There's a global pandemic!
We just passed Easter and Passover!
There are no new comics on the shelves!
So today I bring you a back issue review of
Supergirl #70 from 2002! It encompasses all those things! Plagues! Supergirl heroics! Fun!
This was an odd time for Supergirl to say the least. Where the first 50 issues of this Peter David run hold up as an amazing super-longform look at religion, redemption, and sacrifice, the following 2 year run (which this issue is near the end of) was a bit rougher.
Linda Danvers, a deeply flawed human who is trying to be better and has come far from her darker past, is trying to reclaim the angelic portion of the Supergirl Earth Angel. She has been depowered, having the abilities of the earliest Superman (leaping not flying, bursting shell invulnerability, etc). She is following a chaos stream to Hell to find that aspect. She needs Buzz, a demon turned human which she loves/hates to get her there. Meanwhile, Lilith, the original wife of Adam, is on a revenge tour against Supergirl. Supergirl defeated her son The Carniverean, the first vampire in those forst 50 issues. To torment Supergirl, Lilith is sending demons to fight. Luckily, Linda has Mary Marvel as a pal who can see demons even when they are disguised. It's a road trip!
Whew ... a lot of back story there.
But an underlying theme here is that Linda is unsure if she is worthy of her powers or the angelic nature of Supergirl. Does she deserve to be reunited with that holy being. And Mary, while helpful, is so pure that Linda is constantly reminded of her own shortcomings. No doubt there is a twinge of inferiority and of self-loathing here.
God, I miss this Linda Danvers, as complex a character as you will find. Peter David was really at the top of his game here.
The art is done by a guest penciller, Todd Nauck, whose style goes well with the youthful heroes. You may notice the cover being signed by Nauck when I saw him at a con in 2009.
On to the issue!