Where to begin this review of a book which is visually gorgeous, a super-hero rendition of True Grit to the point at times it feels like plagiarism, and a slap in the face to long time Supergirl fans?
Where to begin?
Well, first I'll ask you to settle in as this might ramble a bit.
Second, I'll say that this is an extremely well drawn and well colored book. I think Bilquis Evely is a revelation and Matheus Lopes coloring makes this feel like a pastel western movie come to life. I have no objection to the art in this book which is frankly stunning.
I advise everyone who hasn't read the novel True Grit or seen the movie to do so (both film versions are fantastic). But this seems like an absolute lift of that story. The extremely well spoken young girl (Mattie Ross in Grit/Ruthye here) seeks revenge for her father's death at the hands of a bandit (Tom Chaney/Krem). She heads into a town on her own and full of gumption. She tries to convince a bounty hunter to help her because she needs a man of certain skills (true grit/ruthless). The initial hunter tries to steal the bounty she is offering. The person she wants to help her (Rooster Cogburn/Supergirl), ornery and drunk, initially tell her to move on. But to show her own grit, our main character (Mattie/Ruthye) braves an expanse of water to finally make their point. I mean, if I taped a picture of Hailie Steinfeld over Ruthye and Jeff Bridges over Supergirl, this could read as True Grit.
But let's move beyond that because maybe this is just an homage.
The real opening point here is that this isn't a Supergirl story in any way.
This is a Ruthye story. Just like Mattie is the protagonist of True Grit, this is Ruthye's tale to tell. She does the narration. She drives the story. Supergirl is a part of Ruthye's story. She doesn't appear in the book until page 7. She is once again a guest star, a plot point, in someone else's story. And that is sad when you consider that King said this is THE Supergirl story to define her moving forward.
It also is not a Supergirl story because this isn't really a Supergirl that I recognize. Yes, in places, she mentions things that show that at some level she understands what it means to be a hero. But this is a self-destructive Supergirl going to a red sun planet solely to get drunk. She is violent. Her only reason for getting to this planet is to wallow in her own sadness. Yes, Kara has witnessed trauma. But she has always used that to fuel her desire to help others. Not drown in it. Also, this Supergirl (if we say this is still the New 52/Rebirth one) has already left the planet angrily to realize she needs to return, become a Red Lantern and learned from her rage, gone to Crucible to recognize her worth, dealt with her father's trauma, etc. She chose rage and went into space to hunt Rogol Zaar only to once again 'choose Earth'. From a history point of view, she has dealt with this before ad nauseum! If we chuck in the Omniverse, she has gone 'dark' innumerable times in the last 20 years, always realizing it isn't right. Why tread this again?
And I am not saying (nor have I ever said on this site) that I want a squeaky clean, saccharine Supergirl. I like that Supergirl is complex, relatable, fallible. But I also like that she is bright, optimistic, and has risen above.
But this isn't a Supergirl story because it doesn't need to be. If you removed Supergirl and put Titan's Starfire here, it reads the same. Put in Jessica Cruz and it reads the same. Put in Stalker or Renee Montoya or almost anyone else and it reads fine. Put in a brand new Red Sonja character and it reads the same.
Lastly, a lot of this reads like King trying to hard to make this book seem 'mature'. Having Kara curse 6 times and vomit in her post-binge hangover is an attempt to show how gritty this book is. But these are superficial ways of making this seem adult.
Sigh.
On to the specifics.
