Review: Supergirl Annual #1

Supergirl Annual #1 came out this week, a middle chapter in the current Fatal Five storyline and boy, was this one busy. Writer Steve Orlando keeps things moving forward at a near incalculable speed, switching scenes, having characters move in and out, and revealing plot points in a machine-gun style. This was one of those issues that while I was reading I needed to flip back a couple of times to make sure I knew where the action was taking place. It also was one of those issues that I read twice in the same day to make sure I understood it all.

In some ways, that rat-a-tat style works well for a summertime annual. Like an action movie, the pacing was so brisk that it felt like a roller coaster ride. In some ways, it didn't work for me as the information flowing was happening so fast that I needed to pause and absorb it (or reread it), breaking that momentum.

Perhaps I am being too grumpy. There is a lot happening here. But I shouldn't complain when most of the time I am complaining that nothing happens in comics.

The art here is done by Steve Pugh. Pugh's art has certainly changed over time. His work on the Vertigo Animal Man back in the early 90s is the style that I have imprinted on. This seems a bit more straightforward than that thick-lined style.

Buckle up your seatbelts. We are moving on to the story.

The issue starts with the overpowered Supergirl fighting a suddenly kaiju-sized Solomon Grundy. Because of the power levels of both, the brawl is even more uncontrolled than these things usually are. Buildings nearly collapse. The nearby citizens, dodging tossed cars and rubble, suddenly feel less assured with Supergirl than they had been. And then ... a new hero arrives.

Indigo, the Woman of Tomorrow, flies in to rescue people and try to put a stop to Supergirl's destruction. She not only warns Supergirl about the 'mayhem' today but also the horror Supergirl does in the future.

Now this is something interesting. Indigo doesn't seem to be an outright villain here. She isn't fighting Supergirl. She wants to stop this. Hard to believe someone this magnanimous is in 'The Fatal Five'. And I don't think this is a lie. Why lie to Supergirl this high up? So nice switch here.

And this whole 'Supergirl does evil in the future' is another timey-wimey plot that I find interesting. We have seen this in some of the darker days of the pre-Gates/Igle run.

Meanwhile, Selena continues to confront Cat Grant in the CatCo CEO's highrise apartment.

Now this is a great scene with Grant simply unimpressed and unfazed by Selena's display of powers. She continually puts the sorceress down, even saying that CatCo interns know more magic than Selena. So sassy!

Selena wants the access codes to the CatCo phone app and with a spell she has that info. Cat switches deliciously from dismissing Selena to vowing revenge. Love Cat's presence.

So a couple of things. The scene is brilliant. But would Cat, as CEO, know such technical info? Wouldn't Indigo, the Coluan, be a better choice to simply hack in? Is this a nitpick.

 At The Blade, the DEO Headquarters, The Emerald Empress has defeated the Cameron Chase and accessed the records in the DEO servers. Armed now with the CatCo codes, The Empress sends out videos of Supergirl's tender moments with Zor-El to everyone. Suddenly, National City sees Supergirl 'helping' the Cyborg Superman that tried to destroy their city. They learn he is Kara's father. And she sounds much more like an accomplice. Everyone's faith in her is shaken.

Again, I wonder about this as a plot. I suppose psychological warfare is a good way to break down your opponent. But why not just send the Fatal Five en masse to attack Supergirl instead of this chicanery?

Nice art here by Pugh with the inset panels of citizens looking up in dismay.

 Ben Rubel ends up getting into Cat's apartment and demands that they break into CatCo tower and shut down the app. He knows that Supergirl is being played.

Initially Cat is just as angry at Supergirl. But when Ben mentions how family can make you do crazy things, she pauses and changes her tune. She'll help figure things out. But Supergirl will need to own up to her 'lies'.

We have heard plenty of hints about Rubel's family issues. What crazy things has he done? When will he reveal his secrets?

