Powers: Bureau, Vol. 2: Icons

Powers: Bureau #2

by Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Avon Oeming

Who are THE SEVEN? An explosive new super team with a secret that could rock the world! Pilgrim and Walker have been through everything together, but this case may be the one that pulls them apart forever. Another blistering chapter of the Eisner Award-winning, best-selling creator-owned comic-book extravaganza from the writer of ALL-NEW X-MEN and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. COLLECTING: POWERS: BUREAU 7-12

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2014

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

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super group is obliterated, ravaged, wiped out, whacked! Their corpses are stuck to walls, the ground, the ceiling! Who you going to call? Off to LA for Butler and Pilgrim for what might well be their biggest ever case! Meanwhile the centurion aliens, they call up Walker - they want their powers back!!!

Like the first volume it's all moving a bit too fast, with two main story lines quickly converging, before I could get a better feel of Brian Michael Bendis and AVON OEMING's Powers version of LA. Still, it is as good, and unpredictable as ever, with some bullet proof one-liners from Pilgrim ruling the comedy; and lots of high tension and drama everywhere else.... because finally the overarching conspiracy is picked up front and centre! 9 out of 12, A Four Star read. A story coming full circle from a story started in 2001, outstanding!

2021 read, 2019 read; 2017 read; 2015 read

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, shoot—what DO you do when it turns out the good guys who are in charge are actually bad guys, and they have all the power?

It’s a little bit like finding out that the brilliant billionaire real estate mogul/reality show maven/combover icon you elected as your president and economic savior is, in fact, a soulless oompa loompa with tiny hands, a wanton disregard for facts, evidence, and rationality, and a proclivity for uninvited genital grabbing.

And, while I know Walker didn’t bite it because there’s another series after this one, nice work putting some doubt in my mind with those last few panels, Messrs. Bendis and Oeming…

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I read this one out of order because my library is missing some of the previous volumes.
BUT.
There's always a little previously on Powers blurb in the beginning of each of the volumes, so it was like have a bit of a cheat sheet and I was able to (somewhat) catch the drift of what had been happening.



The gist of this one is that there's a big conspiracy within The Powers That Be and our intrepid heroes are caught in the middle of it. AND while that's happening, Christian is having to deal with the knock-off Nova corps who've come to reclaim his powers.



Meanwhile, Deena has her own secrets that are causing her to have a few problems of her own. I'm not exactly sure how she ended up pregnant, because I haven't read that volume. It seemed like she was somehow infected with a baby instead of impregnated? I'm guessing it was some sort of an alien thing, though.



Overall, I thought this was quite a bit of fun, and I'd recommend this title to anyone looking for a different twist on superhero comics.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just of Bendis establishes the new status quo, he flips the story on its ear again. There's a great conspiracy angle here as well as quite a few funny digs at Cable and X-Force. My complaint is that given how infrequently this book comes out, it ends on a couple of major cliffhangers.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll say it again. This comic has some of the best banter ever. Even if everything else was taken away: Character, Story, Worldbuilding, Plot, Pacing... I'd still read it just for the banter.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story, maybe with a plot, perhaps with a beginning middle and end. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently so. There are bits of details that are okay, but minus the story, it is all kind of pointless. Except for Calista who is cool anyway. Whatever.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, DAMN Bendis, why you gotta make everyone else seem like they're trying too hard to be funny when it seems to just roll off your polished white head?

I swear Oeming is just getting better as an artist. Same core style - capital-S style - and in this volume I'm noticing him add elements to the edges of the pages that aren't strictly necessary to advance the strory. Beakers lined along a page with scientists, an out-of-context sexual picture that might represent a flashback or a warped memory, but goes unexplained. Weird, leaving me feel slightly off-Center, and *that* is the best way to engage me a little deeper.

Oeming's further a master of the unusual and visually interesting camera angles. No one does overhead shots like this guy, or can make battle scenes seem as action-y and exciting as him. I was flipping pages through this book like a crazed madman, especially as the trouble heated up.

And man does shit heat up here. I fucking love this series. Walker/Millenium is *not* doing well, and the secret forces around him aren't exactly giving him a break.

Story ends on a great change moment, and I can't wait for more of this.

Can I confess something here, my fellow shallow readers? Are we alone? OK good. Deena. Freaking. Pilgrim. Hot. Bitter, angry, chip-on-her-shoulder-a-mile-long hot. That attitude, as much as anything else about this book, keeps me coming back for more. In my youth I would've pursued this woman until my hands bled. Well, come to think of it there were a couple of women in college who probably wished I never heard of them, and they both had unattainable attitudes like this. Growr!

