Leah Williams’ Power Girl was off to a flying start late last year, with an initial arc that pitted the titular hero in a battle against a deadly Kryptonian virus and the program behind it. The series is now kicking off its second arc – following a bridge issue that featured almost entirely animal characters. In Power Girl #6, now available at your local comic shop, Power Girl and Supergirl are investigating a terrifying new drug that has seen many of users disappear.
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The “Ferimbia” arc of Power Girl actually began in issue #5, but Power Girl #6 feels more like a formal start, as Power Girl gets directly involved with the drug at the story’s center. The drug is called Avalon, and it has been a hit with students in Metropolis. While it isn’t addictive, it does cause some users to disappear, potentially being transported to an alternate dimension called Ferimbia. After going undercover at Metropolis University, Power Girl and Supergirl track the drug down to two masked dealers, who have gravity defying powers that help them escape. The two heroes at the center of the story end up recreating the mystical symbol on the side of the dealers’ van, transporting them to Ferimbia, where they are rendered powerless.
This is very much the first issue of a new arc, meaning that it spends a lot of time establishing the players and the new direction. Readers get a little bit of info about the big villain, some context for how the heroes are involved in the story, and quite a lot of exposition. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Williams does an excellent job keeping Power Girl’s story moving at a brisk pace, even when unloading a lot of information onto the reader. The narration and dialogue never get bogged down, despite a lot of ground being covered.
The real strength of Power Girl #6 lies in what it sets up for the rest of the story arc, and that’s good news. There are teases to the villain bringing people to Fermibia, with her sequences featuring a completely different art style than what we see in Metropolis. When Power Girl and Supergirl eventually find their way to the distant dimension, they are absorbed into this much more animated, cartoon-adjacent style.
The switch between those two styles is smooth and, more importantly, meaningful. The brighter colors and glossy textures genuinely transport you to a different world. Everything feels bigger, bolder, and altogether wackier. It’s like an episode of the Justice League animated series being followed up by something out of Hanna-Barbera’s heyday. Both are great on their own, but they make a more formidable one-two punch than you might expect.
Seeing how Power Girl exists in this new world is the enticing hook that sets up the rest of the arc, especially after learning that she has lost her powers. There’s a lot of fun to be had as Power Girl continues, and issue #6 does exactly what it needs to in order to set up that exciting future, even if that means not being terribly exciting in its own right from time to time.
Published by DC Comics
On February 27, 2024
Written by Leah Williams
Art by Marguerite Sauvage
Colors by Marguerite Sauvage
Letters by Becca Carey
Cover by Amy Reeder
