It’s Supergirl like you’ve never seen her before, in a character-defining sci-fi/fantasy masterpiece from Mister Miracle writer Tom King and Wonder Woman artist Bilquis Evely!
Kara Zor-El has seen some epic adventures over the years, but she now finds her life without meaning or purpose. Here she is, a young woman who saw her planet destroyed and was sent to Earth to protect a baby cousin who ended up not needing her. What was it all for? Wherever she goes, people only see her through the lens of Superman’s fame.
Just when Supergirl thinks she’s had enough, everything changes. An alien girl seeks her out for a vicious mission. Her world has been destroyed, and the bad guys responsible are still out there. She wants revenge, and if Supergirl doesn’t help her, she’ll do it herself, whatever the cost. Now a Kryptonian, a dog, and an angry, heartbroken child head out into space on a journey that will shake them to their very core.
This volume collects Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1-8.
Might have been a better story without the hillbilly alien girl narrating the entire thing.
The elephant in the room really is King's tendency to use 40 words instead of 5. It was ok for the first few issues because you're setting the scene for everything. But beyond that? Oh. Oh my. That's a lot of goddamn word bubbles there, sir. And the story just went on forever. Swear to god, I thought everything was wrapping up around issue 5 (I was reading it as single issues on DC Infinite), so you can imagine my utter shock when I get to the end and realize I have THREE MORE of these long-ass issues to go.
And Ruthye Marye Knoll was just the worst way to have to get your information. Some kind of weird speech pattern that was a cross between old-timey mountain man, and the alien version of what someone who isn't from the South thinks the southern dialect sounds like. Just fucking awful. In small doses, she could have been a quaint addition to the story, but with nothing but walls upon walls of text with her as the narrator it was torture. Then again, one of King's big claims to fame is having once been in the CIA. Perhaps they used to let him tell long rambly tales and "do annoying voices" to break the prisoners' will at Guantanamo?
The ENDING. What? That was the weirdest most dogshit ending ever. Maybe I didn't understand what happened but I read it several times trying to see if I had missed something. And it turns out that I did. Finding out the real ending made me lower my rating because if you have such a confusing ending that Screen Rant has to explain it to, then fuck you.
But. Pretend this had been edited and condensed, anyone besides Ruthye narrated it, and the ending was different? I actually liked the core of Supergirl's story. Show me what this badass bitch can do!
I also liked the art style. It may not be everyone's jam but was one of the best things about this one in my personal opinion. Everything else? I don't know. I'm sure this will have a lot of fans but it was a bit too long & tedious for me.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
“For that day I learned the truth of all things. Just as every man has two faces, so does every place. And you can spend your days knowing just where you are and still be hopelessly lost.”
Kara Zor-El has seen many adventures and battles over the years, but recently she has found her life without any meaning or purpose. After traveling to a red sun planet with Krypto to celebrate her birthday, Kara encounters an alien girl who seeks her out for a vicious mission. Supergirl may think she can help this angry, heartbroken child, but that may be easier said than done, especially after their journey into space begins to change all involved, for better or worse...
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is one of the most impressive superhero comics I have read in a while. Maybe it was mostly due to my expectations of Tom King, as the only thing consistent about his writing is how inconsistent it is, but this really impressed me. King & artist Bilquis Evely managed to hook me in after just one incredible issue, and continued to deliver month after month with amazing issue after amazing issue. King’s writing is better and even wordier than it usually is, while Evely’s art pops and elevates the script, rather than highlighting its flaws.
It should also be stated that I did not give a shit about Supergirl one bit before reading this, but now I kinda wish King was doing more with her. I also usually read King’s work in trades, but this was the first one I read month-to-month as it came out since his Batman in 2016. Totally worth it though, because while it probably does still read better in the trade, this was a book that I always looked forward to reading every month when I saw it in my pull list.
Now with all this praise I’m giving this book, there is one HUGE downside that isn’t going to change my star rating, but may impact others’ enjoyment of this: The fact there are so many fucking captions in this book. It’s kinda insane how wordy our main character’s narrations are, but holy shit, it can be a bit daunting getting through it all.
