Review: Supergirl #33

Supergirl #33 came out this week, the conclusion of the Red Daughter storyline and the beginning of a 'new' more heroic more likable Supergirl.

Here's the bottom line. I very much liked Red Daughter. There ... I said it. You can quote me. Because in the end, this arc did what Charles Soule and Tony Bedard said it was going to do. It was a transformative story, a redemption tale, where the grim, angry, angsty loner Kara was burned away to reveal something more classic, something more worthy of the moniker Supergirl.

Now do I like that in the 3 years of the New 52 that Supergirl was so distorted that it actually made some sort of sense that a Red Lantern ring would find her? No ... no I do not.

But once again, after another failed experiment ... ANOTHER attempt at making Supergirl a dark and brooding character, DC realized that a bitter Kara does not work, that not all their books can be painted with the same cynical brush, not all characters work as disaffected anti-heroes filled with hate and feared and loathed by the public.

If it took some sort of cathartic arc like Red Daughter to return a true Supergirl to the racks, then I applaud it. And I have to applaud Charles Soule and Tony Bedard because ironically, Kara sounded the most like Kara while wearing that red mask. And here, in this issue, she sounds truly classic! It is refreshing!

Art this issue is split between regular artist Emanuela Lupacchino and Jeff Johnson. Their styles mesh well and this issue is filled with wild moments, from straight up fights to terrible body horror to stellar storms and it all shines.

In the Kryptonite haze over Earth (from the K-bomb/Metallo over in Doomed), Supergirl has to rely on rage and the red ring to battle. Her cells are dying.

There are so many nice little flourishes in the book as Supergirl fights World Killer 1. Bedard goes through a nice progression of recognizing the rough parts of this Kara's past, showing how much she has grown, and finally getting her to embrace life.

And it is these moments that I adored in this book.

So as the World Killer symbiote tries to overwhelm her and take control of her body, she comments on how violated she feels, even worse than how she felt with H'El!

And even more good Kara moments.

WK-1 takes the fights to the crowded city streets of Rio de Janeiro, battering through homes and causing property damage.

I love Supergirl's response to this too. She worries about the people surrounding them and how one false move or blast will kill innocents.

Imagine how different this sentiment is from the Supergirl that called Earth 'a ball of mud and sweat' and thought about blowing up Earth to save Krypton.

Nice character progression!

To show Kara he means business, he takes over a human who literally melts before Supergirl's eyes. The energy of WK-1 is too much for the average human. When he fries one, he jumps into another. And he is pretty determined to merge with Supergirl. He keeps talking about becoming one with Supergirl. It is borderline creepy. '

I love how Kara is nauseated by his bizarre words. That is so different than the gullible swooning Kara who fell for the nonsense that H'El said.

And then to save this man, Supergirl promises to give herself up.

Imagine that. Supergirl is so worried for this anonymous human that she would sacrifice herself.

Again, amazing growth. Yes we saw some of this sentiment throughout the title but it wasn't consistent and it wasn't this dramatic.

Ahh ... but this is also a crafty Supergirl. She isn't thinking with just her fists. She allows WK-1 to start to sink into her body. But then she flies directly into the Kryptonite cloud at ground zero. This weakens both of them (he is linked to her) but with the ring she is able to grab him and fly off into space, warping to the sun.

The idea of weakening herself to weaken while he is linked to her again shows some sacrifice from her.

Unfortunately, the World Killer is still incredibly powerful.

The only way Kara can think of stopping him from taking her over is to truly sacrifice herself. And so she removes the Red Ring, a move that has been fatal to all before her. She is dying here. The World Killer won't take her failing body and instead dumps her in the sun. Besides, he can always take over Superman, an idea he plucked when he merged minds with Kara.

There is so much to like here. She sacrifices herself to try to save the world from this threat. She actually worries about Kal, asking for his forgiveness. And I can't help but think that this panel is somehow a sideways homage to the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earth #7. Nice subtle homage without being obvious.

This all works. This is who Kara should be. Fierce in battle. Fighting injustice. Thinking of others. Learning. Heroic.

Shockingly ... I guess ... dumping a Kryptonian into a yellow sun isn't an effective way to kill them or dispose of their bodies.

Rejuvenated by a solar shock to the system, Kara emerges from the sun ... cured and stronger than ever.

And then this fantastic moment of self-revelation.

Her mind is free of all the rage and confusion! That's right ... no more rage. No more angst. No more nonsense.

And the World Killer, a mockery of life gets vaporized.

Hurrah!

The story ends with a glorious moment of victory.

A heroic pose, near splash page. And then a determined Supergirl goes to start a new life. Mop up the Diasporans. This is just a beautiful page by Lupacchino.

