JSA Classified #2

“Powertrip” 2 of 4

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Amanda Conner
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colorist: Paul Mounts

Something’s wrong with the Justice Society’s strongest member, Power Girl. Her powers are acting crazy. She keeps fighting people who aren’t there. And what’s more, she has no idea where she really came from. Power Girl is one of the many DC characters who has a convoluted past with more that a few variations on her origin. Is she Superman’s cousin Kara, the only other survivor from the doomed planet of Krypton? No. Is she the granddaughter of an ancient Atlantean sorcerer known as Arion? Apparently not. And now, with the arrival of the real Kara, the new Supergirl, Power Girl is more confused and lost than ever.

In this issue Power Girl broods over her muddled memories and unexplained power fluctuations while she waits on the roof of the Daily Planet for a chance to talk things over with Superman. That’s when three members of the Legion of Superheroes (DC’s teen super-team from the 31st century) arrive offering yet another explanation of Power Girl’s mysterious origins. Is it for real this time? And just who is the mystery man who is plotting against Power Girl?

This is the kind of story that writer Geoff Johns excels at - the reinterpretation of a character by stripping that character of all excess baggage to expose the core. After successfully fixing Hawkman, a character with one of the most confusing and complex histories in comics, I’m interested to see what he comes up with for Power Girl. And don’t forget about the art by Amanda Conner, whose lighthearted and slightly cartoony style is perfect for this story.

If none of that stuff does it for you, or you just aren’t that interested in Power Girl, you might be interested to know that this storyline from JSA Classified is supposed to tie into the upcoming Infinite Crisis mini-series. And one look at the cover to the second issue of the Infinite Crisis series reveals that Power Girl will most likely be playing a pretty prominent role in that story.
 

Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.

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