Supergirl #2 Review

Daddy Issues

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Brian Ching, Mike Atiyeh and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 12, 2016

After a rough start, I have been enjoying Supergirl.  I have been begging for a Supergirl book so just getting one is great and Steve Orlando's take on Kara as a teenager trying to fit into a new life is a-ok with me.  Throw in the continuing story of her father, Cyborg Superman, coming to Earth for a little daddy-daughter time and we've got a setup for a great opening arc and beyond.  Of course, I'm talking more about potential than anything else, but hopefully Orlando can come through.  So, does he this month?  Let's find out...


The issue opens where we left Kara last month...facing Cyborg Superman in the Fortress of Solitude. While Kara can't believe that this monstrosity she has fought in the past can be her father, when he promises he can bring back Krypton, she eases up a bit.

I liked this opening and the idea of a conflicted Kara sounds like it would be cool, but Steve Orlando decides to go a bit heavier handed.  An odd fight between Kara and Cyborg Superman breaks out and I hope Zor-El's behavior is explained later because he comes across as a lunatic that might say he's concerned about his daughter, but acts very differently.  We don't get a lot of answers here as we see that this Cyborg Superman was a drone as it explodes in front of Kara.  I guess that kind of explains his behavior...or does it?

Back with Eliza Danvers at the National City Penitentiary, Kara makes us believe that Cyborg Superman isn't her dad after all.  We also get a little bit more of Eliza trying hard to be a mother to Kara and it looks like she's making some progress.  The scene ends with Kara having a little one-on-one with Mr. Mastrocola from last issue.  Again, this felt a bit off and strange.

We then get a little Cat Grant as she addresses Kara's school and after a little "riddle me this", Ben Ruble (you know, Ben Ruble) wins a job at the newly formed Catco.  Of course, Kara can't be left behind and in another forced bit, Cat recognizes Kara and offers her a position as well.

The book picks up the pace as Kara goes to Cat's unorthodox interview and by the time she leaves, she (and myself) has no idea what the hell is going on.  I know that this book is trying to get some television synergy, but all of this is pretty uninteresting to me.  Maybe I'm in the minority, but I want more Supergirl and less Cat Grant in this book already.

We aren't in the clear yet, either.  As Kara leaves, she runs into Ben and they have an odd exchange that actually makes Kara look like more of a bitch than I think was intended.  I understand that there is more to Ben and I am interested in finding it out, but why have Kara come off this way?

The strange day gets even stranger as Cyborg Superman is able to talk to Kara through a metal sliver (?) and even show her that he is telling the truth.  We get a continuation of a flashback from last issue and some more scenes from Krypton.  It all leads to Kara and the reader getting a Cyborg Superman origin story that is two fold.  The story of when he became the mindless Cyborg and then when he realized who he was again when he saw Kara.

The issue ends with Cyborg Superman asking his daughter to join him and her mother back in the resurrected Argo City, but it doesn't look like the fun place daddy is promising.  In fact, it looks like a total nightmare.

This issue was okay.  It felt forced to get things moving forward and the characters and dialogue felt off.  The main problem, though, is it doesn't seem like Steve Orlando has a grip on what he wants this book to focus on.  It's all over the place at the moment and my hope is that once he settles down, he can work on making it better.

I do like Brian Ching's art, but even that felt a little more inconsistent than last month's issue.  Don't get me wrong, it's still really good, but it goes from awesome to a bit rushed within panels. Thankfully, the awesome outweighs the rushed by a large margin.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue was a bit of a downer and while that sort of thing happens, it's a shame it happened so early in the series.  Steve Orlando seems to still be searching for this book's focus and while Brian Ching's art was good, it wasn't as good as the last issue.  I still am hoping to fall in love with this book, I just haven't been able to yet.

6.0/10