And make a life for herself on Earth!!

Finally .... FINALLY ... after 33 issues, I get the sense that I am reading a true Supergirl comic!

There is so much to love about this issue but I highly recommend you go out, read it, and rejoice. This was a sort of hero's journey writ small. This mini-journey ends with Kara in a very different place, her past behind her, trying to move forward in her new life.

And I am frankly thrilled to read it.

Supergirl #34 is the beginning of a new era in Kara's life. One where she accepts Earth and strives to be a hero. One where she makes a new life for herself in her new home.

Sorta sounds like history repeating itself.

Remember this Supergirl #34? Also a turning point.

Maybe DC will finally learn their lesson!

Overall grade: A

Review: Supergirl #32

Supergirl #32 came out this week, another chapter in the Red Daughter of Krypton story arc. This issue felt like we were heading into the home stretch of the Red Lantern angle for Kara. We hear about events that will happen in the Red Lanterns book, we have Supergirl heading back to Earth, and we have an upcoming catharsis which I think will make Supergirl move past this brief episode in her life.

Writer Tony Bedard has been moving this book forward by adding subplots and some supporting cast. Here, he concentrates solely on Kara. The entire book has Supergirl, front and center. And, surprisingly, Bedard shows us all the reasons why Supergirl seems to have embraced the red ring. This is about as enraged we have seen Supergirl since she donned the ring. In some ways I am surprised by this. Charles Soule has really shown us a more conflicted and nuanced Kara over in the Red Lanterns book.

I think the art by Emanuela Lupacchino in this issue is fantastic. I feel Lupacchino really hits her stride here, as if she has become more comfortable with the character. And this issue is all brawl, a fight in space with big action sequences and Lupacchino shines.

The story is called 'Homecoming' and it works on a couple of levels as we will see.

As I said, we have a bit of a raging Supergirl in this issue, starting out with a the opening splash page, Supergirl furiously streaking through space.

For the last couple of issues, specifically in Red Lanterns, we have had a calmer Supergirl, learning to not always attack first, learning to protect her friends, and finally feeling like part of something. As a result, we have had a more confidant and frankly, a happier Kara. There wasn't any 'woe is me' angst or bitterness - a surprising twist to the character especially given the addition of the rage ring.

Bedard shows us immediately that things have changed. Is this a step backwards? The last line of this splash is 'no wonder nobody wants me around'. Of course, if you asked Superman, he'd probably say he wants Supergirl around; she is the one who keeps pushing away. If you asked Siobhan, it would probably be a similar answer.

So where is this going?

 It turns out in the upcoming Red Lanterns issue, Guy has basically kicked Kara out of the Corps. He tells her to head to Mogo to try to be cleansed of her rage.

Now Supergirl's thoughts say she thanked Guy for this opportunity for a cure. But here she has second thoughts and decided to head home ... to Earth.

So a couple of things here.

I am thrilled ... thrilled ... that we hear Kara call Earth home. It comes about 2 years too late. But at least we get  her realizing that Krypton is gone and she needs to forge a future on Earth.

But this once again shows that maybe Soule and Bedard have slightly different takes on this arc. We go from 'thanking Guy' to 'FORGET Guy'. While people can change their mind, I am going to be very interested to see the scene in Red Lanterns that precedes this. If this is an emotional scene where Kara agrees that she must give up the ring, this will read weird.

And will this 'rejection' from the first place Supergirl felt like she belonged make her head back to the angry isolated person we knew before this arc?

In the meantime, the World Killer King is leading his Diasporan troops towards Earth.

He explains once more their mission. By bringing destruction to planets, the survivors become stronger and evolve. They have brought their 'gift' to others and now will bring it to Earth.

But he also says that Kara embodies that life lesson. He wants to recruit her. Interesting.

As I said, this issue is almost all action. The Diasporan fleet surrounds Kara. The troops spill out into space and they swarm her.

Despite having energy snares and weapons which do hurt Supergirl, she makes little work of them, bashing them, crashing through their ships, and laying the smack down.

One thing Bedard does well here is show us that the rage and the ring are part of Kara now and can try to overwhelm her senses. This is the first time I remember seeing the hearbeat sound effect showing the rising rage in Supergirl.

I'll tell you, Lupacchino shines in this sequence, bringing a clean sensibility to the fights. And that last panel, the crazed eyes, show Kara's feelings nicely.

It finally comes down to a battle between the Diasporan King and Kara. He says she will be his champion. And then speaks to her in Kryptonian.

At last he reveals that he is the first World Killer. But he was a different experiment. He was not a conqueror ... he is an empowerer. I guess it depends on your definition. Does worldwide destruction really equal empowerment?

