Andromeda Strain - JSA Classified #2

Power Trip, Part II

JSA Classified #2

Cover Date: October 2005

Released: 24th August 2005

⋅ Writers: Geoff Johns ⋅ Pencilers: Amanda Conner ⋅  

⋅ Inkers: Jimmy Palmiotti ⋅ Colourists: Paul Mounts ⋅

⋅ Letterers: Rob Leigh ⋅ Editors: Harvey Richards / Stephen Wacker ⋅ 

We start with a little walk and talk as Mr Terrific and the Flash (Jay Garrick) discussing how Power Girls powers are fluctuating like crazy and that because she's still (relatively) young she want to figure this out by herself. They we're going to examine the pod that Power Girl arrived to Earth (or at least this century, almost barely her being Atlantean), when they discovered it's been seized by Checkmate and Director Bones.

Power Girl however is still feeling a little sorry for herself on the Daily Planet globes in Metropolis. She's soon joined by Jimmy Olsen who snaps her picture before chatting, in a really nice two page spread. He offers to call Superman if she want and we do that weird thing where Kara expect him to state at her cleavage. Yes it's a bit of self aware humour, and I'm sure it'd happen in real life, but it really seems out of place in a story where she's trying to figure out just who she is in this world.

Anyway we're saved from any further humour when the Legion of Superheroes turn up to drag Power Girl back to the 31st century. They explain that she's a fellow legionnaire, Andromeda, who was sent back in time on a special mission. This is a pretty deep cut, basically when the Crisis meant there wasn't a Superboy to inspire the Legion so to fix the legion it was a suspiciously similar substitute the Daxamite (Kryptonians with the numbers filed off) Mon-el. Andromeda was an actual Legion character, but as I've never read any of there comics I can't really comment further.

Anyway when a aircraft suffers an engine failure, a rather common problem for Metropolis it seems, Power Girl rushes to try and save the plane and it's passengers, but is thwarted at every attempt by the Legion characters talking about preserving the timeline. Luckily Superman and Supergirl arrive in time to save the plane at the last minute.

Yeah that one!

Supergirl is quickly shooed away, which here feels a little more natural as Power Girl is dealing with a lot here, and she and Clark have a talk about what's going on. This is where we get the (in)famous scene where she offer's an explanation of why she has the boob window, and you know whilst it's maximum cheese it kind of makes sense here as this Power Girl right now is trying to figure out just who or what she is right now. More interesting is the response from Clark who offers to helps, and when told she needs to deal with it alone doesn't argue and just offers his support. It's classic Supes and suggests that he's always treated her as family, even if (right now) they're not actually related. As always Clark is just good people, as he always should be!

In the last few pages we find out who's masterminding all this, or at least the attacks on Power Girl, Psycho Pirate, the other survival of the Crisis with his memories' interact. 

I shouldn't like this one, I don't know the Legion and we're just following the beats of the last issue. But, and it may be nostalgia creeping in here, but I like this one as well. Yes it would have been nice to have a proper exchange between Power Girl and Supergirl, but we get a short but good scene with her and Superman and the plot trundles on without anything to side track the story.