Review: Supergirl #21

Supergirl #21 came out this week, the latest 'bold new direction' for the character which in some ways feels like failed 'bold new directions' of the past. In what seems to be an endless cycle, we have an angry Kara, feeling alien, not recognizing Earth as her home, and striking it off on her own. In the ten years I have been doing this blog, I think I have seen 'angry Kara' attemped and fail at least three times.

And yet here we are again.

Writer Marc Andreyko has Supergirl reeling from the death of the Kandorians and the reveal that Rogol Zaar was behind the destruction of Krypton. Fueled by anger, she decides that she will head off into space to try to uncover who else was in on the genocide of her world. She cannot escape all that she has witnessed. She has survivor's guilt. And she has to focus that rage somewhere. So into space she goes.

Andreyko said in an interview that Kara has never dealt with that trauma and that simply isn't true. Supergirl has been dealing with the trauma of her past throughout her continuity. Remember, this is the New 52 Supergirl, not redone with Rebirth. So this is a Kara that has learned that she can't bring her people back (in the best forgotten H'El on Earth story). This is a Supergirl that has fled into space to leave Earth behind her only to return (in the best forgotten Michael Alan Nelson run). This is a Kara who hit rock bottom and embraced her rage becoming a Red Lantern only to realize (and be told by a mentor Guy Gardner) that she is stronger and better than that. It is a Kara who defeated the last World Killer and called Earth home. And even in the Rebirth run, it is a Supergirl who truly claimed Earth as her home, faced off against her evil father, dealt with her creepily re-animated mother, and was living in it as Kara Danvers and becoming the hero of National City, swearing that no one else would suffer as she has. She has dealt with this trauma ... a lot.

So to have her reeling from it, making this decision based on it, felt a bit like two steps backwards.

The idea of her wanting to get to the bottom of Krypton's destruction is a decent plotline. But the motivation could have been something else - her desire for knowledge, her wanting to honor the dead of Kandor, to bring further merit to her sending Rogol Zaar to the Phantom Zone. To say it is Kara's anger and sadness driving her seems almost lazy.

Now that isn't to say the story doesn't have high moments. And I shouldn't be dismissing an arc on the prologue. But this felt neither bold nor new.

One thing I can unabashedly praise is the art by Kevin Maguire. Maguire is a legend and his work sings. His Kara is radiant. His expressive work is unparalleled. And he draws the best Krypto I have seen. The art elevates everything here wonderfully. Expect me to gush as I review the particulars.

On to the book.

 The book opens with an origin page of Kara being rocketed away from Krypton and crash landing on Earth. It is a 6 panel wide screen take which is reminiscent of Grant Morrison's 4 panel Superman origin in All Star Superman. But unlike the simplicity of that, we see how complicated Kara's was. From hugging her parents goodbye (not in continuity I believe) to crash landing with several flip overs to not having a kindly couple in her gaze, she has had a rougher time than Kal.

But the words show that all Kara has had is pain. She has tried to get over it but something always rips away the scab; now it is Rogol Zaar.

It is a shame that we start from this place, as if the 7 years of growth the character has had since the New 52 began are scrubbed back to this reality of emotional distress. Despair and anger? From the character who last issue flew over National City smiling and loving Earth?

Noe of that takes anything away from this glorious splash by Maguire of Kara looking out to the horizon, hair whipping in the wind.

At the Fortress, Kara says this place where she used to go to remember Krypton has just become another place of grief.

I love the transition here from memory to maudlin.

And to be honest, I think the death of the Kandorians is a better hook for Kara than investigating the destruction of Krypton. Maybe she wants to avenge them. Maybe she wants to investigate Zaar to make his banishment in the Phantom Zone a justifiable sentence.

 In a scene that smacked of Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle's Supergirl #34, Superman flies to Kara to talk to her about her decision to head off into space. Except that scene had Superman be a shoulder for Kara to lean on and the lesson was for Kara to accept Earth.

Here Superman has a lot of good points to make. She shouldn't fly off angrily and in an emotional maelstrom. He understands the importance of her mission it is the timing that seems off.

She gives a testy response, reminding Kal she is older than him. Than she calls him 'human', something really out of the earliest angsty days. I suppose this recap of her age differential makes sense as this might be a jumping on point for new readers.

While I don't like the foundation of this enraged Kara deciding to do this, I think we can see she really is emotionally labile. For a second she seems to be thinking about aborting the plan but then steels herself.

Again, Maguire excels here. Those lower panels showing the spectrum of feelings Kara is having is fantastic.

 And, as if to show that Kara isn't 100% rage, we see her leave a message with Eliza Danvers saying she is leaving.

This scene actually gave me the most hope. It is as if Kara couldn't face her Earth mother and still go. The line about not crying shows that maybe she is having some self-doubt about this mission.

I also was thrilled that Andreyko didn't completely sweep all the last years continuity under the rug. The Danvers exist as family Kara can come home to.

Another thing I liked was Kara's seemingly strong standing in the DCU. She talks about thinking like Batman and following clues, starting with Zaar's axe. And then she seeks out Green Lantern to get some answers. She is acting like a peer to these big guns.

Interestingly, the ring doesn't say it has no information on Zaar's axe. It says the information has been redacted. Someone is hiding something.

 This at least explains why Kara is so intent on investigating Zaar even though he is imprisoned. She thinks he must have had help in destroying Krypton and this redacted information shows someone is hiding something.

But even Hal can tell she is out for revenge which is a bad path. What I find curious here is that Hal references his conversion to Parallax, a story now over two decades old. Somehow that history can be commented on. And yet, all the times where Kara also veered to the dark side (I'll remind you again she was a freaking Red Lantern) is forgotten. It doesn't make much sense.

But that's that. With a new clue to follow up on, Kara heads back to the Fortress, dons a new version of her costume which collects solar radiation in the depths of space and plans to fly off. I have said before, I love the look of this new costume.

Thankfully Kal doesn't let the last thing they say to each be that brusque conversation. He sends a note telling Kara to take Krypto along as a comrade. It will make him feel better about this mission.

I love that Superman signs with a smiley face. But does he mean it when he says he understands why she is going out there?

Once more we see that Kara is really in some turmoil. She cries at the idea of Krypto joining her and then, like any dog owner, asks if the pup wants to go for a ride.

I am looking forward to some outer space hijinks with Krypto. I can only hope we see them having some fun and it isn't always film noir crime story.

Hal's redacted search did flag some criminal conglomerate. Obviously Zaar had some allies and here they are ready to meet Kara should she get close enough to them. Okay, I have to admit that is a decent cliffhanger.

So let's start with the positives. The art is just spectacular. I love the way Supergirl looks throughout. I also like that while Supergirl seems to be running on pure anger there is a sadness underlying it all. It makes her concerns and motivations complex. And Krypto is always welcomed.

That said, I just keep wishing we will get past the reimaginings of an angry Supergirl dismissing Earth and fueled by pain and sadness. Every time I think we have reached a point where we have settled into a new environment and will be reading super-hero stories starring Supergirl, we seem to reset back to the angry Supergirl mourning Krypton, feeling guilty she survived, and ready to lash out. I can only hope this direction lasts no more than a year and ends with her back on Earth, declaring it home, and defending it.

This is just the first issue. We can always go up.

Overall grade: C