Two-in-One Review: Power Company Don and Randy rack up some billable hours with The Power Company. Don: A few months ago, Kurt Busiek and Tom Grummett introduced comics readers to a different spin on super-heroes one doesn't see often: the heroes for hire of The Power Company. Here, we take another look at the property, thanks to some previews sent to us by title editor Stephen Wacker. Randy: Don and I have been remiss in reviewing The Power Company, partly because the books haven't been included in the First Look program with any regularity... so these black and white, uncorrected photocopies of issues #7 and #8 were a good chance to catch up. The Power Company #7 published by DC Comics written by Kurt Busiek pencilled by Stephen Sadowski inked by Andrew Pepoy letters by Comicraftscheduled for release on Aug.14 Don: Striker Z volunteers for a solo security assignment with a Canadian mining company that's been set upon by a race of underground dwellers who aren't too receptive to the company's drilling and excavation efforts. Despite Striker Z's failure in preventing the theft of gold ore, the attractive director of operations is impressed with what she sees, and she presents him with a new business proposition. It was a pleasure to see Steve Sadowski in action so soon after his stint on JSA came to a close. While I enjoy Tom Grummett's work on this series, Sadowski's more realistic style is in keeping with the more grounded super-heroics that Busiek is trying to explore here. There's a rich amount of detail in his work, I'm curious to see if the colors will maintain that tone or if Alex Sinclair will go with the more traditional bright colors of the genre. Randy: I'm also a fan of Sadowski's work, both here and on JSA, and I thought he did some particularly impressive work with the more human moments between Striker Z and his employer. The colors will definitely make a difference on how this artwork looks in the end, but either way, the artwork does provide strong action, a good sense of place and distinctive characters who play off one another well. Don: Striker Z is really the reader's gateway into the world of the Power Company, because as a rookie who's not entirely sure of what he's doing and what he hopes to get out of this job, it's easy for us to relate to his in-over-his-head disorientation. At his heart, Striker Z is a pure soul, and it makes him an attractive character. Randy: Oddly enough, it was a couple of relatively minor characters in the story who grabbed my attention. Manhunter's smooth and mercenary attitude made him instantly likable to me, as he seems to play the roguish one with the sense of fun, standing up to the noble and boring rest of the team, most clearly personified by Skyrocket. Though I find Skyrocket to be annoying, I think that may be her intended role, to show that maybe pure and noble super-heroics aren't necessarily any more pure than what the Power Company is up to. Don: While the art and characterization are strong, this issue stumbles when it comes to plot. It doesn't take long to figure out where Busiek's headed with this story, but that predictability stems from the plot's archetypical nature. Still, the spotlight on just one member of the title team was a welcome change of pace. This is about Striker Z starting to grow up, and that coming-of-age quality is appealing. Randy: I agree to an extent, but this issue did feel a lot like some of the less-than-stellar The Power Company one-shots that preceded the main book. I was disappointed to find that, seven issues in, the character conflicts about money and the ethical questions of what they're doing hadn't grown much deeper, and the fact that this plot does fit so neatly into the predictable and familiar categories was unfortunate. The Power Company #8 published by DC Comics written by Kurt Busiek pencilled by Tom Grummett inked by Prentis Rollins letters by Comicraftscheduled for release on Sept.11 Don: While Striker Z and Manhunter accompany a biotech firm's precious cargo as part of a cakewalk assignment that proves to be not such an easy time, they attract the attention of another costumed figure with much more experience than them. Meanwhile, Skyrocket, Bork and Sapphire try to track down the Cadre, while Josiah Power discovers that sometimes, a man's home is not his castle. This issue marks the beginning of a new story arc, and it's shaping up to be an interesting one. There's a lot going on in this issue, and it points to a complexity of plot that makes for engaging reading. The way Busiek jumps around and follows different characters in different directions reminds me of Marv Wolfman's work on New Teen Titans in the early 1980s. He juggles plenty of action, intriguing plots and strong characterization adeptly, achieving a nice balance in this issue. Randy: I honestly haven't read that much of New Teen Titans, but I will agree that this book has something of an "early 80s team comic" feel. Plug in your favorite team here, whether it was the Titans, the X-Men, the Avengers, whatever. To some degree, this is disheartening, as I feel that these familiar super-hero plots are getting away from the more interesting questions at the heart of the premise, but I can't deny that the plot in this issue does grab me more effectively than the ones in the first few issues of the series. Don: Grummett handles the diverse characters and the action nicely as well, and provides some solid scene transitions... a key element in a book with so many plots going at once. Randy: I'm surprised that's all you have to say about Grummett's artwork on this one. Grummett has long had a reputation as something of a workhorse artist, solid but not terribly impressive, but this issue allows him to really shine. Some especially flashy action sequences and dramatic happenings of course give him good material to work with, but you've got to credit some of the impressive shots, including Power making a desperate call or the special guest star making his appearance, strictly to the artist's skill. Don: My one qualm with this issue is the use of a "special guest-star" hero. Sure, he's popular right now, and though he seems to have a connection to the continuity of a couple of the characters, I found his appearance to be distracting. In other words, it comes off as gratuitous. Randy: I can't entirely disagree with you that the guest star does seem a bit forced, but it didn't bother me all that much. His frequent tirades against corporations make him an interesting antagonist/complication for the Power Company, and having him in the book is no different than when Wolverine would show up to help boost sales on a mid-80s team book. That remains my main complaint with The Power Company: Though the book is beginning to read like a very good example of a classic team book, the operative word for me there is classic, and I was hoping for something a bit more new and different, more like Busiek's Astro City than his Avengers. Still, for those who will miss Busiek's Avengers, The Power Company is shaping up to be a good substitute. Email Randy and Don comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.