What do you think?
Rate this book
Power Pack Classic
Power Pack Classic Volume 3
Four super-powered siblings in the middle of New York City! See Power Pack handle challenges ranging from their mom taking ill to attacking Morlocks at the Thanksgiving Day Parade to being kidnapped by aliens! Including the threat of the Beyonder! Guest-starring Thor, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the New Mutants, Wolverine, and Cloak and Dagger! With the biggest surprise ending of all!
Collecting: Power Pack (1984) #18-26, Thor (1968) #363
Collecting: Power Pack (1984) #18-26, Thor (1968) #363
280 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 2011
About the author
Louise Simonson
996 books106 followersLouise Simonson (born Mary Louise Alexander and formerly credited as Louise Jones, when married to artist Jeff Jones) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman, and Steel. She is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Weezie".
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 18, 2020
It is the issues from #18 to #20 that are near genius, with the children's reactions to a relative in hospital; and the Morlocks' story. As a side note it is also in this book that Leech first gets his distinctive attire that he wore in the late 80s. Then #21 to #26 cover the Power Pack-centric classic - 'Snark Wars'. In addition to all this, we have the first real and meaningful story arcs for Franklin Richards, son of Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four. This volume also sees the addition of new members to team! 7 out of 12, best volume so far!
Collecting Power Pack #18-26 & Thor #363
2010 read
Collecting Power Pack #18-26 & Thor #363
2010 read
June 24, 2016
What happens when you give amazing superpowers to a bunch of pre-teen siblings? Shenanigans!
And the fun never seems ro stop. Whether they are fighting off threats from the schoolyard or alligators in the sewer or teaming up with the likes of Thor or adding their newest members: Kofi, the alien who looks like a horse-boy, and none other than Franklin Richards (son of the Invisbile Woman & Mister Fantastic), these kids just can't get enough of flying through the skies of NYC. Of course, all good things come to an end - and when the Power Pack gets abducted and kidnapped by alien Snarks it's all on the shoulders of their newest member, and their pal the smartship Friday, to effect a timely rescue. But will even Franklin's precognitive dream powers be enough to save the day? And what happens when the Power Pack loses their powers to those evil alien Snarks? Egads! You'll just have to read it and find out!
More superhero fun than should be allowed by law!
And the fun never seems ro stop. Whether they are fighting off threats from the schoolyard or alligators in the sewer or teaming up with the likes of Thor or adding their newest members: Kofi, the alien who looks like a horse-boy, and none other than Franklin Richards (son of the Invisbile Woman & Mister Fantastic), these kids just can't get enough of flying through the skies of NYC. Of course, all good things come to an end - and when the Power Pack gets abducted and kidnapped by alien Snarks it's all on the shoulders of their newest member, and their pal the smartship Friday, to effect a timely rescue. But will even Franklin's precognitive dream powers be enough to save the day? And what happens when the Power Pack loses their powers to those evil alien Snarks? Egads! You'll just have to read it and find out!
More superhero fun than should be allowed by law!
March 8, 2024
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If any Marvel property is ripe to be used by Disney in a Pixar CGI animated film, it is Power Pack. I can't believe that there are not rumblings of some kind. This is a surefire, family friendly concept if ever there was one: Jim Power creates an anti-matter machine which will unintentionally destroy the world. Aelfyre Whitemane (Whitey as the kids named him), of an alien of the race called Kymellians, intervened because a similar incident destroyed his homeworld. The ZN^RX (Snarks as dubbed by the Power children), wanted the machine for a weapon, and fatally wounded Whitey, who transferred his powers to the four Power children. The Power kids, who dubbed themselves Power Pack, also inherited his Smartship Friday. Yes, Marvel used the term Smartship back in 1984.
All of those events occur in the first volume of this series. By this point in the title the children are dealing with minor social issues and are plagued with guest stars, all of which caused declining sales and saw the title dropped from newsstand distribution with Issue 26 and become a bi-monthly Direct Market (comic shop) only title. I bought every one of these off of the stands, and began buying from the Direct Market exclusively in May of 1986, so this was no big deal to me at the time but was the end of this series ever reaching a mass audience.
This title still holds up for the most part. We get treated to early Brent Anderson (Astro City) art, and Terry Austin (Uncanny X-Men, Avengers) also pops in for a while. Bob McLeod's artwork on issue 20 is great, and it also guest stars The New Mutants, a title that he helped launch several years earlier. I remember walking up to 7-11 in the snow on a Saturday evening in December of 1985 and buying that one. Louise Simonson's scripts have real heart to them, and it's a shame that this series has never caught on in any real way.
