Shadowland: Powerman #1 Review

A new Power-Man has arrived! Who is this mysterious would-be hero and what can he do to oppose Daredevil, leader of the Hand?! Can Luke Cage and Iron Fist intercept the new Power Man before The Hand gets a hold of him? Find out in Shadowland: Power Man #1!

Background

Daredevil AKA Matt Murdock has become the leader of the ninja clan known only as “the hand” he tried to use them as a force for good but fell to the darkness. He now uses the hand as a band of merciless enforcers to keep the streets of “Hell’s Kitchen” free of crime.

Summary

In the conflict between Daredevil and his long time nemesis Bullseye a building is destroyed by the villain and everyone inside is killed whether by the flames, the shrapnel or the ensuing collapsing structure. However one man survives, changed and glowing with an unknown energy.

In the present a pimp tries to sell under aged girls as prostitutes only to have the hand descend upon them and start slaughtering them for disobeying their lord Daredevil. Before they can the new Powerman enters the fray. He defeats the hand ninja, shatters their swords and causes massive damage all around. Before leaving he also “disarms” the pimp and makes off with the young girl he tried to “sell”. The Hand ninja recognize a technique he used and plan to visit the only place who teaches it….the Martial arts school of Danny Rand, The Iron Fist.

Our new hero then hands the girl over to her parents and collects his fee before changing into civilian clothes, grabbing his Pizza delivery bag and heading home. Inside we see his mom and her friend and a bunch of kids. He and the other teenager get into it briefly before his mother lays into him about what he’s really been doing to get money since she knows he lost his delivery job. His mom grounds him when she thinks he’s doing the same thing his “father” used to do.

Elsewhere at Iron Fist’s dojo Shang Chi is giving his students a philosophical talk afterwards they are confronted by the Hand ninja intent on locating the “student” he has let out of his sight. They hand him a picture and vow to put and end to this “Powerman”. Worried about what could happen he calls Luke Cage to meet him.

At the apartment Powerman checks his emails for “work” he finds one suits up and leaves. He gets the info and departs for a night’s work. He runs into Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Upon seeing Luke he goes crazy, charges up and slams his fist into him shouting “This is for my father!”

The Good

Cover-I really liked the cover art which showed the trademark Shadowland atmosphere of a dark Daredevil in contrast with the new Powerman’s glowing orange skin as he breaks through the “darkness” of Daredevil; Very Symbolic and an all around nice clean image.

Art-The interiors also had a very light playful feel without losing any of the dark grittyness that one would expect from a daredevil connected book. The use of light and dark here and the color contrast works well.

Black Hero-The new Powerman as a character has a very “hip” and “coolness” factor especially to those techies out there who use the internet for more than just “fun”. It was interesting to see this “modernization” of the original Luke Cage persona. This hero does exactly what Luke originally did charge people money and freelance except this one ahs all of modern technology at his fingertips. Craigslist listing and a stable internet connection are his tools for work and “fighting crime”.

We also get a lot of info on who he is and why he’s doing this. His father is dead we know that and he’s trying to take care of his family who live in a Ghetto. The Jobs available wont suffice them to make ends meet and he’s being the “man” by going out and bringing that paper back anyway he can. His mother while stereotypical played her part well and Danny, Shang Chi, Luke Cage and Spiderman all acted as expected with great though small bits of characterization.

The abilities of our new hero are still mysterious but clearly grant him enhanced strength enough to harm Luke Cage, shatter concrete and metal and also enhance his agility. The finale page suggests he has a connection to Luke that will play into future issues and his connection to Iron Fist through the use of techniques only he knows ties this character neatly into their “Powerman and Iron fist” days and into marvel current continuity.

The Bad

Vague-Powers of the hero are not fully explained. This may bother some. Guest abound this issue some readers would no doubt prefer a solo book focusing on the titular character as opposed to all these cameos.

While I enjoyed everything the book lacked a certain quality that separates average comics from must buy material.

The Ugly

3.5/5 for a good start and lots of mysteries