Powers: The Secret History of Deena Pilgrim

Powers: Definitive Collection #7.5

by Brian Michael Bendis, Neil Kleid

Ever since she could walk, Homicide Detective Deena Pilgrim followed in her father’s footsteps. A man with a badge, Waldo Pilgrim surrounded himself with what Deena believed to be the cream of the crop when it came to serving and protecting. These days, Deena won’t discuss her father or the life she left behind in Atlanta years ago, a life before she partnered with Christian Walker to investigate homicide cases in a city where perps and victims boast incredible, dangerous powers. Now, nearly a decade of bringing Powers to justice has broken down Deena’s resolve, along with the walls she erected long ago to protect herself from prying eyes. Walls that kept her from a past best left alone, and from those determined to get close and bring horrible, heartbreaking memories to the surface once more.

But when a cold case reopens a series of unsolved murders that point back to Deena’s family tree, she is unavoidably reacquainted with a former boyfriend with ties to both sets of killings, along with her sordid past. Forced to question the choices, decisions, and steps she’s taken in life, love, and career---including her long-standing partnership with Walker, a former Power whose secret history intersects with Deena’s own---Detective Deena Pilgrim must bring a killer to justice and, in doing so, hopefully come to terms with the kind of cop she wants to be . . . assuming that she wants to continue being a cop at all.

Written by Powers cocreator Brian Michael Bendis and novelist Neil Kleid, The Secret History of Deena Pilgrim is the first-ever prose story set in the world of the award-winning, critically acclaimed comic book series by Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming. Powers tells the stories of human police officers attempting to solve crimes in a world inhabited by superheroes and supervillains. In January 2015, the Playstation Network debuted it as its first-ever hour-long scripted programming, featuring characters and plots from the comic book series.

Genres: Fiction, Comics, Superheroes, Crime, Mystery, Audiobook, Fantasy

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 5, 2016

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

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the review that I would have written right after I finished this book months ago would have been much different.
Which is to say there was my feeling after reading this book, and there is the feeling of the story that has stuck with me over (some) time, and how certain scenes really came to life in my mind, as to give me strong memories of certain parts.
Which answers my own question, the one I initially wrestled with upon starting this book, which was/is:

Why this format?

Could this written form possibly warrant the loss (for us readers) of Oeming's wonderful art?

really didn't think so at first.
For some of it, I tried to visualize it in Oeming's style. That didn't work.
But like I said, the interesting phenomenon of time has changed my feelings of my impression of this book.

Though to be clear, I prefer the graphic novel format of this mythology.

.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with these characters in the pages of the comics over a decade ago and getting their characters even more fleshed out was a goddamn treat, I absolutely loved this book. And also to the people reviewing this without ever having read Powers and then shitting on it, you’re fucking idiots, it’s like starting your precious Harry Potter books at the 7th book and not being able to comprehend the characters, it’s clearly not for you, don’t shit on someone’s work because you’re too lazy to start from the beginning, especially if you’re one of those clowns that thinks comics aren’t literature.

[Rinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love superhero stories. All the classic comics, plus more recent novels. So when I was offered this for review, I leapt at the chance. It takes a classic detective story and adds superhero elements, based on the comic book series of the same name by Brian Michael Bendis, and an hour long show on the Playstation Network. However, whilst it seemed that I would not be at a disadvantage being unfamiliar with the Deena Pilgrim universe, I definitely felt I would have enjoyed the book a lot more were I more familiar with it.

Also, I feel like this book may have suffered slightly from bad timing. I began reading it at the same time as I was reading Calamity, the third book in the Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. Reading two books about superheroes at the same time – especially when one of them is from a series you really love – you’re sure to compare the two, and unfortunately The Secret History of Deena Pilgrim didn’t quite live up to it.

Overall, I didn’t particularly enjoy this one – the detective element or the superhero element. There wasn’t much involvement of superheroes, apart from a link with the murders that Deena investigates. The whole mystery felt a bit of a mess, and rather than drawing me in and encouraging me to work things out for myself, it just really confused me. There was an entire chapter where one character was referred to by three different names, constantly alternating – which had me convinced for a while that there were in fact two characters present, instead of one. I found myself reading this book only at lunchtime at work, mostly just because it was smaller and easier to fit in my bag than the other book I was reading…

It’s a shame that this one didn’t work out for me. If I’d previously read the comic and understood more of the back story then perhaps I would have enjoyed it a lot more – so I’d love to hear if anyone has read both, and enjoyed them!

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.

[Ari Baronofsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. The dialogue didn't have the Bendis ring to it, and parts of Pilgrim's background were totally skipped. (No mention of her superpowered brother, for one.)

If this were a standalone book, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Pros: well-written, good use of flashbacks.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've liked most of what I've read of the graphic novels. And in general, I love the genre blending of noir crime thrillers and super heroes. However, this book does have one MAJOR problem for me. Doing the 'the surprise big twist reveal' once in a noir... that doesn't work. I've seen books try to do that and since the genre is built on confusion that's a no go. However, this book you can do the big twist reveal three or four times without kinda seeming less like a real noir drama and more like a deliberate self parody.

While I admit, the clues are all there and the end does make sense, which is something I have complained about in many of the mystery novels I've read in 2021- whether they be adult, child or YA lit- it still seems like a bit of a stretch. I get what the book was going for but it reached a point where it stretched pass my suspension of disbelief at least for a more grounded super hero world as Powers tends to be.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deena Pilgrim is a homicide detective in the Powers division of Seattle area PD. The powers division investigates cases where the victims and the culprits have special powers. At one time Deena and her partner Christian Walker both had powers and now they don't.

