What’s That Name Again? — Reviewing ‘The Powerpuff Girls’ #3

Superheroes tend to face a lot of villains and it’s hard to keep track. Some villains naturally take that personally.

Townsville’s latest baddie is ready to get revenge with an oh so perfect weapon in The Powerpuff Girls #3. This charming and fun story is brought to life by Kelly Thompson, Miriana Puglia, Roshan Kurichiyanil, and Jeff Eckleberry.

Miscellaneous Villain #432…sorry, Big Bang, is a fun concept. Villain seeking a name for themselves, brushed off by the heroes, comes back stronger to make that name. Too bad for them, the Powerpuff Girls are just too good to be taken down. Even by the so-called “Perfect” weapon.

I like how light these stories are, while still packing quite the punch (almost as powerful as a Buttercup punch). Just like the source material, Thompson builds a very simple foundation for a story and does intriguing things with that familiar base. Having the villain slighted by just being a number on the list, and the heroes being kind enough to comply with the simple demand for recognition speaks volumes.

It’s all made funnier by them shouting the name Big Bang at last, while clobbering the villain once more. Hey, at least he got what he was asking for. That’s something at least.

Heroes realizing the key to defeating a villain’s targeted attacks is switching targets is a story beat as old as time. Yet, with the right personalized versions and fun elements mixed in, it feels fresh and new. Because at the end of the day what keeps us coming back to any long-form creative endeavor are the characters and world building.

Lightness comes not just from the story beats themselves, but how they are presented on the page. Just by their design, these characters are the epitome of light but heavy and Puglia capitalizes on that.

Breezy, energetic, and really kinetic all apply to this artwork. It takes the best qualities of the animated world and brings them to the static page. All without losing any of the sense of motion and depth that is inherent with animation. Using the gutter space around panels keeps the eyes focused and moving along while adding a striking contrast at times. All the panel choices are made with the focus on keeping things moving at all times, giving us a fast-paced by hearty reading experience.

Speaking of light, the very sort of vibrant meets muted and toned-down palette that Kurichiyanil employs works wonders here. All the cityscape, spaces, and other set pieces have an authentic sense to them with the chosen color tone, while the villain and hero stuff pops more, using the deeper colors. It’s done in a way where the two tones feel fully in harmony and complimentary, when they could end up against one another.

I really like when I get to encounter names I’m not familiar with on comics, Puglia and Kurichiyanil fitting that bill. So too does Eckleberry with the lettering. Just like the rest of the visuals there is a levity to the work, letting emotions and tones burst out clearly. Adding colorful energy to the affair, letting the words grow or shrink or change style as needed.

The Powerpuff Girls #3 is now available from Dynamite Comics.