Missed/New Opportunities In Prestige: Supergirl #16

The following is my review of Supergirl #16, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

It's rare for any hero who isn't Superman to gain the kind of credibility that grants them the implicitly, unflinching trust of the public. In fact, even Superman struggles to maintain that credibility and he's Superman. If the ultimate paragon of heroes struggles with maintaining the trust of the public, then what hope does any hero have?

In that context, Supergirl has a greater advantage than most and not just because she's Superman's cousin and bears the same emblem when she's out being a hero. She comes from the same lineage and traditions as Superman. She has his unflinching support, more so than any woman not named Lois Lane. In a sense, she has fewer excuses than most heroes for not having a similar level of implicit trust among the public. That's exactly why the situation she finds herself in with Supergirl #16 is so intriguing.

Taking a page right out of Supergirl's hit TV show, Steve Orlando and Jody Houser give her a city to call home, one in which she can establish herself as the kind of hero who deserves to wield the same emblem as Superman. National City is no Metropolis, but it bears many of the same traits. It's a vibrant city full of people who are more eager than any resident in Gotham to embrace a hero. To her credit, Kara makes the most of that opportunity, especially after the events of DC Rebirth #1. However, the events surrounding Supergirl #16 count as both a setback and a reminder of why such credibility is so rare, even for blood relatives of Superman.

It's not just bad PR that Supergirl is dealing with. The Department of Extranormal Operations, which had previously been an important, is now working against her. Eliza and Jerimiah, her adopted parents, once kept that from happening, but are no longer with the organization and utterly powerless to change that. Even for someone as powerful as Supergirl, it creates a very different environment in which to be a hero.

People aren't cheering her on, thanking her for her heroism, or even stopping to take a selfie. They aren't reacting with fear or dread either, which is a big reason why Batman can get away with having such limited credibility. They see Supergirl saving the day, but they also see someone they don't trust. Unfortunately, events throughout the series give the average person plenty of reasons to question her more than her cousin. Much of that is a product of bad circumstances, inexperience, and being a teenager. Her ability to still raise to the occasion, like her cousin, is a big part of what gives Supergirl her appeal.

Supergirl #16 presents her with a unique opportunity to confront and navigate this trust disparity. It's an opportunity that Superman doesn't face as often anymore and one that offers Supergirl a chance to set herself apart. Initially, the narrative gives promise that, even in the face of public mistrust and one too many enemies in the DEO, she'll still rise to the challenge and be the hero that everyone expects her to be. However, this narrative collapses quickly.

The events that play out, from Supergirl's clash with Sharon Vance to her uncomfortable encounters with DEO agents, effectively throw away any notion that Kara will have to win the public's trust the hard way. It's not long before a generic conspiracy/smear campaign emerges, revealing that her struggles have less to do with her growing into a great hero and more to do with evil villains working against her. In terms of establishing a growth period for a hero, it's basically the equivalent of letting someone take a shortcut.

The subversive efforts of the villains involved effectively ensure that things will snap back to normal fairly easily once Supergirl learns the truth. It's akin to disabling a mind-control device or revealing that someone accepted bribes from Lex Luthor. It reduces what could've been an important step in the maturation of a hero to simply finding the right person to punch and letting that solve all the necessary issues.

While this revelation overly simplifies the narrative, it does help create new opportunities in the sense that it puts Supergirl within a different conflict. The plot surrounding her winning back the trust of the public may have collapsed, but in its place is a different kind of conflict that relies on her having to do more than just find who to punch.

Orlando and Houser use this as an opportunity to get Kara's friends and adopted parents involved, which helps strengthen the support structure that helps guide Supergirl through her narrative. It also reveals a larger threat with more menacing villains, which is always a challenge whenever a hero has power on the same level as Superman. Kara being a teenage girl as well adds more complications, albeit the kind that keep her likable.

While the overall plot in Supergirl #16 is disappointing in that it abandons a potentially rich concept, the story never gets completely derailed, nor does it undermine Supergirl's inherent heroism. It's tempting in the era of Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder movies to have heroes endlessly doubt their worth in the face of declining public support. Supergirl never gives into that temptation. She just grits her teeth, puts on that iconic cape, and does what she can within a messy situation. That's what makes her a great hero, even when she misses out on a major opportunity to prove it.

Final Score: 5 out of 10

Same Symbol Different Journey: Supergirl #1

The following is my review of Supergirl #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

When a character becomes successful, their supporting cast often shares in the benefits. At the same time, however, that supporting cast becomes anchored to the shadow of another character. Most of the time, it's impossible to escape that shadow. Dick Grayson can create a new superhero persona in Nightwing, thrive in his own series, and hook up with an alien princess all he wants. He'll still always be tied to Batman. He'll still always be a supporting character whose success isn't entirely his own.

