In a twist of fate, four children gained incredible powers. And in a universe full of war-hungry aliens and terrorizing gangsters, they would need them. Thus Power Pack was born! But when an enemy from the past rears its head again, the youngest Power finds herself in a body-snatching nightmare! Big brother Alex better come around – or Katie is toast! A never-before-told adventure comes to light as Katie Power revisits family history!

I know I have a couple Power Pack comics in my massive collection but I can’t think of any that stand out (though I was weirdly obsessed with playing a Power Pack team in Heroclix). Despite the span of decades, Power Pack #63 seems to attempt to put the team back in the spotlight with this one-shot Marvel Legacy comic that acts to not only wrap some things up but also as a way to gauge interest.

Writer Devin Grayson nails the story as it’s told from the perspective of Katie Powers. Recounting a battle and some family history to her teacher, the issue does an excellent job of introducing the team to new readers and also nailing what a story told by someone Katie’s age would be like.

That’s what really stands out about the comic. This isn’t an adult telling a story about some kids, Grayson channels what it’s like for a kid to tell a story including skipping important parts and details, some incorrect grammar, and a stream of consciousness narrative. If I asked a kid to tell a story about superheroes, this might be the result.

There’s also a solid narrative technique with an initial story told by Katie read back by her teacher where her teacher has one thing in mind and Katie has something that’s different. It’s cute and entertaining and the comic has both a throwback sensibility about it while feeling modern at the same time.

Marika Cresta‘s art helps with that throwback sense with a style that feels like it invokes a classic look, though the colors by Chris O’Halloran and lettering by Joe Caramagna have a more modern production about them. The kids look like kids and a lot of their personalities are expressed through the art (the comic is from the perspective of Katie so most other characters don’t get much of a focus).

This was an issue I was really intrigued to read and the results are fun and entertaining. The “voice” captured by Grayson is impressive and the series has me wanting to see more of the team in the future. YA is all the rage now and if played smart, the Power Pack could find a whole new audience and life within that genre.

Story: Devin Grayson Art: Marika Cresta Color: Chris O’Halloran Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Art: Mike McKone and Rachelle Rosenberg
Story: 7.65 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.60 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review