So DC’s Rebirth is still going strong as we get to the latest entry: Supergirl. I’ll confess, I’m not an avid reader of her books, but generally I’ve been pretty pleased with Rebirth so wanted to check it out, particularly since I’ve started watching the TV show, too.
As a first foray into the new (but not really new) Rebirth universe, this issue was fair to middling, nothing that spectacular to offer and overall things felt a little rushed. It’s like someone at DC HQ said, “oh god, guys. Supergirl. We need a Rebirth issue for her too, right?” and so they quickly drew up a villain (we’ll get to him later) and fumbled to re-establish her origin in the new continuity.
It’s nice that Ray McCarthy has come back to ink the character, he obviously has a lot of experience with the Supergirl title and his colours help things along nicely.
But let's talk about Orlando’s writing and that main villain shall we? Okay so apparently before the destruction of Argo City on Krypton all those years ago, a man called Lar-On was quarantined in the Phantom Zone by Supergirl’s father, Zor-El, after he was infected with Red Kryptonite. Fine, on board so far, I mean sure this idea has been rehashed many times over, but I’ll give you a chance. Where are you taking me here? Well, as it turns out, to werewolves, that’s where you’re taking me. That’s right, the infected Lar-On emerges on Earth as a freakin’ red werewolf. I mean, you couldn’t make this stuff up, oh wait…
The reason he emerged is because for some reason Rebirthy Supergirl doesn’t have her powers anymore so the D.E.O., Department of Extra-Normal Operations, have created a Phantom Drive, attached Supergirl to it and shot her into the Sun in an attempt to restore them. It’s all a little weak and contrived for my tastes, but in true deus ex machina fashion she gets her powers back, flies back down to Earth and saves the day. Eurgh. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against her noble intent but it’s not portrayed with any subtlety, there’s no nuance to her character, she just feels like a poor carbon copy of her previous incarnations.
There are a few saving graces, however. I enjoyed the art from Lupacchino. She’s experienced at drawing Supergirl and I think this experience shows. Nothing blows you away but it’s pretty consistent throughout. The final page is nicely done and compliments the development in the story. In fact, it was this last page that helped save the issue for me and actually made me want to pick up Supergirl #1 in three weeks time. I think fans of the character will enjoy it. Of course, there might be a time in the near future that I decide this book isn’t worth reading, but as our titular hero proclaims in her first issue:
“Not today.”
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Supergirl: Rebirth #1 Writer: Steve Orlando Artist: Emanuela Lupacchino Publisher: DC Comics Price: $2.99 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital
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