I've never actually read any of the Judd Winick and Sami Basri "Power Girl," but with the book starting to tie into "Justice League: Generation Lost" it seemed like an appropriate time as any to give it a whirl. On the down side, I've entered right in the middle of a larger storyline. On the up side, at the end of the day I was still entertained.

Winick opens the book with a bit of exposition about Power Girl's business troubles, which for a new reader like myself was appreciated. But from that point on, Winick hits the ground running and never really stops until the final scene. For the kind of story he's telling here, that works fairly well. Power Girl spends most of the issue going up against genetically engineered life forms courtesy Professor Ivo and New Cadmus, and while it's essentially one big slugfest, it's an amusing slugfest.

Seriously, until the last few pages, it's Power Girl beating up various monsters and going up against the bad guys of New Cadmus. Power Girl's patter is entertaining, though, and there's a certain level of exasperation on her part which can't help but make me smile. This is, after all, a book that opens with her being attacked by a four-armed, tentacle-haired King Kong and goes downhill (or uphill depending on how you look at it) from there. But even as the monsters get bigger (and an unexpected slobbery ally shows up), it's still light-hearted.

The last three pages are the tie-in to "Justice League: Generation Lost," although if you've read last week's issue you already know what's going to happen here. Still, it's a smart cross-promotion (it certainly helps that Winick is writing both of the titles) and it makes sense, although I'm curious to see if we'll see anymore fall-out happen in this title down the line.

Basri's art is a clean and slightly cartoonish style, one that works well for the character. Power Girl is drawn in an attractive manner, although there's no such thing as subtlety when it comes to Basri's art. Every emotion is drawn at a thousand megawatts on Power Girl's face, but it actually rather fits the book. What you see is what you get from Winick and Basri's rendition of the character, after all. I think what I like the most about this issue, though, is all of the various New Cadmus GELFs that Basri gets to draw. They're all crazy and over the top, and it feels like Winick's writing to Basri's strengths with this issue.

"Power Girl" #20 was a fun trip into this character's world, and I feel like I got my money's worth. I'll certainly take a peek at next month's issue, but for someone who got drawn in based on the connection to "Justice League: Generation Lost," I don't feel like I've been duped at all. It's a little light and fluffy, and I'm good with that.