DC has had major issues with Supergirl. In efforts to reinvent the character over and over they have given her so many personalities that she has no personality of her own. Is Supergirl a temperamental misfit that punches everything, is she a girl that heads down to seedy bar to drink when things get overwhelming, starts barfights and tells kids to sod off, is she a drugaddled suicidal kid, is she someone who would sacrifice earth for the glory of a Kryptonian society etc etc.

It has all been built on the well accepted lie that original Supergirl was Superman wearing a skirt, and DC must give her a new pigeon hole. But that's not what they are doing, they are shoving her into pigeon holes that are already filled with better suited characters. If I want true grit, I'll read true grit. If I want a badass sword slinger with attitude I'll read Red Sonja. If I want to read an evil character wearing black fetish gear, I'm sure there are places for that too. You come to Supergirl to read Supergirl.

The problem with Supergirl isn't that she is Superman in a skirt. Noone ever said "Phoebe" is just "Joey" in a skirt because they share the same species and have parts of their characters overlap. Everyone who has read Supergirl knows that her books read differently because of her experiences. The problem with Supergirl was that she was encroaching on the big man's space and making him less special. It's why they killed her, and it's still built into our society today. Whenever a woman takes a position seen as belonging to a man whether it's a new computer game or a top hire, it's "woke" or "dei".

Supergirl was always fine as her own character.

In the first issue Sophie cleans the board and brings back Silver-age Kara. It is just as good as it ever was. Sure, the stuff that happened before has still happened, that's the curse of comics isn't it, but she dips into the history that makes sense for the character and ignores the rest, leaving us with a wholesome coherent character that is a joy to read.

I don't know if Supergirl was the first character of her choice to write, but whether or not it was, she left all baggage at the door and decided to write Supergirl. She didn't bring some other story she had been carrying in her head for some other character and plastered Supergirl on top. This reads like Supergirl from the first to the last page in every frame. Sophie has done the research making the issue a veritable feast for long time fans of the character, and giving new readers hooks to go back and research.

Sure this could still take a turn, we are just one issue in, and towards the end Supergirl might be boozing and bar fighting again, but judging this issue by itself, I couldn't have imagined a better starting position for her new take.

Supergirl is back. more

I leave this story as I came into it, with the sense that this was never a Supergirl story. It was a Ruthye story that got Supergirl attached to it. While Ruthye's character stays well told and consistent, Kara continues to be pasted in with little to no regards about her characterization. She becomes whatever is needed to tell Ruthye's story.

Maybe for a Supergirl fan the real payout of this story is that we saw a rare return of Comet. We don't get a deep dive with him and Kara's connection, but then this story was never really about Kara. But for the few panels we do have Comet around, King does portray him pretty well. Of course Comet ultimately cared about Kara because she dedicated her life to helping others. It would have been interested to see why he would care about her dedication to vengeance. Something that we might have dived into, you know, if the story had been about Supergirl. more

King trying to write dialogue for Kara is like a gorilla trying to dance.
Strangely enough this issue works pretty well because he isn't trying for once.
Art is amazing as always.

For the first time in the series I was finding enjoyment in the book. Sure it doesn't propagate the story much, but for the first time it feels like the book is actually about the titular character, and not just a vehicle for Ruthye.

There are still heaps of issues - King's cursing sailor revenge-driven Supergirl still breaks immersion and never passes for more than an Elseworld version. Comet appearing for Deus Ex Machina style. It also lacks credibility with Kara doing all that stuff by herself and at her age. Art isn't perfect either with young Kara looking old.

But ignoring all above, it is for the first time an entertaining read and it does show that King has at least picked up her origin story before starting down this venture.

7.5
While still an absolute dumpsterfire in regards to characterization and continuity, it is a fun read. more

"Sometimes I see why people fucking hate Kal". Well, sometimes I see why people fucking hate King. And this is why. He really, really doesn't get Supergirl, he doesn't get what being heroic means. Understandable for a former CIA, but it's not understandable when he tries to stain all of our beloved heroes.

Just... just when I think Tom King has started to get it. Just when I think he has read up a bit on the character and I will be happy to finally give this book the score that the art deserves, he burns it all down again in the blink of two pages.

