The Ettatorial for the Week of 5-30-12

It was the smallest possible week of books this week (just one) after the deluge of the past couple of weeks.  And while I only got the one, I think I’ll focus on that instead of debating which trade paperback to recommend from the vast stack of books I’ve been diligently working through.

Your pick this week is Powers #10.  While news of the series changing it’s title to Powers FBI after the next issue has hit, this issue proves that the series still has the stuff to be as well-done as the day it was launched.  The thing that initially made Powers so interesting (at least to me) was the police procedural aspect that took the superhuman aspect into account as well.  And while the characters of Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim were the true stars of the show, and their characters grew and developed, the use of the police procedural background bits usually made for the best issues.  That’s something that fell away a bit as time rolled on, which was only natural for any creative team to want to make their book about whatever they felt at a given time.  The book had some interesting bits during this time, but I hoped they would get back to what made me pick the book up in the first place.  This current arc has gotten back to that formula, and this issue in particular reminded me very much of the series’ glory days.  The investigation of what killed a group of gods leads to a very gruesome discovery, all told with Bendis’ trademark dialogue, and it’s this back-and-forth between everyone that makes the issue hum.  Without giving away any details, and keeping in mind this is a book for mature readers, the killer and his/her motivation for the killings is definitely a stomach turner in the best possible manner, and leads to some interesting moral questions, not to mention a dramatic outcome.  I really was glad to see how much I enjoyed this issue after I read it, as getting that feeling of reading something so good you want to read more just like the first time you read it is and can be a rare feeling.  This issue gave me that, and I really look forward to more.

There you have it folks, your pick for this week.  I’ll see you back here next week, same time, same channel.