It’s time for Supergirl to head back home, not to Krypton, but the suburbs.  But it turns out that she might have already arrived, before arriving.  Your Major Spoiler review of Supergirl #1 awaits!

SUPERGIRL #1

Writer: Sophie Campbell
Artist: Sophie Campbell
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Becca Carey
Editor: Brittney Holzherr
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 15th, 2025

Previously in Supergirl: Kara was a survivor of Krypton’s destruction, sent out to protect her baby cousin Kal-El.  Except when she finds him on Earth, he’s already an adult and the famous Superman.  Feeling a bit unfulfilled in Metropolis, Kara decides to head back to where she first arrived on Earth.

TO MIDVALE

Supergirl #1 opens up in Metropolis as Supergirl is finishing up dealing with an invasion of sharks.  Afterwards, she heads to the Fortress of Solitude to check in on the Bottle City of Kandor.  Inside the city, she helps apprehend a criminal who’s struggling with their rehabilitation.  She denies the offer to take them under her wing.  While saving a plane, she gets a call from her parents, who have moved back home to Midvale, and ask her to join them.  A couple of weeks later, she arrives but immediately notices a lot of hype around Supergirl.  After running into an old friend, she meets another Supergirl who’s been protecting the town.  The two get into a small scuffle.  Later, Kara goes home, but her parents don’t seem to recognize her.

TAKING THE GOOD WITH THE BAD

Supergirl #1 has a distinctive retro feel to it.  Not so much in the visuals, although there does seem like Midvale has a thriving vintage clothing shop industry, but in tone and structure.  Having elements like The Bottle City of Kandor, Streaky the Supercat, ray guns that change costumes, even Supergirl’s magic comb that turns her hair brunette, all feel like deliberate choices that are aimed at calling back to some of the earlier days of Supergirl.  These aren’t the only throwbacks, though.  A lot of the writing in this feels like it came from a different era as well, and not for the better.  A lot of times, we get conversations where they try to shove a bunch of history and exposition into what are supposed to be normal exchanges, which only results in a lot of awkwardness and big blocks of text taking up prime real estate on the page in a very Archie Comics sort of way.   These choices ultimately leave this feeling like it was written by an untested writer, which isn’t the case, as Sophie Campbell has plenty of credits, so it’s just a case of a creative choice that just isn’t landing the way it should.

LIKING THE LOOKS

Sophie Campbell pulls double duty here and is the main artist on Supergirl #1, and the visuals showcase her better work.  In particular, I think the costume work is great here.  I like the use of the skirt and slight crop top for Kara.  It reminds me of a more retrained and sensible version of the costume Michael Turner had put her in.  I also like the all-blue version of the outfit that the imposter Supergirl is wearing.  I’m also a fan of depicting the smaller town of Midvale as if it existed slightly in the past compared to Metropolis.  It’s not an uncommon technique, but it is effective in expressing the differences between the two locations.  I’m also a fan of the bright pops of color throughout this issue which also feel like a bit of a throwback, but in a much more effective way.

BOTTOM LINE:  SOME ODD CHOICES, BUT SOME STUFF TO LIKE

Supergirl #1 isn’t a period piece, but a lot of the things that are slid into this story definitely make it feel like a callback to a different era of the main character, like some of the sillier plot elements and the colorful art and costume design.  For some readers, this is going to be great, and there’s definitely some fun to be had from seeing it.  Some of this doesn’t work, though, and some clunky dialogue and clumsy storytelling keep this from being a knockout debut for the series.   3.5 out of 5.

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Supergirl #1

70%

70%

Needs More Show, Way Less Tell

Supergirl #1 tries to reach back in time for a lot of its story elements and some fun little easter eggs. Unfortunately, it also brings back some awkward storytelling techniques like trying to shove years’ worth of backstory into normal conversations.

• Writing

  5
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0