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Powers (2000) #9
Powers, Vol. 9: Psychotic
Detective Deena Pilgrim is holding a dark secret, one destroying her life at every turn.
Presents a collection of Powers, numbered 7-12.
Presents a collection of Powers, numbered 7-12.
200 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2006
5 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,419 books2,570 followersA comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
October 3, 2021
The slaying of a Power at the hands of his nemesis, called in by two beat cops is the start of a case that not only goes deep within Powers Division but tracks back to its past! Deena and Walker, still suffering trauma from 'that event' in Powers, Vol. 6: The Sellouts, are still Poh-Lice enough to go hell for leather after this case.
Interesting ideas are examined around crossing the line, killing, and if, and how it impacts on a killer, as a number of people make their killing debuts in this volume and Oeming and Bendis chart their actions, reactions and, what lessons they learn, if any! The darkly comedic one-liners come back in force in this volume too! Powers works best as a Poh-Lice procedural even though these sort of volumes have less hard-impact than the ones more focussed on Powers! 9 out of 12.
Interesting ideas are examined around crossing the line, killing, and if, and how it impacts on a killer, as a number of people make their killing debuts in this volume and Oeming and Bendis chart their actions, reactions and, what lessons they learn, if any! The darkly comedic one-liners come back in force in this volume too! Powers works best as a Poh-Lice procedural even though these sort of volumes have less hard-impact than the ones more focussed on Powers! 9 out of 12.
May 15, 2018
Good solid stuff in this one.
More about Christian and Calista, but it isn't the main storyline this time around.
This one focuses on the death of a Power called Blackguard and all sorts of crazy fallout that comes along with solving the case.
Plus, Deena is dealing (or not) with her new powers and her stalkery ex.
Lines are crossed. <-- dum, dum, dum!
Looking forward to the next volume!
More about Christian and Calista, but it isn't the main storyline this time around.
This one focuses on the death of a Power called Blackguard and all sorts of crazy fallout that comes along with solving the case.
Plus, Deena is dealing (or not) with her new powers and her stalkery ex.
Lines are crossed. <-- dum, dum, dum!
Looking forward to the next volume!
September 23, 2019
This starts off as reverting back to the crime flavor of the week. With Walker and Pilgrim investigating the murder of Blackguard. That wraps up about halfway through. Deena's life seems to become more and more of a trainwreck with each arc. It takes a really dark turn here. Plus we see some fallout for the first time of people's lives ruined by a crime after the fact. I liked seeing the dominos fall. This Icon series feels more tightly written than the Image series.
September 23, 2019
Whoa. What? Okay so this book took a couple of left turns right out of the gate which is leaving me with a lot of huh. And it is still way more dark than I would like. And I hate having to guess on the order of the bits on the page especially when there aren't any words. But this one was kind of awesome. And I guess part of that was because Deena had a bigger role. But I liked seeing Calista as a new Retro Girl as well.
October 23, 2016
The main focus of this book is on the Black Guard murder. It has the usual back and forth of Powers' procedural work, but it also gives some rather nice attention to the interaction between familial life and super life while spinning it all out as a continuing repercussion of the law that made Powers illegal. It's a nice balance of a variety of thoughtful story elements.
What's more impressive is that Bendis seems to close the Black Guard murder about halfway through the volume, but then continues to reveal the repercussions. It's nice to see the story go beyond what we'd usually think of as the ending.
It also appears that Icon's v2 of Powers is going to be slightly different from Image's v1 because Bendis is upping his metaplotting game. He continues to advance several plotlines that he introduced in Powers, Vol. 8: Legends. There's a little bit on the new Retro Girl, which is nice, but it's Deena who gets the most attention, including a flat-out shocking issue about halfway through the volume. When I first read this, I felt like Deena's story was going off the rails, but it's nonetheless a fascinating train wreck to watch (and well juxtaposed with the main plot).
I marked this 4 stars, but it's more like 4.5: a strong Powers volume.
