Throwback Thursday Reviews: Supergirl #36 (2014)

Making the Grade

Written by: K. Perkins and Mike Johnson
Art by: Emanuela Lupacchino
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 19, 2014

With the new creative team restarting Supergirl this week, I figured I'd go back to 2014 when K. Perkins and Mike Johnson jumped on Supergirl and while their run didn't last too long, I really liked what we got...Supergirl in Space...and in school!!! - Jim

I have only recently started reviewing Supergirl and the last two issues haven't been the greatest.  However, this issue features a new creative team and a brand new direction.  K. Perkins, Mike Johnson, and Emanuela Lupacchino are taking Supergirl to school...in space.  I love anything ...in space and the thought of a bunch of heroes-to-be hitting the books and gossiping in the halls of Crucible Academy sounds like a win to me. Now, if there's a brain, a jock, a basket case, a princess and a criminal learning about life and themselves on a Saturday, I can die a happy man. Hey, a man can have a dream, right?

A girl needs a job, even if she is a super girl.  Kara is working hard (or hardly working?) at the Elixer Cafe when Clark comes in for a large decaf.  Really Clark?  A decaf?  Superman just went down a few pegs in my book and unfortunately for Kara, she's gone down in his.  After the whole Red Lantern thing, Clark thinks Kara should go somewhere to hone her powers and even suggests S.T.A.R. Labs.  Kara agrees to disagree and Clark goes off to do things that people who drink decaf coffee do, like writing articles about not needing Superman.

Meanwhile off in space (yea!), the craziest school recruitment is about to begin.  Kara is teleported to an alien planet and goes through a series of tests to see if she's worthy.  The tests involve fighting a bunch of teen superheroes that couldn't possibly become Kara's best friends in the near future.  The powers that be like what they see and Kara is accepted to the Academy.  I'm really not sure she even has a choice.  The book ends back on Earth where a monk searching for answers is revealed to be a long, lost friend.  I'm not sure why the other monks didn't notice anything peculiar, but anyone who has read the solicits will know why I'm very excited for this cliffhanger.

I can't say a ton of things happen in this issue.  In fact, there is more backtracking to past issues (mostly of Action Comics), but I still really enjoyed this issue.  The setup for the Crucible Academy has me pretty psyched to see where it's going and while it doesn't look like a Breakfast Club remake (boo!), I like the early glimpse of the other students and teachers.

I really liked Emanuela Lupacchino's art.  The combination of her clean style with Hi Fi's awesome color work looks so good.  I also really enjoyed his panel layouts which nicely framed the action in the later part of the book.  Overall, a really good looking issue.

Bits and Pieces:

Supergirl #36 has a new creative team, a new direction, and a new fan...me.  While it's mostly setup, I enjoyed the setup for the Crucible Academy and am looking forward to seeing what it's all about.  I could get cheesy and say something like, "I'll give this trip to school a...", but instead I'll give it the score below.

8.0/10