So this is it... the big answers. This story arc has revealed the surprisingly long backstory of Christian Walker, and at the same time it has told the history of superpowers in the Powers world and, with this issue, we finally see how Christian went from superhero Diamond to regular cop Christian Walker. While the answers are really interesting, and the transition comes in the form of a really fun scene that goes all the way to the back cover of the book, the coolest part of this issue is that it's really an issue long fight, a big violent smackdown that reads like what might have happened if '80s comics hadn't been beholden to the Code. Oeming and Pantazis go to town on these scenes, and Bendis's unrestrained dialogue (okay, that's code for using the word "fuck" a lot) is almost funny and yet also really gets across the high emotion content of these fights.
While I don't think you can say that Oeming gets no recognition for Powers, it's definitely true that when you mention the title the first thing that people think of is Bendis's writing. However, it is absolutely true that this book wouldn't work as well without Oeming on artwork. He does some absolutely beautiful and yet readable chaos in the first few pages of this book, showing the pandemonium of a superhero/supervillain war. It makes for fun reading for anyone, but it's especially cool for those of us who have seen the older versions of these characters, notably Johnny Royale and the superhero version of Diamond.
What's really cool is that Bendis and Oeming segue so smoothly between all-out superbrawl and into a more personal, but no less violent, battle. The fight that comes this issue is the conclusion of a long-running element of this story, and the revelation of why Walker has lost so much throughout time is just brutally harsh. There's so much anger and justifiable rage on the page during these sequences, and the reader is so invested in it, that there's a real sense of satisfaction when Walker gets the upper hand. What impresses me most is that this key sequence is noted not by dialogue, not even by art, but by a change in color, illustrating that not only are Bendis and Oeming key to this book, so is colorist Peter Pantazis.
The revelations about Walker's loss of power, and the change in relationships as a result, are logical and somewhat predictable, but at the same time I didn't really see it coming more than one or two pages ahead. Bendis may have had all this stuff set down in his mind when he started writing the story, and if he didn't, there's no way I could ever guess that. It all flows logically from what we know and I have a feeling that when this story arc ends, I'm going to want to go back and read the whole series and see how it all comes together.
Powers is one of the best examples of a creative team working together in perfect harmony. Everything, from Oeming's inspired homage covers (love the Nagel type image as a symbol of the '80s) to the last page this issue that serves as an important transition for Walker, is just perfect. I can't wait for the final issue of volume one, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the team revitalize the book with a new volume two.
