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"All
Good Things..."
Supergirl:
Many Happy Returns
A DC Comics trade paperback review
By
Troy Brownfield
Writer:
Peter David
Pencils: Ed Benes
Inks: Alex Lei
More
Info: www.dccomics.com
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Peter
David has often been called a master of comics storytelling.
That would be because he... wait for it... tells stories.
Unfortunately, in today's "wahhhh, I want it now"
world, David's propensity for weaving intricate and involving
stories can sometimes alienate people without the attention
span to follow a longer narrative that might actually use
challenging concepts like "subtext", "characterization"
and "character evolution." As David explains in
his introduction to this collection, he actually tried to
bridge the gap between hardcore fans of his "Supergirl"
title and fans of the long-since-departed Silver Age version
of the character; the result was a truly excellent story that
used comic history, had a moral core, and treated both the
audience and the characters with warmth, intelligence, and
wit. While it caused quite the stir at the time, driving up
prices and getting ink, it wasn't quite enough to stave off
cancellation. However, it did result in this collection, which
will hopefully reach a wider audience.
When
we join the story, the modern Supergirl (hereafter referred
to as "Linda") had undergone a separation from her
Earth-Angel half and has experienced a reduction in power.
Enter a rocket carrying what appears to be the Silver Age,
Pre-Crisis Supergirl (h.r.t.a. Kara), and business picks up.
David has enormous fun playing with the implausibilities inherent
in Kara's original origin story, gently mocking the weirdness
of those tales (Superman's surviving cousin from Krypton arrives?
Great! Let's stick her in an orphanage!) without making the
character of Kara look bad. In fact, he makes her incredibly
symphathetic, allowing the audience to empathize with her
for being torn out of a much simpler place and time.
As
you might expect, there's much more beneath the surface. A
plot against all Supergirls looms, and The Spectre
is aware that Kara has a destiny to meet in a great Crisis.
Long-time DC fans will get the most out of this, but the story
is involving enough and so well-explained that a new reader
could catch on to the larger concepts. Ed Benes's art eloquently
conveys that layers of Linda's dilemmas here, illustrating
her determination, her surprise at the unexpected love she
finds, and her inevitable guilt.
Whether
or not these themes are being played out in David's new ongoing
DC series, "Fallen Angel", he reviews to say. Regardless
of that, this is a great, emotionally involving work that
showcases one of DC's female icons in great form. I'd encourage
audiences to get this volume, as well as the earlier trade
collecting David's first several issues on the book. It's
also a reminder that there's a place for intricate, smart
storytelling that takes its time.
Troy Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of ShotgunReviews.com.
He really, really, REALLY doesn't like the Supergirl that
they've thrust into the Superman titles lately. Yeeesh.. Email
him at psikotyk@aol.com
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