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Outlawed
Power Pack: The Powers That Be
Collects Power Pack (2020) #1-5. Power Pack is back! Katie, Julie, Jack and Alex Power have been super-heroing since they were learning to tie their shoes - but it's been ages since they fought side by side as a family. Now a special occasion - and an old grudge - is about to bring the family back together. There's just one hiccup: a brand-new law outlawing underage vigilantes! But surely if the fate of all of New York City is at stake, the powers that be will make an exception? Don't bet on it! To comply with the rules, the Pack needs an adult mentor - but who in the Marvel Universe will take the job? Whoever it is, they'll have their hands full when the Powers' powers start to shut down…which is a bad time for the Taskmaster to come to town!
112 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2021
6 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Ryan North
536 books1,601 followersHi, I'm Ryan! I was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and since then have written several books. You can read my Wikipedia page for more, or check out my author site at RyanNorth.ca!
I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.
I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good
I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.
I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 24, 2022
As part of the Outlawed event, Marvel resurrect the Power Pack in this Limited Series tie-in. The pros are the great continuity of plot and characterisations from the original series; the cons are just how long is Katie going to be sounding and acting like a five-year-old, the soulless digital artwork and yet again in a Power Pack book, a pretty decent villain played down so that they can be beaten, essentially by four kids. 5 out of 12, Two Star read.
2022 read
2022 read
August 26, 2025
I am a die hard, long time Power Pack fan. These kids have been favourites of mine since I was their age, so I am always rapturous any time they show up. There’s always a little trepidation, though, because they’ve not always been treated well over the years. In fact, I think their co-creator Louise Simonson is the only writer who really ‘gets’ them.
This outing, penned by Dinosaur Comics and Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North is actually better than average. It’s not perfect, though, I’m afraid.
The first problem was that the first issue completely contradicted the appearance of the older two Power kids and their parents in recent issues of Fantastic Four. Somehow, in the week since the Power parents greeted Alex and Julie on their return from their extended adventures in outer space as part of the Future Foundation, they’ve apparently forgotten that their kids had been off in space and that they are superheroes.
Now, I get the impulse to put the kids’ ‘super-ness’ being known to their parents back in the box, for story reasons, but at least explain it away somehow! Sheeesh…
The second problem I had was some of the characters, notably Alex and the villain of the piece (I won’t name them as their identity would be a spoiler), were more than a little out of character at times. Mainly, it was a case of their being dumbed down.
Now, portraying his heroes’ antagonists like morons is something North did a lot on Squirrel Girl so that wasn’t entirely unexpected but to do it to Alex seemed more than a little unfair. I know why he did it; it’s because he wanted to firmly reestablish Julie as the brains of the team; but, come on, dude! Alex just spent a few years as part of the Future Foundation - a team of super-brainboxes established by Reed Richards, for goodness’ sake! If Mr. Fantastic thought Alex had the smarts to be part of his think tank, he’s certainly no dummy…
Also, North clearly doesn’t understand Katie’s powers. She disintegrates solid matter, releasing it as explosive energy; she’s not bloody Electro! Grumble, grumble, grumble…
This probably seems like nitpicking but I’m passionate about these characters, damnit…
Anyway, these gripes aside, I did enjoy the book and it had decent artwork, so it just about scrapes 4 stars for me. For anybody who doesn’t have a lifelong love of these characters along with a huge dollop of nostalgia it’s probably more like a 2.5 star read.
This outing, penned by Dinosaur Comics and Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North is actually better than average. It’s not perfect, though, I’m afraid.
The first problem was that the first issue completely contradicted the appearance of the older two Power kids and their parents in recent issues of Fantastic Four. Somehow, in the week since the Power parents greeted Alex and Julie on their return from their extended adventures in outer space as part of the Future Foundation, they’ve apparently forgotten that their kids had been off in space and that they are superheroes.
Now, I get the impulse to put the kids’ ‘super-ness’ being known to their parents back in the box, for story reasons, but at least explain it away somehow! Sheeesh…
The second problem I had was some of the characters, notably Alex and the villain of the piece (I won’t name them as their identity would be a spoiler), were more than a little out of character at times. Mainly, it was a case of their being dumbed down.
