Supergirl, Vol. 1: Last Daughter of Krypton - A No Flying No Tights Review

SOURCE: Supergirl, Vol.1 - Last Daughter of Krypton

The greatest problem with Supergirl as a character has always been establishing her as a separate entity from Superman and developing her into something more than “Superman’s cousin”. This proved a daunting task for most writers, given the impetus behind Kara Zor-El’s creation was a desire to get more girls to read comics. For the longest time, that’s all Supergirl was – a girl with Superman’s powers. Over the years, many writers have tried to differentiate Supergirl from Superman by giving her different powers and a different background, to varying degrees of success.

Thankfully, the New 52 revamp of 2011 gave DC Comics a chance to create a Supergirl that was free of all this baggage and authors Michael Green and Mike Johnson rose to the occasion. Though the background of this Supergirl may be familiar to long-time comic fans, Green & Johnson’s Supergirl is an entirely new character. They accomplish this through an angle I don’t think any writer has considered in the five decades since Supergirl’s creation – culture shock.

Attacked by Russian soldiers shortly after her awakening from suspended animation after her ship crashes in the Siberian wilderness, this Kara Zor-El is quickly established as both an intelligent, logical young woman and a typical teenage girl. Her intelligence is established in how she deduces that she is truly on an alien world and not just dreaming. Her nature as a realistic teenager is established later on, when she finally meets her cousin Kal-El. Or rather, a man dressed in the seal of their house who claims to be her infant cousin Kal-El, grown to maturity while she was asleep.

To say that Kara is skeptical of Superman’s story would be an understatement. To say that she is stunned at his apparent apathy over the destruction of their world would be a greater understatement. To say that she is angered by his suggestion that she should forget about her life before and join him in protecting the relatively primitive people of Earth who view her as either a potential test subject or a monster is so great an understatement as to require the use of an entirely different word than understatement.

This is a brilliant conceit and it makes Kara all the more realistic and, oddly, more sympathetic as a character. After all, how many teenagers do you know who would cope at all well with having to move just before the start of their senior year? How would you have coped with that? Now throw in the “everyone you know is dead” and “everyone here hates you and wants you dead” angles and you’ve got the recipe for some high drama, even ignoring the other superheroic elements of the story as Kara finds her footing, copes with her loss and – eventually – finds her own path to heroism.

Artist Mahmud Asrar deserves an award for his work on this book. Not only does he present the action well, with the story following naturally from panel to panel, he avoids the trap so many previous Supergirl artists have fallen into by indulging in fan service. There’s nary a cheesecake pose to be found and Asrar’s Supergirl looks like a real teenage girl who hasn’t quite finished growing into her figure yet.

All in all, Supergirl is one of the best hidden treasures of the New 52 line. I consider it a must-read for anyone who enjoys quality comics and stories with a strong female protagonist. Furthermore, I’d consider it a worthy purchase for any library with a graphic novel collection aimed at young adults.

Supergirl, vol. 1: Last Daughter of Krypton
by Michael Green, Mike Johnson
Art by Mahmud Asrar
ISBN: 9781401236809
DC Comics, 2012
Publisher Age Rating: 13+

Supergirl #0 - A Review

Supergirl #0 isn't really about Supergirl, though Kara is the focus of the issue.  The story told here comes from the perspective of her father - Kryptonian scientist Zor-El.  Apparently Zor is even less-respected than his brother Jor-El, thanks to his work in designing the living genetic weapons called World Killers.  Nominally at work on a new shielding system that will protect his native Argo City from any outside disaster, he has also been performing experiments on his daughter that will ensure she will survive even if he fails to save his city from the upcoming apocalypse.



Messrs Green and Johnson offer us more of an information dump than a character study with this issue.  Still, it does still tell is a lot about Kara's father and life on Krypton before The End.  There's signs of the old emotionless society, as Zor's relationship with his wife seems far less loving and protective than that with his daughter - an arranged marriage, perhaps?  There's also some suggestion that the oddities of Kara's arrival on Earth - such as why she's more powerful than Superman in most respects and why she hasn't aged a day while he grew to adulthood- can be explained by the revelation that her father performed experiments on her. 


