Power Pack Classic Vol. 1 [New Printing]

Power Pack Classic

by Louise Simonson

Teen teams are nothing new, but only one super-group got started at age twelve and under! Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie Power prove you're never too young to save the universe when they use the powers they received from one alien race to foil the schemes of another - the dreaded Snarks! Back on Earth, they meet another new archenemy, General Carmody, a mutantphobe so confused he even targets heroes who AREN'T mutants! Guest-starring Spider-Man, Cloak and Dagger, and Henry Peter Gyrich of Initiative infamy!

Collecting: POWER PACK #1-10.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, X Men, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Louise 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

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Louise Simonson's writing and June Brigman's art created what many considered to be the first realistic portrayal of children in Marvel. This volume features the origins of the Power Pack, their move to NY and meetings with Spider-man, Cloak & Dagger and Marrinna from Alpha Flight. Classic Marvel tales from the time I was reading them as a teenager. Included as part of my mass read of mutant related titles because Louise also pens X-Factor. The comic is also noted for having two main female creators. 6 out of 12

2010 read

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Objectively, this was not the best Marvel titles of it's time. But it does have a number of things working in it's favor.
- Louise Simonson. Though not hugely well-known, I l'm a fan of her work, and she really captured the dyamic of this title well.
- The aesthetic of art and story meshed well. The art is crisp and clean, and it's easy to discern what is happening, which mirrors the relationship dynamics of the characters.
-Nostalgia- Though I love the (MANY, MANY) modern titles I read, I've been having a blast rereading older titles lately! Alpha Flight, Cloak & Dagger, bring em on!!

That said, though this title might not be for everyone, I'm still very happy to recommend it to anyone who likes nostalgia, or comics that are just FUN.

And be sure to check out the recent (late 2017) one-shot revival of this title, which brings the Pack back and into the milennium. It's entirely bittersweet, charming, and uplifting at the same time!)

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, back in the 1980s comic books went through a dark evolution. Narrative themes became more mature, situations began to have increasingly dire consequences, mature readers only labels started appearing all over the place. It seemed, at least for while, that comics had grown up. That wasn't the case. Instead of embracing a more sophisticated awareness of the scope and reach of the form and content of the illustrated narrative, the industry just masqueraded the same pedantic juenvenile stories trussed up like dogs in silly costumes. Instead of delivering more intellectually stimulating stories like Neil Gaiman's Sandman or Dave Sim's Cerebus the industry started a steady delivery of sex, blood & guts as the mirage of intelligent, well-written, and character driven stories. If it had lots of mindless violence it must be intelligent stuff. At least that was the standard business model for the industry at the time. Except a lot of fans of comics got pretty sick of the dark, brooding, murderous vigilante pretty quickly - even if a lot of the stereotypical fan-boys continued to devour the half-naked hot-babes and sociopathic "anti-heroes" that the industry kept shoveling at us. Except, you're not going to find any of that in Power Pack. This was the antidote to all that murderous, pointless killing. Power Pack was about good solid storytelling with clean art un-muddied by speed lines and woman in anatomically impossible, yet supposedly alluring poses. This was a fun comic, that was also very clever and entertaining on multiple levels that both kids and adults could enjoy simultaneously. This was a comic that you could happily have your kids read and that you could enjoy as well, and have engaging conversations with them about the stories and characters. Power Pack is a lot of fun and deserves to be recognized for what it was at the time, an alternative to the dark, brooding, murderous vigilante that otherwise consumed the industry.

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bel volume che raccoglie le prime dieci storie di questi bambini con superpoteri, tra l'altro sono gli unici numeri che la Play tradusse circa 25 anni fa. La serie, onestamente disegnata da June Brigman, mi piaceva particolamente per una certa delicatezza che Luise Jones, poi Simonson, metteva in quelle storie.
Erano anni dove andavano per la maggiore personaggi cupi (Wolverine, Devil di Miller, Punisher) e storie disperate (Massacro Mutante, Fall of the Mutants) e le avventure di questi quattro fratelli, i figli del professor Power, lanciavano raggi di speranza in una marea di fumetti che la speranza la massacravano. Questo resta ancora il maggior pregio, secondo me.
Poi le avventure erano comunque delle belle storie, per nulla semplici, parecchio impegnate anche dal punto di vista sociale, che facevano un uso calcolato delle guest-star e che non erano ripetitive.
Mi piacciono ancora parecchio anche adesso.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Power Pack comic from the very beginning and even got to meet writer Louise Simonson at the 2005 Wizard World Philly comic convention.

