The Man Of Steel drops in to visit, but it’s not going to be a quiet family reunion… Your Major Spoilers review of Supergirl #8 awaits!
SUPERGIRL #8
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Matias Bergara
Colorist: Michael Ativen
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Paul Kaminski
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Supergirl: “Superman and Supergirl meet again for the first time to face the evil of the Emerald Empress! Plus, what does it mean for the Girl of Tomorrow when tomorrow promises a Dark Knight? Shocking revelations, all-powerful sorceresses from the future, the Batgirl of Burnside and dinner in the Wild West—they’re all here in this amazing issue!”
THE EMERALD EMPRESS FROM PRE-FLASHPOINT?
This issue opens with Superman arriving National City to celebrate Kryptonian Day Of Truth, the day when a Kryptonian refuses to tell a mistruth, only to find things getting heavy when The Emerald Empress attacks. Ever since Rebirth, there have been references to strange time travel bits, and while some of them are starting to get on my nerves, the question of where Saturn Girl has gotten to hasn’t yet. The Empress indicates that she now knows that it was Supergirl who… did… something? Either way, thanks to some DEO training and a handy iron engine block, Supergirl counters the Empress’ magic, taking the villain down. Much of the rest of the issue is exposition, but the best kind: Supergirl meets Jon Kent and tells him how much he looks like his dad as a baby; Cat Grant has a heavy scoop to follow and Superman wants her to know the truth about his life and the changes he’s gone through. This issue also helps to explain parts of the ‘Superman Reborn’ storyline that weren’t clear from reading it, so kudos to Steve Orlando for clarifying.
“THE GLASSES THING” IS *COOL*
I love Matias Bergara’s art, full of energy and expression without resorting to the contortions of a Todd McFarlane or Humberto Ramos, and the blocking of the combat sequences is expertly done. (I also love a sequence where the Super-family plays catch from the Earth to the moon, throwing the much-maligned Super-Mobile, as well as Supergirl’s trick where she puts on her glasses and her hair suddenly changes color, which delights Jon Kent.) Once again, I appreciate the effort and research that Orlando’s gives to his scripts, referencing things like The Vrangs, working to stitch together a Supergirl reminiscent of the TV version with the new post-post-Flashpoint Superman and capturing the lovely moments between Clark and Kara. A moment where he asks her to go easy on his Kryptonian pronunciation is also sweet as heck, one of many little moments that make the book work for me. Best of all, it ends with a Batgirl cameo, promising more Batgirl and Supergirl interaction, which I enjoyed a lot from the recnet Batgirl Annual…
THE BOTTOM LINE: GOOD STUFF
All in all, Supergirl #8 hits the spot, taking as much of the TV Supergirl (which I greatly enjoy) as they can and putting it all together in the Rebirth DCU with dynamic, strong art and some new concepts folded in as well, earning a well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars overall. If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to check out the game of catch…
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