What's more impressive is that Bendis seems to close the Black Guard murder about halfway through the volume, but then continues to reveal the repercussions. It's nice to see the story go beyond what we'd usually think of as the ending.
It also appears that Icon's v2 of Powers is going to be slightly different from Image's v1 because Bendis is upping his metaplotting game. He continues to advance several plotlines that he introduced in Powers, Vol. 8: Legends. There's a little bit on the new Retro Girl, which is nice, but it's Deena who gets the most attention, including a flat-out shocking issue about halfway through the volume. When I first read this, I felt like Deena's story was going off the rails, but it's nonetheless a fascinating train wreck to watch (and well juxtaposed with the main plot).
I marked this 4 stars, but it's more like 4.5: a strong Powers volume.
June 11, 2018
3,2/5
Deena’s getting sh!ttier and sh!ttier 💁🏼♀️
Deena’s getting sh!ttier and sh!ttier 💁🏼♀️
May 9, 2017
Since this whole series is pretty dark, it's difficult to tell if this is the darkest volume yet but it certainly doesn't think much of humanity... and it especially doesn't think much of women. "Psychotic" mostly applies to crazy women in this volume, including, I believe we're supposed to think, Deena. Which really isn't the case - Deena is pretty clear about where her lines are and still has her humanity intact even if she loves playing "bad cop" too much and even if the author thinks she exemplifies women in being a woman-hater. Cause we're all backstabbing B's right? Damn, why do I read this series?
September 26, 2018
I really liked everything about this volume. Basically it was one cohesive story line with a small side-plot related to Deena thrown in (because if you've read the previous volumes, you have to know that Deena has some crazy shit going on she is keeping to herself).
November 15, 2020
Ennesimo bel volume di Powers: Bendis e Oeming proseguono ad alto livello una serie davvero riuscita. Voto: 9/10.
January 31, 2014
I keep seeing the Powers books when I go to the library, so I decided to go ahead and read them.
Not too great.
I like Bendis. A lot. He writes great dialogue. He did some wonderful comics. He revitalized Marvel. But I can really see where the accusations of misogyny come from. His fiction really just does not like women.
This comic is basically strong silent men standing strongly and silently by as various psychotic (see the title?) and super-powered women behave foolishly and with great vanity. There are many female characters, all of whom hate each other, all of whom behave terribly.
The moral of this comic is that all women belong in jail but all men love them too much.
I don't think Bendis has any responsibility to show balanced depictions of women and I don't think he needs to have deep observations on femininity. I just think, wow, what an asshole.
The comic's competently drawn and has fairly catchy dialogue. The in-joke thing where every street and street cop is named after a comics professional is incredibly grating but I can ignore it. I'm going to keep reading the series and hope that this issue was out of the ordinary.
Not too great.
I like Bendis. A lot. He writes great dialogue. He did some wonderful comics. He revitalized Marvel. But I can really see where the accusations of misogyny come from. His fiction really just does not like women.
This comic is basically strong silent men standing strongly and silently by as various psychotic (see the title?) and super-powered women behave foolishly and with great vanity. There are many female characters, all of whom hate each other, all of whom behave terribly.
The moral of this comic is that all women belong in jail but all men love them too much.
I don't think Bendis has any responsibility to show balanced depictions of women and I don't think he needs to have deep observations on femininity. I just think, wow, what an asshole.
The comic's competently drawn and has fairly catchy dialogue. The in-joke thing where every street and street cop is named after a comics professional is incredibly grating but I can ignore it. I'm going to keep reading the series and hope that this issue was out of the ordinary.
August 28, 2014
The series at this point is getting kind of stale, but if it weren't for the new Retro Girl it would be very boring. Deena's new arc is a bit on the lame side, and the main story arc with the cops and Blackguard is a bit more on the low key side, like how the series was in the first three volumes. The action panels were great, but the story was rather episodic rather than revelatory.
