Issue(s): Power Pack #5
Cover Date: Dec 84
Title: "Homecoming!"
Credits:
Louise Simonson - Writer
Mary Wilshire - Penciler
Bob Wiacek - Inker

Review/plot:
Hmmm, issue #5 and we already have a fill-in artist. Mary Wilshire, who draws this issue, seems to have mainly drawn Barbie comics for Marvel, in addition to Red Sonja and some other fill-ins. It's too bad, because she's pretty good and i'd like to have seen her draw some more in-continuity stuff.

This issue follows up on the fact that the Power's father's boss, Carmody, recognized the Power kids while they were using their powers to destroy the anti-matter converter device during the previous arc. He goes to Henry Peter Gyrich and gets a mutant detection device. This is the same device (it's even drawn the same) that we saw Forge presenting in Uncanny X-Men #184. That's a problem, because that device - like his power neutralizer - was meant to detect any non-baseline human, not just mutants. Remember the devices were based on ROM's analyzer and neutralizer. Forge said:

It'll tell you who is or isn't baseline human, and whether they're mutant or alien. It can even differentiate between Kree, Skrull, and, most importantly, Wraiths.

This story hinges on the fact that the device does not detect Power Pack as mutants.

But i would have thought that they would still register as non-baseline human. And since their powers are alien-derived, you would definitely think something would get triggered. I guess we'll just have to decide that Kymellian energy is more difficult to detect. Or the device was on the "mutant detection only" setting. Or the guy who's reading the device was lying, since he was saved by the kids from falling off a cliff and actually knows about their powers.

That nitpick aside, this is a very nice issue. It's mainly a downtime issue, showing everyone returning from space.

The kids debate whether or not to tell their parents about their powers (no for now). And the whole family picks up the pieces after the alien attack (that the parents aren't even sure they can believe).

At the end of the issue, their father decides to take a job teaching at Columbia University and move the family from their beach hose to Manhattan. Margaret Power also tells Julie that she'd love her even if she could fly.

Carmody is a great character. Calling everyone bleeding heart liberals and jack-asses (i didn't know you could say that in a code book!).

Unfortunately, he'll be turned into a ridiculous character called the Bogeyman in later issues. This really should have been his last appearance.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Mary Wilshire had previously drawn for National Lampoon and feminist-oriented underground comix such as Aftershock and Wet Satin.