Review: SUPERGIRL #2

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SUPERGIRL #2
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Brian Ching, Mike Atiyeh, and Steve Wands
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: October 12, 2016

Kara clashes with her father, the Cyborg Superman, while competing for an internship working for Cat Grant in her civilian identity.

This issue picks up where the last left off, with Kara in the middle of a fight with a cyborg claiming to be her father, Zor-El. At both the beginning and the end of the issue, Kara is tempted by her father with the prospect of returning to a rebuilt Argo City. In between these bookends, Kara has a talk with a criminal she arrested in the last issue and has another encounter with Cat Grant, this time in her civilian guise.

The scenes in this issue don’t quite gel as well as they could. The visit to the prisoner held at the DEO feels particularly out of place. A page is spent on Kara entering the DEO and walking to the prisoner’s cell, along with expository dialogue with her adoptive mother, Eliza, about the scene we just saw with Zor-El. She arrives at the cell, tells the prisoner she cares about helping him and wants to talk, and… the scene ends. It’s a bit jarring.

The scene tells us one message, but shows another: Kara cares about what the prisoner has to say, but we, evidently, are not meant to. Similarly, the scenes with Cat Grant have the feel of setting up later issues without a whole lot to tide us over in this one.

That said, this is a relatively minor quibble. The dialogue sparkles throughout, especially Cat Grant’s. Cat is cutting, but incisive, with no time for fools but willing to mentor those she deems worthy. She practically steals the issue and is great fun to read.

Ching’s art has an abstract, sketchy style that feels refreshingly different from other comics. There’s great energy and emotion in the characters’ facial expressions, particularly Kara’s, which are overexaggerated to the point of cartoonishness, mirroring the outsized emotions of adolescent life.

There’s a particularly great panel early on, after Zor-El vanishes, where Kara has a fantastically melancholic look on her face. It’s one of the most expressive panels I’ve seen in a while. Ching’s faces do as much work as the dialogue to give us a window into the characters’ feelings; it’s a perfect marriage of writing and art. Atiyeh’s colors perfectly complement Ching’s style. They’re bright and don’t rely excessively on gradiants, giving the art a simplicity that’s really appealing.

I also really enjoyed the lettering in this issue, done by Steve Wands. It’s big and clear and distinctive, with sharp angular letters for the robotic Zor-El and rounder, friendlier letters for Kara. It’s notably readable and pleasant.

Supergirl #2 is another fine issue in the series. Cat Grant steals the show, but there’s a lot of interesting stuff set up between Supergirl and Cyborg Superman, and the art throughout is vibrant and fun.

The Verdict: 8.0/10

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