Now, portraying his heroes’ antagonists like morons is something North did a lot on Squirrel Girl so that wasn’t entirely unexpected but to do it to Alex seemed more than a little unfair. I know why he did it; it’s because he wanted to firmly reestablish Julie as the brains of the team; but, come on, dude! Alex just spent a few years as part of the Future Foundation - a team of super-brainboxes established by Reed Richards, for goodness’ sake! If Mr. Fantastic thought Alex had the smarts to be part of his think tank, he’s certainly no dummy…
Also, North clearly doesn’t understand Katie’s powers. She disintegrates solid matter, releasing it as explosive energy; she’s not bloody Electro! Grumble, grumble, grumble…
This probably seems like nitpicking but I’m passionate about these characters, damnit…
Anyway, these gripes aside, I did enjoy the book and it had decent artwork, so it just about scrapes 4 stars for me. For anybody who doesn’t have a lifelong love of these characters along with a huge dollop of nostalgia it’s probably more like a 2.5 star read.
February 25, 2022
Power Pack has returned just in time to be Outlawed. Anyone under 21 now needs a mentor to be a superhero. Unfortunately for Power Pack they pick the wrong mentor. Some of North's goofball humor is still here. Nico Leon is the real star of the show though. I love his chunky but clean style.
January 2, 2022
I think there needs to be a rule wherein a book is considered a failure if it features a family and we learn everyone's first name except that of the mother. Dad gets a name. The kids get names -- heck, here they get two names if you count their superhero code names too. But Mom is just Mom: not so much a person as a function to be fulfilled within the family.
That aside, the rest of this book is just bland, boring superhero nonsense. It wants to be in regular Marvel continuity but deals poorly with the fact that the first comic book came out in 1984, and the Power siblings are still children coming on forty years later. Thanks to relativity, Alex is pushing 21. Julie is a dating teenager. But there is a lot of fudging when it comes to the ages of the younger kids. Jack seems about the same as always. Katie appears about eight or ten years old in the art, but draws and writes pages in the story that give the mental impression of a five or six year old.
A very disappointing book lacking the fun and imagination of Ryan North's Squirrel Girl work.
That aside, the rest of this book is just bland, boring superhero nonsense. It wants to be in regular Marvel continuity but deals poorly with the fact that the first comic book came out in 1984, and the Power siblings are still children coming on forty years later. Thanks to relativity, Alex is pushing 21. Julie is a dating teenager. But there is a lot of fudging when it comes to the ages of the younger kids. Jack seems about the same as always. Katie appears about eight or ten years old in the art, but draws and writes pages in the story that give the mental impression of a five or six year old.
A very disappointing book lacking the fun and imagination of Ryan North's Squirrel Girl work.
August 1, 2021
Ryan North has one of the most consistently hilarious narrative voices in comics these days - his revival of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl was easily one of the best runs in modern Marvel history. Unfortunately, this miniseries isn't anywhere near as madcap, bold or narrative-redefining. It's a lot of fun, and very cute, but only occasionally do flashes of North's wry comic brilliance appear.
That said, it was still really nice for me to get to hang out with the titular Power Pack again. I am definitely dating myself here but their original comic series was one of my childhood comfort reads. I loved these kids and their alien-begotten powers, and you can tell North does too.
I'd love it if he could be given free rein on an open-ended Power Pack run - that might give him more creative freedom to breathe and invent, without feeling the need to introduce the characters (making it all a bit expository via thought-dump) and then wrap their stories up in five slim issues.
3 - 3.5 stars
That said, it was still really nice for me to get to hang out with the titular Power Pack again. I am definitely dating myself here but their original comic series was one of my childhood comfort reads. I loved these kids and their alien-begotten powers, and you can tell North does too.
I'd love it if he could be given free rein on an open-ended Power Pack run - that might give him more creative freedom to breathe and invent, without feeling the need to introduce the characters (making it all a bit expository via thought-dump) and then wrap their stories up in five slim issues.
