Supergirl #15 – Sophie Campbell, Writer/Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: It’s the conclusion of the battle for Kandor, as Kara has finally been healed of her injuries by bonding with the Matrix suit (although it doesn’t seem like this is the Matrix we know – yet) and is restored to full strength and potentially with some new enhancements. It was obviously going to be temporary, but I do want to give credit to Campbell once again for how sensitively she handled Kara’s adjustment to the alterations to her body over the last few issues – it was one of the best portrayals of disability I’ve seen in a DC comic in a while, albeit with a sci-fi twist. But now, Kara and her allies are back at full strength to take on Black Flame and her allies, with all of Kandor at stake. I don’t want to bash another version of Supergirl, but the difference between the ending of this fight and the ending of that other fight drives home why Campbell gets the Girl of Steel so well – she does have pain and grief, but she never lets that change who she is.
But while Kara is one of the stars of this issue, the other is Lesla-Lar, who gets a very satisfying finish to her arc this issue. She started out this run as a villain, but now we know that she’s spent her entire life under the thrall of an abusive relative who treated her as a pawn. Kara showed her faith in a way no one else ever has, and it’s paid dividends. As she evolves into the hero of Kandor, she stands up not just to Black Flame but to the corrupt system that gave rise to her influence. I think a lot of people will discourse over some of the themes being discussed here, but if we can’t have some utopian ideas in sci-fi, where can we have them? The ending to this comic also gives Kara some amazing development as she steps into a role that Superman has held for so long, while Kal remains missing – and gets another new costume, as is her tradition. This might just be the best Supergirl run if it continues like this.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
