Supergirl #24 – Marc Andreyko, Writer; Evan “Doc” Shaner, Artist; Nathan Fairbairn, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9/10
Corrina: Supergirl Walks Into a Bar…
Ray: Marc Andreyko’s take on Supergirl continues to be one of the best I’ve read – very different but no less engaging than the Orlando/Houser take. And in Supergirl #24, he gets one of the best secret weapons in the DC talent stable as Evan “Doc” Shaner jumps on board art for an issue that’s perfect for him. Kara’s barely escaped Mogo with the information she needs to start tracking down the Circle, the shady cosmic mafia that hired Rogol Zaar. But to get more information, she needs to cut some deals, and that takes her to one of the best tropes in sci-fi – the dingy space bar. Filled with every species of dreg and goon imaginable, we open with a shot of Ambush Bug being booed off the stage. Of course Ambush Bug is here. Why not? Andreyko and Shaner are clearly having fun with this issue, as Kara quickly gets detected and winds up in a massive bar brawl. She could normally handle any of these aliens with ease, but there’s just one problem – her solar power stores are running low, and she gets weaker with every punch or shot of heat vision she uses.
Eventually out of power and captured by one of the bigger aliens in the brawl, she uses the only weapon she has left at her disposal – Rogol Zaar’s ax. This powerful sci-fi weapon always makes a huge entrance. Of course, she has one other secret weapon at her disposal – Krypto, and he proves himself the best boy once again with his heroics. And Shaner was born to draw the Super-pets. Eventually making her escape, Kara encounters a rogueish young Coluan looking for a colony of his people, and the two make an alliance of convenience. Of course, given that the villains of the Circle know she’s on their tail and has sent agents to bring her in, it’s not clear if he or anyone else can be trusted. But before the issue’s over, Kara’s flown right into a much bigger threat that could finish her off before the Circle gets to. Andreyko does a good job of showing how Kara’s grief and anger are making her dangerously impulsive, and that could be her biggest weakness. This has evolved into a great side-story to Bendis’ Superman run that I may enjoy more than the main books.
Corrina: I could quibble. I could point out that Rogol Zaar was a total unknown before showing up in Bendis’ Superman run and now even everyone in galactic dive bars knows he destroyed Krypton. I could say that Kara needs to explore the ax for answers, not dive bars. I could also say that Kara trusted her Coluan sidekick too fast.
But I won’t quibble because the issue was that much fun.
Kara’s more impulsive personality fits well with her driving need to find out what really happened to Krypton. She wants to hit something and that’s okay because the bar patrons are happy to oblige. Shaner’s art is so much fun that the violence stays at that level, rather than devolving into gore. The ax’s appearance was a terrific moment, as was the escape from the bar. Kara should be more wary of the Coluan but, hey, she’s focused on the current problem and she’s nearly invulnerable, so he’s not much danger to her. (At least, so she thinks. I’m not so sure.)
However, this plot is being stretched out. I hope we get some answers next week.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