Supergirl faces a similar situation, albeit in a different set of circumstances. It's not just because she has a successful TV show and Dick Grayson does not. In many ways, Supergirl faces more daunting challenges in establishing her own narrative. Her story is inherently tied to that of Superman, one the most iconic hero of all time. To say he casts a large shadow is like saying Gotham City has minor PR problem. With the recent death of the New 52 version of Superman, and his subsequent replacement with one who is just like him, Kara Zor-El doesn't even get a chance to step up.

That doesn't mean that she can't forge her own story. She just has to craft it with the knowledge that DC Comics will never let Superman's shadow shrink by much. This, along with the profile of having a hit TV show, gives Steve Orlando and Brian Ching plenty to work with in Supergirl #1. They end up making the most of it and they do it without casting Calista Flockhart.

While Supergirl may live in the shadow of her famously iconic cousin, her story has some important differences that does a lot to set her apart. Unlike Superman, she comes to Earth as a teenager. This means she has vivid memories of her life on Krypton. She remembers her family, her friends, and any annoying neighbors she may have had over the years. Most of her life is on Krypton and that life literally blew up in her face.

It makes Kara Zor-El's journey more compelling because her situation makes her more alien than her cousin in the sense that Earth is so new to her. Superman, having arrived on Earth as an infant, sees this world as his home. It's the only world he truly knows. Supergirl still sees Krypton as her home and Supergirl #1 explores the difficulties this creates. Add being a teenage girl on top of this and these difficulties are almost on part with kryptonite.

Orlando makes a concerted effort to focus on these distinctions early in the story. We get brief glimpses of Kara's life on Krypton compared to her life on Earth. Unlike her cousin, she has a life on her home world. She has hopes, dreams, and aspirations, like any wide-eyed teenage girl. By Earth standards, it's not what we would call a typical. It's abundantly clear that Krypton does things differently and not just because their schools don't play dodge ball.

Since this is a planet that eventually blew up, it's easy to forget that it still harbored an advanced alien race. Their technology, even for junior high school kids, makes Earth's smartphones look like glorified bricks. It means Kara, despite being from an advanced race, is going to struggle when she tries to live the life of a normal Earth girl.

That life still involves being Supergirl. Orlando takes full advantage of the dynamics surrounding DC: Rebirth to resolve the outstanding issues with Supergirl's story from the New 52. This means she can get back to basics, picking up on crimes with her super senses and fighting them off in a way that seems much easier than a typical day of high school. There isn't much complexity to this part of the story, but given the scope and context of this story, there doesn't need to be.

Within that same scope and context, there's another key distinction. Whereas Superman does what he does by himself or as a leader in the Justice League, he doesn't answer to anyone. Supergirl does have some additional oversight in the form of the Department of Extra-Normal Operations. She also has foster parents who will oversee her with parental scolding instead of bureaucracy. Both have plenty of potential to complicate her activities as Supergirl in ways her cousin never had to deal with.

While it seems like a burden, the logic behind this oversight does make sense, at least in the way Director Chase describes it. She rightly points out that her cousin spent his whole life on this planet, learning how to use his powers and live within Earth's human culture. Kara has barely been on Earth long enough to binge-watch old sitcoms on Netflix. She shares her cousin's innate desire to help others, but lacks his refined skills. Even rebellious teenagers can't ignore that kind of logic.

This creates an underlying mood of frustration and uncertainty with Kara. She doesn't get overly angst-ridden, which tends to happen with too many teenage charters. However, there are times when her emotional responses feel flat. It's Supergirl #1's primary weakness . Orlando does a lot to establish her new journey and explore who Kara Zor-El is as a person. Little is done to explore her personal sentiments, which limits the overall weight of the story.

Little detail is given to her supporting cast as well. Her foster parents come off as caring. Even the hard-nosed bureaucrats at the DEO seem reasonable. However, not much is done to give this supporting cast any real depth. Only Cat Grant shows a significant amount of personality in this issue. Then again, that's to be expected of Cat Grant. The expectations of the rest of Supergirl's supporting leaves much to be desired.

This doesn't take away from the major accomplishments of this story. The biggest challenge of any character bearing the emblem of Superman is crafting a story that isn't solely defined by Superman. Like Dick Grayson, Kara Zor-El may never be able to escape her cousin's shadow, but Supergirl #1 shows that she can still follow her own unique journey.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Upholding and Underscoring a Legacy: Action Comics #51

The following is my review of Action Comics #51, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Imagine for a moment that the iPhone has been around for 75 years. How many updates, reinventions, breakthroughs, and setbacks would it have gone through? How many features would it have added, dropped, or botched entirely? It's difficult to imagine because there aren't a lot of things that last 75 years these days. There aren't a lot of things that last 25 years these days, the Simspons notwithstanding.