As always, Mahmud Asrar's art is amazing.  Everything looks good, from his breath-taking backgrounds depicting the beauty of Krypton to his unique and detailed character and clothing designs.  Truly Asrar is one of the most underrated talents at DC Comics today!

If you continue to ignore my advice regarding this book and still haven't started reading it, now is the time to start.  This issue is a wonderful jumping-on point for new readers while still offering a lot of nods and explanations for long-time readers.  Apart from the odd appearance of what appears to be a time-traveling Superboy (which I have no explanation for) there's nothing here that should confuse new readers. 

Supergirl #12 - A Review

The greatest weakness Supergirl has as a character is that it is virtually impossible to separate her from Superman. And when I say 'separate' I don't mean that she has to exist completely independent of the Kryptonian mythos and all that entails. That would be impossible. What I mean is that Supergirl is rarely considered as an independent being and attempting to define her as a character without the phrases "Superman's cousin" or "the female Superman" is difficult. Too many writers have failed to give Kara Zor-El any personality or definition beyond that.






Miraculously, Michael Green and Mike Johnson have been largely successful in presenting us with a Supergirl free of Superman over the first year of the New 52 Supergirl title. Apart from one encounter that ended in violence in Issue #2, Superman hasn't appeared in the title at all in the past year, giving Kara a chance to be defined independent of the usual "I must use my powers to protect mankind"motivation that tends to be the Alpha and Omega of all motivation in the Super Family. And I think the title has been richer for it, establishing Kara as her own woman - smart and ethical, but frustrated with the stupidity and selfishness of most of the humans she's encountered.

Supergirl #12 seems poised to change that, drawing Kara back into her cousin's orbit. After discussing why Kara seems to be so more powerful than Clark and another argument about Kara being too dangerous/naive to be allowed to roam the Earth freely, Supergirl goes off on a quest to find a piece of the wreckage from the ship that carried her to Earth from the ocean floor. It is here that Green and Johnson subtly separate Kara from her cousin again, allowing her to come up with a use for the solar energy she absorbed that is all her own. Indeed, I'm not aware of this power being suggested in any Superman story, though it is a logical extension of their being living solar batteries.



Mahmud Asrar continues to impress with his artwork. My one complaint, and it is a minor one, is that his Superman is somewhat inconsistent, looking as young as Kara in some panels yet looking more of an age with his thirty-something self from the pre-New 52 comics in others. Still, I suppose I can forgive it since nobody - not even the writers of his own titles - seem to be sure exactly how old Clark is supposed to be now. College Age? Mid-20s? Let me know when I'm close.

Supergirl #12 represents a dramatic shift in the tone of this book and it is not a change I can say I wholly approve of. Do not misunderstand me - the story presents itself well and the artwork flows as finely as ever. But tying Kara more firmly into the world of Superman - however briefly - seems like a step back. Like a college student returning to their parent's home for the first time after moving out, this issue feels oddly uncomfortable.

Supergirl #11 - A Review

Supergirl #11 starts off with a big event - Kara's first date on Earth. It goes about as well as can be expected when the date is with her new friend Tom, who can barely speak English. He's still somewhat better off than Kara, who can't speak English at all and has yet to grasp the concept of having to pay for food. Apparently Krypton was an anarcho-syndicalist commune.



This might be a fine hook for a story by itself but this wouldn't be much of a superhero comic if there weren't a little action to round out the drama. The date becomes even more awkward when a hired-gun in a nano-tech suit shows up wanting to fight. As will happen when you're Supergirl trying to relax. The action here is well laid out by artist Mahmud Asrar, who economically fits a lot of story into every page.



Michael Green and Mike Johnson have created a quiet classic with this series. Kara continues to impress as an intelligent, compassionate heroine. We also learn a lot about new cast member Tom here, seeing that he's bold enough to attack a super-being to protect a friend... even when the friend is a young woman who can break buildings with her pinky.

If you aren't already reading Supergirl, you should give it a shot.