But what about Cat's family issues? How much of pre-Flashpoint Cat was merged into this person with Rebirth. Her alcoholism? The death of her son? Hmmm ....

We then get a bit of criminal monologuing as the Empress reveals her origins and her dastardly plans to Chase. And there is some stuff to unpack her.

First off, she is from Orando now, not Venegar. She seems just as fickle as the original Empress, vaporizing all those who she feels has crossed her. But when she reconnects with her father,. she actually seems happy.

But then (again this is in the future), an army waving an S-shield banner lays waste to Orando and kills the Empress' father (shown in a very Crisis #7 splash page). Now is it really Supergirl who leads this army? Does this mean Supergirl is in the Legion at some point? Or is it simply Supergirl's legacy that this army follows? Are they zealots?

 So, in an effort to effect the time stream and to stop Supergirl's legend from growing, the Empress came back in time to destroy the Girl of Steel. And she formed her Fatal Five, all based on lies.

This is another page where we are seen how the Empress' specific goals matched up with those she has allied herself with. So she played on Magog's loss of a loved one, as she had. She talks about Supergirl not feeling consequences so she picks the robotic Indigo. She removes Selena from the torture of Klarion's town so she won't be tortured by her father's death. And, like Grundy, she wants peace and redemption.  Nice little sequence.

But it was all lies. She has manipulated these four to do her bidding.

 Indigo's early pleading with Supergirl actually impacted Supergirl. Kara flew off to the DEO Ghost Station, hoping Shay Veritas can help her.

With Supergirl gone, Indigo defeats Grundy (her ally) and declares herself the unemotional best hero for National City. Of course, lack of emotions leads to cold, calculating decisions. Be careful what you wish for Nationa City.

But more importantly, we have seen Indigo hanging out with Grundy. Does she know she is being played? Or is she playing along?

 At the Ghost Station, Veritas learns that Supergirl's cells are continually absorbing more energy. In fact, eventually she would burn herself out and explode. Luckily, through comic book science, Veritas can perform laser surgery to burn away the root of the problem.

Supergirl won't absorb more  and more energy. She explode anymore. But she is still super-charged.

It is a little comic book science-y. But I'll roll with it. What is weird is that we learn it is Selena who did this to Kara. So why the gun motif? The purple energy?

I have to assume that this super-charging is a story that last beyond this arc.

 But Supergirl doesn't have time really to think things through. The Empress has sent Magog and Selena to the Ghost Station to attack Supergirl's allies there.

Who should be there to help defend things? Lar-On!

Now I hope he isn't a true Kryptonian-level strength werewolf. I hope that his 'sickness' knocked him down a notch. I am all for super-powered werewolves. I love the idea. But he shouldn't be on the same level as Kal and Kara.

 But we don't dilly-dally at the Ghost Station. Supergirl knows the Empress is at the Blade and she needs to get into that base to help the DEO. Rather than fly straight there, she uses the tunnels below National City to try to sneak in. And who should let her in? Eliza and Jeremiah!

I like how they need to remind Supergirl that they are soldiers as well as parents. She doesn't need to send them away.

I want more of the Danvers in this book. I am glad we see them here.

But in the end, Supergirl confronts the Empress who lays out her whole plan.

She reveals how she manipulated the Five. She talks about how she has made people question Supergirl's goodness. She has hidden the events of National City from Superman. Supergirl is on her own.

And if the Empress is upset that Supergirl killed her father, you should be able to guess what the Empress is aiming to do next.

Whew.

Scene changes. Motivations. Fights. New characters. Character moments. More scene changes. More fights. A lot happens here ... a lot. And we end on another cliffhanger. This is actually a middle chapter, something I am not used to an Annual being. But as a middle chapter, it did what it needed to do, pushing the story forward to a conclusion. But at times it felt a bit dizzying.

The art is fine. Pugh's page layouts are slick with different panel sizes and shapes helping the story flow.

So what did you all think? Am I just grumpy?

Overall grade: B