Supergirl #30 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Emanuela Lupacchino with Yildiray Cinar & Diogenes Neves (pencils), Ray McCarthy & Marc Deering (inks), Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: It’s time to put that anger to good use.

The Review: Tony Bedard continues to propel Supergirl onto the cosmic scene with the second true chapter of “Red Daughter of Krypton”. This issue pits Kara and her Red Lantern comrades against the Diasporans, a particularly awesome looking race of social Darwinists, out to cleanse the universe of weakness.

The Diasporans are not the most original adversaries but they’re a perfect threat for Supergirl. Bedard has previously set Kara up against the last Czarnian and an immigrant girl afraid of her own power, clearly he has a taste for pitting Supergirl against thematic foils and these hellish lizards are par for that course.

The addition of the Red Lanterns places Bedard well within his comfort zone, writing quirky cosmic teams, and it shows. The presence of Skallox and Zilius Zox instantly livens up this issue and allows Bedard’s knack for banter and interplay to come to the fore. Kara is feeling more complete, but she still lags behind the rest of the characters a bit. Her emotions are comparatively simplistic when they’re the center of attention, however there is some good thought behind them and she’s much stronger when engaging with her cohorts.

It’s interesting to see that Kara actually seems less misanthropic now that she’s a Red Lantern. Even her moments of fury don’t seem terribly out of character for primary folk like Superman or Spiderman. That said Bedard does a nice job of examining Supergirl’s unique form of rage without just giving it to us in an infodump.

There’s also a bit of time set aside to move some other plotlines along, implying that Bedard is interested in playing the long game. Certainly the looming threat of Atrocitus has the potential to get fans fired up, but there are also hints towards the mysterious Blaze, and possibly even the Cyborg Superman. Strangest of all, however is an extensive flashback to the Worldkiller storyline.

The sequence is only a page long but it replicates a surprising amount of the original story for little apparent gain. It seems to hint that the Worldkillers will be making a return appearance but the book is getting rather crowded for that and, if not, I’m not sure why Bedard felt the need to include that page or even the ones around it.

Bedard’s collaborator, Yildiray Cinar, returns this issue but only for a few pages. Cinar’s work looks a little rounder than usual, which isn’t bad but can be slightly jarring. Still, you can’t deny that the man has a talent for drawing Blaze. Her alien appearance combines excellently with the hungry body language that Cinar gives her. I hope that he’ll stick around to finish out the Blaze and Shay Veritas plotline.

Likewise another Supergirl alum, Diogenes Neves drops in to handle the flashback sequences. If there’s one word for these pages it’d probably be striking. Inventive layouts, bold compositions, and expert collaboration with his inker and colorist, Marc Deering and Hi-Fi respectively make this small section sing. There’s a beauty and intensity that deserves a showcase.

Despite the presence of two excellent pencilers, the main event is undoubtedly Emanuela Lupacchino. The flat simple style of Lupacchino’s pencils recalls the Justice League Adventures series and its fellow DCAU comics. While I doubt that there will be unanimous acceptance, those familiar with that unique comics universe know that’s high praise.

There’s a cartoonishness to the drawings that’s really very charming, but don’t for a minute think that Lupacchino can’t handle the seriousness of this story. It’s strange to see scenes of fiery explosions and total war alongside Zox’s adorable grin, but the same style serves both of them well. Indeed, in some panels the Diasporans look like particularly sinister additions to the My Little Pony mythos. Nevertheless, the whole thing gels. I think Lupacchino’s version of the new Guy Gardner design may be my favorite. It’s a bold look and one I haven’t seen in comics lately. It would be gorgeous in any age, but right now it stands out so strongly as to demand praise.

The Conclusion: With so many stories to advance, none of them go too far. While Bedard’s writing is much stronger than most of his run, the story structure is too sluggish to capitalize on these newfound gains.

Indeed, my greatest recommendation is for the art, and that’s hardly a problem. Three distinct looks inhabit this book but they’re all pretty fabulous. Cinar is every bit as talented as he has been previously, bringing a familiar and sturdy look to the issue but the personality in the remaining artists’ work is undeniable and nearly infectiously energetic. Lupacchino particularly stands out as a talent who hasn’t yet been properly tapped, but this issue leaves me hopeful that we’ll have many years of lovely art from her. Best of all, the artists are separated in clever ways that never leaves the story feeling disconnected or the changes jarring.

Controversial as it was, Kara’s induction into the Red Lantern Corps leaves this title stronger than ever. The slowly improving writing makes great strides and the art is just lovely. Bedard may be hampered by the demands of the crossover, but here’s hoping that Supergirl is just warming up. Strong character work from the entire team makes this a particularly enjoyable, if unessential, read.

Grade: B-

-Noah Sharma