Supergirl #10 - A Review

Supergirl #10 is a superheroic psychodrama.  Picking up where we left off in the last issue, we find that Kara (obviously) isn't quite as dead as she seemed e after being absorbed by the banshee father of her new friend/roommate Siobnah.  Waking up inside a mix of old memories and childhood dreams, Kara must do battle against The Black Banshee in a world of nightmares that he controls.



This issue has confirmed that Kara has come full-circle and embraced her inner hero.  The somewhat self-absorbed teenage girl - who was understandably obsessed with the idea of going home and the future she had planned out and lost - has become a young woman who knows the power she has and the responsibility it gives her.  When Kara realizes the true nature of where she is, her mind instinctively changes her into what she truly sees herself as - a warrior protecting the innocent.  As well it should given that Kara is not the only one who has somehow survived being absorbed by The Black Banshee... and Sibonah's beloved older brother needs her protection. 

 

This emotional development and character building - as well as the high-action scenes that accompany it, as Kara does battle with the monsters of her own making as well as whatever The Black Banshee can throw at her - are illustrated amazingly by Mahmud Asrar.  At times this has the feel of a Vertigo Comic, as Asrar draws everything in a disjointed and distorted fashion during the dream sequences.  The inks also seem to be heavier this time around, hinting at the inner darkness of the Black Banshee's soul world.

If you like books with strong heroines, you should be reading Supergirl.  If you don't like the Superman Family series of books, you should give Supergirl a try as there's no Superman and Kara has never felt overpowered or cliched since this series started over.  And if you like good comics, you should definitely be reading Supergirl.

Supergirl #7-9: A Review

As I've noted before, the new Supergirl title has proven to be one of the best books to come out of the original New 52 line-up.  The three issues released since my 52 Catch-Up review of the first six books have continued to uphold the same high level of quality in terms of both writing and art.

Issue #7 concludes the storyline started in Issue #5, with Kara Zor-El facing down a foursome of Worldkillers - sentient biological weapons created on Krypton.  This issue is noteworthy in that it confirms what had been hinted at in the previous issue - that Kara has completely accepted her status as a hero and the responsibilities her new-found powers have given her.  More importantly, the combat scenes show that Kara is more than dumb-muscle and has a natural head for strategy despite her relative inexperience as a warrior.



Issue #8 picks up on the heels of #7, with Kara facing down an ungrateful military platoon that is naturally scared about this young woman who defeated four monsters, single handedly, when their own weapons could do nothing.   Luckily Kara seems to have gained one supporter - a strong-willed, outspoken Irish woman named Siobnah, who has unusual powers too... including the ability to understand any language.



George Perez is the guest artist on Issue #8 and - while I am a bit biased in saying this as a Perez fan - I am hard pressed to think of a better artist one could hope to have had draw this particular issue.  The action moments early on and in the final pages are drawn well enough but the heart of this issue centers around two young women - both of whom have come a long way and are trying to rebuild their lives - getting to know one another and establishing a friendship that they both sorely need.  Perez is well known for masterfully drawing these slower moments while still infusing them with energy and this issue shows why his reputation as one of the grand masters of American Comic Artists is so well-deserved.



Issue #9 brings back artist Mahmud Ashar on pencils and inks. The sudden shift from Perez's style to Ashar's couldn't be more timely.  Ashar's darker inks and more stylized designs better suit this particular issue and it's decidedly disturbing story.



As the issue opens, we find  that Siobhan's dad is not as dead as previously imagined.  More, we discover that both father and daughter are infected by a magical curse that has transformed them both into creatures not unlike the banshees of Celtic Myth.  Of course Celtic Myth says nothing about male banshees but if they are anything like Siobhan's father, the Celtic Bards might not have gotten a chance to tell the tale after running into one.



 

The issue ends on a cliff-hanger, as The Black Banshee uses his magic to "unlock" Kara's energy, making her into a greater danger to the innocents watching the battle than the two banshees.  This leads Kara to make a faithful choice and a hero's sacrifice.  Or so it would seem.  Given that there's an Issue #10 coming out shortly I think we can safely assume Kara will emerge safe if not unscathed.  But it will be fun to see just how she manages it.  