But it does raise some questions. Was this really Zor-El's vision for this being? The other World-killers were female. Is this male truly a different beast?

These are such great panels artwise. After a book of anger, we get astonishment on Supergirl's face with the Worldkiller reveal. Great work there. And I love the second panel with the images of the other Worldkillers in the background.

And then it is on!

But once again, this feels like just a tiny step back character-wise for Supergirl. She states that rage has set her free.

I can understand her being angry here. I can understand her readiness to fight.

But rage setting her free? This doesn't sound like the Supergirl who has been struggling with what it means to wear the ring, for what it means to be a Red, on controlling the rage.

Still, great action shot.

At least we get a little bit of a reprieve.

Supergirl blasts the Worldkiller in the face with heat vision, an attack that should be lethal. But after the blast, the body of the Diasporan king withers and falls apart. And instead we stringy, inky blackness leaking from the insides.

Thankfully, Kara immediately feels remorse for 'killing' this being.

It is a sad day in comics when I have to commend the creators for having the hero be glad that they didn't murder someone.

The inkiness coalesces into a being with an odd glowing blue head and hands but also those dripping inky tendrils.

It turns out this Worldkiller possesses a body and what better form to continue his (her?) mission across the universe than being in an invulnerable super-powered body wielding a red ring? Of course it wants to take over Kara and become the ultimate Worldkiller.

It doesn't help that they are plummeting to Earth which is still engulfed in a Kryptonite cloud, making Supergirl that much weaker.

Now that is a good cliffhanger and a great splash page! And, thinking metatextually, this is a great penultimate chapter, setting up the climax and bringing the story to a place where a satisfactory ending is possible within an issue.

There even is a nice next issue blurb: "The Unthinkable Happens!" My guess is the unthinkable is that Kara removes the red ring without the calming waters of Mogo and survives.

I think this is a good action issue in the title, showing a powerful Kara pinballing through a marauding army. It answers some of the Worldkiller questions. And it brings Kara back to her home ... Earth! All of that said, her personality in this title has just been slightly off in comparison to how she has been shown in Red Lanterns. That difference has made this a little jarring in reading this story.

Hopefully, this Red Daughter arc will make Kara likable and heroic, living on Earth and helping. I would feel much easier about that if the characterization from Red Lanterns was pulling forward consistently. Still the table is set for a new beginning.

Overall grade:B

Supergirl's Rogues - Superman The Legend Cards

I knew when the Superman The Legend cards were produced by Cryptozoic that I would be wasting some money on impulse buys. The box is right next to the cash register at my comic book store, positioned perfectly for me to grab a pack as I am cashing out.

I know ... I know ... I could buy the whole series for $5 on EBay. But instead I tapped into a bit of my youth and have tried to do it the old fashioned way. Anyways, I gushed about the Mahmud Asrar Supergirl card just last month here: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2013/06/supermanthe-legend-supergirl-card.html

Anyways, after some more purchases I found that some Supergirl specific rogues actually got their own cards. And that made me so happy I had to share them as well!

First off, my favorite of the bunch ... Lucy Lane in her Superwoman outfit!

Superwoman was one of the best parts of the Gates/Igle run and a true new rogue for Supergirl. I loved how she was so eager for her Daddy's love she was willing to fuse with the Superwoman suit and fight Supergirl and all of New Krypton. And with the mix of magic and Kryptonian powers, she sure was a threat!

The text seems a bit off. I wouldn't call her a 'hero with divided loyalties'. I'd call her a villain.

It was sweet to see Superwoman again. Too bad we never saw her square off against that Supergirl again.

And then we get to villain cards from the Mike Johnson era on the current book.

First off the World Killers! They were the DCnU Supergirl's first villains and a tough crew for her to deal with.

Will Michael Alan Nelson pick up on these old storylines? Will the World Killers return? Will Nelson acknowledge that Zor-El experimented on Kara? Is Kara the fifth World Killer? Or is there someone else.

I actually like this group being out there and specifically targeting them against Kara.

And lastly, Black Banshee. Great artwork here as well.

I know that in the comic Kara has abandoned Earth. But when she comes back, will Nelson have her face off against the possessed Silver Banshee? Will Black Banshee exert his malevolence on Siobhan.

This card series was a total of 62 cards. With Supergirl, Kara Kent, Silver Banshee, Black Banshee, Superwoman, and the World Killers all on cards, Supergirl has 10% of this run all to herself. Heck, if you add Cat Grant as a Supergirl-ish character, it's higher. I think that is pretty good representation!

Seriously though, I love that Lucy Lane/Superwoman card if only because it reminds me of a great Supergirl run!