3 - 3.5 stars
Read
May 4, 2021Ah, I've missed regular Ryan North comics. This isn't quite as formally experimental – or as utterly wonderful – as his Squirrel Girl run, but then that was one of the best Marvel comics of the past decade, so this is hardly a criticism. When we've seen anything of child heroes Power Pack in recent years, it's generally been the two older siblings, Alex and Julie – but the 'hang on, shouldn't they have grown up by now?' questions raised by Marvel's sliding timeline have handy (Mc)handwaves, with Julie having been magically de-aged and Alex off in space where relativistic effects mean his physical and official age are now out of alignment. Meanwhile, the youngest, Katie, provides charming crayoned recap pages, while Jack is now a YouTuber, because being the annoying one, of course he is. The story is told relay race style, each sibling narrating an issue, meaning it can dig into all those awkward family dynamics like the way that, despite having lives of their own in the interim, siblings will tend to revert to their traditional family roles once back together (which also, of course, doubles as a sideways look at the way corporate superhero characters seldom get to make any lasting change in their lives).
Beyond that, the story glances at the current Outlawed mini-event, none of the rest of which I've read, that appears to be essentially the Registration Act from Civil War resurrected, but this time only for child heroes. Which seems both slightly more sensible, and, given society's current dropping of any pretence that it cares at all about the younger generation, entirely plausible. So the Power kids need a mentor, and after a few failed attempts (including some wonderful Frog Thor business), end up with new face Agent Aether. You know how online smartarses are forever observing that Bruce Wayne could do more good with his money by funding projects to improve life in Gotham than he does as Batman, conveniently ignoring the fact that for decades the comics have shown him doing both, and I say that even as someone who bloody hates Batman? Well, similarly, Agent Aether convinces the kids that really, the best thing they can do with their powers is generate cheap, clean electricity. That's definitely an all-round good idea which can't in any way backfire, isn't it? Spoiler: it does.
In short: a fun, shiny, moderately madcap superhero book. Nico Leon's art hews closer to Marvel house style than North's Squirrel Girl collaborators (well, except on the crayon bits), but not too much so, and probably works better than a Henderson or Charm would have once the kids team up with Professor Brucie Mansworth (don't worry, you'll know him when you see him) to sort out the mess they've landed themselves in. Fingers crossed North won't stay away so long next time.
Beyond that, the story glances at the current Outlawed mini-event, none of the rest of which I've read, that appears to be essentially the Registration Act from Civil War resurrected, but this time only for child heroes. Which seems both slightly more sensible, and, given society's current dropping of any pretence that it cares at all about the younger generation, entirely plausible. So the Power kids need a mentor, and after a few failed attempts (including some wonderful Frog Thor business), end up with new face Agent Aether. You know how online smartarses are forever observing that Bruce Wayne could do more good with his money by funding projects to improve life in Gotham than he does as Batman, conveniently ignoring the fact that for decades the comics have shown him doing both, and I say that even as someone who bloody hates Batman? Well, similarly, Agent Aether convinces the kids that really, the best thing they can do with their powers is generate cheap, clean electricity. That's definitely an all-round good idea which can't in any way backfire, isn't it? Spoiler: it does.
In short: a fun, shiny, moderately madcap superhero book. Nico Leon's art hews closer to Marvel house style than North's Squirrel Girl collaborators (well, except on the crayon bits), but not too much so, and probably works better than a Henderson or Charm would have once the kids team up with Professor Brucie Mansworth (don't worry, you'll know him when you see him) to sort out the mess they've landed themselves in. Fingers crossed North won't stay away so long next time.
January 29, 2022
No. Just....no.
A little bit of comic book history for you. Power Pack was created in the 80's. Now, I know comic characters don't age like real people, but even Franklin Richards of the FF has been aged to (at least) a mid teen. If you'd done this to Power Pack, their youngest member would be dating and their oldest would be several years out of college. Don't get me started on the parents who have been kept in the dark for yeaaaaaars.
This is written by the same author that write the Squirrel Girl stories and you can tell they want a light feel to this, but you're dealing with a group that jumps between serious Marvel continuity and their own fluff. Pick one. This SHOULD be a story of a family getting older and staying together as they become different people. What do we have? Characters locked into a pre teen / teen mentality which defines (and limits) the story options you have for them.
