Powers is almost two years old now, and while I know in general what to expect from the book, Bendis and Oeming continue to surprise and impress me with their stories. There are elements of the cases that are repetitive, but generally that seems to be on purpose, so that we see the monotony that comes between action in police work, and it also lulls the reader into a comfort zone so that the sudden violence is more effective. I'm also quite interested in this new plot, which recalls the first story arc but also seems to be moving the overall story forward, as well as providing the trademark humor and dialogue that Bendis is known for.
The basic style of Powers is well established, but I still find it entertaining in every issue. The montage of head shots and reactions as the detectives case the area is a great device to indicate the tedious footwork involved in finding leads, and Bendis really captures the personality of the woman who finally helps the characters out. While she does give them useful information, she's doing it for herself and she's completely wrapped up in her own stuff, which makes her a more real character and helps to build that illusion of reality for readers.
There are a lot of interesting plot and character twists in this issue, as we see a bit more of how the cops view the super-heroes or get a look at the many and varied "man on the street" reactions. The overall story seems to be moving more in the direction of exploring the potential problems of humans and superhumans co-existing, but viewed from the perspective of humans more than the heroes, which is an interesting twist.
I also loved seeing a familiar thorn in the side of the detectives making a return appearance this issue, and seeing Deena interact with him was a lot of fun. In fact, it's a good indicator of the big change in this arc so far, which has seen Deena transformed from the rookie on the Powers beat to the lead detective. She always had a personality that marked her as a not typical newbie, but seeing her take the lead just really fits her personality. Her new partner, Argento, even gets a little development this issue as we learn that whatever else he is, he's a good shot.
As always, the visual style of the book is as important as the distinctive dialogue, and Oeming and Pantazis deliver the quality performance I've come to expect of both of them. The use of white (or black, as the case may be) space to highlight the action, whether it's in the newsroom confrontation or the aftermath of the brief car chase, is fantastic, and I love that Oeming can maintain a feeling of awe and power for the superheroes without losing the street level feel that the book has cultivated.