Again, I say this is one of the best books DC Comics is publishing right now and one of their best-hidden secrets.  I'd suggest picking up the single issues on Comixpedia now, as the first print-trade of this series will not be out until September. You won't regret it.

52 Catch-Up: Supergirl #1-6

I wasn't expecting to like the first issue of Supergirl, let alone start picking the book up on a regular basis. But this book proved to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the New 52 and perhaps the most criminally underrated. It is also one of the few New 52 titles to have had a complete multi-issue character arc which can still be picked up and read one issue at a time, without any worries about being able to get back into the story - a trait that is rarely appreciated in these days of "writing for the trade".





As I noted in my review of the first issue, writers Michael Green & Mike Johnson were quick to establish Kara's character, showing that she is logical and intelligent as she is able to quickly deduce that she's on an real alien world rather than dreaming. Despite this, she is still portrayed as being a typical teenage girl, as her first thoughts are worries about how her mom will react to her wearing an outfit that she is too young to be wearing. Okay, the outfit in question is the formal garb prepared for her graduation rather than a mini-skirt and fishnets, but the principal is the same.





As Issue #2 opens, Kara is confronted by Superman, who claims to be her younger cousin, Kal-El. She finds this completely preposterous - understandable given that her last memory of Kal-El involved holding him while babysitting several days earlier. The standard "fight-between-two-heroes-over-a-misunderstanding" issue commences, made somewhat less-than-standard by the wonderful internal monologue going through Kara's head. Understandably shaken up as her body begins to react to Earth's yellow sun, her horror at the alien environment and her very being rebelling against her is well conveyed, turning what might have been an ordinary issue-long action sequence into a character-defining issue as well.





Issues #3 & #4 pit Kara against Simon Tycho - a young super-genius who made his fortune by recovering and exploiting alien technology that has come to Earth. He grabbed Kara's spaceship during the fight with Superman and - not content with that find - goads her into chasing after him so that he can have a real, live alien to experiment on. As a villain, Tycho is rather forgettable - a lightweight Lex Luthor, if you will. But these issues are still enjoyable as they do much to further establish Kara's compassionate nature and growing skill in using her powers.





Issue #5 details Kara, newly armed with a crystal from her spaceship, trying to fly back to Krypton in the hope that someone may have survived the cataclysm. This leads her to the remains of Argo City and her uncovering her parents' last message to her. She also finds a being who calls herself Reign, who it turns out is one of the mentioned - but unseen until now - Worldkillers that her father had been designing.




With Issue #6, Kara comes full circle. Refusing to die among the ruins of her people, she returns to Earth in hot pursuit of Reign. She accepts her destiny as a hero and proves herself worthy of the clothes that she's wearing - both by the standards of adulthood on Krypton and by what the S-shield means to people on Earth.




All of these issues are ably illustrated by a top-notch art team. Many Supergirl artists take great license with the character, drawing exaggerated cheesecake poses while giving Kara the body of a porn star. Penciller Mahmud Asrar avoids this, thankfully, giving us a Supergirl who looks like a young, athletic young woman. The backgrounds are also well-illustrated, with several two-page spreads depicting poster-worth landscapes. Inker Dan Green does a fine job of defining and separating everything on the issues Asrar did not ink personally. Colorist Dave McCaig, who colored all the issues save #3, also does an excellent job, using a somewhat muted-palette that only serves to make the bright colors of Kara's costume stand out all the more, seeming all the more out of place in the various places she goes.

In short, this is a wonderful book and you should be reading it!

52 Pick-Up - Week Three, Part Two

JUSTICE LEAGUE #2 - Now THIS is more like it! For those who were turned off by the lack of action in the first issue, be assured that this one has a lot more action and a lot less Green Lantern and Batman bickering. Granted, most of that action is The Flash, Green Lantern and Batman fighting Superman as EVERYONE bickers with one another... but at least there's some variety. Still no sign of Aquaman or Wonder Woman yet but the Cyborg subplot has kicked into overdrive. Johns writes a very funny first meeting for these heroes, while still managing to have everyone seem in-character and Jim Lee's artwork is as fine as ever. This is on my pull list.