I obviously loved this to death, but I’m not going to act like the pacing of it wasn’t affected for the worse by the long-ass captions. It’s a shame too because that’s honestly the only thing that is holding this book down. Everything else is nearly perfect and firing on all cylinders, but the pacing is going to work differently depending on who is reading it. It worked for me enough that this is still a 5-star book, but man I totally get if someone just didn’t jive with this. It can be a bit much at times.
If you can get past that part though, I think there is a classic Supergirl story in here that mostly anyone can enjoy. If you already hate King’s work, this probably won’t change your opinion on it, but I think this is easily the strongest and most consistent of all his projects. He also stuck the landing, which is where King’s stories usually fall apart for me. Buy this as soon as you can if you are interested, totally worth at least giving a chance. I will be double dipping whenever the inevitable OHC comes out since Evely's art really does deserve it. No idea why DC is printing a tpb first, but whatever, still check this out.
I had been hearing great things about this series before the TPB came out. I am glad it held up to my expectations. I wanted to give this 4.5 stars. The book definitely deserves a round-up.
The book has a dark fairytale vibe to it. Though my first impression of the artwork was not my favourite, the artwork fits the story perfectly.
A young girl finds her father's dead body and begins a quest for vengeance against the king's agent who did the deed. She is aided in her quest by the legendary Supergirl.
This book is a great balance of sci-fi, fairytale, magic, action, story, and character development. One of my favourite things about this book is that it does not focus on Supergirl's powers but her toughness (she is definitely not the soft cousin) and empathy. I think the toughness with a bit of a mean streak really distinguishes the two super cousins.
If I had one complaint about the story it is that it's a little slower pace, but I understand why this was the same as it gives a chance to tell both characters' stories and a bit of development. I especially liked the difference between Supergirl's perception of Krypton and its destruction compared to Superman having very little real connection to his birth planet. The book finishes with a variant cover gallery and sketchbook.
One-dimensional bad guy kills man giving man’s daughter reason to hunt down bad guy. Supergirl’s involved because bad guy also kills Krypto, her dog. Hey, wasn’t the latter the plot for John Wick…?
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is the worst Tom King comic I’ve read yet. Unfortunately, he’s been on a bit of a downwards spiral since wrapping Batman (though Strange Adventures wasn’t bad) and he’s managed to hit a new low with his latest attempt at reviving an obscure/unpopular DC character with Supergirl.
Revenge stories are a dime a dozen so I won’t critique that, but the way he told his revenge story? That was dire. Our narrator is an alien girl called Ruthye Marye Knoll (the superfluous “e”s in her name makes her alien), a supremely verbose narrator whose extended prattling was never once entertaining nor did much to make a bland story the least bit livelier. I’ll spare you any example quotes (and I just can’t be bothered to type reams of bloated text) but, if you do pick up this book, expect blocks and blocks of useless words crammed onto nearly every page that’ll do your head in long before the end (assuming you get there).
The bad guy - Krem of the Yellow Hills - is a space pirate who kills and loots because he’s a space pirate and who’s a challenge (the usual culprits when it comes to Super-characters: Kryptonite and magic) until he doesn’t need to be, ie. the page count is reached.
King utilises that laziest of unimaginative sci-fi tropes by having Supergirl and Ruthye take in a bunch of alien worlds that are simply thinly-veiled versions of our world and its many features. Some dinosaurs fill up one issue, an obvious racism story takes up another, you get the idea pretty quickly: this is all filler for a very linear and unimpressive tale.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is awful. Frustratingly overwritten and slow-moving, it is an absolutely tedious and forgettable comic that’ll do nothing to make readers want to pick up anything further with Supergirl in the title. Even if you’re a Tom King fan, I’d recommend skipping it and sparing yourself the boredom of struggling through this unrewarding comic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read this in preparation for the film which comes out next summer. I loved how dark this was and it was nice to see a very damaged Supergirl rather than the usual character we get to see.
7.7/10 I'm going to start with the art, which is what made the most positive impact to me. I haven't heard of Bilquis Evely before but i immediately liked her style. Her art is beautiful and unique, detailed yet easy to the eye and she is really good in making the characters show their feelings through facial expressions. The colours by Mat Lopes are very nice.
