#leahwilliams

About two and a half years ago with the end of the Lazarus Planet event, Leah Williams began writing Power Girl. First in Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton #1 and then as a short series of back ups in Action Comics beginning with issue #1051.  Williams completed that first story arc in the Power Girl Special #1 which came out just about two years ago and then despite the dubious quality and Williams' disconnected take on the character, Power Girl graduated into a new ongoing solo series.  Clearly this was part of the plan all along, I don't think anyone was clamoring for more of Williams' destruction of the character.  

Power Girl #20 to JSA #7 This solo series ended quite recently with issue #20.  Not much more can be said about the series itself or the damage Williams' has done to the character.  However, Power Girl shows up in Jeff Lemire's JSA #7 at the funeral of Ted (Wildcat) Grant.  You'll recall that Geoff Johns was penning a Justice Society of America series concurrent with Williams' Power Girl.  In that series, Power Girl was still Karen Starr, and she had her traditional personality.  Johns seemed to purposely ignore what Williams was doing or perhaps he wasn't even aware of it, despite the fact that PG appeared in her new costume introduced in Williams' run.  

Power Girl's appearance in JSA #7 is an opportunity to see how Jeff Lemire and DC Comics will handle the character post- Williams' Power Girl series.  She doesn't get a lot of page time in the issue, but she does have an interaction with Yolanda (Wildcat) Montez.  Lemire has already shown Power Girl in a flashback of Justice Society history in JSA #1, so we know that Lemire was aware of her history with the team and presumably her characterization.  

One would have hoped that Lemire would just ignore Williams' Power Girl or just write around any references.  He could easily have kept PG's personality and wrote her in a traditional manner as Geoff Johns had done.  However, Lemire has Yolanda call Power Girl, "Paige."  Williams had created a nonsensical reason for Power Girl to get rid of the name "Karen Starr" and allow Jon Kent (whom she barely knows) name her "Paige."  She later added the surname "Stetler."  Changing a name indicates a significant change that distances the character from the events that the character experienced under that name.  In this case, Williams is saying that the events that occurred in Power Girl's life while she was "Karen Starr" no longer matter, that she doesn't have a connection to that part of life.  For the record, that life was everything before Flashpoint.  That's her original life on Earth-Two when she first appeared and joined the Justice Society, her time as a founding member of Infinity, Inc., her post-Crisis life on the main DC earth when she thought she was a descendant of Arion of Atlantis and the revelation she was in fact who she always thought she was, the dimensionally displaced Kara Zor-L, cousin of Superman of Earth-Two during the Infinite Crisis event.  This includes her time as a technology entrepreneur which had been a consistent aspect of her character since her first solo story running through Showcase #97-99.

Which Power Girl Is This? One my believe that Williams intended this to be a new Power Girl, a different Power Girl or even the New 52 Power Girl.  However, Williams references specific incidents that it mean it can only be the original Earth-Two Power Girl.  Furthermore, the idea is validated by a blog post on the official DC website, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Power Girl (But Were Afraid to Ask)."  It goes to great lengths to reinforce that this is the original Power Girl from the original pre-Crisis Earth-Two and that it is specifically not the New 52 version of the character.  So, for Williams, whether it makes sense or not, this is the original character.

The Crux of the Matter There are times when characters and series can go in new directions with a story.  But, it can't be done without getting a character from Point A to Point B first.  Batman just can't suddenly start killing people without a story.  Superman can't start working as a bartender without a story to get him there.  Power Girl can't suddenly have insecurities and a 180 degree personality swing without a story.  But, that's what Leah Williams' Power Girl does.  Simply put, her past as asserted by DC and even Williams herself to some degree is incongruous with the character that Williams writes.

If she's got the history with the Justice Society there's no reason she'd feel lonely and unconnected.  If she's had the career as a Tech Entrepreneur then she wouldn't be unfamiliar with living on Earth as a human- she wouldn't be portrayed as new to Earth and Earth customs.  She can't have these emotional issues if she's had the past she's been shown to have in her appearances over the past nearly 50 years.  Quite simply, if you accept Williams' Power Girl, her appearance in JSA #7 is impossible.  The Power Girl she writes would not have been in the JSA, known Ted Grant and Yolanda Montez and developed friendships and found a home among the team.  And, conversely if she's had this past with the team, she wouldn't have the emotional struggles that Williams has grafted onto her character.  The two things simply don't connect.  She can't simultaneously move on from her past changing her name and at the same time continue to associate with those relationships she's claimed to have moved beyond.  "Paige" can't be both a new identity and existence AND a character with a long history and storied past and deep relationships at the same time.  She can't have "Paige Stetler's" personality and emotional distress, but rely on "Karen Starr's" history and relationships.  It's one or the other. 

Going forward, that's the problem.  Williams' Power Girl just doesn't make sense in the the context of her past with the JSA.  With Yolanda calling her "Paige" it becomes disturbingly clear just how out of place Williams' Power Girl is.  If DC continues to refer to her as "Paige" and utilize Williams' series as canon, her appearances elsewhere will continue to be awkward and contradictory to her past.  DC can't see this, but it's about all Power Girl fans can see.