The novel opens with the death of a very well known champion of justice that was known for trying to bridge the world of human and powered communities. His death is the first of several that somehow seem tied to a large case that took place about 10 years prior in Atlanta - a case Deena's dad was involved in.

This is a face paced thriller with so much going on you think you know who is behind it all but you may just second guess yourself. It was fun. I found myself thinking about the X-men and The Incredibles during the entire book. I would like to read more from this author.

[Becky Stutzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a standalone book. I picked this up at a book sale for cheap, not realizing that it was related to a comic book series. The book may make more sense if you are already a fan of the comics and the characters, but it was not written well enough to be a standalone book. It contained way too many references to things that happened in the past that were irrelevant to the story line, and not enough character introduction for someone who doesn't already know the characters.

I found the twist reveals to be pretty weak and regretted wasting my time on the book. I should have quit reading when I got bored 50 pages in.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. I had about 100 pages to go and I just gave up because I have too many other books in my to-read pile. This is not a bad storyline but it would have made more sense if I was familiar with the comics it was based on. Superheroes being killed because of a secret that happened a long time ago. This is about the cops investigating the murders. The normal people.

[Billy Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copycat murder, similar to a series of such crimes in Deena's hometown of Atlanta during her latter teen years, serves as a vehicle to reveal her background and how she became a police detective. An excellent companion to the comic book series!

[Dair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I wanted to read everything Powers related. It has its moments, but doesn’t really love up to the Powers comic. Hard to say exactly what was a bit off, but I probably only recommend this for the Powers completionists.

[Andrew Clem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look into a complicated character. Deena has many layers and this books helps expose those.

[Tammy Mallon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get it

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest not as good as the graphic novel but still enjoyable.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so I confess that I know nothing about the graphic novel or the tv-series, but hey that did not matter. But I do say, that graphic novel series sounds good, and I do see traces of it here. It is clearly a graphic novel made into a book. It just you know flows that way, like jumping from picture to picture.

This is a world of super heroes, a virus making them so. We do not see that much of them here since this is Deena's book. But they are there. And there are Humans against them too, since those powers make those humans not so human.

Deena is a cop and loves it, she has a past, I guess that is in the graphic novels since it seems a LOT happened...like a LOT. But this book is about her trying to catch a serial killer. A killer with ties to her hometown, her family and what is going on, what happened back then?

A few twists and turns, a few enigmas. A kick-ass cop and well yes again I am curious about those graphic novels, and that series made for playstation...

But I do think that it could have flowed better, and not been so graphic novel'y. This is a book and not that.

A darker shade of heroes and cops.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in Powers, Vol. 7: Forever, we learned the secrets of Walker's past, and now, in the first Powers novel, we finally get to learn Deena's story. About her family, her friends, and what caused her to become a cop.

It's an interesting story, and thankfully Neil Kleid does a good job of managing Bendis' characters and his world. It feels very authentic. I kind of regret that this isn't a Powers comic, but the writing feels true enough that I could sometimes picture these scenes as drawn by Oeming.

The actual case, of the Liberty killer, very nicely intertwines Deena's past and her present. And where the Powers comics have mostly been procedurals, where the detectives slowly move through the evidence, this instead feels like a true mystery. It's a nice change of pace.

I certainly hope this will be referenced in the comics, to draw it closer into the canon, but whether it is or not, it's well worth reading for Powers fans.

[P.D. Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the book is very well written I found it hard to get into the story and not being a fan of the whole super hero genre, I can't honestly say that I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think that is the fault of the author/s, but instead is my fault as I thought this was solely a crime thriller, rather than a story based on the comic and superpowers etc. Yes it clearly states what it is, but at the time I wasn't so picky about the goodreads books I was choosing, but now I am much more careful, and make sure that I know I will like the genre and the style of the book before entering into a giveaway. So therefore I apologise to the authors of this book, and admit that I didn't even get to the end of the book, but I gave it a try anyway.

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and this was my unbiased review in compliance with FTC guidelines.

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book on the firstreads site in exchange for a fair and frank review....

First off, I think the Powers comic is great. Bendis is a great character writer and his slow burn approach is great in the comics. The Powers TV show is ....ok a bit.
This story is not what I expected, Far from it!
I was looking forward to this but I was very disappointed.
Deena Pilgrim is a witty, sarcastic sometimes caustic little minx in the comics but it does not cross over to the novel format very well. It is hard to engage with someone so two dimensionally, non personality, female lead. The story IS about her and her past but she is the worst thing in it.
I did not enjoy it. So sorry, really wanted to as a fan of Bendis.
Don't know what went wrong...it's not you it's me ...stick to comics mate...

[Daniel McTaggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this book. Moreso because I'm a fan of the Powers comic book. I already had solid conceptions of Deena Pilgrim and Christian Walker in my head. Their banter fit like an old glove throughout this book. It's a challenge to go from graphic novel to novel novel, and it shows in the plot points. The story had a wonderful twisty-turny feel to it, but a few of the elements were glaringly obvious. So much so that I have to wonder how certain characters became a detective in their universe. But it didn't take away from the fun and the hard-hitting grit that Bendis is known for in his crime comics. I'm keeping this book and maybe getting it signed by him someday.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book if you like thrills and suspense.