When it comes to the writing, i think King does a very decent job. The story overall is good and i really liked Supergirl. She has such a tragic origin and you can really tell here how she still carries the sad memories with her.
This is one of those books that really changes your perception of a character for good and King brings it home here again and makes you love Kara here.
So the plot of the story is Supergirl meets this girl Ruthye whose on a quest to find this man called Krem who killed her father and they go on this epic cosmic odyssey to find this killer and bring him to justice and in the midst of it, her view changes and Justice, not vengeance is shown here and how this girl learns that important lesson and also how Kara may have learned some things about herself in the process and finally moving on from the loss of Krypton.
This book has loads of great moments like visiting different planets and there were two instances I really loved like on the planet Maypole where they encounter strange inhabitants and how ruthless they are and the deep and dark secret and by the end just makes you sad and horrified and connects to real world history and you will identify what it is, and yeah hard to say more about it. But King does it really well and showing the horror and carnage of it.
Then on the planet Barenton and its a classic homage to one of those classic Superman stories where he gets trapped on this planet and how he survives it and here its Supergirl and how Ruthye saves her while she is depowered and weak and it was a good way to develop her character also and I think it was that chapter that really made me love her even more.
Then as for the villains, Krem is so well defined and explored, he is a complicated villain for sure but its through bits and pieces you learn about him and his philosophy and when he encounters Ruthye towards the end you get an insight into his mind and its just so messed up and King really does well to give him complications and make him a well rounded villain and he works well for the series and by the end, some surprising things happen that bring this story full circle. The Brigands are okayish villain and mostly filler for the plot!
But as for the main character Kara she is so well explored here and its one of those stories that will be one of her top stories showing how she grew as a character and like moved on from girl to woman and becoming Super just like her cousin. I liked her relation with Ruthye and that stuff with Cosmo (super-horse) okay that was so amazingly done here and my god King did some amazing twists with them but it was the art which had Supergirl flying the horse that was beautiful!
So yeah overall its a book with a story thats just majestic largely its the art and it has some great moments and shows you why she is Supergirl and this epic cosmic odyssey and just filled with great moments and some amazing characterization and yes it has familiar sci-fi tropes but those are just to use it to progress the story forward in great ways and its one of the best DC books from the Infinite frontier era!! So MUST READ!
WARNING: CONTROVERSIAL OPINION AHEAD Right, with that out of the way, let's dive in. King's take on Supergirl differs from much of what's come before as it shares many similarities to the space opera genre . The space travel allows for King to explore the character that lies beneath the powers. There are moments when the particular planet's sun leaves her powerless and she shows true mental strength in order to overcome the challenges. Who she is at her core is portrayed very well here. The visuals also lend very well to the space fantasy aesthetic. Unfortunately, what really lets this down is the boring prose that litters every single spread. It's a mixture of bumbling, repetitive filler that contains words which seem to have been added in because Word generated a synonym that King thought sounded more impressive. It's skim-worthy at best and absolutely dire at worst. It's a shame as the potential is there, but the execution is so poor in places that it's hard to look the other way.
While I've found Tom King something of a hit-or-miss writer, there's no denying he is a unique voice in the mainstream comics field today. I was a fan of both the Vision and Mr. Miracle, which were about superheroes in the suburbs, and I've also heard bad things about the DC event Heroes in Crisis.
What I didn't realize was the range of this author, as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow explores an surprisingly fresh fantasy space epic. Superman, and Supergirl as well, often suffers from a storytelling perspective by being too powerful and hence too boring. The answer to this, it seems to me, is to focus on the outer space cosmic element. Enough of mad scientist robots and more going to other planets, am I right?
Tom King's Supergirl does this so right. And it works as a self-contained graphic novel that anyone can enjoy without continuity baggage. She's Kal-El's cousin, that's all you need to know. There is the point-of-view character, a young girl exploring the universe for revenge against the evil villain, as each chapter goes to strange worlds of tragedy and wonderment. It's almost like a European scifi comics, ala Moebius and Heavy Metal, with limitless imagination.
In today's media environment, I can't help thinking about adaptations. Yes, this would make a great movie. With no cinematic universe world-building necessary, just fantastical settings and deep human (alien) drama. Why, I must wonder, can't superhero stories these days be more like this...
