I've read a 'Power Girl' comic before from my local library. While I really liked the superheroine herself, what I mostly got was a character who was brought back from the old and destroyed DC universe of Earth-2 after the whole 'Infinite Crisis' event, and who keeps being left to writers who have no idea what to do with her. Origin changes and sticking-ideas-to-walls-and-seeing-what-falls aplenty. I was frustrated, unimpressed.
But I saw potential in Power Girl, which was why I picked up 'A New Beginning', an appropriate and much-needed title for someone who's suffered as many retcons as her.
As promised, the comic is fun, fresh and simple. It's what a superhero comic like this one should be. The artwork compliments the storylines with its lovable and colourful cartoony style.
Power Girl - aka Karen Starr - is as I remember her: brash, headstrong, funny, sarcastic, genre-savvy, and smarter than she lets on; even though she prefers to use her fists in any crime-fighting situation. Possessing super strength, speed, flight, laser eyes, and ice breath, PG is a competent hero who takes crap from no one, yet is very much human despite being Kryptonian.
It's because of this that I can overlook her (in)famous chest-window; she shows how her personality and heart are much bigger than her cleavage. Power Girl has an identity separate from Superman, which is great, and is one of the reasons why I prefer her to Supergirl. PG does not exist as a sexy Supes to be ogled at; she isn't super skinny like so many superheroines either. Atta woman!
Her civilian identity, Karen Starr, is the CEO of an environmentally-friendly science and engineering company, StarrWare Labs, which she's working to get up off the ground. That's right - she's an independent head of a succeeding billion-dollar company. The female boss of a high power workplace! Power Girl definitely has soaring ambitions and wishes to save the world in all manner of ways; she's doing extraordinarily well for a fresh start in New York. She's in fact very common sense-driven and friendly - grateful to others, including civilians, when they help her.
While Power Girl still isn't a fan of the press, she appreciates that a lot of people like her, though a lot of it is due to her bust. She's gotten used to men staring at her chest, and jokes about how it offers a distraction to keep the bad guys underestimating her. So long as no one outright objectifies her and make sexist comments, or else she'll make clever responses that aren't all violent.
Her sidekick is Terra, aka Atlee, and they make a great girlfriend duo. They save New York City, and go see cheesy movies together. We don't really get much info on Terra in this volume, but that doesn't matter since Power Girl and her adventures are the focus. I like how the book is self-aware on the secret identity angle, and has Terra make fun of Karen only hiding her superhero identity by dressing in smart clothes and wearing her hair up. She doesn't even put on glasses like Clark Kent. PG owns a cat, too, and collects snow globes.
Best of all, there's no love interest! Ha!
Power Girl faces up against all sorts of craziness. Like Ultra-Humanite, a human brain in a gorilla body who captures the whole of Manhattan and wants to transfer his brain to Power Girl's Kryptonian body. She then fights the Elven Sorceress, and space party princesses. There is also a sexy man-slave android from outta space - the randomness is what makes for a fun comic book.
The ending to the volume is a little abrupt, and not everything is resolved - with Karen mentioning how complicated her new life is becoming. Not all content in 'A New Beginning' is light-hearted, silly and kid-friendly - it contains instances of suicide, murder, shootings, and a couple of references to 9/11, but nothing explicitly gory.
That's just about it. 'Power Girl, Vol. 1: A New Beginning' has no deep meaning, except for female empowerment. It is just what Power Girl needed, but it's not meant to be taken too seriously. The comic mainly aims for its reader to have a fun time; like at an amusement park (one is featured in this) with a superheroine who has a strong personality and ambitions of her own.
Final Score: 4/5
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