Supergirl 13, spoilers etc

**Kid Kyoto** · 12-28-2006, 09:47 PM

It's out, just a week or two after the fill-in issue so that's pretty good.

I hope no one was too attached to the Outsiders/Wereshark plot, cause it's gone. Gone, gone, gone, just like all prior plot threads. But in all a good and very different sort of comic.

*SPOILERS*

It starts with kara recovering in the hospital from her wounds. Apparently Powerboy saved her and Grace.

During a patrol/date with PB she fights two generic pseudo-Japanese villains from Tibet (couldn't the writer look up some Tibetian names?) and makes out with Power Boy.

We get (yet more) hints of a dark secret in kara's past (hmm her father told her 'kill Kal-el' I wonder what that could mean) and are clearly told what she did during 52.

She tried to kill Clark while he was powerless but stopped herself and thus headed for Kandor.

"I don't hate Superman. That's why I left. that's why I ran and hid in a bottle. I love Kal-El. I hate myself."

Finally Boomerang asks Grace when Kara will get out of the hospital and Grace says 'she got out 3 days ago'(and presumably has not called).

Anaysis I remember reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and just stopping and saying Harry Potter is a jerk! But in the book Harry was 16, no longer an angelic kid and well... 16 year olds are jerks. And I think that's part of the point here, this Supergirl is a jerk. She's not likeable but it's a pretty good take on what it might be like to be a 16 year old with god-like powers, a huge legacy to live up to and the ghost of your dad telling you to kill! kill! kill! Problems I think we all faced/face as teens. :o

Churchill's art is pretty good, not just eye-candy but also good for touches like Boomerang's body langauge and the interaction between Wonder Girl and Kara (now if he could just get them to look like two different people!).

Still no clue on who Powerboy is, apparently he's not Mon-El though.

**Spider-Man** · 12-29-2006, 04:02 AM

So...Kelley has cribbed the "evil father's message" schtick from "Smallville," which is utter crap there, and made it utter crap in Supergirl?

If Supergirl absolutely had to be brought back, it should have been under the editorial mandate that someone like a Geoff Johns or Kurt Busiek took the reigns, i.e., folks who understand and know the lore and unities of the character.

I think they need to let the book lay fallow for a year, give it a new number one, and put Gail Simone at the helm. And they can toss "I wannabe Rob Liefeld" to the curb at the same time...

Spidey

**MythicBrawn** · 12-29-2006, 06:28 AM

Originally Posted by Kid Kyoto

Anaysis I remember reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and just stopping and saying Harry Potter is a jerk! But in the book Harry was 16, no longer an angelic kid and well... 16 year olds are jerks. And I think that's part of the point here, this Supergirl is a jerk. She's not likeable but it's a pretty good take on what it might be like to be a 16 year old with god-like powers, a huge legacy to live up to and the ghost of your dad telling you to kill! kill! kill! Problems I think we all faced/face as teens. :o

I'm still having problems with the ghost of my dad telling me to kill! kill! kill! It grates on your nerves but with therapy, I've learned to deal with it.

**Cayman** · 12-29-2006, 07:05 AM

It was alright but hard to follow. I suppose having the pointless Terra story interruption didn't help.

I'm a little sick of the mystery villain in shadows bit. The two new(?) villains were kind of cool, but I didn't really feel like their powers were all that clear.

Power Boy was fun.

Kelly's showing some promise on the book but it never seems to quite get where it needs to go, and I keep reading it mainly because I like the character. Hopefully it will all gel eventually.

**Jack Zodiac** · 12-29-2006, 11:19 AM

I only bought this issue for Power Boy, but Kelly didn't do much to explain who he is, what his powers are, or where he came from. One thing I thought was hilarious, though, was his frequent mention of "patrolling," a concept Kara found completely mind-boggling. Good foil for her, especially given her current state. I also liked that Kelly specifically shows us how the wedge between her and Clark was driven during the missing year. Oh, and he apparently dropped the flow of consciousness narrative, which was a good idea. I didn't think it worked at all.

Also, Power Boy. His costume looks a whole lot like Power Girl's, with the mantle (no cape, though) and open chest. I like how Churchill gave the kid a big, meaty, hairy chest. If Power Girl can fly around sporting sweater meat like she does, I think Power Boy flying around with a bear's chest is an awesome idea. :D

**AaronJ** · 12-29-2006, 12:11 PM

Stunning. But it is what I have come to expect from Kelly, and especially with Churchill and Rapmund back on art duties, this book is kickin'.

First, Churchill knows the character. He knows her body language and facial expressions, how she reacts. Also, he seems to be the best fit, by far, for Kelly's storytelling (although, seriously, Joe Benitez was great in that one issue: I can't wait for that Superman/Batman arc with Greg Rucka).

It's always a good sign, in ANY book, when Lois Lane shows up. She's the tops. And the scene here was good and tense, especially considering that as a reader, we know why Kara is avoiding Clark. Lois doesn't have that knowledge, and so her indignation is completely understandable. "You're killing him, Kara." Ouch.

