Review: Supergirl #23
Its probably been a while since I looked at a Supergirl book. In the past, I have always found the character to be a little unfocused, seemingly without a plan. In fact her stories, even going back to the Peter David run, have seemed a tad more personal rather than the stereotypical super heroics you would expect. Of course, Kara Zor-El has gone through quite a number of character changes and tones in that time; the one prior to this being guilty of trying to match the TV show somewhat. Since the introduction of Rogol Zaar however, things have changed a little bit.
As fans will know, Rogol Zaar destroyed Krypton. Whilst Clark may have felt he had resolved the issue over in own book, Kara still feels a lot of anger. This is pretty understandable to be fair, after all between her and her cousin, it is Kara who actually has memories of Krypton. This issue, Kara gets to go toe to toe with an accomplice of the Krypton genocide in a Guardian of the Universe. Of course, when you have a set to with the little blue dudes, you can bet your bottom dollar you also have to take on a section of the Green Lantern Corps. Still, Kara isn’t without her own help, some of which comes from an unexpected source.
Marc Andreyko provides the story with the aplomb of a veteran writer who is fully aware of how to balance, action, humour with the odd surprise thrown in for good measure. Andreyko’s script flows very quickly as things between the characters escalate. The dialogue works as Kara sets out her stall against the immovable object that is the Corps. As you’d expect, Krypto also has a part to play and his use is well placed. It’s interesting that under Andreyko on this book and Bendis on the Superman books, that the tones have changed somewhat; Clark is now going through a personal situation with Kara taking on the big bad, at least cosmically. Story-wise, I do wonder where this fits in with the current Green Lanterns story as they struggle with Hank Henshaw in their own book.
Kevin Maguire graces the book with his exquisite pencils. Maguire has the ability to demonstrate emotions on the characters extremely well. In the past, he may have gone for a realistic approach, but here things get a little less is more style. Of course, his work isn’t helped by having a pair of inkers in Sean Parsons and Wade Von Grawbadger who between them aren’t able to give the pencils a consistent flow. The visual disruption continues with a pair of colorists also added into the mix. The time the excellent FCO Plascencia is joined by Chris Sotomayor and the pair do a great job giving the book a bright look, that whilst can fit Kara’s natural personality, is somewhat removed from the Mogo seen in other books right now. At least letterer Tom Napolitano bring the consistency with his work throughout the issue.
I view Supergirl in much the same way as Batgirl; both characters deserve to have great creative teams, delivering the best stories. For both books, that creative team change has come with this team having a few more issues of Supergirl under their belt than their Gotham based counterparts. So far, I am pleased with both books, with my interest piqued by the Supergirl team enough to keep checking in on this book.
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Marc Andreyko
Art by; Kevin Maguire
Inks by; Sean Parsons & Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors by; FCO Plascencia & Chris Sotomayor
Letters by; Tom Napolitano
Published by; DC Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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