September 28, 2017
Bendis è dannatamente fastidioso, i suoi dialoghi ormai hanno smesso di sorprendere e appaiono per quello che sono: riempitivi. Però in Powers continua la serie positiva: anche qui il "revisionisimo estremizzato" a la District 9 funziona alla grande, nonostante a tratti manchi pochissimo per cadere nel citazionismo esageratamente kitsch della società della connessione globale. Si aggiunga la dinamica personale della detective Pilgrim, che giunge a un culmine davvero inaspettato. Insomma: Oeming a parte (ormai mi ha rotto le palle il suo stile paraculo da due linee artistiche che vorrebbero descrivere tutto ma nei tratti più convulsi fanno solo casino) vale davvero la pena di leggere Psicotico
February 20, 2024
If the title of "Powers: Psychotic" is not a dead giveaway let the reader be warned that things get pretty wild in this ninth volume. They also get darker, which is a notable development for a series like this which always has at least one foot firmly planted on the Noir side. Expect a desperate hunt for a missing artifact a Powers groupie gone bad, a less than subtle development concerning Deena's ability, Calista getting some much needed costume advice from Walker and misplaced critical evidence.
July 1, 2018
Powers is really hitting its stride. The story telling is brilliant. A few pages with no words and yet you’re totally engrossed. Or a double page spread looking in the evidence room at a hundred different artefacts. Brilliant. And the interplay between characters is ramping up. They’ve got personality.
October 23, 2017
So intense. So brilliant art. So nice to see a superhero action scene with out characters blabbing to each other about motives and feelings.
But then again, there is quite enough pointless talking also. But that is just American thing.
But then again, there is quite enough pointless talking also. But that is just American thing.
May 13, 2019
3.5 stars -- a big step up from the relative low point of the previous volume. I'm hoping this trend continues and the series can return to its earlier heights. Bendis' dialogue, especially the banter between cops, is always enjoyable.
October 30, 2025
Outstanding work here. Very Noir, very gruesome. Great character development. Cool crime and chaotic battling. Deena in big trouble so good. As always, the art/writing teamwork makes for amazing story.
February 23, 2022
La verdad es que que este me ha costado un poco más, no se si por ser más oscuro que los anteriores, o que mantenía menos interes
November 18, 2022
Reprints Powers (2) #7-12 (December 2004-July 2005). Keeping up with both crime and enforcing the anti-Powers ban is catching up with Deena and Christian. When Blackguard is shot down, Pilgrim and Walker find that Blackguard isn’t who everyone thinks it is. A potentially dangerous weapon is loose on the streets, and Walker’s new protégé Calista might have to step in. Deena deals with the revelation that she might now be a Power, and it could have deadly consequences.
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Powers Volume 9: Psychotic is Marvel Comics superhero comic book collection published under the Icon imprint. Following Powers Volume 8: Legends, the collection features art by Mike Avon Oeming. Issues in the collection were also included as part of Powers—Book 4 and Powers: Definitive Collection—Volume 4.
Powers really feels like it ended in Powers 7: Forever and now, Bendis is trying to rebuild and develop the next big storyline with the series relaunch. The development that Deena has gotten powers combines with her shady actions in her past…and this leaves a fan favorite character feeling slightly tarnished, but Powers does tarnished well.
The core story in this collection isn’t the most interesting, and it feels like other storylines have touched on it. The power source of Blackguard has disappeared after being sold off by the original Blackguard (due to the Powers ban), and now the police must track it down. It of course leads to one of the most obvious suspects though the motivation is a bit questionable. It is a solid Powers story, but I think that it needs a different approach since the series is reestablishing itself.
With this volume and the last volume, it feels like the comic’s story should be more focused on the problems of banning Powers and how to enforce that. I like the trap set in the book for Blackguard, and I think more of capturing and the cat-and-mouse game between existing Powers maybe should have been the focus…are the heroes really villains or are they actually good? The role of superheroes is a part of some of the bigger discussions in the collection as part of TV series debating Powers (which feel a bit like Spawn’s talking heads).