The stories are great, even reading them nearly 30 years after the fact. If you grew up reading Marvel in the 1980's, this was a series that you should've been reading. The book was centered around the four Power kids, but weren't simply kiddie comics.

I've read other versions of the characters in the years since but nothing compares to the original.

[Alissandra D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love these kids

[Corey Xavier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this a s a child, as an adult I still do!

[Jason Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun memories. Great artwork. Just fun stuff.

[jason sanden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love power pack since I first read it in the 80's.

[Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

cuties

[Delfi Esfandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good. A classic. A first of its kind. Superhero kids. Well I think it's a first....

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reliving my childhood!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This often forgotten Marvel Comics team may be better off forgotten. I'm surprised this series lasted 5 years given that it combines the old style Marvel writing (dialog-heavy to the point of characters narrating the story, as opposed to having an actual narrator or letting the art describe itself) with a surprisingly uncondensed origin story (everything happens really slowly) yet is supposedly written for kids. Looking at it from a more contemporary perspective may not be fair to it, but it's what I've got to offer.

What's funny is that I had a Power Pack comic when I was younger. None of it was memorable save for the team name and outfits. There's never been anything to make them interesting. Until the 2000's when Alex popped up in the FF books and Julie appeared in Avengers Academy. The latter felt like a more fully realized character. Too bad that series didn't get 5 years.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always nice when something that you loved as a child holds up when you revisit it as an adult. Case in point being Power Pack. I loved this at the time, as Louise Simonson's writing had real heart and June Brigman's pencils were wonderful. Fast forward 25 years, and the writing is still superb, but the artwork is just stunning. Not only have Brigman's pencils aged well, but I'd have to say that they were ahead of their time and rank her among my all-time favorite artists. Fill-in penciler Brent Anderson does a respectable take on the Power clan, but it's Brigman's pencils that bring these characters to life. Forget the manga-flavored non-continuity Power Pack mini-series that Marvel churns out these days and go right to the source. With Disney's recent acquisition of Marvel, one can only hope that we see a Pixar animated Power Pack movie based on June Brigman's pencils.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good old slice of nostalgia, and as always I enjoyed revisiting stories I first read in the mid-80’s as they came out.
Power Pack was never a top book for me back in the day, but I’d read it in a heartbeat over some of the stuff being put out today.
Simpler times mean simpler stories, so the 10 issues covered in this collection will probably not be to everyone’s taste but, for me, Louise Simonson and June Bridgman do a great job. The 2 issue Brent Anderson fill-ins are even better.
You get a nice smattering of guest stars (Spider-Man, Cloak & Dagger, Marrina, Dragon Man) and a real feeling of the Pack being part of New York.
A classic collection for a classic era.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 - 2
#2 - 2
#3 - 2
#4 - 2
#5 - 2
#6 - 3
#7 - 3
#8 - 3
#9 - 3
#10 -

[Allan Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing
Saw this book come up on a reading club and thought I'd give it a try
Was worth it, such a great family story.
Love the aliens and the powers.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting how a book so obviously made by people on every drug has such a strong anti-drug subplot but I guess that’s just the 80s for you.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first couple of issues feel like an attempt to illustrate, e.g., a Bruce Coville story. Something like a boiled down Wrinkle in Time that's a lot more 80s Hanna Barbera cartoon. They're simple and clearly written for a child.

The second arc is about gangsters selling deadly heroin.

So, there was a bit of a turn!

The powers chosen feel a little weird and redundant. And there are probably too many Powers children, as well. Not bad, not something I would feel compelled to revisit.

[Ilsa Bonaparte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Power Pack is amazing! 'Nuff said!