Power Pack – Holiday Special #1

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Go back to Power Pack (v1) listing!

Note: The original writers of Power Pack, Louise Simonson and June Brigman returned some time after the final issue of Power Pack #62 was released, and this story follows that chronologically before the Legacy issue #63, which is why this is after issue #62, and Legacy #63 is after this.

The issue opens up with Julie looking at an old photo and reminiscing how great life was when their father was just their father; their mother was fine; Alex wasn’t a Kymellian. Jack argues with her that living in the past is stupid. Julie goes on to say how a lot of these recent changes that they’ve endured don’t make sense and that she sometimes questions reality.

The scene switches and we see Alex, in human form, imprisoned by the Snarks – most notably, none other than by Maraud. Oddly enough, there is a Kymellian by the name of Technocrat who seems to be truly in charge; and that the Kymellian Alex isn’t even the real Alex. Technocrat has another Kymellian (all of them with blue skin) step forward and he uses a product to turn that Kymellian into a clone of Julie. The (real) Alex manages to break free and shoot the controls; which causes James Power, (Kymellian) Alex, and Margaret Power to seemingly melt, and the (clone) Julie vanishes.

Friday analyzes the gooey residue left and explains that their parents and (Kymellian) Alex were never real; but rather pseudoplasm duplicates.

In the meantime the real Julie is teleported onto Technocrat’s ship and immediately imprisoned. Technocrat reveals he’s after a specific formula that James Power was able to create; but his memory was damaged by one of Maraud’s Snark commandos (see Power Pack #2 through #4). Friday lands inside Maraud’s ship, and Jack uses his powers to disintegrate a hole so that they can move through the ship. Technocrat gets Maraud and they go seek out these new intruders.

This gives time for Julie to use her power to slam into the top of their crystal prison and destroy it. She then purposely flies into the crystal holding Alex, and shatters it. She’s extremely cut up – and they realize they can swap powers – because in the cloud form, she won’t bleed. Alex and Julie show up just as Technocrat is about to abduct Katie and Jack and reveals that Technocrat is evil. A fight breaks out and a hole is punched in the side of the ship that sends Technocrat adrift in space. Maraud is also pulled out, but she manages to survive, due to having a breathing mask.

The Power Pack kids call Friday who reveals their parents are being held in a laboratory.

In the hall, as Maraud stalks Power Pack, a holographic image of Technocrat appears before her and assures her that he’s still alive.

As the kids seek their parents aboard Technocrat’s satellite, they swap powers several times over, exchanging them with one another, as needed. Friday contacts Power Pack and tells them that the satellite is far more than it appears to be. A nuclear blast is fired at Friday, just as the kids get their parents (still imprisoned within their crystals) into the ship. Friday manages to blast off just in time, so that the missile exploded in the hangar bay. The satellite explodes, seemingly killed Maraud and Technocrat once and for all.

They’re saved by other Kymellians, and their parents are restored (though the mind lock is still in place). The Power Pack children discover that suddenly they can not swap powers like they did on the satellite – so that Katie is once again the one with disintegration, Alex has the gravity power, Julie is once again the lightspeed, and Jack has the cloud powers; restoring them all to their original format. They ask Kofi why they suddenly can’t change, but Kofi has no answer.

The Power family return to Earth, just in time for Christmas.

There are several back up stories –

One involving Julie and her crush on a boy named Seth, who is interested in another girl, and the heart break Julie feels.

Another story where it’s about Jack, and the opening is a clear reference to Calvin & Hobbes.