Broken Frontier

As the hunt for a Powers-killer ends, Walker considers a new love, while Pilgrim considers ending her misery.

Last issue, Detective Christian Walker inherited and accepted Earth’s post as one of the Millennium Guard. The previous owner of that title was murdered horrifically in broad daylight in front of his quiet suburban home. A neighbor was the only witness to the crime, but federal investigators hadn’t been able to get a positive identification of the perpetrator. Enter her knight in shining armor, Detective Walker, a man that knows how to get results without being overbearing.

Throughout this arc, the main story has been told as sort of an intermission to the confessions and rants of no-name individuals standing on a club stage and cutting loose with whatever it is about the world that they like, hate, don’t understand or are generally indifferent towards. And though they have had little to do with the main story (until this issue’s confession), these "acts" have been as entertaining if not more so as the central plot. While the on-stage characters in previous issues were typically loud and angry, the character that takes the stage this issue is just there to get something off her chest. It’s the woman that witnessed the murder that the Powers team is investigating, and it’s taken a lot out of her…though it ended up giving her exactly what she needed. I focused this review on the Cinderella Club performances not because the murder case turned out badly (though Bendis has used this kind of mystery resolution before and it wasn’t all that impressive then), but because we now get to see why the performances were there all along and that this particular issue’s performance will have future implications.

One thing that did come out of the investigation of the murder and finding the man that committed the crime was that we eventually get to see just how low Deena Pilgrim has sunk psychologically speaking. The actions of her recent past have clearly changed her, and now she has no idea where to turn or if she can ever redeem herself after the horrible things that she’s done. Hopefully, this will be something that the next arc delves into and possibly clears up for readers.

I suspect the lateness of this issue is due chiefly to Oeming’s expansion of duties in the realm of writing. That doesn’t matter as this book still carries the same quality look as it has since day one. Oeming and Pantazis keep this issue visually dark, which suits the majority of the scripts moodier scenes and settings.

Powers continues to be one of those books that keeps readers on their toes. Even when the big reveal falls a little flat, as in this arc, there is always something that spins the overall story into a completely fresh direction.