#87 Part 1
Number 87 - Power Pack by Louise Simonson
Keywords: Superheroes, mainstream, kids comics, craft, needs a re-read
Creators:
Writer - Lousie Simonson
Art - Various mainly June Brigman and Jon Bogdanove with Bob Wiacek doing a lot of the inks
Colours - Glynis Oliver and others
Publisher: Marvel Comics
No. issues: 40
Date of Publication: 1984 - 1988
Last read: 2013
As I re-evaluate what comics I enjoy the most I've been stripping my collection of all sorts of stuff I don't think I'll get around to re-reading. Most of the stuff that's going onto the 'for sale' pile (well its many boxes by this point!) is my superhero stuff. Only the best are spared the chop and one that is staying in my collection, at least until I get to a rapidly approaching re-read is
Copyright - Marvel Comics
Specifically I'm talking about the start of Power Pack's time at Marvel, they are still around today as I'll get to later in this post. The first 40 issues of their ongoing title, in which they debuted, was written by Louise Simonson with art in the main by the brilliant June Brigman, up to issue 17 and followed by the almost as good Jon Bogdanove with issue 22.
In some ways it's very surprising that Power Pack stands out so much amongst so many decent superhero comics of the time as it tells the tale of four sibling children. Indeed it seems aimed at an audience who will relate to these leads and seems to be written for a younger audience than even Marvel's main fare in the mid 80s when it came out. In doing that it manages however to be a really all ages title. It might be written with a young audience in mind but reads really well to an adult. This is largely due to the way the series makes the kids of the title actually behave like real children of their defined ages. From Katie who is 4 years old to Alex who at 12 is the oldest sibling. For completion Jack whose 8 and Julie at 10 make up the team.
It's written from their perspective, reads like these are real kids having to deal with wonderful powers and the terrible dangers they bring. Terrible dangers both in terms of the aliens and villains they have to fight against and terrible in terms of the struggles of young children and the fears they have. Perversely in handling things from this perspective and with such quiet honesty it reads to me as far more mature than most mainstream comics of the time.
Copyright - Marvel Comics
The story tells of the four Power siblings as detailed above. Yes they really are called Power, but that's a minor irritation which exposes the nature of these comics. Actually the whole of what I'm about to recount by way of recap makes clear these are mainstream kids superhero tales, you'll just have to trust me their naive charm makes all this really work.
The children live with their parents on a beachfront house outside New York. Their father just happens to be a brilliant scientist who develops some amazing science based antimatter type advance in technology. I don't know it was superhero science type stuff. His work draws the attention of two alien races. The first are the good horsey type aliens called Kymellians who send one of their leaders 'Whitey' to warn him of the dangers of developing his work further. The second are warrior lizard types called Snarks (a name ripe for at least one pun.) and not nice. They are intent on kidnapping Doc Powers to extract his discovery from him to use for their own nefarious means. In doing so they mortally wound Whitey and indeed capture the kids parents.
Whitey crash lands his sentient spaceship 'Friday' on the beach near the Power's home and in his last dying act bestows on each of the children a fraction of his 'powers' and his smart ship. So each of the children suitably superpowered and have the means have to journey into space to rescue their parents, hopefully without mum and dad realising it's them doing it and that they are now superheroes.
Number 87 - Power Pack by Louise Simonson
Keywords: Superheroes, mainstream, kids comics, craft, needs a re-read
Creators:
Writer - Lousie Simonson
Art - Various mainly June Brigman and Jon Bogdanove with Bob Wiacek doing a lot of the inks
Colours - Glynis Oliver and others
Publisher: Marvel Comics
No. issues: 40
Date of Publication: 1984 - 1988
Last read: 2013
As I re-evaluate what comics I enjoy the most I've been stripping my collection of all sorts of stuff I don't think I'll get around to re-reading. Most of the stuff that's going onto the 'for sale' pile (well its many boxes by this point!) is my superhero stuff. Only the best are spared the chop and one that is staying in my collection, at least until I get to a rapidly approaching re-read is
Copyright - Marvel Comics
Specifically I'm talking about the start of Power Pack's time at Marvel, they are still around today as I'll get to later in this post. The first 40 issues of their ongoing title, in which they debuted, was written by Louise Simonson with art in the main by the brilliant June Brigman, up to issue 17 and followed by the almost as good Jon Bogdanove with issue 22.
In some ways it's very surprising that Power Pack stands out so much amongst so many decent superhero comics of the time as it tells the tale of four sibling children. Indeed it seems aimed at an audience who will relate to these leads and seems to be written for a younger audience than even Marvel's main fare in the mid 80s when it came out. In doing that it manages however to be a really all ages title. It might be written with a young audience in mind but reads really well to an adult. This is largely due to the way the series makes the kids of the title actually behave like real children of their defined ages. From Katie who is 4 years old to Alex who at 12 is the oldest sibling. For completion Jack whose 8 and Julie at 10 make up the team.
It's written from their perspective, reads like these are real kids having to deal with wonderful powers and the terrible dangers they bring. Terrible dangers both in terms of the aliens and villains they have to fight against and terrible in terms of the struggles of young children and the fears they have. Perversely in handling things from this perspective and with such quiet honesty it reads to me as far more mature than most mainstream comics of the time.
Copyright - Marvel Comics
The story tells of the four Power siblings as detailed above. Yes they really are called Power, but that's a minor irritation which exposes the nature of these comics. Actually the whole of what I'm about to recount by way of recap makes clear these are mainstream kids superhero tales, you'll just have to trust me their naive charm makes all this really work.
The children live with their parents on a beachfront house outside New York. Their father just happens to be a brilliant scientist who develops some amazing science based antimatter type advance in technology. I don't know it was superhero science type stuff. His work draws the attention of two alien races. The first are the good horsey type aliens called Kymellians who send one of their leaders 'Whitey' to warn him of the dangers of developing his work further. The second are warrior lizard types called Snarks (a name ripe for at least one pun.) and not nice. They are intent on kidnapping Doc Powers to extract his discovery from him to use for their own nefarious means. In doing so they mortally wound Whitey and indeed capture the kids parents.
Whitey crash lands his sentient spaceship 'Friday' on the beach near the Power's home and in his last dying act bestows on each of the children a fraction of his 'powers' and his smart ship. So each of the children suitably superpowered and have the means have to journey into space to rescue their parents, hopefully without mum and dad realising it's them doing it and that they are now superheroes.