After (finally) reading Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, I'm extremely glad the upcoming movie will be based on these comics in particular.
They were so good, not a single issue was boring, the pacing was perfect, the art was as well, and both Supergirl and Ruthye were amazing as characters.
Ruthye being the narrator the whole time was so unexpected, but it really worked for me. Her constant repetition was endearing and funny, I didn't find it annoying once.
King understands who Kara is, which is why this was such a joy to read. She (and the storyline) had so much depth. I'd love to read some more Supergirl stories, if he'd pen them.
Jeśli usłyszycie; że ktoś płacze w poznańskim kinie na "Supergirl", to jak coś - to pewnie bedę ja 😭 Nie mogę się doczekać, żeby zobaczyć jak wykorzystają ten komiks 😩
This trippy story follows Supergirl as she help a young woman get revenge on the man that killed her father. The story itself is told through the eyes of this young woman, so she narrates most of the action from a future perspective. The sci-fi worlds here are fascinating and have a real alien quality to them. The art is amazing. Every page is beautiful to look at.
very lyrical story, which i actually really enjoyed in a comic book form. i believe king really understands kara's character, and it shows. I really appreciated ruthye and how we saw the story through her eyes. 10/10 read i will def read it again
Supergirl is always willing to help. And good thing, because an alien girl (I can't remember her name lol) seeks the help of super girl to track down the killer of her father. Little do they know, the killer is Krem. Krem is apart of a group of people who leave a trail of destruction everywhere they go. SO, Supergirl and the alien girl team up and track down this killer, and hopefully stop all this destruction.
As much, as that may sound like a simple plot, it has a lot of depth, because of the characters. I really think that this story is a journey of self discovery and learning to cope with tragedy. And for that, I loved every second of it.
Except from a few episodes from the tv show. I don't really know much about the character. And, Tom King was able to create a story that fit for people who don't know much about the character, and (from what I've heard) ones that do.
Now the one complaint that I've heard a lot about, is that there is too much narration. Personally it didn't bother me. One, I prepared myself for it, since it's a Tom King book. Two, I liked how Tom King made it felt like the alien girl was reflecting fondly over the time she had with Supergirl which I liked a lot.
Anyways, I enjoyed this a lot, it's probably not for everyone, but I suggest giving it a try.
The art was superb, the story was ok, the writing though, to simply put it, was a loquacious, overly verbose, circumlocutory prolix chore and it saddens me to say that I could not wait to get it over with. On top of that this overabundant amount of words would rarely complement the beautiful art, but rather compete with it for your attention on the page. A frustrating thing to happen when reading comics (when it's not a picture book or an experiment with the comic book form). Admittedly I've never read a modern Supergirl adventure, so I didn't know much of her current story and personal background and I still feel pretty much the same, even after reading the 8 issues that comprises this book. I'm still curious about Kara Zor-El, but that's probably because I learned so little about her reading this, is that all there is to her? No! I won't let Tom King mess with my head once more, I won't blame the character this time. I'll keep looking for good modern Supergirl stories out there, and some day I might just find one.
All that being said, I must add that this book features Comet, the super-horse, so that's always appreciated.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is a space Odyssey, and a deep exploration of Supergirl’s character, seen through the eyes of an alien farm girl named Ruthye. It delves into themes of grief, vengeance, and emotional resilience.
On a distant alien world with a red sun, a farm Girl named Ruthye seeking revenge on the sinister man who murdered her father in cold blood, encounters and enlists the help of an inebriated Supergirl, who was only there to get drunk celebrating her 21st birthday.
Ruthye persists and follows Supergirl to her ship and Krypto, despite Supergirl refusing to help and urging Ruthye to return home. The man who killed Ruthye’s father finds them, injures Supergirl, and kills Krypto, leaving the planet on Supergirl’s ship. Ruthye and Supergirl then embark on a long journey across the Galaxy to find him
This is a fascinating story with great writing and I loved the overall execution of it. The plot immediately pulls you in, compelling you to read on. Ruthye is a fully developed character with a very satisfying arc, and we see this World/Supergirl through her young, innocent, and strong-willed eyes, which serve as a perfect contrast to Supergirl. I wasn’t a fan of the wordy narration used to expose this book, it often felt excessive and unnecessary.
