Wonder meets Might in Heroes Reborn #6. As the event moves into its Avengers-focused endgame, we play audience to the trials and tribulations of the Power Princess, one of the Squadron Supreme’s biggest guns…who herself is faced with a figure from Marvel’s godly past. Written by Jason Aaron, drawn by Erica D’Urso & Ed McGuinness, inked by Mark Morales, colored by Jason Keith & Matthew Wilson, lettered by Cory Petit.
Heroes Reborn backslides slightly into DC mimicry once again in Heroes Reborn #6. Though namechecked and cameoed all throughout the main series, this issue finally gives us a full tale about Wonder Woman analogue Power Princess. The results are…slightly mixed, let’s say.
Starting with what works, however, Jason Aaron back in a pulpy mode is really fun to see. We open with a pretty jocular action sequence, pitting Power Princess against the All-Gog, Eater of Gods. From there, Aaron provides us another walking tour of the Squad member’s history, peppered with contact with the general Marvel universe castaways we’ve come to expect from this event.
Some of this is quite fun. I will always appreciate any splash pages featuring Namor, and the energy Aaron is displaying in this opening really sells the rough-and-tumble characterization for Zarda as a bored warrior-queen. He even manages to poke some welcome fun at his own Thor run: revealing that Zarda had her own three-fronted temporal war against Gorr, supported by her younger self and Old Queen Zarda, both of whom are given wonderful, poster-ready splash pages by artists Erica D’Urso and Jason Keith.
But aside from the first real contact we get with an Avenger in the main story so far, Heroes Reborn #6’s pastiche feels rickety this late in the game. While some of the other issues have had real teeth to them, this issue just feels like pulp for pulp’s sake. Normally, I am all for that. I always like for my superhero comics to be just the right amount of goofy. But it seems here that Aaron didn’t have much of a take on Zarda beyond “drinks a lot, likes to fight.” A disappointment after so many issues of Aaron seemingly having more to say beyond the tights and fights.
Maybe I’m just being punchy, or perhaps even slightly too mean to the issue this. But the first five issues of Heroes Reborn have certainly been something unexpected and have shown that this event might have more on it’s mind than just empty DC pastiches. But then Heroes Reborn #6 just gives us an empty Wonder Woman riff. It is very frustrating indeed.
Especially since some of Heroes Reborn #6 does work. The introduction to Zarda is really fun, and the self-aware but classically-inspired takes on Thor put a bit of thunder in this event’s back half. I just thought Heroes Reborn would be doing riffs so close to the series’ end.
You can’t win them all, I guess, so Heroes Reborn #6 is me losing one more time before the Avengers’ inevitable Return.
Zachary Jenkins runs ComicsXF and is a co-host on the podcast “Battle of the Atom.” Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside of all this.