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the mistake of picking this up, and then couldn't put it down.
A serial killer and a mass-murderer strike Powers, and the shock waves of the investigations by Agents Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim are enormous. And heartbreaking.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This finale to the short-lived Bureau comic feels unfortunately anticlimactic. I mean this volume closes up plots going back to Powers, Vol. 4: Supergroup, but still manages to feel like it came out of nowhere. It seems like what should have been a 30- or 36-issue run suddenly got smoothed down to 12, and so we're out of the FBI as soon as we got in.

With that said, there's quite a lot to like in this comic. The smaller procedural that kicks things off is a lot of fun, then the big one that ends things is shockingly violent as it combines together a couple of major plots. It's nicely done and the ending is dramatic and traumatic. Classic (if somewhat repetitive) Powers.

The problem is that Powers' schedule seems to have gone completely off the rails. It took years to get these two volumes of Bureau out and then years to follow-up on it with Volume 3. That's probably why things got suddenly finished up here and everything shuffled on to a new path — one that also fit better with the then-upcoming (now-cancelled) TV show. But, all of that's badly impact the Powers comic, which is just about dead at this point (unless v3 actually manages to bring back the reliability that we haven't seen in years).

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I hate that Bendis hardly seems to have any time for this title anymore, the thing that broke him in the first place. The individual issue release schedule is so irregular that trying to collect this in issues just didn't make sense anymore. The story is good, but I swear that Oeming's art seems to be devolving--there are pages here that look like the work of a kindergartner, and not in a good way. I really like Powers, the idea of it, and this used to be something special on the comic racks. Not anymore.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

And in this issue, everything changes; the death of a super team leads Deena and Christian to conspiracy and coverup, and some of Walker's past actions come back to haunt him, doing damage not only to him but also to those around. The dialogue is as tight as always, and the art is strong and the plot throws more curve-balls than I expected, leaving things in flux but definitely not able to go back to the status quo. Really well done.

[Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stuff is So GOOD!

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just awesome: this one is an ending, more than a beginning.

[Burton Olivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm. Feels like it ends right when things are ramping. This is the last of Powers right? Good stuff but kind of a shame to go out like that.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody does casual conversation better than Bendis. He can capture the rhythm and flow of a couple of tired traumatised detectives better than anyone I’ve come across in crime comics. Funny and dark and impactful.

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another really enjoyable Powers story arc. It reminds me a lot of the 4th and 5th volume which are some of my favorites in the series and have a ton of suspense and you feel as tense reading it as the characters do. I like the ongoing conflicts in the plot that Bendis is developing too. It isn't just Walker and Pilgrim who are in danger it looks like. The art wasn't quite as strong as the previous volume, but other than that I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more.

[Maya Senen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't not be into it. I won't apologize either. Deena and Walker consistently rock my face off. Bring on the new #1!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cliffhanger alert.
Arrrrgggghhh!
Action-packed sequel to volume 2. I love Pilgrim and Walker. Looking forward to the next.

[TJ Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic.

[Vittorio Rainone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si accelera subito la situazione in Powers Federali. Manco il tempo di ambientarsi nella (non così) nuova situazione, che gli alieni che hanno dato i poteri di Millenium al detective Walker si fanno vivi per reclamarli indietro, dopo che l'ex Diamond li ha usai per uno scopo diverso dalla difesa della terra da una minaccia aliena. L'araldo inconsapevole del volere degli alieni è la nuova Retro Girl, che riesce a riscuotersi in tempo e a impedire la morte di Christian, ma ne riceve un poderoso contraccompo psicologico. Il caso del volume è la strage in un supergruppo dissidente, il circolo, che porta a svelare tutto il marcio nell'FBI, ormai in balia dei poteri che vorrebbe tenere a bada. Peccato che tutto lo svelamento avvenga dannatamente in fretta: per una cospirazione di tale portata ci si sarebbe aspettati uno sviluppo sulla llunga distanza, e invece "bum", la Pilgrim riesce a catturare il potere a capo del bureau in men che non si dica. Anticlimatico, insomma, e non è detto sia un male in sè. Troppo veloce: QUESTO è un male.