All of those events occur in the first volume of this series. By this point in the title the children are dealing with minor social issues and are plagued with guest stars, all of which caused declining sales and saw the title dropped from newsstand distribution with Issue 26 and become a bi-monthly Direct Market (comic shop) only title. I bought every one of these off of the stands, and began buying from the Direct Market exclusively in May of 1986, so this was no big deal to me at the time but was the end of this series ever reaching a mass audience.
This title still holds up for the most part. We get treated to early Brent Anderson (Astro City) art, and Terry Austin (Uncanny X-Men, Avengers) also pops in for a while. Bob McLeod's artwork on issue 20 is great, and it also guest stars The New Mutants, a title that he helped launch several years earlier. I remember walking up to 7-11 in the snow on a Saturday evening in December of 1985 and buying that one. Louise Simonson's scripts have real heart to them, and it's a shame that this series has never caught on in any real way.
January 2, 2018
The third volume of this reprinting of the classic Marvel Comics series Power Pack features two of my favorite standalone stories.
The stories collected in the trade are issues #18 - #26 plus issue #363 of Thor. The stories are all decently told but Issues #19 and #21 are particularly enjoyable.
Issue #19's "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" story with the Power kids throwing a Thanksgiving dinner for their superhero friends that don't have anywhere else to go for the holiday, while simultaneously dealing with their mother being very ill in the hospital was a touching story about the family you choose or that chooses you.
Issue #21's "The Great Goo-Gam Treasure Hunt" was just a hilarious romp featuring the two youngest Power kids (Jack and Katie) helping out a favorite children's book author after she's kidnapped by people wanting her to give them clues to a treasure hunt from her books.
All in all, the collection again illustrates why this series was so special to me when it was published originally and why I'm enjoying these stories all over again.
The stories collected in the trade are issues #18 - #26 plus issue #363 of Thor. The stories are all decently told but Issues #19 and #21 are particularly enjoyable.
Issue #19's "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" story with the Power kids throwing a Thanksgiving dinner for their superhero friends that don't have anywhere else to go for the holiday, while simultaneously dealing with their mother being very ill in the hospital was a touching story about the family you choose or that chooses you.
Issue #21's "The Great Goo-Gam Treasure Hunt" was just a hilarious romp featuring the two youngest Power kids (Jack and Katie) helping out a favorite children's book author after she's kidnapped by people wanting her to give them clues to a treasure hunt from her books.
All in all, the collection again illustrates why this series was so special to me when it was published originally and why I'm enjoying these stories all over again.
February 8, 2023
At the end of this volume, the kids are forced to switch powers by the Snarks which was a genius move - it both freshened things up and got Katie away from a power that was too harmful for her age.
This book contains two of my favorite issues. #19 has Katie inviting a bunch of super-powered friends over for Thanksgiving to help her take her mind off of her mother, who has been hospitalized and isn't doing well. Seeing Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, and Beta Ray Bill hanging out for a meal was great fun. I loved the part where Leech gets new clothes and creepy Annalee finally begins to realize he could be her adopted child. Issue 21 has both Spider-Man confirming to Katie that all superheroes have to eat their brussel sprouts and Katie going all-out to get a signature from her favorite author who writes the Goo-Gam series of books (it reminds me of the Moomins). This is part of why Power Pack was good - for the most part, they kept them in adventures that were on a level with their age even though 'real life' bad stuff happened to them.
This book contains two of my favorite issues. #19 has Katie inviting a bunch of super-powered friends over for Thanksgiving to help her take her mind off of her mother, who has been hospitalized and isn't doing well. Seeing Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, and Beta Ray Bill hanging out for a meal was great fun. I loved the part where Leech gets new clothes and creepy Annalee finally begins to realize he could be her adopted child. Issue 21 has both Spider-Man confirming to Katie that all superheroes have to eat their brussel sprouts and Katie going all-out to get a signature from her favorite author who writes the Goo-Gam series of books (it reminds me of the Moomins). This is part of why Power Pack was good - for the most part, they kept them in adventures that were on a level with their age even though 'real life' bad stuff happened to them.
January 5, 2018
A random Power Pack collection I picked up in passing somewhere. This one ends with Lentil Soup, My Favorite. We probably don't get Phil's Award Winning Chili Recipe with Lentils without Power Pack. Garish colors and all, this still captures multiple times and places for me including the time when our kids were young and I read them Power Pack (and X-Men) from comic books. The kids are cute even if they do have a propensity for not being where they are supposed to be.
June 29, 2020
3.5 Stars
August 10, 2016
I don't think that Volume #3 of Classic Power Pack was released (it got cancelled?) but I've read the original issues and so I'm basing my 5 star review on that.
December 12, 2019
I love these babies, especially Franklin Richards.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews