Last week I reviewed Supergirl #16 and talked about how I find the Zod plot confusing right now. And I don't know if this chapter makes any of it clearer. Zod has a Green K variant that is expanding over the Earth. It is causing a plague that is harming humans. It is still deadly to Kryptonians. Why would Zod want any of this? Why is he not ill from the effects of the Green K in some way? How did he get this huge Green K meteor, cover it in inertron, and move forward? So far I have too many questions.
We do get great scenes in this book where Lois is using her journalism skills to get Zod to reveal his inner thoughts. I love the Lois in this book. But I don't know if the answers he gives make much sense either. No surprise that writer Mark Waid writes a great Lois and Superman Family. But I am still confused.
The art is by Montos who is relatively new to me. I have seen his stuff in Green Lantern and I like his work here. It has a breathy sort of style. He uses shadows incredibly well. The fight sequences are rendered well.
But we are two chapters in and I am confused. On to the book. 
We start like Supergirl did with two pages written in robotic font recapping some of the Kneel Before Zod mini-series events. Here we relearn that Ursa died in a conflict. She was buried in a crystal coffin with the Eradicator program before she was fired into space for a burial.
Squint and that coffin could be a Kryptonian matrix chamber. Add the Eradicator program and for sure the Eradicatrix has to be a resurrected Ursa. Pretty cool.
Zod's plan seems to be working. But what is this plan?
The Kryptonite from El Caldero has been carried across the world and has landed and is growing, destroying buildings and property. But now it is also a 'plague', growing out of people or weakening them with disease.
But it is still Green K.
I don't get why Zod would want this in any way. What is his purpose for doing this.
We first catch up with the rescued Superman, Superboy, and the Leaguers who were involved in the last arc here.
Superman asks the question I have been asking. How can he not remember meeting himself like this? Either he is forced to forget via a mind-wipe (no bad comic stories ever happened because of one of those) or the timelines are not settled yet.
We get several scenes of Zod gloating over how he is painfully ripping his powers out of Lois. How he wants revenge against Superman. How he hates Superman and Jor-El.
But Lois' way of picking away at Zod, getting answers out of him and even aggravating him, is pretty slick.
Here she needles Zod, perhaps saying he is jealous of the adulation Superman gets.
That has to sting. Classic Lois.
Meanwhile, Supergirl's team isn't faring well. Most of the non-Kryptonian people are succumbing to 'the Kryptonite Plague' and quickly bow out. And the Kryptonians' shields are being drained.
I really loved this page by Montos, especially that last panel with Supergirl in shadow as she blast the Krypto-Knights.
But none of our heroes are striving here.
What about Zod? Why is he unaffected? And what does he want to do, rule a Green K world?
In Smallville, Steel has discovered the difference in this growing Green K variant and the purest so surely this will lead to something.
But why aren't these folks impacted by the Green K? Unless Lana is absorbing it. But isn't she a Kryptonite Woman now? Shouldn't Jon be weakened?
And then Lois continues to pester Zod about his plan while hooked to his power-draining machine.
Zod will never rule easily Kryptonians. What military duty does he have to a dead world?
Or is it that Zod feels he still needs to prove himself to someone?
I can only hope this all gets tidied up. I still have so many questions. What is Zod's goals? Why isn't Lois hurting from the Green K? Why isn't Zod hurting?
Lois gets drained. Zod gets his powers back. Zod threatens to kill Lois.
Funny, Zod is standing in a room full of Green K, is not wearing (as far as we know) anti-Kryptonite tech, and is unharmed. My head hurts. Maybe there is an answer.
But we do get a fantastic cliffhanger.
Conner and Prime show up. We know they ARE wearing antui-Kryptonite tech and the batteries are half full. And they are ready to throw down! Nice page.
Unfortunately, after two issues I still don't understand this. I did like the art. I did like Lois a lot in this. On to next week.
Overall grade: B-
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