Review: Action Comics #1070 - Supergirl Back-Up

The All In era at DC Comics started this week with the release of Absolute Batman #1. Part of that initiative is Mark Waid coming on to Action Comics and that title going to weekly! Within Action Comics, we have a Supergirl back-up feature by Mariko Tamaki and Sklyar Patridge. 

Given the focus of this site, I will be reviewing these Action issues in two parts, making sure to give the Supergirl story the space it deserves. For us old timers, seeing Supergirl in the back of Action Comics, a space she anchored in the Silver Age, is perfect.

Action Comics #1070 was released this week. So we jump right into the story. But before we get there, a couple of opening salvos.

First off, Supergirl is treated very very well by Mark Waid in the main story. I cannot wait to show how Waid continues that 'field marshal', second-in-command feel for Supergirl within the super-family.

Second, Mariko Tamaki wrote the rather bland Supergirl Special #1 almost a year ago. That story was extremely rough. Supergirl not remembering Krypton (after PKJ had her be the Kryponian archivist for years). Supergirl jealous of Power Girl (after we just had a PG story where she was jealous of Supergirl). And, of course, a concentration on eating snacks. How DC could read that story and say 'this is the writer we want to guide Supergirl in her next solo story' is confusing.

Third, this story seems to concentrate on Supergirl's 'new power' coming out of Absolute Power, a hypno-vision where she can literally control people. That has troubling implications all over the place about consent. In the story, it shows the super-family having a lack of trust in their friends. And we simply don't need Kara to have this power any more than we need Black Canary to have heat vision or Power Girl to 'astral punch'.

At the very least, Skylar Patridge is reunited with Tamaki and brings a wonderful art style to the proceedings. Patridge has a sort of breezy, fine-lined style that feels like a top-notch indy book. That is not faint praise. The art is beautiful. 

But this opening chapter is a little confusing and a little troubling. So I hope things get tighter. On to the book.

We start with an opening splash of what I assume is an extreme close-up of Kara's eye pupil, complete with what seems to be circuitry on the retina? Is her hypnovision tech-based? I don't know.

But we then see she is at a Thanagar outpost, talking to some administrator? Politician? Physician? 

And the dialogue is confusing as Kara has no appointment, talks almost in Bizarro speak as she both answers truthfully and uses her hypnovision to erase this memory from the person's mind. This person gives her no information adding to why she is there. It is befuddling.

I get dropping us into action. She is in space, at a Thanagar outpost, and meeting with people to get info. But there is little else we know. I don't know who this person is. And the dialogue is so utterly confusing that I had to read these 2 pages 3 times to see if I understood what was happening.

This is NOT the way to open up a story and grab the reader.

Because we flash back.

Prior to Thanagar, we see Supergirl at Ironworks getting her ship and tech from Steel. He is worried because he isn't sure if his tech will survive the rigors of this mission.

I have to give Tamaki credit for that last panel. Kara remembers her trip from Krypton knowing she was never going to go home. Nice line about one-way trips. Sort of the highpoint of the story.

Because shortly after getting what she wants, she hypnotizes Steel to forget she was ever there and that he ever did anything for he. 

Feels very very Universo to me. This is how villains act. 

But she is doing it on Superman's orders.

This is an important mission and 'lonely', meaning she has to do it alone and probably has to keep it secret to make sure she does it alone.

I have a couple of thoughts about his last line there. One, I like that he trusts Supergirl enough to accomplish this very important, solo mission. But second, we don't know what the mission is so it is hard right now to know why Supergirl, why alone, why secret. So sending her off for a potential one-way mission is hard to comprehend right now. And lastly, since we don't know the conversation that happened before this, we don't see her agree to do it. That blank look on her face in that panel makes me wonder if she feels forced doing it.

There is something almost religious, or something that makes it feel ominous/life-threatening about him saying he doesn't want to put this on her shoulders. A sort of 'let this cup pass me' feel. 

I get it. The mystery is part of the story. It'll unfold. 

But so far - inscrutable opening scene, brainwashing a friend, mission potentially forced on her, all without explanation. 

Just before firing up her space ship and heading off, Power Girl arrives.

Thankfully ... and I mean THANKFULLY ... they act like friends. Power Girl wants to know about the mission. She wants to join Kara. She is confused about why Kara would slink off. They act like friends and sisters!

But then? More brainwashing!

Always the one eye ... is it tech based? 

And what are the depths of this brainwashing? Yes, she might hypnotizes them into forgetting these details. But won't all these people be thinking 'I haven't seen Kara for a while, where is she??' Or did she erase the very memory of her existence? Or did she implant a 'Kara isn't around but don't look for her compulsion'? 

Regardless, controlling these people, her family and friends, feels odious right now.

Off she goes, presumably first to the Thanagar outpost. 

Beautiful art throughout. Nice moment with Jon. But the rest of this feels like a riddle. It is the opening chapter of a mystery so I hope things become clearer. 

But this wasn't exactly a stellar start.

Opening grade: C-