Adventures of Supergirl #8-13 - A Review

I hadn't reviewed the last few issues of Adventures of Supergirl because I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Sterling Gates is a great writer but the story he was telling was ill-suited to the shorter format required of DC Comics' digital-first releases. Several issues featured little in the way of action and were largely devoted towards exposition. This made summation of individual comics difficult and they read far better in one sitting than they did in bimonthly installments.

That being said and having now read the whole of the final story arc, I am prepared to say this is easily the best Supergirl story told in any medium in years. The story - centering upon a villain called Facet - was thrilling and brilliantly tied-in to the earlier issues of the series in some surprising ways. Gates drew upon the full rich history of the Kryptonian culture and the DC Universe cosmos, further developing the setting while offering up some thrilling Easter Eggs for long-time fans.


This series was blessed with some great artists who utilized a variety of unique styles. I greatly enjoyed Cat Stagg work on Issue Ten, where he utilized a photo-realistic style that captured the look of the actors from the show. I also enjoyed Emma Vieceli's work on the final story arc, which I think looked even better than her recent work on Doctor Who. Hopefully this series will return along with Supergirl's second season but I think it would be better off as a monthly periodical rather than a weekly digital release.

Adventures of Supergirl #7 - A Review

A new enemy has trapped Supergirl within a series of dreams - each one taking her to a different reality where she's a different version of Supergirl! Can Kara fight her way through them all to find reality once again?



Sterling Gates' script pays tribute to the many incarnations of Supergirl and offers up some clever nods towards the history of the character. Emanuela Lupacchino's artwork - while wonderful to look at - also skilfully works in some visual irony, such as Kara punching her Red Lantern counterpart from the New 52 universe while declaring that she is sick of punching things. The colors by Hi-Fi are nice and vivid, perfectly enhancing the inks of Ray McCarthy. All in all, this is a fun little comic.

Adventures of Supergirl #6 - A Review

Four times in the past week, Supergirl has had a nightmare - each one worse and more terrifying than the last. Is it just the stress of her recent battle with the technopath Vril Dox? Or is she under a psychic attack by a new enemy?


There are few things more aggravating than a story where it turns out the whole thing was a dream. It's a cheap plot device and it's frequently and insultingly obvious to the reader when it happens. Thankfully, Sterling Gates avoids such cheap trickery in this issue and while the direction of the story is immediately obvious, the way it plays out and the way Kara reacts to the events of the plot are delightfully unexpected.


The artwork by Emanuela Lupacchino helps to add to the odd, dream-like quality of the issue. There are subtle hints in the art about things not being quite right even before such oddities as Vril Dox growing a snake's tongue or Kara seeing her loved ones as vengeful zombies. Inker Ray McCarthy shades the original pencils perfectly. And Hi-Fi do their usual stellar job on the color art.

Adventures of Supergirl #5 - A Review

Alien hacker Vril Dox has framed Winn for terrorism after Winn uncovered evidence of his alien nature. Supergirl has helped Winn escape capture but to clear his name they'll need the help of Rabiah Zinoman - a hacker who makes Winn look like an amateur. Unfortunately, Dox is hot on their trail... and he has James Olsen under his control!


Classic DC Comics fans could have a fun time with this book playing Spot The Reference. In this issue alone we find out Winn's login is SuperGirlInAction252 (a reference to the first comic featuring Kara Zor-El as a character) and Vril Dox is established as a native of the planet Yod (one of the three worlds cited as Brainiac's home-world). Thankfully for the rest of the Super-fans, Sterling Gates also writes a darn good action sequence and even manages to draw a neat parallel between real world hackers that use aliases, for good or ill, and superheroes/supervillains doing the same.


The artwork for this issue is a marked improvement over the last one. Indeed, Pop Mahn's may have presented us with the best pencil and ink work this series has seen so far! The story flows well from panel to panel and Kara looks like a young woman rather than an awkward teenager. The color art by John Rauch is also notable for its vibrancy.

Adventures of Supergirl #4 - A Review

It's just another manic Monday for Kara Danvers, rushing to get Cat Grant her morning latte and dealing with a robbery on the way to work. But things take a turn for the strange when a SWAT team shows up to arrest Winn Schott on charges of doxxing. It's a frame-up, of course, but Supergirl will have to move quickly before Winn is doubly framed on charges of terrorism!


Sterling Gates wrote a smart script for this issue. There's quite a few shout-outs to the classic Supergirl mythology, including a mention of Leesburg. And the reveal of this issue's villain is brilliantly played out and a nice play on a classic villain's name. The issue is spoiled only slightly by being fairly similar to last week's episode of Supergirl.


Would that the artwork equaled the story! Jonboy Meyers has done some good work in the past and individual moments of this comic look fantastic. Unfortunately, most of the art looks sloppy and rushed. What's worse, Meyers clearly recycles his artwork on two separate pages!

Adventures of Supergirl #3 - A Review

Held captive by the monstrous alien known as Rampage, things are looking bleak for Kara. Rampage's sister was killed by DEO Agent Alex Danvers and now Rampage plans to avenge her by killing Supergirl. Yet Kara can't help but feel some sympathy for Rampage - another alien stranded on a strange world and changed forever by Earth's yellow sun.
I have to give Sterling Gates and Bengal credit for this storyline and how it subtly salutes the work of John Byrne. The last issue saw Bengal craft a wonderful visual tribute to one of Byrne's most famous X-Men panels. This issue sees Gates' explaining the background of this version of Rampage, which is a neat twist on the original character Byrne created for his Superman comics. The artwork is strong throughout this story and Gates masterfully showcases how Kara's greatest power is her sense of compassion.


If this issue has a flaw, it's that too much of the focus is on Kara as a captive. After the awesome final panel last issue and all the character development Alex received, I thought for sure the focus in this issue would be on Alex going into action to save her sister. The issue is still enjoyable but it would have proved a nice change of pace given how little development Alex has received outside the context of her being her sister's biggest advocate.

Adventures of Supergirl #2 - A Review

The monstrous being known as Rampage has downed a DEO helicopter, which Supergirl just barely saved. Now Kara and the DEO strike team - led by her adopted sister Agent Alex Danvers - must venture into the sewers of National City to find her. But Rampage knows all about the DEO and has a grudge against Alex for the death of her own sister.


The script by Sterling Gates is top-notch. Gates is well-regarded for his previous work on Supergirl and much of his run on the monthly Supergirl comic inspired the new TV series. His work here showcases why his run is so beloved, as he has a great handle on Kara Zor-El as a character. And Gates does more to try and expand upon the character of Alex Danvers than the show has so far.


The artwork by Bengal is problematic. I think Bengal is a talented artist but this is not her best work, despite a brilliant visual homage to John Byrne's X-Men on the final page. Bengal's work on individual panels of this comic look good but the action sequences are uncharacteristically sloppy. Her take on Kara looks more like a little girl than a twenty-something woman and some of the coloring effects - such as an orange tint used during Rampage's attack on Supergirl - leave the final art looking washed out.


Despite this, I can't help but recommend this series. Yes, the artwork is uneven but every artist has their bad issues. And the story more than makes up for any shortcomings in the artwork.