Power Girl #20 // Review
Paige and Axel are hanging out on a floating rock somewhere high above Asgard. She’s talking about the universe. It’s a place she’s pretty well aware of on a level that would probably fascinate most astrophysicists...even in the DC Universe. (Paige is from another planet.) Right now Axel isn’t interested in that, though. He’s a lot more interested in her. And she’s telling him not to tell her he loves her. Things can only get more complicated in Power Girl #20. Writer Leah Williams continues a fun exploration into the current life of a girl from Krypton with artist David Baldeón. Color comes to the page courtesy of Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Paige and Axel are sharing a moment. And they’re both definitely falling in love somewhere over Asgard. And it’s going to be complicated for them, but it’s going to get a hell of a lot mroe complicated as things progress. Some time later, people in Paige’s extended orbit are getting settled-in at The Star. And Paige shows-up. Only it isn’t Paige. It’s someone who looks like her though. Something peculiar about her, though. Maybe it’s the way that she’s looking around. Or maybe it’s the large mess of a cybernetic mass that seems to be her left arm. That might be a clue that it’s something a hell of a lot more sinister than Power Girl.
Williams plays rather deftly with an extended ensemble. Every personality in Paige’s family seems to have a very specific and very appealing personality. There’s a distinctly interesting social dynamic that finds Paige’s previous alter ego being mimicked by a shape shifter. The distinctly complex dramatic tensino that is introduced by that conflict feels compelling and engaging. It’s a fun combination of different elements. Once again, Williams’ talent with socially-based superhero drama feels particularly swift.
The intricate interplay between fantastic power and earthbound human emotion is brought to the page with clever intensity by Baldeón. Emotion IS amplified on the face of everyone invovled, but not to a ridiculous intensity. The emotional reality of what’s hitting the page feels natural and believable even when the fantastic elements of everything threaten to overwhelm natural human emotion. Baldeón does a particuarly clever job with the opening bit of romance between Paige and Axel. It can be difficult to bring nuanced romantic connection to the comics page. Baldeón holds a very delicate moment between two people hovering on a rock over Asgard. It’s strikingly well-executed.
It’s too bad that the series has to come to an end. It feels like Williams was heading in a direction that could have developed int something if she had been given the chance to explore Paige’s extended world a bit more. As it was, things didn’t quite come together quickly enough to feel consistent. Had there been a bit more direct momentum with the title character maybe it would have had a bit more of an appeal. Power Girl continues to bee a very appealing character though all of the changes she’s been through over the decades. Hopefully she’ll find the spotlight again soon.