I absolutely love Cassie's presence in this book, even if it is a brief cameo like this one. Her dreamy "Marry him" was hilarious. And it's always nice to see Streaky.

It's interesting that Power Boy beat Kara in the race. Either she seriously overestimated her abilities, or he did, in fact, cheat. I'm not sure which. He seems like an honest sort of chap, though.

During the fight (are we supposed to know who either those mysterious figures in Tibet or the assassins were?) Kara really shows how powerful she can be. Her "And that is not yours to have!" voice blast (I didn't know she could do that; it was like Black Canary) was a real moment.

"Not ... possible ... h-how could there be so much ... [hate] ... that even I -- even I ..."

"Kinda girl I am."

Yikes. Chilling. I'm telling you: I love Kara. She's a good girl, trying to get along. But she is also really bad news. She has an explosive temper, but also a good amount of self-awareness to go along with it.

Poor Owen. Dumped for a newer, shinier model (not that they were going out, anyway ...), and then he has to help Grace with "bathroom duties"? This has not been a good week for Boomer.

Overall, this continues to be one of my absolute favorite books. And I am so glad Churchill and Rapmund are back. This is *their* book.

**Jack Zodiac** · 12-29-2006, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by diana_fan

During the fight (are we supposed to know who either those mysterious figures in Tibet or the assassins were?) Kara really shows how powerful she can be. Her "And that is not yours to have!" voice blast (I didn't know she could do that; it was like Black Canary) was a real moment.

She's developing more of her natural powers, like Clark did. Superman's done some seismic stuff by just yelling. I think you'll see her becoming stronger, accessing more vision powers, maybe even super-intellect in the future. One thing I wish they'd done more of with the original Kara was make her out to be every bit as ridiculously powerful as her cousin.

**AaronJ** · 12-29-2006, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Jack Zodiac

She's developing more of her natural powers, like Clark did. Superman's done some seismic stuff by just yelling. I think you'll see her becoming stronger, accessing more vision powers, maybe even super-intellect in the future. One thing I wish they'd done more of with the original Kara was make her out to be every bit as ridiculously powerful as her cousin.

Thanks. I didn't know Superman could do that. I mean, I suppose if I thought about it, I would have realized he can pretty much do anything. :)

Yeah, she's getting more powerful, stronger. I don't know that she'll be as powerful as Kal, but she is quite a powerhouse already.

**Jack Zodiac** · 12-29-2006, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by diana_fan

Yeah, she's getting more powerful, stronger. I don't know that she'll be as powerful as Kal, but she is quite a powerhouse already.

She's gettin' there. Loeb had her hitting harder and flying faster than Clark, but she was also being reckless as all get-out in Superman/Batman. Veronica mentions at the beginning of this issue, though, that Kara was responding better to the yellow sunlight therapy than Clark does.

**Blight** · 12-29-2006, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by diana_fan

During the fight (are we supposed to know who either those mysterious figures in Tibet or the assassins were?) Kara really shows how powerful she can be. Her "And that is not yours to have!" voice blast (I didn't know she could do that; it was like Black Canary) was a real moment.

Guessing one of them has to be Cassie Cain given the next issue. Makes sense given:

1.) Wasn't there a LoA base in Tibet?
2.) DC has turned Cassie Cain into a Bond Villain and thus must include a huge base in a exotic local to match the mindless monologue she was given in Robin OYL. :p

Still waiting on that back to basics version they keep saying they'll produce :p

**AaronJ** · 12-29-2006, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by Jack Zodiac

She's gettin' there. Loeb had her hitting harder and flying faster than Clark, but she was also being reckless as all get-out in Superman/Batman. Veronica mentions at the beginning of this issue, though, that Kara was responding better to the yellow sunlight therapy than Clark does.

That was one thing that confused me: Dr. Cale? Which doctor are we talking about here. Because that can't be Veronica Cale. Or have I missed something huge OYL. Because she is blonde, and a villainness, last seen, AFAIK, on Oolong Island with the Mad Scientists in 52.

**Jack Zodiac** · 12-29-2006, 01:18 PM

No, you're right, I don't know why I called her Veronica. I just head "Dr. Cale" and associated it with her. This doctor's probably just a random STAR Labs tech, because the only important STAR Lab girls right now are Valarie Perez and TinaMcGee in The Flash and Kala Avasti in 52.

**AaronJ** · 12-29-2006, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by Jack Zodiac

No, you're right, I don't know why I called her Veronica. I just head "Dr. Cale" and associated it with her. This doctor's probably just a random STAR Labs tech, because the only important STAR Lab girls right now are Valarie Perez and TinaMcGee in The Flash and Kala Avasti in 52.

It seems like something Kelly would do intentionally, to cause the reader to double-take.

He seems slightly perverse like that. :)