Supergirl #35 – Marc Andreyko, Writer; Eduardo Pansica, Penciller; Julio Ferreira, Inker; FCO Plascencia, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 7/10
Ray: We’re in the last two months of this Supergirl run, which has mainly been designed as a companion piece to the Bendis Superman books, and the problem is that it’s always been subordinate to someone else’s stories or events.
That’s never more obvious than in Supergirl #35, now that Kara’s back from space and the book is tying into both Event Leviathan and two different Year of the Villains plotlines. It starts with more of the strange robotic Brainiac who is working with Luthor, as the metal being proceeds to try to create a host body with horrific results and then spears the helpful Kelex when discovered.
Kara, meanwhile, is reunited with her foster father and they’re both mourning the apparent death of Eliza Danvers. Is Eliza actually dead? To be determined, especially when a mysterious Leviathan soldier shows up with exactly the tools needed to subdue Kara and the moves needed to counter Jeremiah. It doesn’t take a genius to solve this mystery, but there’s no confirmation yet.
The biggest problem with this issue is Leviathan himself. He’s not much of a villain in his main title, more of a vague threat with ill-defined goals, but here he’s straight out of masked supervillain stock theater. He might as well quote Darth Vader as he tries to lure Kara over to his side.
The fight scene is impressive, as Leviathan and his assistant have an impressive bag of tricks and Kara debuts a new stealth suit that gives her an advantage in the fight. But little is resolved, and soon Kara is pulled away to investigate the scene at the Fortress – where it seems she’s attacked by a mystery villain, setting off the Supergirl Who Laughs storyline (although the villain doesn’t appear in person this issue).
It’s a comic that has to juggle way too much, and Kara’s solid characterization and some good fight scenes are largely lost. Jody Houser will be returning to the title just in time for Supergirl to be corrupted, but hopefully she gets to stick around long enough to tell her own stories.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
