Supergirl has not been having a great time since she first came to Earth but she may start getting some answers to all those questions that have been nagging her! Who shot her father? Why was she sent to Earth? Is Superman really her cousin? How many stars does this comic get? The answer to the last question is three!
The plot to this comic is fairly light and fluffy, it’s just an appetizer for what will happen in Issues #0 and #13 and beyond, I’m guessing. Kara and Superman have been talking about the destruction of Krypton, where she came from, her pod, etc. We find out that Kara has been orbiting the sun for five years in stasis absorbing all kinds of solar radiation that made her even more powerful than Superman. It’s thought, by Superman, that someone had orchestrated this to give Kara her powers. We also learn that two pieces of her pod fell to Earth; one was recovered by Simon Tycho and the other is at the bottom of the ocean.
After another little family spat (Will the last two Kryptonians EVER get along?!) Kara dives to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve her pod. Only to encounter nasty little squid-eel-monstrosities. Fortunately she gets away and hears a voice, similar to the voice of Superman’s ship in Action Comics #2. She finds what looks like a Kryptonian temple and upon entering it we meet the new Simon Tycho. After the rather destructive first meeting with Kara in Issue #3, Simon’s body was rebuilt and he’s been studying Kryptonese and stalking looking for clues about Kara’s origin.
Simon Tycho from Iss. #3 (left) and Iss. #12 (right)
After the cliff-hanger we don’t really know that much more but it does have me curious as to how everything we’ve learned will tie into the upcoming story arc. One tiny detail that I really appreciate was that Kara’s pod/temple thing at the bottom of the ocean and Superman’s ship both talk to their respective owners. It shows that DC is at least putting some things together and having Kryptonian tech behave the same in multiple titles is a little detail that got my geek engine running.
Complaints . . . . eh, not a lot. I guess things are plodding along when it comes to the plot but we really haven’t seen Kara do anything superhero-y since she saved New York City from the Worldkillers, at least not on that scale. Yes, it was all very cool and she was very badass but I’m kind of tired of waiting for her to get established as a superhero. Maybe a time jump and then BAM! Supergirl is working with the Teen Titans or something. She’s got some great villains in her rogues gallery and a cool origin but she keeps facing mystery after mystery about her mysterious past and it feels like I’m watching an episode of Scooby-Doo and she just won’t pull the mask off the bad guy already. I will give credit to the writers, though the plot seems a little slow, I’m itching to find out what happens and I like the book enough to not drop it from my pull-list.
Michael Green and Mike Johnson have given this title a couple great story arcs and given Kara a wonderful voice! I absolutely love reading her. Mahmud Asrar’s art is still awesome and this issue has some great moments when it comes to visuals. From a glowing Supergirl deep under the sea to the radiant piece of Kryptonian architecture on the ocean floor, Asrar’s pencils and Dave McCraig’s colors work well together. They are fresh and bright and a perfect fit for teenage Kara. But they can still capture tense and dark moments when needed. For being one of DC’s B-List characters, Kara has herself one hell of a team.
The under water scenes were wonderfully colored and drawn. Angry Kara just makes me happy. There’s not a lot of people who yell at Superman!
If you’re like me and interested in what’s going on but hate waiting month-after-month to find out what Kara is up to go check out the trade, Supergirl Vol. 1: The Last Daughter of Krypton, which collects Issues #1-7 and will be available in October. And, as always, tell us what you think in the forums!
Tags: Asrar, Green, Johnson, Kara Zor-El, Simon Tycho, Supergirl, Superman