The art is just phenomenal, the drawing and lines are flexible and fluid but incredibly detailed. Character designs are beautiful with bright eyes and expressive faces, including the aliens. Architecture, settings, and backgrounds are dynamic and delightful to look at. The color work is exceptional, everything pops and looks very vibrant where necessary, and panels displaying planets, stars, and outer space are breathtaking. The overall artistic style properly if not perfectly brought this world to life.
This is a good book for any superhero fan or anyone craving a good story, just beware of the heavily wordy narration. Can’t wait to see this book brought to life in the upcoming big screen adaptation as we also get a far more detailed origin of Supergirl in this book. Strongly Recommend
What little I knew about this book going in were repeated references to its similarities to True Grit. And the debt owed to Charles Portis is indeed huge. But the comparison does make this book seem tiny, with its silly, ponderous, and tiring narration and just-okay art that makes Supergirl look like Taylor Swift cosplaying as Pearl from Steven Universe.
This is also very obviously a sequel to Tom King's Superman: Up in the Sky. Or it may be more accurate to say it is a complete retread of that as once again a hero quests for months through the depths of space across dozens of planets with the goal of helping a child. But there King was able to play off the iconic and unchanging reputation and personality of Superman, whereas this iteration of Supergirl is the latest of many twists and turns she has taken since the classic version was killed off in the 1980s. She's not the Supergirl I grew up with, and it is hard to appreciate tweaks to her mythology when the character herself is a bit of a cipher to me at this point.
There is one nice scene with a gravedigger and an interesting attempt to lay out the amount of trauma her traditional Argo City origin would entail, but the through story is a bit ludicrous with its paper-thin nothing of a villain. And again, it is a slog to read thanks to the overwritten narration.
Also, if you are going to have a story that is an allegory about racism between blue people and purple people, perhaps that's a stupid chapter to mute the color palette so much that the blue of the people's skin and Supergirl's uniform usually appears like an off shade of green.
This is the first time I’ve read a Supergirl book and I really liked the character!
The story here was really good and I had really good time following the story and I think not only shows who Supergirl is really well but is also a good character arc for Ruthye as well. However the narration was way too much and she didn’t speak normally? Not sure if it’s because I just had to read so much of her babbling on but for me it was almost getting in the way of the story. The ending was a bit confusing at first as well and I think it could’ve been made clearer what actually happens there.
Overall though despite the issues I had the story itself was amazing and makes me want to check out more Supergirl.
“Veréis, lo que no se entiende bien sobre la hija de Krypton es que su poder no consistía en la acción, sino en la contención, la resistencia y la pasión. Ella no elegía disparar un rayo con los ojos, o tener aliento ártico, o correr más rápido que una bala. O cualquiera de sus otros bien documentados milagros. No, ella contenía su visión calorífica para mirarte a la cara. Templaba su aliento para conversar contigo. Relantizaba su paso para caminar a tu lado. Cada momento de cada día, contenía las fuerzas que se agitaban en su interior. [...] Creo que este esfuerzo la dañaba. Creo que ella vivía su vida con dolor. [...] Si le hubierais preguntado, no dudo de que habría afirmado que tal aseveración era absurda. Ella habría dicho que se sentía bien y luego os habría preguntado si necesitabais ayuda.”
Tom King (guión) recurre a la fantasía, tanto por argumento como por estilo de narración, para contar la historia de Ruthie. Cuando el padre de esta es asesinado por Krem de las colinas amarillas, Ruthie intentará contratar a alguien que le ayude con su venganza. Siendo Supergirl la que se cruce en su camino y acabe siendo su compañera de viaje. Las espadas, aunque no decisivas, estarán presentes en la aventura. Incluso un dragón espacial, contribuyendo a esa ambientación de fantasía. No es un argumento que haga explotar la cabeza, pero es que algo mediocre de King sigue siendo bueno. Sobre el dibujo de Bilquis Evely, una vez acostumbrado a las marcadas pestañas de los personajes, me gusta y me parece muy acertado para un cómic de Supergirl. Es un dibujo trabajado, que llena por completo con trazos y contenido las viñetas. Difícil ver un espacio vacío. Combinado con el color de Matheus Lopes, y la amplísima gama y tonos de colores que usa, dan paso a una psicodelia espacial para recrearse la vista. Viñetas que hipnotizan los sentidos relantizando el avance de las páginas. Una combinación perfecta de arte entre dibujo y color. Sin duda, lo mejor de este volumen, autoconclusivo, donde se recopilan los ocho números que componen la serie.
