To mate or not to mate, that is the question. The detail is that it involves Vartox.
What They Say:
Vartox has already taken out Dr. Mid-Nite to win Power Girl’s hand in marriage, and now he’s made Power Girl mad! And that’s the last thing you wanna do..
The Review:
Power Girl continues to be the character that really seems to draw in an unusual range of characters enter her life. The arrival of Vartox into it brought in the kind of humor that has been part and parcel of the series from the start and this issue plays a good balance of the bigger moments of action and then slowing down when it’s very appropriate. And scary. The introduction of Vartox in the previous issue really left me ill in a certain way having not only seen Zardoz years ago but also because I payed for it. Willingly. Getting it in comic book form, albeit with a really blunt sense of humor, was a bit rough to handle. What saved it though is the character interactions and the way Power girl continues to look so incredulous as events unfold around her.
With the faux battle that was set in place with the Ix Negapike having gone so wrong, creating a dozen of them attacking mindlessly now, Power Girl opens well with some good fighting and a sense of hopelessness that runs on for a bit as not only is Vartox getting tired, but Power Girl is as well. Which says a lot considering some of the fights she’s been in that have run for some time. The invincible Negaspikes are an amusing mindless creature that you know we’ll never likely see again, but Conner does a good job of giving them an obvious design and having a bit of fun with it. Though it doesn’t go on too long, it’s a decent sequence that has an amusing culmination to it that is very appropriate to the series. Even if it does leave things open for a return visit.
Where the book really made me laugh is when Vartox does his best to get closer to Power Girl afterward since she’s feeling a bit more relaxed about him after all that’s happened. Having the two of them spend time in his head-ship having dinner makes a certain amount of sense since both are tired and hungry on some level and it lets Vartox get humanized a bit more. His culture is certainly one that you can understand why everyone from Earth, at least English speaking realms, would find amusing. And it’s a lot of fun seeing that Power Girl can’t help but laugh about it when he says things like Pregno-ray and so forth. There’s actually a nice little trick to the story that lets it all resolve very easily with just a flip of a switch in essence, but I liked the way it kept his race as being different and a little off while letting them (or at least Vartox) feel superior. Both characters come across really well in this lengthy sequence and Power Girl in particular because I’ve really enjoyed her quieter pieces like this.
Digital Notes:
This Comixology edition of Power Girl contains only the Amanda Conner covers as there are no variant or incentive covers made for this issue.
In Summary:
The second half of this storyline doesn’t exactly offer up any surprises, but it mirrors what we had in the first with a good bit of action with the Negaspikes and then a whole lot of character fun between two very different species with different approaches to sexuality. Vartox’s up front nature about things and Power Girl’s giggling about it is a great combination that plays out well here and it left me grinning a lot as well, especially as Power Girl starts to realize exactly what it is he wants. Her reactions to the things he says with a straight face are quite good and watching her enjoying the situation and drinking throughout it is just right. The best work comes in watching the whole pizza joint aspect. Very fun stuff all around.
Grade: B
