Warning: SPOILERS for Power Girl Special #1Power Girl has a brand-new ability that's uniquely hers, and it's the perfect her Kryptonian powers. With her new "astral-punch" ability, Power Girl's story possibilities are endless.
After a harrowing battle against Johnny Sorrow, Power Girl learns that her unique astral-punch is still in her arsenal in Power Girl Special #1 by Leah Williams, Marguerite Sauvage, Marissa Louise, and Becca Carey. Earlier in the story, Paige uses a great deal of her energy to completely destroy Johnny Sorrow, literally punching him back into the "subtle realms." She explains to her friend and partner Omen that she had to completely use up the piece of the astral planes that she had taken into herself during the Lazarus Planet event. It turns out, it was that energy that was giving Power Girl her psychic abilities, which have now dissipated. But Power Girl is never left completely powerless.
At the very end of the issue, Paige realizes that "whenever [she] astral-punched—it never came from [her] head. It came from [her] hands." Power Girl then punches through reality, proving that her astral-punching abilities are still very much "intact."
Power Girl Is Unique Among the Superman Family
The steadfastness of Power Girl's new astral-punch ability comes alongside a huge upheaval of the character's status quo. Power Girl, though Kryptonian, has long felt like an outsider within the Superman Family—primarily because her origins are in the Earth-2 universe instead of Earth-Prime. But Power Girl Special #1 sees P.G. reconcile with Superman and his allies just as it sees her accept those things that set her apart from them—including her new mental/psychic/spiritual abilities, which were granted to her during the Lazarus Planet event and are a new addition to her traditional Kryptonian powers. Though her psychic powers didn't last long, she still has the astral-punch to show for her self-acceptance, as well as a new friend in Omen, a new costume, and a new secret identity in the name Paige.
All of these changes serve a dual purpose. First, of course, Power Girl is more folded into the Superman Family than ever, especially after the events of this special one-shot. That interpersonal reconciliation is only possible thanks to Power Girl reconciling with her own loneliness and self-worth issues, which she reflects on here. More importantly, though, Power Girl refuses to lose her unique sense of self, and while these changes—including her new astral-punch power—allow her to fit into the Super-Family, that's only possible because she has made herself so uniquely distinct from the other Kryptonians. The entire Family is made more interesting when they have features that set them apart—whether it's Jon Kent's new electric powers or Superboy's long-standing tactile telekinesis—and now Power Girl has a permanent new astral-punching power that's hers and hers alone. Not even Superman can punch his way into the astral planes.
What's more, these new abilities will surely lead to exciting new story possibilities in Power Girl's forthcoming solo series, her first in more than a decade. Her astral-punch can quite literally rip a hole into another plan of existence; only time will tell where that will lead her, both narratively and as a character. It's certainly an exciting time to be a Power Girl fan, and her new astral-punch will only pave the way for Paige's future at DC Comics.
Power Girl Special #1 is available now from DC Comics!
