Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl?
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Pencilled by Michael Avon Oeming

I have never killed anyone. The extent of my experience as a homicide investigator stretches to playing the game CLUE a lot. But I do know that the real detective work, with all its ramifications, has to be hard -- even more so when the spotlight is on you after the murder of a celebrity.

Why do I know this? Because I've read the first Powers story-arc, "Who Killed Retro Girl?" The story follows Christian Walker, homicide detective, who gets the "Powers" cases, the ones about or related to super-powers, metahumans, heroes and villains and all things related. He is joined by a brand-new partner just off a SWAT team stint by the name of Deena Pilgrim. As the two are learning to get along and be partners, they must uncover the murderer of Retro Girl, the city's most beloved champion. And it's going to be no mean task.

The story approaches the subject matter in a very straight crime-noir fashion, and the superheroes just happen to be a part of it. Throughout the plot, they are pretty much treated as celebrity-status personalities. Tri-monikered writer Brian Michael Bendis could just as easily rename the book Stars, and it would all still work very well. There's a terrifically naturalistic mood and an air of reality to all the police procedures; a heavy amount of research has gone into this, as evidenced by the layered account of the detailed workings of a celebrity homicide investigation. We get constant TV News coverage to hammer home the impact of a super-celebrity's murder on regular people.

In the midst of the book's moodily magnificent setting, Bendis' gift for dialogue really allows the characters to shine. The people here are instilled with great life, particularly the starring duo of Walker and Pilgrim. The dialogue could, in fact, be compared to that of West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, minus the preachy parts and the cornball music that comes with it. Bendis writes a tale that is not only about celebrities and the accompanying murder investigation, but one that is about two people becoming partners, even though they must plow through their differences first.

The art is provided by Michael Avon Oeming, and while his animation-inspired style isn't what one would first consider for a crime book, it works very well and plays a huge part of setting the mood. Collaborating with Bendis for the lay-outs, Oeming's Powers pages have some of the most distinctive and complex panel structure (as many as sixteen per page) around, but they always remain coherent and clear for the sake of storytelling.

For fans of bonuses, this new trade paperback edition is the equivalent of a DVD packed with extras. Amounting to 240 pages, one hundred of these are sketches, preview strips and even a full comic script for fans who want a more insightful look behind the scenes of comic book production.

This Powers trade paperback possesses a truly engaging story and has multilayered, animated art. It's something sure to thrill fans of comic crime fiction, as well as those seeking a superhero fix.

-- Yannick Belzil

Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl?, published by Image Comics, is currently available only through comic retailers.

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