Scan barcode
rhganci's review against another edition
4.0
More than maybe any of the other DC books, SUPERGIRL seems like an ongoing serial narrative, lacking but not needing periodic arc conclusions. Green and Johnson instead seem to explore one question situation-by-situation: what do you do when you wake up with all of the powers of Superman and your entire world gone?
There were are couple of things about this volume that I thought improved upon the first: the mythos of Krypton, and the circumstance of Kara's alternate path to Earth, came into play to just the right extent. Without having to reinvent Krypton, Green and Johnson give us a lot of memory and dream contexts, underscored nicely in issue #12 with a full-on deep dive into the ocean itself in search for that lost knowledge. The dream sequences from her own pre-pod memory were terrific, featuring an actual dragon and the full dragonslaying motif. If there's a better metaphor for an impossible situation, human storytellers haven't discovered one, and Green and Johnson go all in on its familiar role in building the discourse of heroics. Kara gets battle armor and what can only be described as a pair of Kryptonian lightsabers for her own battle against the monster, both of which are awesome and not as weird or out of place in as they should be in the story, but the context of father-daughter legacies as well as the quest for lost knowledge makes them more appropriate than not. I thought the episodes dealing with the Smythe family and Kara's role in resolving that conflict was a nice, thematically-related and well-told passage of story, one that continued to focus on the key issues of the character: violence, language and displacement. The whole book does a terrific job of balancing these elements as it works to explain and deal with the story structures that the first volume (issues #1-7) established. Additionally, the zero issue flashback was a really enjoyable look at how Kara ended up in the pod that brought her to Earth, and the manner in which it clarified her conversation with the red crystal back in V1 was a nice gesture on the part of the writers to fulfill promises made earlier in the story--it affords them the reader's confidence, especially as earlier plot elements begin to come back under higher-stakes circumstances.
The artwork again struggles to find its footing, as the color stylings keep changing. Mahmoud Asrar does great work, but as there's no consistency from issue to issue as to how they are colored, the storytelling suffers a bit from it. Tonally, the watercolors are best, because the faint haziness links into the sense of displacement that Kara feels waking up as she has. When the colors become more monochromatic, the pages become a little sharper and the story doesn't flow as well--this will continue to be an issue for the book going forward, and it is my hope that the artwork finds a consistent look as questions are answered and the realms of exploration that Kara can venture into are expanded.
There were are couple of things about this volume that I thought improved upon the first: the mythos of Krypton, and the circumstance of Kara's alternate path to Earth, came into play to just the right extent. Without having to reinvent Krypton, Green and Johnson give us a lot of memory and dream contexts, underscored nicely in issue #12 with a full-on deep dive into the ocean itself in search for that lost knowledge. The dream sequences from her own pre-pod memory were terrific, featuring an actual dragon and the full dragonslaying motif. If there's a better metaphor for an impossible situation, human storytellers haven't discovered one, and Green and Johnson go all in on its familiar role in building the discourse of heroics. Kara gets battle armor and what can only be described as a pair of Kryptonian lightsabers for her own battle against the monster, both of which are awesome and not as weird or out of place in as they should be in the story, but the context of father-daughter legacies as well as the quest for lost knowledge makes them more appropriate than not. I thought the episodes dealing with the Smythe family and Kara's role in resolving that conflict was a nice, thematically-related and well-told passage of story, one that continued to focus on the key issues of the character: violence, language and displacement. The whole book does a terrific job of balancing these elements as it works to explain and deal with the story structures that the first volume (issues #1-7) established. Additionally, the zero issue flashback was a really enjoyable look at how Kara ended up in the pod that brought her to Earth, and the manner in which it clarified her conversation with the red crystal back in V1 was a nice gesture on the part of the writers to fulfill promises made earlier in the story--it affords them the reader's confidence, especially as earlier plot elements begin to come back under higher-stakes circumstances.
The artwork again struggles to find its footing, as the color stylings keep changing. Mahmoud Asrar does great work, but as there's no consistency from issue to issue as to how they are colored, the storytelling suffers a bit from it. Tonally, the watercolors are best, because the faint haziness links into the sense of displacement that Kara feels waking up as she has. When the colors become more monochromatic, the pages become a little sharper and the story doesn't flow as well--this will continue to be an issue for the book going forward, and it is my hope that the artwork finds a consistent look as questions are answered and the realms of exploration that Kara can venture into are expanded.
jo_lzr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
linklex7's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty decent vol of New 52 Supergirl. Where the title character deals with Silver Banshee and her family. You also get an origin story for New 52 Kara. Not quite the heights Supergirl could reach, but still better than vol 1.
earth_and_silver's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
caoimhin42's review against another edition
5.0
Never read Supergirl before but I do enjoy the New 52 series and this is a nice addition to it all.
birdmanseven's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars may be a little high, but I really enjoyed this. It's the kind of Supergirl story I've been wanting to read. Great supporting cast too. I really liked the stuff with Silver Banshee and the Krypton flashbacks were great too. It was exciting and fun, and they finally got away from the "Kara is an adolescent" storylines.