SUPERGIRL #2 - Do you like comics where two heroic characters fight over a misunderstanding just after meeting one another? I hope so, because that's pretty much all that happens here. Superman finds Supergirl, who attacks him because she's still confused and frightened. By issue's end he's convinced her that he is her baby cousin, who she remembered baby-sitting three days earlier and started explaining the effect of Earth's yellow sun on Kryptonian. Another book that is slowly getting started but one that is well worth reading.

WONDER WOMAN #2 - Boy, did this title go south in a hurry! While I'm not as upset as some by the revelation that Diana is an illegitimate daughter of Zeus (Don't forget - in the DCAU, it was suggested that she was the daughter of Hades and Hippolyta) I do agree that the portrayal of the Amazons, who have reverted back to being man-hating stereotypes, leaves much to be desired. There seems little reason for these Amazons to have an ambassador to the outside world. Then again, we don't know if Diana is an ambassador or not. Indeed, apart from the revelation of her parentage, Diana continues to be a cipher and all we learn of her in this issue is that she prefers to fight with a staff in combat games! The art is serviceable but that's not enough to keep me buying this book.

Supergirl #1 - A Review

It began with a simple concept - “a teenage girl with Superman’s powers”. But despite her derivative origins, Supergirl has become so much more to comic fans around the world. Her popularity was such that she returned from a supposedly permanent death in Crisis On Infinite Earths. She survived a series of confusing revamps regarding her origins and powers throughout the 1990s. In the early 21^st century, she was resurrected and subjected to another series of confusing revamps at the hands of numerous writers, who couldn’t decide if she was a hero or a villain. And yet Supergirl endures – an icon.

Writers Michael Green & Mike Johnson wisely avoid all this baggage in this first issue of Supergirl, offering us a story that is as elegant in its’ simplicity and strength as Supergirl herself. The issue consists of one long action sequence, wherein a newly awakened Kara Zor-El emerges from a meteorite that crashed in the Siberian wasteland only to be confronted by a series of mech-suit clad soldiers. To their mutual horror, Kara’s powers manifest immediately, growing stronger as Earth’s yellow sun peeks from behind the clouds. This leaves Kara in the nightmarish situation of being in a strange world with her own body rebelling against her as strange men try to kill her.

Green and Johnson instantly turn Kara into a sympathetic and relatable figure, with the entire story being told from her perspective. Through Kara’s internal monologue, we see that she is logical, assuming at first that she’s in a dream since Krypton hasn’t seen snow since she was very young. We know that she is intelligent, quickly figuring out both that she is on another planet. And judging by her thoughts about her mother being upset about her sneaking out in an outfit she’s not old enough to be wearing, she’s a typical teenager. The action of the issue flows well, slowly revealing Kara’s powers to the reader as she learns of them herself.

The artwork for this book is top-notch all-around. Penciller Mahmud Asrar avoids the cheesecake that so many past Supergirl artists have indulged in. His Supergirl is cute without being sexualized, looking like a real teenage girl who hasn’t fully grown into her figure. This attention to detail is seen elsewhere, with some nice still-life shots of the Siberian wilderness to set the mood and in the armor worn by the soldiers trying to capture Kara. Asrar is assisted on the inks by Dan Green, whose work neatly separates the characters from the outstanding backgrounds. This separation also comes to play in the palette, with colorist Dave McCaig separating Kara from the dreary landscape with reds, blues and yellows that are not the least bit muted.

Part of the motivation for the DC Revamp was to create books that would appeal to a more diverse group of readers. Presumably DC Comics hoped to reach more young women with titles like this one. I can’t speak as to whether or not they will be successful but I personally enjoyed this book. The script establishes Supergirl as an intelligent young lady and it makes her relatable despite being from an alien world and trapped in a strange situation. The artwork is good and not at all exploitative. This book may not be the savior that brings more women into the comic book industry but it is a great read.