Powers: Definitive Collection, Vol. 5

Powers: Definitive Collection #5

by Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Avon Oeming

The deluxe hardcover collections continue! This volume combines POWERS VOL. 11: SECRET IDENTITY and POWERS VOL. 12: THE 25 COOLEST DEAD SUPERHEROES OF ALL TIME, plus all the extras you expect to see in a beautiful oversized collection! Walker and Pilgrim have been homicide detectives and partners for years, but secrets they've kept from each other are now too big and too dangerous to remain secrets for long. One shall rise, and one shall fall! It's a story that will blow the roof off everything you know about crime comics and superhero comics! Collecting POWERS (2004) #19-30 and POWERS ANNUAL 2008.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Marvel, Noir

464 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2012

About the author

A 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.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Powers virus story finally comes to a head as the city has an epidemic on its hand. The virus spreads by touch and creates power junkies of its victims. Deena continues to sink into the mire until hitting rock bottom. This got really good. I was truly concerned characters weren't going to make it through. The only thing I didn't like is how the unrelated annual is inserted midstory instead of between the two main arcs in this book.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bendis and Oeming maintain their very high standards. One could argue that the first arc, dealing with the sudden spiraling out of control and deaths of the members of a super hero team, was a little derivative...but if it was, it was derivative of Powers itself, and incorporated all the character development of the preceding volumes as well as incorporating a demonic new antagonist so I say it gets a pass.



I’m already sad that I have only two more of these mega volumes to go.

[Ed Nemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powers has always been an odd book. It is very wordy, very story driven. Bendis is able to tell a story and immerse you into the world of the Powers universe. This was a long story but we finally get a conclusion on Deena's path of destruction. It had a heroic feel at the end yet still had some of that real world unfairness and a sense of "what will happen now". In real life just because you finished an important project, got married to your long desired love, or even finally beat that video game you have been fighting with non-stop every night...the victory is short lived, because life continues and your story isn't over.

Now, if you got through all of that psycho-babble I'll just end this with, Bendis is a fantastic writer, and this story is a great tale from end to end.

[syrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one much better than the previous volumes. Especially the first collection, "Secret Identity". At times it actually felt like it did back in the beginning, with the banter between the two main characters. The ending was bittersweet though, and the new character is a bit blah

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying payoff to a decade long build up.

[Jipi Perreault · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you think it's getting repetitive, it finds new way to surprise you.

[Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished Brian Michael Bendis' and Michael Avon Oeming's POWERS, like all of it. Every single issue. Except the novel (The Secret History of Deena Pilgrim) and based off of the reviews, I have no interest watching the tv show. Powers Bureau which is the 4th series is my least favorite of the bunch. Every time they renumber (and I presume there was a long hiatus each time), the storytelling weakens a bit and the continuity feels off. I know it's intended to bring new people into the fold, but Bureau was easily my least favorite of the bunch. The final story, the 5th series, titled ALL NEW POWERS and BEST EVER are more of a return to form and a decent wrap up to our beloved characters. As a whole this was a series that really peaked early. The earlier issues were a unique mix of noir, police procedural, and critique of the obsession with superheroes, the media and the larger world played a huge part in the series, and at the heart of it all were the two leads Deena Pilgirm Chris-tian Walker. The first and second series are both mostly pretty excellent and feel like a complete story, as it went on, it felt like revisiting old friends, and it did get tired the longer it went. Yet, I really enjoyed my time with the series overall, all 100+ issues of them.

[The Fizza · Rating 2 out of 5]

The breakdown per story arc:

*Powers Vol. 11: Secret Identity - 3 Stars of 5
*Powers Vol. 12: The 25 Coolest Dead Superheroes of All Time - 1 Star of 5

[Drucilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much darker than the other volumes, but it ties up a lot of loose ends. There are some random "where did that come from?" moments that are kind of distracting, though. One more volume left!