Classic Comics Cavalcade Thanksgiving Edition: A Marvel Family Dinner In ‘Power Pack’ #19
by Tony Thornley
The important thing about Thanksgiving is family. It could be a blood-related family, or a legal family, or even simply found family. A fantastic illustration of that in comics came in 1985’s Power Pack #19, which featured a gaggle of stars and taught them all what family really means.
Louise Simonson, Brent Anderson, Scott Williams, Terry Austin, Sam De La Rosa, Janet Jackson, and Joe Rosen brought this very Marvel Thanksgiving dinner to life.
Katie Power is hurting. Her mother is critically injured. Her siblings are falling apart. And all she wants to do is make her problems feel small. The best way her mom had to do that was attending New York’s famous Thanksgiving parade. Unfortunately, things aren’t going to go as planned, and a team of Marvel’s greatest heroes are the only thing standing in the way of disaster.
This is an incredibly sweet story about coping with loss and sadness. Katie just wants to see the Mighty Mouse balloon, her mother’s favorite, and have a Thanksgiving as close to normal as possible. Despite the fantastic circumstances- including Wolverine, Kitty Pryde and Beta Ray Bill saving the day- Simonson shows that humanity is at the heart of our heroes.
Every bit of this issue is drenched in the fantastical, but it shows that Wolverine, Bill, Cloak and Dagger and the others are all just people who long for connection. They all understand that as well and show Katie the love she’s craving from others as she and her siblings are struggling so badly. It gets to the heart of what Thanksgiving in the United States is- it’s about those we love, and how they love us in return.
Anderson and Williams are both great pencillers for this issue. They could have easily reverted into cartooning. They each use a very grown-up style, not shying away from the hurt and anger the Powers feel, or the loneliness of Cloak and Dagger, or even the misguided contempt from Annalee of the Morlocks towards Leech. The issue’s emotional beats hit because of the art.
But the most important thing this issue does is show us that no matter what, we can find the family we need. It works as a character piece in that way, letting each guest star shine, while adding just enough superhero action that someone looking for that will be satisfied. But the action serves the story, as it’s started by Annalee struggling with her feelings towards Leech, and ends with Katie doing her best to give her ailing mother a small but misguided gift. And best of all, that doesn’t have a happy ending, just an important, and realistic lesson for a young girl.
If you need a small pick-me-up for Thanksgiving today, go pick up this issue on Comixology or Marvel Unlimited. It’s all about what families mean for us, warts and all.
