Supergirl, Vol. 1: Reign of the Cyborg Supermen |
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Collection published: 2017 Contents originally published: 2016-17 Read: February 2026 |
Artists: Brian Ching, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, Matias Bergara, Inaki Miranda
Colorists: Michael Atiyeh, Eva De La Cruz
Letterers: Steve Wands, Deron Bennett
My seven-year-old is a bit of a Supergirl fan; they've read all of the Supergirl volumes in DC's short-lived "Silver Age" series of trade paperbacks, the Showcase Presents Supergirl volumes that cover what that series doesn't, and even The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl trades collecting the 1980s material. So one day, when I was flipping through the books in my library's "Friends of the Library" bookshop and found the first collected edition of Supergirl's "Rebirth" comics, I paid a dollar and brought it home for them (after doing enough perusing to determine it was age-appropriate). They enjoyed it and requested the next, and I ended up picking the other three volumes online, and once they finished the series, I decided to read it myself.
I'm not very au fait with Supergirl's "New 52" continuity, but writer Steve Orlando does a very good job of quickly orienting the new reader. Kara has recently lost her powers (and I guess Superman is dead, but by the time of vol. 2, he's not anymore, so it doesn't really matter), but has agreed to work with Director Cameron Chase of the Department of Extranormal Operations to cooperate with them in exchange for getting her powers back. Part of this deal is that Kara will be adopted and raised by a married pair of DEO agents and live as a human, even attending high school.
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| The art really nails the cute-but-dorky vibe. from Supergirl vol. 7 #6 (script by Steve Orlando, art by Brian Ching) |
But just as Kara is settling into her new home and family, the ghost of her old home and family return. National City is attacked by the Cyborg Superman, who I guess Supergirl has battled before—but what she didn't know until now is that he's the Brainiac-revived remnants of her father, Zor-El.
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| You go Kara. from Supergirl vol. 7 #7 (script by Steve Orlando, art by Matias Bergara) |
This is basically perfectly-executed light superhero comics. I mean, there is some heavy backstory here, but overall the book's not going for exhausting; it keeps the pace moving and the energy up. I don't think I've ever read anything by Steve Orlando before, but he writes above-average dialogue for superhero comics, which manages to balance action and character and exposition. Orlando moves into position a solid cast of supporting characters, including Kara's new parents, Cat Grant, and a guy at Kara's new school named Ben. You can sense things being shifted into position for an ongoing run, in a good way; this is a setup that should continue to generate stories.
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| Poor Kara. from Supergirl vol. 7 #3 (script by Steve Orlando, art by Brian Ching) |
Orlando is ably aided by Brian Ching, who draws all but one of the seven issues collected here, and whose style is a perfect match for what Orlando is doing in the writing. Ching was one of the regular artists on the Star Wars ongoing Knights of the Old Republic back in the day, and was instrumental to that series's success; I'm glad to see him employed by one of the Big Two.
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| "Yes, we swear these characters who were previously from totally different continuities really do have a relationship!" from Supergirl vol. 7 #8 (script by Steve Orlando, art by Matias Bergara) |
I even really like Steve Wands's lettering. Contemporary comic book lettering is often very samey, but he does some different things here that I found very effective.
Supergirl, Vol. 2: Escape from the Phantom Zone |
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Collection published: 2017 Contents originally published: 2017 Read: February 2026 |
The second volume is pretty good, too. It begins with three one-shots: one where Kara teams up with Batgirl (in the "Burnside era," though after the original creative team left and I stopped reading), one where Kara helps redeem a villain from the previous volume, and one where Kara connects with her cousin. Each of these is pretty solid; the best is definitely the middle one, a really well done story about Kara reaching out and helping someone who needs her, someone who was let down by everyone his whole life; Matias Bergara does a solid job fitting the Brian Ching style. I though the team-up was fine, though Supergirl seemed to be made a little dumb so that she had a reasons to need Batgirl's help. The Superman one has some good moments, but Matias Bergara's art seems rushed and the story is too obviously there to make sure you know how everything fits together.
The last three issues are one long story, "Escape from the Phantom Zone." On the one hand, I was glad Brian Ching was back, but on the other hand, I found the premise didn't play to the strengths; Supergirl, Batgirl, and Ben end up trapped in the Phantom Zone, and the setting of National City and Kara's supporting cast is largely irrelevant; Ben is there, but having him interact with Supergirl turns out to be dramatically inert. I did not think the villains were very interesting, either.
I do appreciate how Orlando paces his ongoings. Usually each issue's story ends a couple pages before the end, then there's a bit of a breather/coda, and then the issue will end with a couple pages setting up the next one. It's a simple but effective device.
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