The lurking story is the story of Deena and her new powers. Deena is my favorite character of the series, but I feel she needs a bit of a break. She’s done some rather questionable things over the course of the series (which makes her interesting). The temptation of power might be a good storyline, but I also don’t want the character ruined. It is hard to go back from a “powers” storyline…and I don’t know if it is the right “bigger picture” plan for the comic.
Powers is a good series, and it continues to evolve. Like life, you can’t always pick your direction, and I can’t pick the direction of Powers. I wish this volume had been a bit more dynamic, but it is still one of the better reads in comic books. Powers 9: Psychotic is followed by Powers 10: Cosmic.
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Powers Volume 9: Psychotic is Marvel Comics superhero comic book collection published under the Icon imprint. Following Powers Volume 8: Legends, the collection features art by Mike Avon Oeming. Issues in the collection were also included as part of Powers—Book 4 and Powers: Definitive Collection—Volume 4.
Powers really feels like it ended in Powers 7: Forever and now, Bendis is trying to rebuild and develop the next big storyline with the series relaunch. The development that Deena has gotten powers combines with her shady actions in her past…and this leaves a fan favorite character feeling slightly tarnished, but Powers does tarnished well.
The core story in this collection isn’t the most interesting, and it feels like other storylines have touched on it. The power source of Blackguard has disappeared after being sold off by the original Blackguard (due to the Powers ban), and now the police must track it down. It of course leads to one of the most obvious suspects though the motivation is a bit questionable. It is a solid Powers story, but I think that it needs a different approach since the series is reestablishing itself.
With this volume and the last volume, it feels like the comic’s story should be more focused on the problems of banning Powers and how to enforce that. I like the trap set in the book for Blackguard, and I think more of capturing and the cat-and-mouse game between existing Powers maybe should have been the focus…are the heroes really villains or are they actually good? The role of superheroes is a part of some of the bigger discussions in the collection as part of TV series debating Powers (which feel a bit like Spawn’s talking heads).
The lurking story is the story of Deena and her new powers. Deena is my favorite character of the series, but I feel she needs a bit of a break. She’s done some rather questionable things over the course of the series (which makes her interesting). The temptation of power might be a good storyline, but I also don’t want the character ruined. It is hard to go back from a “powers” storyline…and I don’t know if it is the right “bigger picture” plan for the comic.
Powers is a good series, and it continues to evolve. Like life, you can’t always pick your direction, and I can’t pick the direction of Powers. I wish this volume had been a bit more dynamic, but it is still one of the better reads in comic books. Powers 9: Psychotic is followed by Powers 10: Cosmic.
June 30, 2016
Nine volumes in, possible to say anything meaningful without spoilers to the previous eight volumes? Um...no, not really.
May 5, 2009
Not quite as good as the other story arcs. I felt that if they were going to go to the effort of exploring Batman/Joker in their own way, there could have been a lot more said. Still, I'm very interested in what's going on with Pilgrim at this point.
April 12, 2015
This volume has been the weaker of the ones I've read so far, but that doesn't mean the issue won't get a 5 star rating. The series progression had culminated into a more expansive and inclusive world of Powers.
I genuinely liked this volume, but it didn't grab me like the previous.
I genuinely liked this volume, but it didn't grab me like the previous.
February 28, 2008
Powers just keeps getting better and better!
January 4, 2009
shit is going DOWN!!!
April 13, 2009
This novel is very noir/pulpish, meaning... I love it! Bendis screws with Deena just enough to make her narrative even more compelling (not like it needed it).
October 4, 2010
I love these books, and especially enjoy the corruption of one of the main characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2011
Now Deena Pilgrim has her own dark secrets. Powers continues to impress me.
February 19, 2011
I dislike the excessive violence and vulgarities, but the plot is interesting.
August 2, 2011
A nice, dark, uncomfortable addition to the series. Not the greatest arc, but this is one of those "we're changing the game a bit" stories that keeps things really tense. Another solid piece.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews