Supergirl #6 – Sophie Campbell, Writer; Rosi Kampe, Sophie Campbell, Artists; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: DC’s decision to make everything in continuity a few years ago created complications for many characters – but none of them more than Supergirl, whose pre-Crisis and post-Crisis versions were incredibly distinct. But somehow, Sophie Campbell has managed to square that circle and create what feels like a new character out of her. This Halloween issue doesn’t have the normally high stakes of the series – except for Kara, as most of the issue takes place inside her mind. Despite being invulnerable, she starts to feel unusually tired and sees herself blacking out randomly. As she and her friends Lena and Lesla (and new addition Luna, a young psychic they met two issues ago) prepare to celebrate Halloween, Kara finds herself stalked by a mysterious new villain named Nightflame – a young woman who lurks inside her mind, and subjects her to a new torment every time Kara closes her eyes.
What’s interesting is that all the segments are things Kara has experienced in the comics – from both versions of the character. We have her traumatic arrival on Earth, from a dying Argo that suffered far more than Krypton before the end. There’s also Superman’s decision to keep her hidden and not take her in as his family – given that this has been brought up multiple times, I imagine Campbell plans to address it with the big man himself eventually. But there’s also her death at the hands of the Anti-Monitor, and her resurrection by Darkseid. This all works nicely to make Kara’s escape challenging – and all the more satisfying when she’s able to stand up to Nightflame. This works as a Halloween story, of course, but it’s also an amazing allegory for people living with a lot of trauma and battling to push past it and enjoy life every day. That’s the kind of storytelling that’s making this Supergirl’s strongest run so far.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
