It's Kara's final battle against Facet. The former warden of Krypton's Fort Rozz has thrown everything she can at Supergirl in a bid to make her stronger. But Kara has her own definition of 'stronger' and it's not about cruelty, it's not about judging others - it's about family. 'Stronger together', that's her motto, and it works as, after a pitched battle between the two super-strong aliens, Kara gets the help she needs.
It's not a case of her being rescued by others, it's about a plan she came up with being enacted by her partners in protecting Earth. This final episode of DC's digital tie-in to the Supergirl TV series foregrounds Kara's intelligence - how many other superheroes are maths whizzes?
The story also showcases Kara's heart, as she gives Facet every chance to stand down. It all culminates in this wonderfully written moment .
It never occurred to me that Supergirl could have her own legend to complement her cousin's, but why the heck not? Mary Marvel has had her own Shazam acronym since her first appearance.
Emma Vieceli's illustrations convey the down and dirty brutality of your average TV Supergirl fight - these blows hurt. She also does a spiffy job of giving us likenesses of Kara and co, and convincing us of their emotions. Colourist Sandra Molina adds extra life to proceedings with her confident hues, while letterer Saida Tempfonte's letters are sharp and sassy. Cat Staggs' cover is a powerful statement of intent for the comic.
It's a great creative team all round, all following Gates's cue; for six months he's given us a perfect distillation of Supergirl, melding the TV version with his much-missed comic book Kara, and nodding towards the likes of Silver Age Linda Lee Danvers and the pixieish Eight Grader. If there isn't a sequel series to coincide with Supergirl Season 2, DC are missing a trick. And when that series arrives - like Kara, I choose optimism - I'd like to see a single artist throughout... I've enjoyed the work of all the illustrators, but given the final page count isn't huge, it's a shame there's no unifying look.
But that's a question for another day. Right now, I want to throw a party for Sterling Gates, Emma Vieceli, editors Jessica Chen and Kristy Quinn and all the other creators who have captured the spirit of Supergirl so wonderfully.
A much better series than any could have anticipated. . .and sadly it is over. Sterling Gates has proven to be the definitive writer for Supergirl. He's the 101 for everyone to come after.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why Sterling Gates isn't getting lots of work at DC - he's so darn good!
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