There is a pretty good story here but it’s a lot of work to get to it. The book is constantly bogged down by walls of narration from the book’s POV character, Ruthye. Here King goes full Bendis and professes his love for the sound of his own voice and it’s very cringe, even a little awkward. Despite his best attempt at ruining his own book, there are some very touching and meaningful moments and I do believe he understands and writes Kara extremely well. This book however isn’t Supergirl’s, it’s Ruthye’s.
The art by Bilquis Evely and her usual partner on colours Mat Lopes is beautiful, evocative and lyrical. It suits the story perfectly, wether it’s a touching moment or King just jerking himself off. It really works either way. She was literally the best choice to illustrate this book.
Esta es la segunda lectura que hago de esta historia. La primera fue con las grapas según salían, no quise reseñarlo entonces porque no sabia muy bien qué decir. Ahora sabiendo qué derroteros iba a tomar esto y cual era el carácter del cómic, creo que puedo decir que me ha parecido brillante. Tom King hace un gran trabajo profundizando en la psique de Supergirl, en su historia, y consigue darle un toque único y distintivo. Acompañado al dibujo por Bilquis Evely, que también está sensacional, consiguen una obra que funciona tanto para los fans del personaje como para recién llegados, ya que no está en continuidad.
Dicho todo esto, contaré un poquito sobre la obra. Tenemos aquí una trinidad de personajes que son el motor de la historia. Ruthie es una chica que ha encontrado muerto a su padre a manos de Krem de las colinas amarillas. Este es el enemigo a batir, un desgraciado que no tiene redención posible (¿o sí?) Cuando Ruthie va en busca de su venganza se topa con Kara Zor-El, mas conocida como Supergirl. Así, estos tres tendrán un viaje de persecuciones y enfrentamientos por todo el universo. En cierto modo me recuerda a esto:
Como decía más arriba, el guionista juega mucho con lo que es el carácter de Supergirl, pero no la representa como la niña buena que no ha roto un plato. Esta versión es compleja, tiene mucha oscuridad dentro, pero no se deja arrastrar por ello. Ah, y jura hasta en arameo, eso me ha hecho bastante gracia. En su periplo, descubriremos qué es lo que hay en el fondo del personaje, su recuerdo de Krypton que aún le pesa. Hay un pasaje que me parece magistral:
Veréis, lo que no se entiende bien sobra la hija de Krypton es que su poder no consistía en la acción, sino en la contención, la resistencia y la pasión. Ella no elegía disparar un rayo con los ojos, o tener aliento ártico, o correr más rápido que una bala. O cualquiera de sus otros bien documentados milagros. No, ella contenía su visión calorífica para mirarte a la cara. Templaba su aliento para conversar contigo. Ralentizaba su paso para caminar a tu lado. Cada momento de cada día, contenía las fuerzas que se agitaban en su interior.
El arte es muy bueno también. Dibujante y colorista hacen un trabajo que está a la altura del guión, usando unos tonos siempre tirando a pastel, que le dan un toque especial, y el dibujo en sí es francamente bueno, sin ser realista pero muy logrado. Hay algunas paginas que son para quedarse mirando. Además hay mucho juego de luces y sombras que funcionan como metáforas de las protagonistas.
🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️
This is my second reading of this story. The first was with the staples as they came out, I didn't want to review it then because I didn't really know what to say. Now knowing what direction this was going to take and what the character of the comic was, I think I can say that I thought it was brilliant. Tom King does a great job delving into Supergirl's psyche, her story, and manages to give it a unique and distinctive touch. Accompanied in the drawing by Bilquis Evely, who is also sensational, they achieve a story that works for both fans of the character and newcomers, since it is not in continuity.
