Review: Supergirl #13 (V8)

Supergirl #13 came out this week, the next chapter in the 'Hero of Kandor' arc, a brutal story so far pushing Kara to her physical and emotional limits. This is a story filled with physical danger and emotional turmoil. But through it all, even when seemingly spiraling, this Supergirl remains a hero and an inspiration. 

Writer/artist Sophie Campbell has had Kara nearly die, been turned into a cyborg, and trying to quell the uprising of the Black Flame in Kandor AND chastise the Kandorian government for letting it happen. And she continues to do this despite a large portion of her body having been replaced by clunky robotics. It would be easy for her to give up but she doesn't.

Not that she is stolid or staid. She breaks down here and there. We see her lamenting her past. We see her screaming at Lesla Lar. She is still learning to be a hero, still dealing with the roils of her life, but moving past them. This isn't a Kara crying in a sun, living a life of pain. This is a Supergirl who knows she needs to help people in danger, who literally tells herself to 'get it together'. I'm not sure I 100% understand her loyalty and devotion to Lesla. 

As for Black Flame, she is both physically devastating, ready to kill those who stand in her way, and somehow a charismatic leader, bringing people under her sway. That is why Lesla followed her. And someone else might be joining the cause.

As for the art, Campbell has really kicked it up a notch in this arc. There are some wonderful little touches in the art that I think emphasize story points. I love her take on Superboy and his tactile TK power.

Add to that a killer cliffhanger and you get a fantastic issue. On to the book.

Black Flame is tearing into Team Thunder, the cloned soldiers of the Science Council. Zora has little care for collateral damage and Kandor is falling apart around them. There is no end to Black Flame's sadistic and violent outbursts.

What I like is that the kids of Kandor are starting to realize that maybe this chaos isn't in their best interest. I like how they are now listening to Supergirl.

It is clear that Supergirl isn't powerful enough to stop Black Flame or save Team Thunder. So instead she takes off to warn Lesla. Lesla has also been put on Team Thunder's kill list.

Walking through Kandor, Kara remembers how much the place reminds her of Argo City, her home.

But I love that last panel where Supergirl says 'get it together' and move on. Heroes can process and move beyond. They can use events to inspire them for greatness.

I love how Kara's memory of Argo is all shiny and clean and beautiful. And Campbell does a great job highlighting this wonderful memory by giving us just half of Kara's face, not showing us the cyborg eye. This is a good memory, away from the horror she is living in.

And then we get the contrast of the next panel, out of a horror movie.

Meanwhile, Black Flame has basically killed two of the three Team Thunder members. 

Instead of killing Thunder Girl, she offers a team-up. Why would Thunder Girl do the Science Council's bidding when it was a suicide mission? Remember, Thunder Girl was told she was a mistake by the Council last issue.

You can see how Black Flame could seduce someone into the dark side by playing on their fears and anger.

Lena and Conner have popped into Kandor via the microwave tunnel to help Supergirl and are thrown at how devastated the place is.

I love how naive Conner is just yelling if anyone has seen Supergirl, not even thinking that people might be Kara's enemy. 

He yells it at Zora who attacks him. In fact it looks like Lena might be killed in the skirmish.

Love how frenzied and erratic Zora is in clothes, hair, and even heat vision. She is a chaos agent for sure.

Kara arrives at Lesla's lab and even Lesla wonders why Supergirl would try to help her. Kara says to Lesla that she knows the answer. And it that Supergirl is a hero and that is what heroes do. 

No I don't know why Supergirl is so invested in Lesla. It feels like she is giving Lesla a sort of free pass for all the damage she has done, going all the way back to issue one.

We see Lesla's super-substance science scouts - Grab and Melt. 

For sure, 100%, one of these super-substance beings is going to merge with Supergirl to make Kara whole again, a sort of Matrix style protomatter merging with Linda Danvers to save her.

When asked why Lesla would even follow Zora, we hear how Black Flame is confident and charismatic, everything Lesla isn't. It is easy to see why Lesla might want to be more like her cousin.

I don't know if I would equate the role model Zora is to Superman like Kara does. Yes, both Lesla and Kara have bigger than life cousins. And yes, perhaps both feel in the shadow of their cousins. But Zora's influence is different than Kal's. 

As I have said, the one thing that has puzzled me throughout this story is Kara's devotion to Lesla. Why does Kara feel so close to Lesla, love her so much as a friend, want to forgive her so quickly.

So it was good to finally see Kara sort of lash out at Lesla. Remember, Kara is more machine than person. Her link to Krypton is on fire, in ruins. And here is Lesla lamenting her old life.

Finally Supergirl tells her to shut up and focus. It is time to do some good.

Again, Campbell uses the robot side of Kara's face as a dramatic tool. The first panel, Kara is listening, we only see the human side.

The next panel, she is angry and we see the horror she has become.

The last panel, we hear her talk about how flawed Kandor is and we see mostly robot. 

Impressive art.

Lesla agrees to help Supergirl but first Lesla needs to show our hero something.

In the sub-ruins of Kandor is another microwave tunnel, this one to Argo City.

Now to be honest, I don't know the current continuity of Argo so I am leaning into the Silver/Bronze Age version, the most prominent one. So having it reintroduced as a place Kara can visit is wildly fascinating to me. And again, this being a sort of return home to Kara, once more the robot side is hidden.

So I enjoyed this issue, seeing Supergirl rise above, remain a hero, finally call out Lesla for her deeds. Add the Argo City ending, my 'Matrix' guess, and the incredible art and it's a win.

Overall grade: B+