[Adriano Barone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bellissimo. Molte trame vengono al pettine, ma c'è anche una riflessione metafumettistica (stavolta sul mercato dei fumetti, sull'Image stessa e gli anni '90 del fumetto USA).
Chiaramente
SPOILER
il fumetto potrebbe anche finire così, con Deena in fuga, Walker in coma e Calista disperata (Bendis ha detto che sarebbe proseguita, ma ribadisco: col passaggio alla DC, non è chiaro chi la dovrebbe pubblicare).
Ma la cosa figa dei fumetti creator-owned è che lo status non deve sempre rimanere lo stesso, e Bendis la lezione l'ha imparata benissimo: quindi se Powers dovesse ripartire ci sono ancora potenzialmente tante storie da raccontare. Vedremo.
Comunque storicamente Powers resta il migliore mix di noir e supereroistico, con buona pace del pure ottimo Gotham Central (ma lì siamo nel mondo di Batman, in cui non ci sono veri e propri "super", quindi il gioco è interessante, ma più "facile" e perdonate il parolone, quasi "verosimile") e del meno riuscito TOP 10 di Moore.
Fatevi un favore e recuperate tutto Powers.

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun ride this was, really huge fun.
Such high in drama, so fast paced, so violent. So much fun!

[Nial · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun read!

[Saladinho · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Dair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining but leaves things up in the air with no likely resolution.

[Simon Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinema and TV have very much embraced the superhero these days thanks to CGI finally making everyone look slightly more convincing on screen, and although we’ve not quite reached saturation point yet you’ve got to wonder if that’s getting close. One of the new TV shows is Powers, based on Bendis and Oeming’s acclaimed independently owned property (albeit published by Marvel’s imprint, Icon, but it’s not part of the Marvel Universe).
Throughout its run its managed to distinguish itself as a gritty, often brutal police drama where the two lead characters are tasked with dealing with powers-related crimes. The two cops in question are Christian Walker, and ex-superhero who we learn through flashbacks is exceptionally long-lived, and Deena Pilgrim, who now has plenty of experience under her belt since first partnering up with Walker.
At this point in the story Walker and Pilgrim have began working for the FBI since a rather serious incident two books ago made all powers-related incidents federal crimes. However, on just the second book of the Powers Bureau series (the other books are just under the title ‘Powers’) all of that appears to be at risk.
A young superhero team have been murdered and a ‘90’s second-rate hero is being served up as the culprit, but Walker and Pilgrim aren’t convinced. Something bigger is going on within the FBI and they’ve just wandered right into the middle of it.
The superhero team and the hero set-up as the fall guy are loosely based on Rob Liefeld’s ‘90’s run on X-force, and Bendis and Oeming do poke a bit of fun, and perhaps rightly so if you’ve ever read it. Not that you need to know any of that to enjoy the book. It is, first and foremost, about having to investigate crimes when the criminals have the added advantage of being invisible, telepathic, or as in one case in this book, able to make multiple versions of themselves.
Bendis and Oeming like nothing more than taking the idea and running with it, spinning out unexpected directions while not being afraid to utterly shake up the status quo. Characters aren’t safe just because you like them, and territory is well and truly explored that other comics wouldn’t dare go near - one of the advantages of being creator-owned.
Oeming’s art style is bold and loose, and appears much more cartoony than most superhero comics, while his clever use of black makes for a shadowy noir world of shadows and secrets. On the writing front Bendis is pretty much the king of the snappy dialogue, with the two leads constantly trading short, punchy exchanges, although you should be warned that the book is incredibly sweary and punctuated by expletives throughout. Half the time it’s a much truer reflection of people under pressure, but sometimes you just want to reach into the panel and suggest they calm it down a bit.
It is a first class crime drama, though, and an obvious choice for adapting for TV, so if you’re after something a little more adult then you won’t go far wrong with Powers.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a long-time Powers fan, way back in the dark ages when it was Published by Image, Bureau Volume 2 and the "All New" Volume 1 are low points in the series. I am genuinely surprised at how this TPB is rated on average.

If your tastes run in the vein of Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Invincible, and other long-running series that never seem to die, but also aren't covering any new ground, then I can see enjoying this volume. Otherwise, the most interesting characters at this point have been killed, and the ones that remain aren't growing in any way that should keep your attention. I don't see any reason to keep reading beyond habit and/or loyalty, like if you've hated The Walking Dead for three whole seasons but can't seem to stop yourself.