For more on Supergirl check out this episode of Comic Book Coffee Break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj5wmMQ8-2A&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR24lQrVSfB7F47FIbH5CEQgECwjwYP5yAif0hyq_dz0ltNmB0PAO25XSiQ
For more on Supergirl check out this episode of Comic Book Coffee Break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj5wmMQ8-2A&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR24lQrVSfB7F47FIbH5CEQgECwjwYP5yAif0hyq_dz0ltNmB0PAO25XSiQ
dr_matthew_lloyd's review against another edition
3.0
Kara-from-Krypton's story gets going in this second volume... well, a little. She's still going slowly, hasn't quite picked up English by halfway through the book, and hasn't got around to mastering her powers. She is actually referred to as "Supergirl", but only by the press and her enemies. Something which should not be as exciting as it is, but all of the parts of this volume which feature more than three characters include two women talking to one another about something other than a boy; a mild problem is the presentation of mothers and fathers - this volume largely remains concerned with the relationships between children and their fathers. But Alura gets some screen-time, both in Kara's nightmare and in the #0 issue, in which she is in many ways more interesting than Zor-El. There is good to be found here, but it is not well mined - what's largely on display is the mediocrity of most superhero comics, where the hero is just given something to punch for a while.
It still bares comparison with the other recent re-launch of Supergirl, just pre-Infinite Crisis, [b:Superman/Batman, Vol. 2: Supergirl|107022|Superman/Batman, Vol. 2 Supergirl|Jeph Loeb|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307857846s/107022.jpg|1399454]. The slower pace, and largely absent Kal-El, mean that Kara has to come to terms with her powers on her own. In theory, this could have been a really interesting story about how Kara comes to control her powers and decide how she wants to use them (When Kara eventually does go to talk to Kal, he still whines on about the "responsibilities" of these powers, as if he's never met a teenager before ). In practice, her inability to control them becomes more of a plot device for how-can-Kara-defeat-this-monster, rather than the monsters and powers are there as metaphors for coming to understand what your body can do as a teenager. There's some exploration here of Kara alone in the world, trying to find friends, but it's nowhere near as powerfully done as in [b:Supergirl, Vol. 3: Identity|1143989|Supergirl, Vol. 3 Identity|Joe Kelly|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307751368s/1143989.jpg|1131433].
I find these Supergirl books quite readable, but not very challenging, exciting, or interesting. Kara has lost the flame she had in her previous incarnation - the anger and struggle that made her a believable teenager (who could fly...). It needs to slow down some more, give Kara a place to stay and settle, and start exploring her rather than trying to tell her story. It's not terribly written (like, for example, [b:Teen Titans, Vol. 1: It's Our Right to Fight|13532147|Teen Titans, Vol. 1 It's Our Right to Fight|Scott Lobdell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347403148s/13532147.jpg|19093823]), but it's not an interesting explorations of the possible themes of dislocation, tragedy, and responsibility (like [b:Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill|13228177|Batman and Robin, Vol. 1 Born to Kill|Peter J. Tomasi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343869393s/13228177.jpg|18420067] or [b:Batgirl, Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection|13228436|Batgirl, Vol. 1 The Darkest Reflection|Gail Simone|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361895856s/13228436.jpg|18420381]); the art is also not terrible, besides Kara's costume. There are some wonderfully expressive faces here, just not so much for them to be particularly expressive about.
It still bares comparison with the other recent re-launch of Supergirl, just pre-Infinite Crisis, [b:Superman/Batman, Vol. 2: Supergirl|107022|Superman/Batman, Vol. 2 Supergirl|Jeph Loeb|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307857846s/107022.jpg|1399454]. The slower pace, and largely absent Kal-El, mean that Kara has to come to terms with her powers on her own. In theory, this could have been a really interesting story about how Kara comes to control her powers and decide how she wants to use them (
I find these Supergirl books quite readable, but not very challenging, exciting, or interesting. Kara has lost the flame she had in her previous incarnation - the anger and struggle that made her a believable teenager (who could fly...). It needs to slow down some more, give Kara a place to stay and settle, and start exploring her rather than trying to tell her story. It's not terribly written (like, for example, [b:Teen Titans, Vol. 1: It's Our Right to Fight|13532147|Teen Titans, Vol. 1 It's Our Right to Fight|Scott Lobdell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347403148s/13532147.jpg|19093823]), but it's not an interesting explorations of the possible themes of dislocation, tragedy, and responsibility (like [b:Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill|13228177|Batman and Robin, Vol. 1 Born to Kill|Peter J. Tomasi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343869393s/13228177.jpg|18420067] or [b:Batgirl, Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection|13228436|Batgirl, Vol. 1 The Darkest Reflection|Gail Simone|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361895856s/13228436.jpg|18420381]); the art is also not terrible, besides Kara's costume. There are some wonderfully expressive faces here, just not so much for them to be particularly expressive about.
nancyotoole's review against another edition
3.0
In Girl in the World, Kara ties to adapt to her new life on earth, facing new challenges at every turn. I found this to be a really solid second volume to the series, nicely balancing out Kara's everyday struggles with the macro plot. I did take some issues with the pacing (while vol 1 had moments that seemed too drawn out, there are parts here that seem rushed), and the annoying way that Irish dialect is written out, I was overall quite happy with this volume and will continue reading this comic.
First read and reviewed 06/20/15
Re-read- 08/27/16
First read and reviewed 06/20/15
Re-read- 08/27/16