Adventures of Supergirl #2 Review - Print Edition

Shadow Doxxing

Written by: Sterling Gates
Art by: Jonboy Meyers, Pop Mhan, John Rauch and Saida Temofonte
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 25, 2016

**This is the review for the Print Edition that contains the Digital First Chapters #4 and #5**

 I am back again with a review of the Adventures of Supergirl print edition comic.  This one collects Chapters 4 and 5 of the Digital First Comic into a nice book that you can buy at your local comic book shop and proudly display in your collection.  I mentioned in my review of the first issue that I loved how Sterling Gates eased readers into the world of the Supergirl television show while giving readers who were already watching enough to keep them interested as well. Well, now that we are all caught up, I am really excited to see what Gates has in store for all of us.  So, how is my excitement level now that I've read this issue?  Let's find out...



The issue opens with an "acknowledgment" of what went down in the first issue.  It's shorter than a recap, but serves such a great purpose.  It may be wrong, but this little bit showed me that Sterling Gates is giving us an interconnected storyline here and not just a couple one and two shots pasted together.  It gives the whole thing a more organic feel and matches the idea that it takes place with and alongside the television series.  It's a small thing, but I love seeing it!

After Kara stops a gunman on the way to work (as Supergirl, of course), she finds out that remembering Kat Grant's latte is the least of her problems as she sees a S.W.A.T. team take Winn away for hacking, terrorism and who knows what else.  It's now up to her and Jimmy to clear his name, save the day and all the other things that superheroes and friends do.

Sterling Gates again does a really good job setting the scene for anyone reading this.  I had no idea who Winn Schott was, but I know he's innocent because he's friends with Kara.  At least I hope he is!  We also get Jimmy Olsen who I loved right away and hints that this story is going to be more about keeping secrets (as in identities) than anything else.

We continue with Kara and Jimmy checking is on what Winn was doing on his computer and that's when we meet his "helper daemon" VRIL.  VRIL!!!  I don't care if we are told it stands for Virtual Remote Integration Logistics...it's VRIL!!!  I can't put enough exclamation points there!!!  This leads to a series of events that has Supergirl free Winn, gives us hacker supreme, Rabiah Zinoman (love her!) and more of a complete picture of who Vril really is.  Awesome!

If the first issue of this series was to introduce us to the characters and the setting, this issue shows us it's great potential.  Without having to worry about special effects and budget, Sterling Gates can give us just about any villain he wants and to me,Vril Dox is huge.  I can't wait to see who or what is next.

The second half of the issue flies by at breakneck speed as we find out that Vril was actually after Supergirl all along.  He's been hired by someone (a mysterious "shiny honey") to get all of Supergirl's secrets.  You could cut the tension with a knife as Supergirl and her friends try to locate Vril and shut him down before he leaks the story to the world.

I won't spoil the ending and even if it's not a shocker what happens, it sets up some doubts about what is known and what isn't going forward.  Again, since Gates set up that there is carryover in this series, this is bound to remain a big plot point in issues to come.

After reading this issue, Sterling Gates has made a fan of me.  It's not that I didn't like the first issue because I did, but this one showed me that we are getting way more than a quick television tie-in.  I'd say it's the best Supergirl book on the shelf, but unfortunately, it's the only one right now and that makes what Sterling Gates is doing even better...giving every type of fan a great Supergirl book.

The care and love going into this series is easily evident and that extends to the art.  The chapter art is split between Jonboy Meyers and Pop Mhan and while they have different styles (Myers has a more animated style than Pop's more realistic take), they go well together and the chapter break in the middle helps it out as well.  Personally, I'm glad that I could get two of my favorite artists in one book and it's no surprise why the entire issue looks so great.

Bits and Pieces:

Sterling Gates has a winner on his hands and whether you are a fan of Supergirl from the comics or the television show, you will find something to like here.  If you are looking for an all-ages comic book with a great story, characters you can get behind and art that impresses, then you should pick it up as well.  Really, everyone should give the digital or print version of Adventures of Supergirl a try and maybe you will be hooked like me.

9.5/10