This shouldn't be part of the main Marvel. Power Pack should age out in normal continuity and maybe stick these feel good stories to where they do the best...Marvel Adventures (or whatever YA imprint Marvel has at the time)
Bonus: Wolvermean (the worst at what he does, because he's BAD)
A little bit of comic book history for you. Power Pack was created in the 80's. Now, I know comic characters don't age like real people, but even Franklin Richards of the FF has been aged to (at least) a mid teen. If you'd done this to Power Pack, their youngest member would be dating and their oldest would be several years out of college. Don't get me started on the parents who have been kept in the dark for yeaaaaaars.
This is written by the same author that write the Squirrel Girl stories and you can tell they want a light feel to this, but you're dealing with a group that jumps between serious Marvel continuity and their own fluff. Pick one. This SHOULD be a story of a family getting older and staying together as they become different people. What do we have? Characters locked into a pre teen / teen mentality which defines (and limits) the story options you have for them.
This shouldn't be part of the main Marvel. Power Pack should age out in normal continuity and maybe stick these feel good stories to where they do the best...Marvel Adventures (or whatever YA imprint Marvel has at the time)
Bonus: Wolvermean (the worst at what he does, because he's BAD)
December 13, 2021
Power Pack has always been a difficult sell after it's initial (fabulous imo) run in the 80s. If you age the kids up you just get a bunch of generic superheroes and kidding them as their teen and pre teen ages could get repetitive.
This series does a reasonable job of bridging where the elder Power siblings, Julie & Alex, are with the early 2000s Sumerak/Gurihiru stuff which skewed a bit lighter than their original series.
And it's good enough and the character voices seem fine but it doesn't really engage with any Power Pack history so feels a bit generic.
But they were my original entry point into Marvel comics and I'll always have a soft spot for them so it's good to see them again.
This series does a reasonable job of bridging where the elder Power siblings, Julie & Alex, are with the early 2000s Sumerak/Gurihiru stuff which skewed a bit lighter than their original series.
And it's good enough and the character voices seem fine but it doesn't really engage with any Power Pack history so feels a bit generic.
But they were my original entry point into Marvel comics and I'll always have a soft spot for them so it's good to see them again.
August 5, 2021
This was genuinely so so fun to read. I feel like going forward if there should ever be another limited or ongoing Power Pack series it should be written by Ryan North. I already knew he was a great comic writer (hello Unbeatable Squirrel Girl anyone??) so I was so excited when on of my favorite comic writers was writing one of my favorite teams. I wish this was an ongoing series or something because this was great. I feel like he captured the personalities and dynamics of the characters really really well. Plus the art was pretty fantastic.
August 5, 2021
I knew nothing about Power Pack before reading this, but I saw it in my library catalogue, saw that Ryan North wrote it, and thought, "I'm almost certain I'll like it." I was right. He recapped the origin story of Power Pack in a nice, clear way.
And I loved the little cameo by a certain character near the end. So cool!
And I loved the little cameo by a certain character near the end. So cool!
July 26, 2021
Ryan North delivers a delightful throwback to the original Powe Pack series that pays off in every way it could including a great payoff for Wolverine's arch in the original series. This is a solid all ages read even if it presents as more like a teen title.
July 28, 2021
I tried really hard to like this mini-series, but just like that, it felt as if the story was trying too hard to be cute and sweet. I do like kiddie stuff but this time it fell in the way of the enjoyment. Of course, different colors for different people, it just didn’t sit right with me.
June 28, 2021
very entertaining
July 12, 2021
Cute and fun. Basically, exactly what you'd expect from a comic written by North about the Power Pack.
January 2, 2022
Mor fun comic times you'd expect from author Ryan North. Despite not being super familiar with Power Pack I thought this was great.
February 17, 2022
Honestly a cute current telling of the Power Pack. I love their team up and which puts a new spin on that hero.
September 30, 2025
Look, it's not world changing but it's nice, and it's sweet, and it made me laugh.
March 20, 2024
Incredibly, unnecessarily verbose for a title that seems to be geared towards younger readers.
The Great Marvel Readthrough, pt 305
The Great Marvel Readthrough, pt 305
October 4, 2023
Power Pack is Back!
I read the 2005 Power Pack comics as a kid. Loved them. Never heard from them since. Caught a glimpse of them in Secret Wars ten years later but otherwise? Nada.