Review: Power Girl #17

Writer: Leah Williams Art: David Baldeon Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. Letters: Becca Carey Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd     Summary Power Girl and friends finish renovating the Daily Star building and subsequently raise the ire of the Void of Three.  Somehow...they end up with a dinosaur. Positives Every few issues of this series, something happens that gives Power Girl fans hope that DC Comics and/ or Leah Williams is listening to the criticism and are about to instigate a massive change to get the character back on track.  A few issues ago it seemed like Lilith was about to be exposed for manipulating PG.  Last issue, Karen Starr was mentioned.  Power Girl #17 seems PG don a costume that is more in keeping with her traditional look.  Gone is the jacket and accompanying "S" symbol, replaced by a version of her classic cape.  It showed up back on the cover of issue #13, but it makes its interior appearance in this issue and appears that it's going to be her new/ old look.

This Void of Three seems to appear out of nowhere, but the editor's note tells us that PG fought one of them in issue #13.  They seem like they could be a decent challenge for Power Girl.  They seem to have an elemental quality to their look and power sets.  When the dinosaur shows up it recalls Power Girl #22-23 from her previous ongoing series.  It could be fun... Negatives ...or it could just be fodder for the awful sense of humor that permeates this series.  We get that again in Power Girl #17 when Williams has PG tell Natasha Irons that Omen says the dumbest things all the time.  We get an example and it's completely nonsensical.  There is a complete lack of humor in the scene and it makes me feel bad for everyone involved...cringe.

When PG tells Natasha that Axel asked PG to wear her new/ old costume when she stumble across it when they were packing and moving to their new building, Natasha tries to explain that she thought Axel meant that for sex.  PG doesn't seem to get it and it's not funny.  It doesn't land.  Maybe it's funny for a teenager.  I don't know.  Williams continues to try and write PG like she doesn't understand common parlance or understand common social interactions, but she's not done any work to demonstrate why Power Girl would be this way.  Williams has touched on it briefly, but there's not story there, or anything that makes it feel real.  Which in turn leads to a missed opportunity from last issue.

Negatives Cont'd We got the mention of Karen Starr last issue, that she's a millionaire.  It's insinuated that PG has somehow gotten this money.  She's somehow claimed the money from her "former" identity.  There's two issues to deal with now.  First, if PG is some ingenue who doesn't understand common phrases etc., how did she have a life in which she was a millionaire?  How is she able to get the money? Secondly, why not follow up on this and make the connections to Power Girl's past and why she's in the situation she's in now.  From the beginning of Williams' work on the character this has never been made clear.  It's a huge gap.  There's just a massive lack of effort to make it connect and in turn give the sense that anything deeper is going on.  It's all just superficial.  There's no attempt to put the work in to get this new version of the character to land.  There's no doubt Williams doesn't get the character or understand her past, but she's made no attempt to give readers anything of significance to explain how she got to this position.  It's all just superficial nonsense and silliness.

Williams' difficulty in writing anything substantial for the character can be seen in the fact that this comic is slowing growing into an ensemble book.  First there was Omen, a forced best friend.  Then there was some team-ups with Supergirl.  In Power Girl #17 both Natasha Irons and Mariposa, intern from the Daily Planet move in as well.  I think Williams just wants to write a book about women who are friends.  There's nothing wrong with that, except that Williams doesn't understand how Power Girl interacts with others...especially women...and people don't buy a Power Girl comic for Omen, Natasha Irons and, ...Mariposa.  Hell, they don't want to buy it for Supergirl. The page below from JSA #39 (2002) is an example of her characterization and how she interacts:

  Negatives Cont'd Axel continues to be a weird inclusion.  He's forced into this title as much as Omen was at the beginning. Williams hasn't done the work on either character to make it believable that Omen and Power Girl are best friends (they're not) or that there's any chemistry at all between Axel and Power Girl.  It's one of those situations that demonstrates how out of place Power Girl is in her own book.  Nothing really fits the character, but she's stuck here against her will. There are some jumps around in the story in this issue that feel awkward.  Williams tries to connect them with some dialogue, but it is jarring and not executed smoothly.  It throws the pacing off and fails to capitalize on the anticipation she's tried to build for the housewarming party.   Verdict Power Girl #17 is another issue of missed opportunities to turn things around.  Leah Williams continues to make PG less and less important in her own title in favor of a growing ensemble.  She's as lost as PG is in this book with forced characters and cringy dialogue.  This series continues to be superficial, silly and utterly disappointing for fans of Power Girl.  At least her costume is better!

In entertainment today, there's a lot of discourse on "messaging" from creators/ entertainment companies to fans.  There's no need to belabor or prove this point, we know it's happening either intentionally or unintentionally.  You will see phrases like "SJW," "DEI," and "Virtue Signaling."  There's always been a social/ political consciousness to entertainment  It's not new, it usually just depends on how it's done as to whether it's actually good or not.  However, this type of messaging is not the subject today.   Shazam! #20

As DC Comics continues to publish under the All In initiative, something may have become apparent with the publication of Shazam! #20.  This issue features a de-aged Jon Kent who is desperate to get back to his adult self.  The official synopsis reads: JONATHAN KENT, son of Superman, is in Philly when something funny happens in the Rock of Eternity. Jon is caught in the lightning and transforms...back into a little boy?! While Jon gets a second chance at childhood, Billy better figure out how to get the grown super son back before the world misses him!

The issue ends up feeling like a purposeful message on DC's part to tell fans of young Jon Kent that the aged up Jon Kent is better, and to sort of...get over it.  It's not hard to find dissatisfaction with the seeming  message of this issue when looking on social media or  site like League of Comic Geeks.  My own impressions showed up in this week's DC Comics Quick Takes: "Jon Kent hasn’t been relevant since Brian Michael Bendis aged him up in Superman #6 (2018).  He’s unable to carry his own series, and has become a tag-a-long character with the Super-family.  With that move, Bendis eliminated all the potential for stories of Superman and Lois raising their biological son, an idea that was unique, different and fresh for the Superman franchise.  In addition, he had Jon unbelievably pass through puberty and those important formative years without any guidance and produced a Jon Kent with perfect morality and a social conscience.  Shazam! #20 serves both in story and in a meta way to reinforce the fact that not only will we never get a young Jon Kent, but that the sole reason for his existence is LGBTQ+ representation, and token representation at that.  Real representation comes from characters care about because they are great characters and just HAPPEN to also be inclusive.  Michael Holt Mr. Terrific and Kate Kane Batwoman jump immediately to mind.  After the reader is drawn in by the compelling aspects of these characters the reader realizes, “oh, this really awesome character is black/lesbian/hispanic/asian…whatever.”  Jon Kent’s appearances have devolved into niche romance fiction.  He has no purpose any longer. He’s not Superman and he’s not Superboy, he’s just redundant and useless.  This is obviously a fill in issue and an issue designed to stick it to fans of Jon Kent and the Super-Sons." Is this really what DC is telling the fans?  Are they telling fans of a young Jon Kent and the Super-Sons that it's over and to just suck it up?  Damian Wayne even echoes the sentiment IN the issue as seen in the image below:

It all has a strong feeling of messaging the audience, a story intended to be more about the fans' opinion than anything else.   Maybe I'm Crazy It's easy to think that maybe I'm just taking it too seriously that it's just supposed to be a fun story.  However, when one takes it in conjunction with the April Solicit for Power Girl #20, it begins to look like DC is trying to create "in story" messages to shut down fans who are critical of unpopular directions for characters.  DC launched the All In initiative back in the Fall with the notion that creators are giving their all- “ALL IN is designed as a line-wide jumping-on point,” says Snyder, returning to DC for the first time in four years to join the initiative. “Every book will start a new epic story over the course of the fall: all the books in the main DC Universe, and a whole new line of daring reinventions called the Absolute Universe. DC will have every kind of superhero story you could want: blockbuster, wild, personal, daring, everything, all of it connected by a mega-story that starts in DC All In Special #1.” This definitely makes it sound like DC is wholly behind the initiative and they are really going for it come hell or highwater, because they are putting all their eggs in the All In basket.  Not surprising that DC would feel that way, but for it to work, fans have to be "All In" as well, right?  So what does a company do when there are takes on characters that receive highly critical and negative reaction?  Push back even harder...with stories designed to cement the "All In" mindset of the company and the direction for these characters they're determined to push...no matter what. Power Girl #20 From the first appearance of Power Girl under the pen of Leah Williams, there's been negative reaction.  Check out Reddit, League of Comics Geeks (again).  If there were any title that needed a new writer with the All In initiative it was Power Girl.  Williams took a character who was confident, competent, independent, strong willed and focused into a character who is unsure of herself, insecure, DEPENDENT, weak willed and directionless.  Now why would Power Girl fans not like that?  Seems pretty straight forward.  The writing is inconsistent, doesn't acknowledge the substance of her established history and even presented a character who was depicted completely differently in the contemporary Justice Society series.  You'd get Williams' Power Girl in her solo title, and the traditionally established Power Girl in Justice Society of America.  Editorial was clearly asleep in coordinating these books, outside the costume change.  She was still Karen Starr in Justice Society of America despite being the awful, "Paige Stetler" in Williams' Power Girl.  Power Girl needs some help!

It's not like Power Girl under Leah Williams is selling exceedingly well, ICv2 has Power Girl #15 (November issue) at 179 in sales ranking and #16 (December issue) outside the top 200.  This is a drop from the already low ranking of issue #14 at 124, the first All In issue which was up from September's issue #13 which was unranked.  It didn't take the book long to drop out of the top 200 again.  What's the point of continuing to publish a title that sells this low?  It only really makes sense if DC is trying to get this version of the character over and make her THE version.  Power Girl #20 seems poised to do that in story.  April's solicit reads: “Karen Starr has triumphantly returned to Metropolis.  But there’s a problem…the person using that alias isn’t Power Girl!  Paige can’t just stand by as this new Karen gets involved in ventures and schemes she would never dream of.  It’s up to her to expose this imposter before they ruin her reputation for good!”