There it is again - the out of character cursing... the care-not attitude that is the opposite of everything the character has stood for. Destroying the very soul of the character that Binder created.

This isn't the greatest idea ever. Every single writer before knew that it was possible to write Supergirl this way. They chose not to. more

O m g

This is so good.

I love the previous MotU comic iterations but this is on another level.

This quality of the art is almost unseen in comics. These colorful landscapes remind me of Nicola Bayley's haunting art in The Tyger Voyage from my childhood. 10+ for the art.

Then in comes Tom Kings horrid Supergirl take and ruins the whole read. Of course, this isn't a Supergirl book despite what the title would have you believe. It's a Ruthye book where "Supergirl", and I put that in quotes intentionally, has a big part.

Almost all text is Ruthye speaking, and sadly that's a good thing in this "Supergirl" book, because every time "Kara" opens her mouth it's the comic book equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. There's nothing Kara in the dialog. A person who has never read a Supergirl book would do a better job. Pasting the dialogue from old Batman speech bubbles would make it sound more like Kara. Words cannot begin to describe how little it cares for precedence and her established personality, vocabulary and values.

This book could have been good had there been the smallest of effort dedicated to the character of the title figure.

But any joy is ephemeral at best and dies as soon as King tries to write Kara.

I'm giving it a 3 this time, because despite his best efforts to completely ignore any and all established character traits of Kara Zor-El throughout this series there were a few moments that were good in this issue.

Please keep Bilquis on art DC. But get Tom King some help with Kara or replace him. more

The most beautiful drawn story.

And the worst written Kara Zor-El.

It's a decent cyberpunk story, but the way it's told makes it a pretty painful read.

Amazing start to this adventure. The art by Mindy Lee feels very much Motu, even with the updated designs.

Out of the gates we have an adventure going. The classic setup that we expect from a Motu story is there, but it also promises to take us deeper down the lore rabbit hole.

There are many characters and concepts in this first issue, and they are leaving many events implicit in the storytelling. This is not really a comic book for the casual tourist, this is for the fans of the IP.

Deducting a half point for the flow in the storytelling that could have benefitted from extending this story with another issue rather than pushing through the story too fast. more

Art is a 9-10, but this isn't a Supergirl comic so I can't give anything else than a 1.

I buy a comic with Supergirl on it, I expect Supergirl in it. It's like if I buy a pizza and get a fish dish. It might be well made fish dish, but I ordered pizza.

This is not Kara, it's Rooster Cogburn wearing a Supergirl-Edgar-Suit.

The comic was meant to end on a very bittersweet note, but I feel only sadness after reading it. Not even because I particularly cared in what I'm reading - no, in fact I was pretty much detached from it and not invested at all. It's because I feel like I just wasted my time completely. Two issues worth of practically nothing.

Kara is one of the more upbeat, lively characters DC has in its roster, and yet she's a hollow, flat and bland protagonist here, both personality and design-wise, which is quite an accomplishment, believe me. When you fail to write a compelling character arc, you can at least make them visually interesting, or the other way around. Here... there's nothing.

Gotta feel sorry for Kara, because as I said while reviewing the #1 issue of this trainwreck, she's in deep trouble when no one at DC knows what to do with her even in a stand alone elseworld short.

Skip it. more

One of the worst Supergirl books I have read, and I have read them all.

Someone at DC sure seems to have a penchant for letting perverted men rob women of their agency of late and then cancelling their books.

First Supergirl, now Batgirl.

I'm sure someone gets something from reading this. I did too - nausea.

The best issue of this run, we finally have at least half an issue that has a proper Supergirl in it.

I'm happy that this terrible run ended a bit better than it started (and continued and continued).

I saw someone mention in the comments that the writer had no control over their run. It seems on par with the DC horror story coming from Mairghread Scott recently.

DC can't treat their women employees or female titles with respect it seems. No wonder that almost only male writers and male titles remain.

Judging by Houser avoiding all Supergirl questions in her AMA she has probably been given a gag order regarding Supergirl from DC. It would be interesting to hear her side of this story one day.

Until then we can only accept that this was a trainwreck and that DC has properly made away with every single female Super while the male ones prosper. more