Pilgrim and Walker aren't really blurring the lines between good and evil at this point. They're out and out murderers, which makes it hard to care that they're taking down criminals who definitely haven't done as much harm, or have nearly identical motivations (but not the badges), or occasionally (arguably worse?) villains. Sunrise is a barely developed paper doll of a character, with just enough banter and glimpses of her family life to keep her from disappearing in the space between panels. Everyone else is so thin I often have to Google search what the last issue they appeared in was so I can go back and refresh my memory.

The only redeeming storyline since the (most recent) end of the Wolfe/Walker struggle, Calista becoming the new Retro Girl, is barely a thread. I'd trade two single issues of the relationship between her and Walker being developed more as she trains to become a hero and perhaps even learns how disillusioning it can be over the entire two TPB volumes of the Bureau. The gaps between the end of her storyline and the "All New Powers" arc is so jarring and incomplete I had to reread both volumes to make sure I wasn't missing anything. It's just not there.

If the last volume you read between one of the many hiatuses was volume 7: Forever or Volume 8: Legends, and you feel at all satisfied with the closure those issues presented, I'd recommend not reading any more and keeping that nostalgia of how good the run was up to that point. Beyond that, where many series start to sag around the 50-60 issue mark, is just an endless cycle of alternately giving powers to damn near everyone (and subsequently taking them away), losing sight of how the most interesting aspect of the series has always been the distance your two favorite (and powerless) characters provided from the chaos and sometimes wonder of the Powers world.

Skim through for threads of Calista's story, and try not to let your eyes glaze over the filler in between. Somewhere along the line this turned into the Ballad of Vegeta and a veritable assembly line of exploded bodies fit for a Pollock canvas. There's no soul in the pages anymore.

[Trike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This came in the mail yesterday afternoon and I read it right away. That's how much I like this series. I've been following it since the first TPB and have enjoyed it immensely.

There are a number of similar books out there concerning worlds populated with superheroes just as a matter of course, but the only real standouts for me are Astro City and Powers. Top 10 is great, don't get me wrong, but there are only three of them.

In this particular collection we learn that there is some sort of super-Illuminati pulling the strings behind the scenes, something that has been hinted at a couple times in the past. However, beyond that confirmation and the return appearance of the "advanced alien civilization" known as The Millennium, none of the plot threads introduced in Powers: Bureau, Vol. 1: Undercover were resolved. Zero.

And that makes me nervous.

Mainly because unlike any of the other collections, this one concludes with a giant "THE END" on the last page. I asked Bendis on Twitter if more issues were coming, and I hope the answer is a big fat Yes because I loves me some Powers. Ending it on a cliffhanger would be uncool.

That said, the characteristic witty banter between Walker and Pilgrim is on full display, which is at least half the reason to show up. It seemed less acerbic this time; more like the habitual sarcastic oneupsmanship of good friends than the biting defense mechanism we've seen in earlier issues. They've seen some shit and know the other has their back, so there's no meanness there.

Supposedly the TV series is finally a go on the Playstation, which means I won't be able to see it for years, which is why I hope Bendis and Oeming continue this book.

Edit: Bendis just replied to my tweet - more Powers on the way! I'm stoked, brah.



Here's the image I tweeted to him:

[Scott Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not the best Powers volume ever, but it is excellent, Oeming's work felt even darker and rougher than normal here, but given the place this story is going it feels appropriate. Bendis still handles the elements of the genre and the dialogue with his usual excellence. What makes this one so appealing to me is it's promise of an epic confrontation to come. The scope of this story envelopes the entire series in a way even Walker's origin fails to do. Granted Walker's origin story is more epic in scope in that it covers a much greater span of time, but while it's all relevant to Walker, and it's all relevant to that arc, it's not a make you reconsider every panel of every issue epic. For the comic itself this arc--it appears will span a few volumes--could be the best of the entire series(es).

[Alex Sarll]

This cops and capes series has been all over the place for too long, sometimes barely releasing an issue a year, or meandering when it did come out, all suggesting a loss of commitment from the creators to the extent that I abandoned reading it in singles. But for all that a lot of Bendis' other work has been erratic lately, this volume's not bad at all, tying together various long-running strands in a tale of powers, corruption and lies that you could only pull off in a superhero comic at once very long-running, and creator-owned. Oeming's page layouts in particular feel more experimental than ever (and generally successful experiments, too), and before the story proper gets going there's a wonderfully nasty little done-in-one investigation.