Turns out the "reason" there weren't any new stories was because the team had broken up. The two older kids were doing Space Stuff with the Fantastic Four's Future Foundation, but now everyone was finally home again and honestly, couldn't be happier!
New threats, new challenges, same great superkids!
Every chapter is narrated by a different sibling with their own perspective, voice and attitude and even the art shifts sometimes to fit their style and I love it!
It's probably not coming back for the long-run and that's more than fine. This is a cool new story with a beginning, middle, and satisfying end. What more can you want?
That said, I hope they get a show. Or a cameo at least. Maybe in Moon Girl or She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel or Big Hero 6? That'd be so neat!
I read the 2005 Power Pack comics as a kid. Loved them. Never heard from them since. Caught a glimpse of them in Secret Wars ten years later but otherwise? Nada.
Turns out the "reason" there weren't any new stories was because the team had broken up. The two older kids were doing Space Stuff with the Fantastic Four's Future Foundation, but now everyone was finally home again and honestly, couldn't be happier!
New threats, new challenges, same great superkids!
Every chapter is narrated by a different sibling with their own perspective, voice and attitude and even the art shifts sometimes to fit their style and I love it!
It's probably not coming back for the long-run and that's more than fine. This is a cool new story with a beginning, middle, and satisfying end. What more can you want?
That said, I hope they get a show. Or a cameo at least. Maybe in Moon Girl or She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel or Big Hero 6? That'd be so neat!
December 25, 2021
(This is for the Volume 1 Collection)
I have almost no familiarity with the Power Pack, but I'm a big Ryan North fan, so I picked this up. It's not one of his best works, but there's still enough to enjoy here. He does a good job of presenting each of the siblings as distinct in ways that go beyond their powers, and injects a good bit of humor into a story that could have gone a lot darker. The antagonist has a unique plan and, though his ultimate ends are a little short-sighted, holds his own against the team very well. The series also makes good use of the larger Marvel Universe, with a couple pages of fun cameos and a final issue co-star that is very well utilized in a creative, zany fashion. The artwork is good throughout, and points for the in-comic comic drawn by the youngest team member, which manages to be cute and informative without getting obnoxious.
For anyone who read Squirrel Girl, I don't think this series ever gets close to the magic of that series, but if you're looking for a fun, family-friendly super hero outing in the Marvel universe, you could definitely do worse.
I have almost no familiarity with the Power Pack, but I'm a big Ryan North fan, so I picked this up. It's not one of his best works, but there's still enough to enjoy here. He does a good job of presenting each of the siblings as distinct in ways that go beyond their powers, and injects a good bit of humor into a story that could have gone a lot darker. The antagonist has a unique plan and, though his ultimate ends are a little short-sighted, holds his own against the team very well. The series also makes good use of the larger Marvel Universe, with a couple pages of fun cameos and a final issue co-star that is very well utilized in a creative, zany fashion. The artwork is good throughout, and points for the in-comic comic drawn by the youngest team member, which manages to be cute and informative without getting obnoxious.
For anyone who read Squirrel Girl, I don't think this series ever gets close to the magic of that series, but if you're looking for a fun, family-friendly super hero outing in the Marvel universe, you could definitely do worse.
January 11, 2022
2.5 stars. Despite vague memories of the preteen Power Pack from reading comics in the ‘80s, it was only the author Ryan North that led me to pick up this recent revitalisation. North’s work on The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is some of the best in modern comics, and I’ve loved his non-comics work too, like To Be or Not to Be, which is Hamlet as a choose-your-own-adventure.
While still perfectly fun, Power Pack sees North working in a more restrained and traditional style. His unique blend of humour and pop science still shines through, most notably with a digression from the superhero antics to explain the ins and outs of electricity generation, but these moments of lunatic inspiration are few and far between.
Mostly this is just a solid adventure story about sibling superheroes teaming up to fight evil, illustrated in a clean and colourful style. A lovely book for a young audience.
While still perfectly fun, Power Pack sees North working in a more restrained and traditional style. His unique blend of humour and pop science still shines through, most notably with a digression from the superhero antics to explain the ins and outs of electricity generation, but these moments of lunatic inspiration are few and far between.
Mostly this is just a solid adventure story about sibling superheroes teaming up to fight evil, illustrated in a clean and colourful style. A lovely book for a young audience.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews