Let me preface this by saying that I’m a Bendis fan. I greatly enjoyed his Ultimate Spiderman, Daredevil, Alias/The Pulse… I need to catch up on his other works. That’s why I currently have this beautiful Powers, Vol. 1 hardcover. Underneath the glossy book sleeve lies a sleek black book, debossed in red with the title, creators’ names and striking images of the two main characters both on the front and spine. Open the book to find glossy, high-quality pages… This book is a physical delight to read…a texture aficionado’s dream.

Inside is a collection of issues 1-11 of the first volume of the comic series Powers, which takes place in a world where people with superpowers are unique, but certainly not uncommon. The comic focuses on two detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who specialize in cases involving “Powers” or people with superpowers. The hardcover includes two story arcs (Who Killed Retro Girl? and Roleplay), a oneshot (Ride Along) and a plethora of supplementary material (interviews, full script of the first issue, coloring/activity book reprint, original covers, sketchbooks, etc). In terms of packaging and material, this trade is a must-have for the Powers and/or Bendis fan.

Plot-wise, I believe that Who Killed Retro Girl? works extremely well, both with its grit, character development, humor and plot. I laughed out loud numerous times. The kitchy one-shot Ride Along features Warren Ellis and is rather funny though the ending comes off as a cop-out. Roleplay, however, doesn’t work quite as well. Some melodramatic moments with a plot that is not as tight as it could be and where did the humor go? Oeming’s art works incredibly well during some parts in terms of angles and layout, though character renditions are inconsistent and not as precise as they could be.