Having said all this, I will tell a little about the work. We have here a trinity of characters who are the driving force of the story. Ruthie is a girl who has found her father dead at the hands of Krem of the Yellow Hills. This is the enemy to beat, a very bad man who has no possible redemption (or does he?) When Ruthie goes in search of her revenge, she runs into Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl. Thus, these three will have a journey of chases and confrontations throughout the universe. In a way it reminds me of this:
As I said above, the writer plays a lot with Supergirl's character, but he does not represent her as the good girl who has never broken a plate. This version is complex, she has a lot of darkness inside, but she doesn't get carried away by it. Oh, and she swears a lot, that made me quite funny. In her journey, we will discover what is deep inside the character, her memory of Krypton that still weighs on her. There is a passage that seems masterful to me:
You see, what is not well understood about the daughter of Krypton is that her power was not one of action but one of restrain, endurance and passion. She did not choose to fire a beam from her eyes, or have breath of ice, or run faster than a speeding bullet. Or any of her other well-documented miracles. No, she held back her heat vision to look you in the face. She warmed her breath to converse with you. She slowed herself to walk by your side. Every moment of every day she suppressed the forces churning inside of her.
The art is very good too. The illustrator and colorist do a job that lives up to the script, using pastel tones that give it a special touch, and the drawing itself is really good, without being realistic but very successful. There are some pages that are worth looking at again and again. In addition, there is a lot of play of lights and shadows that function as metaphors for the protagonists.
Supergirl gets involved when a bounty hunter kills a little girl's father and also manages to mortally wound Krypto, leading to a galaxy spanning epic quest for vengeance.
The idea of this mini-series is great. It's Supergirl through the lens of someone literally finding out who Supergirl is, across eight issues. It's mostly self-contained stories with a through line of the journey towards a final confrontation, with each issue teaching the little girl something, be it about vengeance, Supergirl herself, or just life in general. It all culminates very well, with all of the morals and stories contributing to the final, Killing Joke-esque conclusion.
My issue is that it's just so god damn wordy. That's what put me off reading this in single issues, and it's still a pain in the ass for the trade too. The POV character talks around and around the point in almost every issue, and you could cut out like 50% of the words and you'd still get the same lesson, and it'd still have the same impact. It's like Tom King was being paid by the word, and he was going to wring DC for all they were worth. I'm hardly the last person who should complain about purple prose or overly flowery writing, but jeez.
Bilquis Evely's artwork however, I have no complaints about. It's beautiful from cover to cover, ethereal while packing a punch where needed, and bends itself to all the alien locales that Supergirl visits wonderfully. The fact that she draws all eight issues with no assistance is also a boon, because it allows for a visually cohesive experience even when every issue is different.
Supergirl's latest solo adventure has a good heart to it, but it's surrounded by so much unnecessary fluff. Once you drill through all that, it's a solid story, but it'll definitely test your patience.
This was my first Supergirl book ever. If I’m totally honest I read it because it was a Tom King book and in my prime reading subscription. I’m sure glad I did.
Some people didn’t like this book because it is wordy. And it is wordy as hell, no two ways about it. But I actually found the foppish overblown language used by Ruthye mostly funny. In style as well as in contrast with what happens on the page- a writing trick that can arguably be regarded as one of King’s trademarks. Many issues are also regarded as fillers. I see the point- it’s not totally untrue for 1 or 2 probably- but on the whole I think they add complexity to this journey into the horrors of violence and the feeling of loss and to Supergirl’s good-natured apparent personality. She is much more than that.
So this discovery of a character I’ve never been interested with was an excellent surprise as far as I’m concerned.
All the more considering Bilquis Evely’s superb art. I had never heard of her before- a quick check showed she sadly doesn’t illustrate any series I intend to follow- but she does a hell of a wonderful job. Add Mat Lopes beautiful colors and voilà.
Never had any interest in Supergirl, but this book made me a fan. Everything here worked for me. The art, which was so perfect for this story, the writing, the epic set pieces! From Supergirl’s heartbreaking origin story to her heroic stand against some of the galaxy’s most lethal combatants, this story fires on all cylinders all the way up to its perfect ending. Loved everything about this.