Review: Supergirl #4 (1994 miniseries)

And so Matrix Monday reaches Supergirl #4 from the 1994 mini-series, the finale. Finally, we get a Supergirl who is her own woman, free from the influence of those who wish to use her. Finally, we got a Supergirl that old-school Supergirl fans could get behind.

Of course, it was also the 90's, so we need to get there with leg bands and spikes. But that's okay.

As I have said many times in the past, The Death of Superman, Funeral for a Friend, and Reign of the Supermen were all sort of catalysts for the Matrix Supergirl character. With Superman gone, she seemed to step up. She wanted to fill his void as a hero for Metropolis. And she wasn't going to sit by when his body disappeared or when newcomers tried to claim his name.

In the aftermath of those mega-selling books, we got a Superboy book and a Steel book. At least Supergirl got this mini-series. And writer Roger Stern took all the progress we saw in the character in those earlier arcs to its logical conclusion. Supergirl was finally going to see Luthor for the manipulative villain he was and strike out on her own.

It would have been easy to make her *extreme* !!! It was the 90's after all. And we do see elements of that here. She initially is a destructive force, lashing out at Luthor, and almost (as we'll see) killing him. Thankfully, Stern back pedals a bit keeping the more innocent and optimistic side of Supergirl dominant.

The art by June Brigman and Jackson Guice is as solid as it has been in the series. But with the darker turn in plot, they employ more moody settings and shadows. It all blends nicely.

I wonder how many people go to Roger Stern at a convention with all four issues of this mini-series to get signed. I should have asked him.

In fact, I hope I do run into him again at a convention so I can ask about this story. At Terrificon, there was a line waiting behind me to meet him so I was brief in my interaction.

Last issue ended with Supergirl destroying all the protomatter clones Lex was making of her.

This issue she goes after the man himself.

We start out at an idyllic Hawaiian hacienda owned by Luthor.

Then it truly becomes owned as in past tense.

Our angry, spiky Supergirl has the staff exit the building and then brings it down around her, leaving nothing but rubble.

The art her is so great. The back lighting of the moon. The shadows on Supergirl. The contrast of the night sky and the inferno. Just a perfect suspenseful opening by Brigman, Guice, and colorist Glenn Whitmore.

And the title, The Big Hurt, has a double meaning for me. Sure, Supergirl is going to lay the big hurt on Lex. But also .... well, we'll get there.

And it looks like she is moving eastward, smashing her way through all the Luthor properties, and heading towards Metropolis. She is looking for Lex.

It is finally time for Luthor and Harpersen to say something I have been waiting for. They underestimated Supergirl.

That small word bubble made me smile.

At the Luthor ranch in Texas, Supergirl laments all that has happened to her.

She loved Lex. She trusted him.

But his love for her was one of ownership. She was his property.

Stern does a great job here of showing us the anger this Supergirl is feeling. The squinted eyes, the very hellion like rake of the portrait of Lex, it all shows us that she is filled with wrath. She knows she has been lied to and used. And now she wants revenge.

Again, there is building pressure here. Will she turn evil? Will she snap? Will she go grim and gritty? It certainly feels that way. She is razing the Earth of Lex's homes. What will she do when she finally runs into him?

And remember the time of this series. It was the 90s. There is no doubt that a Dark Supergirl take would have fit in on the rack.

This wanton destruction is big enough to land on the evening news. While Luthor tries to spin this as Cadmus attacking him, others know better.

Lana and the Kents know this is Mae. They know how angry she was after discovering the clones. And they worry she'll cross a line she'll regret.

Lana gets on the phone and leaves a message for Clark. He needs to find 'Mae' and help her with her relationship problems.

Again, Stern does a good job of showing us that Matrix has a support system she can count on should she need it. This is family.

And this is a new friend.

Elizabeth Perske is a kindred spirits of sorts, one of Lex's ex-wives who freed herself and is an independent, strong woman on her own. She makes a snide comment about how Lex should be worried about Supergirl if he has had dalliances like his 'father'.

Last review someone told me that Perske was Lauren Bacall's real last name. Certainly, Brigman and Guice are giving the character a very Lauren-esque look.

As for Lex, his condition has rapidly worsened. He is dying of an unknown illness, one effecting all clones in the DCU at this time. He gets a bit philosophical, talking about the transient nature of all things.

Supergirl continues her westward march, vowing revenge for being a possession of Lex's.

Once more, this is all in the dark of night, giving this violent trajectory the appropriate moody tone and setting. The full moon even gives a hint of transformation. As if Supergirl has become more animalistic, like a werewolf on the hunt.

At the next house, Team Luthor is armed and waiting, thinking they are there to fight a 'Cadmus monster'. They are determined to blast them back to the 'glop' from where they came.

Out of the conflagration staggers a purple protoplasm body which quickly melts into a puddle of goo. Satisfied they have killed the 'monster' they take off.

But this is a savvier Supergirl, thinking strategically. This was all deception.

She reintegrates herself, once again taking her extreme form. Now Lex won't be expecting her.

There is something powerful about this page as she rises from her most base form into this determined new one. That transition from puddle to avenging angel just worked.

Heading to Metropolis, she breaks into Lexcorp only to see the frail, dying, diseased Luthor. Remember, she is thinking she will face the robust, muscular, young Luthor.

For a moment, I think she feels pity. And Lex, being the manipulator that he is, tries to fool her into submission again. He says he was afraid to tell her of his illness. For a moment it looks like it might work.

But he overplays his hand and attacks her with gas.

With the attack happening, Supergirl shakes off the effects and the chase is on.

Of course, she is faster than his motorized chair.

And given all his deception, it is hard for Supergirl to know what to believe. She actually thinks he might be faking this illness! Hard to look that ragged without it being real.

But her anger gets the best of her and she flings him out of the building to plummet to his death!

Luckily Superman must have received Lana's message and headed straight to LexCorp. Superman catches Lex, saving him.

He asks Supergirl to look at Luthor and see him for what he is, a dying man.

With the heat of battle and hate subsiding, Supergirl reassesses her feelings. She simply can't believe that someone could be that ill and yet still not ask for help. Instead, he continued to try to use her.

Teary eyed, she reverts to her truer form and flies away.

This was the true turning point wasn't it?

Had she killed Luthor things might have been very different. Instead we have her dismayed by how villainous Lex is and how she was used by him. But at least she hasn't lost herself. Those tears let me know she was still the hero, more human than some humans, the sympathetic person want her to be.

With that toxic relationship behind her, we get to see Supergirl's new life with the support system she has around her.

For one, she re-engages with the Kents and Lana. There is so much to love about this.

The Kent farm is a place of healing. She can stay if she wants.

But I get the sense now that this Supergirl is ready to stand on her own two feet. She escaped the Luthor cage. Staying with the Kents might be nurturing and safe, but it would in a way just a more comfortable cage.

She'll head to Metropolis to help and find her own way.

But when you're young you can use a mentor.

Suddenly the character of Elizabeth Perske becomes more important. Why not find a friend and maybe grow up a little.

Again, this is a key moment. For once, she is seeking help that she wants.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed this reread of the mini-series. Yes, it veers a little 90s. But this is clearly a transition point in the Matrix character. In some ways, it sets the stage for the Peter David ideas. But most importantly, it made me feel like Supergirl was going to be a character I could cheer for.

Overall grade: A