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Supergirl #24 came out this week and I won't bury the lede. It has Doc Shaner art.
Since I discovered Shaner's art I have wanted to see his take on Supergirl and he doesn't disappoint. That is not to say that Kevin Maguire hasn't been killing it on this book; he has. But there is something just magical, just gorgeous, just grin-inducing about Shaner's art and his take on Kara that elevates this issue tremendously. Expect me to gush throughout the review even though I have already blasted you with superlatives.
The story in the issue is good, advancing the plot of detective Kara trying to uncover what Rogol Zaar and 'The Circle' had to do with Krypton's destruction. I feel like the first three issues have been something of prologue, starting Kara out on this intergalactic journey. Now, out in space, writer Marc Andreyko can start to put the rest of the pieces out on the chess board. A couple of new characters are introduced. And we continue to move forward on Kara's quest to reunite the crystals Appa Ali Apsa.
Sure, Kara seems more of the angry, 'punch first' Supergirl of past years. The cover touts her 'path of vengenace'. It seems like a step back in her characterization. At least, at times, she seems like the bright, inquisitive Supergirl we have seen recently.
But the big win here is Shaner's art. It is just a fill-in. He has no other planned issue of Supergirl ahead. Maybe the hue and cry of the common folk can bring him back as designated pinch hitter?
Onto the book.
Last issue, Kara fled Mogo to continue her search for crystals which contain the journal of the Guardian Appa Ali Apsa. It has led her to Taffey's bar, last seen in Bendis' Man of Steel #2, reviewed here: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2018/06/review-man-of-steel-2.html
It was at Taffey's that Rogol Zaar first heard about Superman living on Earth so this seems like a good place to start. In a nice little bit of continuity, we see Ambush Bug still there as entertainer and even the same bartender, a woman who looks a little like Mr. Mokkari.
I do like Kara trying her best to stay undercover in her cloak and stealth suit. But the S-shield stands out, warning everyone that she is Kryptonian.
In a bit that is very Daredevil in it's execution, Kara uses her super-hearing (radar sense?) to listen to all the heartbeats in the bar to try to pick out someone who is nervous. I don't know if it works for me on several levels.
One, it *is* very Daredevil. Has Supergirl really used her powers as a lie detector before to be certain?
Two, there are innumerable alien races here. She says she has studied alien physiology. But can she really know what a normal resting heart rate is for everyone? Can she know what happens to random alien's heart rate when they are nervous or lying?
People deny knowing Rogol Zaar so Kara decides intimidation is the right move. Burning the axe symbol into the floor, eyes cloaked, she says she wants information ... or else.
Sigh.
It doesn't sound, at all, like the Kara we read in the first 20 issues of this Rebirth series. It doesn't sound like the Kara from the last year of the prior series. This feels like a step back.
Meanwhile, Gandelo, one of the dark Circle, has two operatives tailing Supergirl. One is only seen cloaked. Whoever they are, they want to engage Supergirl. But Gandelo advises the being to lay low and just observe.
After all, he already has an operative there.
I am pretty sure we meet one later. But for now, Gandelo's crew remain unknown. I don't quite know why he is sitting back here. Maybe he thinks Kara will simply fail in her mission and head home? So why bother?
Eventually, using her Daredevil senses, she singles out the alien she is looking for. Before she can corner him though, her questioning gets unwanted attention. A bruiser with a quarterstaff decides he is going to take out his frustrations about Krypton out on her.
This moment of Kara wondering what Kal would do is interesting only in that she states immediately she isn't Kal.
Now listen. I don't want Supergirl to just be a younger Superman. What I love about her is that she is still learning. She isn't infallible. She is fierce and sometime reckless. That is why I first became of fan of hers.
But heading into a bar where her strategy is to brawl? That sounds like something this Kara wouldn't do given everything that has happened in her life. Her dismissal of Kal's ways seems off. I almost wish she tried his way only to fail and then have to brawl. It would show the right intention but foisted on the wrong people.
Oh my god!
Look at this double page splash by Shaner.
Just gorgeous. Absolutely stunning.
And a true barroom brawl breaks out. Supergirl pinwheels through the bar, bashing all in her path but draining her reserves.
In the middle of the fight, a Coluan joins the fight, helping her out.
Is that a Faceless Hunter in the crowd??
I love panels like this with multiple images of Supergirl showing how fast she is moving through the space. But our hero Supergirl beating up a whole bar? Still felt a little off.
And we begin to get a sense of how tricky this mission will be when her suit is drained of sun energy. Suddenly she is a very vulnerable teenage girl. And the guy with the quarterstaff is still there.
I love this panel. Look at the surprise on Kara's face as her cape gets tugged. Wide eyed, brows high ... she looks shocked and scared. Just amazing art by Shaner again.
Kara does have an ace in the hole. Reaching under her cape, she pulls out Zaar's axe and brandishes it. Now her power level is zero. So should she be able to so easily lift and parry with this axe built for Rogol Zaar? Or is that weapon out of her weight class?
Regardless, another great splash by Shaner. I love the use of silhouette here. You feel the energy lashing out, buffeting those around. Brilliant.
And her use of the axe has a profound effect on the patrons still standing. There is sudden respect.
As for me, I went back and looked (you can too). Shaner showed us the axe peeking out from under her cape in appropriate panels. Look two panels up here and you'll see it. That makes me happy!
Just as Supergirl is going to interrogate the nervous alien, he is literally incinerated by the bartender. Within the ashes of his body is another crystal, perhaps the next clue.
The bartender is knocked out by Kara's new Coluan friend, Z'ndr Kol. (I am pronouncing it Xander Call.)
He seems a bit of a scoundrel in his Poe Dameron coat, his three day beard, and his suave demeanor. He congratulates her on her use of Klurkor and Torquasm (although I thought Torquasm was a meditation skil, not a martial art). Somehow he sweet talks his way into traveling with Supergirl. He is on the hunt for a Coluan colony in the outskirts of the galaxy. He wants to reconnect with his people. Certainly she understands that? Right?
It all sounds too easy, too perfect. He has to be the cloaked agent from earlier. And in my mind, all this will do is add some friction of distrust when Kara meets Brainiac 5 .... whenever the hell that is given DC's reluctance to put out a Legion book.
There he is on the chicken-ship. There is a nice page showing the awkward silence that would come from traveling with a complete stranger. I still wonder why Kara would bring him along. She seems so focused on this mission. He can only slow her down. Nevertheless, there he is.
Next stop on the Supergirl trail? The site of Krypton. Nothing like a planet worth of Kryptonite in one spot to bring on a migraine.
Overall, we get more details to inform us on this journey. The suit has a finite energy battery. She can recharge the suit different ways. She has Daredevil powers. She has acquired another crystal. She met Z'ndr and has brought him along. Gandelo is spying on her already.
And she is a hothead more like early new 52 Kara and less like the Supergirl we have read over the last 3 years. Hmmm ...
Oh yeah .... the art is so pretty I wept while reading.
What did you all think?
Overall grade: B
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