentient cubes that defy description, especially when Nick Filardi bathes them in otherworldly light.
Powers 25 also introduces a new partner for Kutter in the form of Moebius Moon, which is simultaneously one of the most on-the-nose, yet amazing names I’ve heard in a superhero comic. Sadly, readers are going to have to wait until the next issue to meet Detective Moon, since he literally appears in the last page of the comic. But I will say, he makes a hell of an entrance.
The true end of the comic delves into the creative process behind Powers, with Bendis outlining just how the original series came to life, and how he met Oeming. From what Bendis calls “a bad first draft of an idea” to the resounding success that led to 25 years of Powers, all the details are laid out. And those details are just as fascinating as the comic itself.
Powers 25 #2 continues the forward momentum of its debut issue, both in terms of story and world building. Once again, Bendis and Oeming are crafting something truly unique in the superhero space, which is no easy feat.
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