By Jonathan Edwards

After a month or two delay, Supergirl: Being Super is back with issue #3, and here I am with it. I actually just reread my reviews of the previous couple issues for the sake of retrospection. The upshot of that process? Well, I now feel like a sinner that need repent for their actions. That is to say, I really like this one, and I'm regretting discouraging some people from picking it up in my first review. Don't get me wrong, I still stand by it being a slow start. However, this issue proved to me that it was totally worth it and more than paying off.

Right off the bat, this issue starts with a bang. Kara now knows she an alien. Seriously, it happens on the very first page. From there, the entire thing is pretty much dedicated to development related to that revelation. This includes a really great flashback sequence that tells a lot about Kara, her parents, and why they think the way they do about hiding Kara's secret origins. Also interspersed throughout is much continued discussion about the earthquake and what happened to Jen last time. And, I'm super glad to see that persisting as an integral part of this book. Because, that is how such a traumatic event would be handled in real life. It takes some intelligence and maturity to be aware of that and handle it as well as it's done here. I kind of thought Jen's death last time may have been a fake out, but now I'm not so sure.

What I did guess and turned out to be right about is Coach Stone. And be that as it may, that still led into something else I wasn't expecting. In fact, what it lead into is what has me thinking Jen might actually dead, because I thought Jen being alive was what Coach Stone might be leading into. And, I suppose it's possible that it could still go that route, but it'd take some real doing to get there. Then again, Mariko Tamaki has already showed how much she is capable of doing with her writing, so anything is possible.

Previous nitpicks be damned, the art is really good here. The splash page of Kara walking down the school halls, the barn on fire in the flashback, and the way a certain character responds to someone wanting to stargaze are all prime examples of the art conveying exactly what it's going for. And seriously, there's not a single expression or solid colored background in here I don't like. Hell, there's even an actual gradient color background that works to great effect.

There's one issue left, and I cannot wait to read it. Every issue has gotten substantially better than the last, and I have a feeling there's going to be at least one big fight before this book calls it quits. If you haven't been keeping up with Supergirl: Being Super I'd definitely recommend giving it a shot, whether that means picking up back issues or grabbing the trade when it comes out. I'll probably be doing that myself, as I, stupidly, decided against buying actual physical copies for myself.  

Score: 4/5

Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Joëlle Jones
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Publisher: DC Comics