A Little Bit Of Kandor: Candor Epilogue in Supergirl #9

I (sort of) close my long look at the Candor arc in the early run of the 2004 Supergirl series with this brief look at Supergirl #9.

Remember that last issue Supergirl scooped up Power Girl and left Kandor in the middle of an uprising of the alien citizens against the nationalistic Kryptonians. Why did she leave the good fight? Because Saturn Queen gave her some undisclosed information about Argo.

That issue was the first issue for Joe Kelly and, as I have said many times before, I just don't care for Kelly's take on the character. Now it may be that Kelly didn't want anything to do with the Kandor story (remember Greg Rucka started it) and so he simply pulled the plug on the whole thing.

But you can definitely see the direction Kelly was interested in within the pages of this issue. At the very least he addresses the quick exit from Kandor.

Ian Churchill is on art again and he has his style. His Kara looks rail thin and stretched out. That said, I think Churchill would make a dandy Power Girl artist. And if you can look past the sleaze, his stuff has a lot of polish.

We should start with the cover as it also is something of a foreshadow of the darker tone for this book.

Here we see Kara sitting in the dark of space, crying, looking at shattered rocks. Perhaps this is the detritus of Krypton. But this is an homage, really an homage through a mirror darkly.

Because it an homage to All Star Superman #1.

Here a rather peaceful looking Kal is sitting on a cloud in the bright blue sky looking at a sunny horizon. This is a far more optimistic and idyllic image.

But that wasn't meant for Supergirl in the early going of this book.

In the book, Kara has a flashback to a recent skirmish with Power Girl. (By my count this is at least the 5th time in 9 issues that Kara has either fought with or threatened to fight with Karen.)

And Power Girl is pretty unhappy, asking Kara what she did.

Karen recounts what we saw last issue.

There was a bloody riot in the streets and Supergirl flew them off. Karen suddenly found herself normal sized and in the JSA headquarters.

This is not what heroes should do. Karen gave her word to the oppressed aliens that she would help. Her word has to matter. That S-shield has to matter.

But Kara wants nothing to do with it. It wasn't her fight so she quit.

Can you imagine Superman saying those words? Or leaving a battlefield like she did?
Can you imagine Batman saying he quit?

But we can't expect heroics out of Supergirl under this regime.

At least Power Girl gets to keep some integrity.

She doesn't care what Supergirl thinks. Kara was wrong. And maybe Kara can talk herself into believing it was okay to leave that fight, but Karen can't abide by it and takes off.

So our title hero gets scolded for not being heroic. In her own book. Within the first year of her title. And within the first 2 years of her return.

This book was not written out of love for Supergirl.

Because the very next page ...

We see Kara, a 16 year old girl, table dancing in a bar while Captain Boomerang Jr. ogles her. Churchill has her bending and preening provocatively.

And the dialogue is him drooling asking her where she learned to dance like she does. There is a comment about Superman having a key to Wonder Woman's chastity belt.

I feel like this was written or at least edited by someone who has major issues with women.

I'll remind you, reluctantly, that earlier in the book we see Kara drinking and smoking in that bar ... so edgy!!!

Boomerang says he knows a place that doesn't card. Because that's what we want in a Supergirl book, a sleazy adult bringing an underage girl into a bar to drink.

Even worse, Kara says it doesn't matter where they go. She's a girl 'in a tight shirt' so she'll be allowed in anywhere.

Ugh.

It is just absolutely cringe worthy.

After reviewing this story critically and this in depth. I feel I need a shower.

But there is one more brief post wrapping this up completely.

Still, what the hell was DC thinking about this book and its direction?

Overall grade: D-