Despite the onslaught of time, Superman finds way to endure. He's goes through transitions, relaunches, reboots, revamps, and gimmicks that would've broken a lesser character. From Superfriends to Richard Donner to Batfleck, Superman navigates these shifting eras as few characters can. Sure, he's been cloned, killed, resurrected, de-powered, and overpowered. He still endures as the heroic ideal, one who sets the standards by which all heroes not named Deadpool are measured.

With the New 52 era coming to an end to make way for Rebirth, Action Comics #51 prepares Superman for yet another transition. It's a transition that presents a unique set of challenges and not just those that involve being upstaged by Batman every now and then. Losing his powers and having his identity exposed now forces Superman to reassess his position in the DC universe. He'll always be one of its primary pillars, but even he understands there's only so much Superman can do, even if he can do obscenely more than most.

It's for that reason that Action Comics #51 builds a story around Superman preparing the world for a time when he can no longer fulfill his position as the gold standard for heroism in the DC universe. It's not him being proactive either. Once again, Superman is dying. This should carry a lot of emotional weight, but between All-Star Superman and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, these emotions feel too familiar.

Despite this familiarity, there are important concepts at play here in terms of Superman's legacy. The issue is these concepts are underdeveloped and underplayed. Action Comics #51 puts Superman in a situation where he has to prepare Supergirl for being the last remaining non-clone, non-hybrid, non-alternate universe Kryptonian on Earth. It's a situation that has so many emotional undertones, but few of those emotions are realized.

That's not to say there aren't powerful moments at play. Peter Tomasi makes it a point to have Superman remind Supergirl why he is the pinnacle hero for every era of his 75-year history. He understands that people are afraid of exceedingly powerful aliens and they're perfectly right to be afraid. Someone who can lift mountains, fly through space, and be friends with Batman is bound to make a lot of people worry. That's why what Superman does is so important. That's why it's important that Supergirl carries on this legacy.

This moment, however, is lacking in terms of emotional impact. It's the most defining moment of the narrative in Action Comics #51, but it's a moment that feels rushed and underdeveloped. In addition, the overall setup for the story is rushed. The whole mystery of Supergirl missing is resolved in the quickest, least dramatic way possible.

The details around this mystery are explained in a throw-away flashback that barely qualify as a teaser. It's more like a skippable video ad than an actual part of the story. Nobody will miss anything by skipping it. That might be fine for video ads, but for the overall story in Action Comics #51, it's wastes ink that is better spent refining the emotional undertones of Superman's predicament. Grant Morrison already made a veritable how-to guide for these stories with All-Star Superman so any Superman story that falters with such a story has no excuse.

It's not just the overly rushed pace of the story that derails the drama. There's another side-plot involving Dr. Omen that sets up another conflict that likely can't be rushed. However, it feels entirely disjointed from the primary plot of Superman preparing Supergirl to carry on his legacy. For a story that already feels rushed, being disorganized doesn't. Anyone whose mind doesn't operate on the same wavelength of the Flash is likely to get confused.

Even if the pace is rushed and disorganized, it isn't wholly chaotic. There are still dramatic undertones at work here as Superman prepares himself for yet another death, not knowing how permanent it might be. It feels personal, him reaching out to Supergirl and preparing her for a world where she is the sole bearer of Superman's legacy. For someone whose power levels make solving daunting problems so easy most of the time, it's an important element to highlight. It just isn't highlighted enough.

In preparing for a fresh round of upheaval with the upcoming Rebirth relaunch, there are many loose ends to resolve. Leaving too many unresolved will make printing that all-important #1 on the cover feel like a hollow gimmick. As it stands, Superman has more loose ends than most. Action Comics #51 at least begins the process, but doesn't proceed very far.

Tomasi makes it a point to emphasize the importance of Superman's legacy in the incredibly broad scope that is the DC Universe and rightly so. Superman's legacy is important and passing it off to Supergirl, who has neither his level of experience nor his clout among other heroes, has numerous dramatic undertones. Absent that drama, the emphasis on that legacy feels shallow at best.

Superman dying is a big deal, even if it has been overdone and overplayed since the early 90s. Every major hero gets a death story these days and, being a 75-year-old icon, Superman gets more than most. That doesn't mean that these kinds of stories have to be overly generic. However, this latest attempt is dangerously close to that territory and not even Superman may be able to save it.

Final Score: 4 out of 10