The Big Rematch
Written By: Marc Andreyko
Art By: Kevin Maguire, FCO Plascencia
Letters By: Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 10, 2019
Art By: Kevin Maguire, FCO Plascencia
Letters By: Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 10, 2019
*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
Supergirl has slowed down for me significantly for the first time since Andreyko took over. All the stuff I liked about the series has been thrown aside to tie into this crossover with Superman. For the first time since I started reviewing this book, I found myself disinterested in reading this issue. However, I like to see each issue as a new opportunity and hopefully that is the case with this book. I’ve been enjoying it so much that I really hate to see what they’ve done with it in the most recently issues. We are still stuck in the middle of this crossover however so that might hold things back. Regardless, let’s just jump into this issue and see where it takes us.
We open the issue with Supergirl, Jon, and Krypto being attacked by a swarm of aliens. We immediately cut to earlier when our three heroes tracked Gandelo to the Throneworld of the Trillium Collective. Supergirl catches Jon up with what she’s been up to in space this whole time before they decide to move in. As they approach, Gandelo states that they are breaking multiple treaties by being there but they point out that stopping a genocidal maniac is more important. Kara and Jon use their breath powers to clear out Gandelo’s bodyguards. Gandelo chats with our heroes for a little bit. It’s mostly your typical hero to villain grandstanding before Gandelo’s alien henchman releases all these organisms. Our heroes remark on how the organisms look like sperm but soon they all grow and turn into full grown aliens and attack they kryptonians. This leads to the scene we saw at the beginning. Gandelo’s henchman begs for her to flee and he will hold off the attackers.
Kara is able to escape the aliens rather quickly and stops the escaping Gandelo. When cornered Gandelo jumps out of the window and begins hurtling to the ground. Supergirl chases after her but just before they are about to hit the ground, Gandelo sprouts wings and saves herself. Gandelo breaks out the classic villain monologue about how she’s better than everyone and she isn’t sorry for what she’s done before spark cracks and Rogol Zaar comes in out of nowhere and attacks Gandelo. He calls for his axe in order to finish Gandelo off but Supergirl stops his axe from reaching him. Gandelo attacks him from behind but her strikes seem to have no effect upon him at all. The struggle for the axe continues but with a little help from Zn’dr who shows up with the ship, Kara is able to keep the axe away from Zaar.
Gandelo tries one more attack to take out Zaar but this time, Zaar isn’t playing around and kills Gandelo with his bare hand. Zn’dr cries out for his now deceased foster mother as the battle for the axe resumes. This time Kara and Zaar both have their hands on the axe and are trying to assert their dominance. Jon and Krypto join the fight to aid Kara and Kara tells Jon to activate his suit and for it to take them to the last location they teleported to. As they do, Kara jams her fingers into Zaar’s eyes and they teleport away. It works but unfortunately the axe does not teleport with them. It is now in Zaar’s complete control. Meanwhile, we see a small object flying through the Metropolis Warehouse district and it finds Brainiac-1 and delivers a message from Lex Luthor offering an agreement between the two. This is where the issue leaves us.
This issue was fine. It was honestly one of the most basic comics that I’ve ever read. It has all the classic ingredients. The face-off with our villain, monologuing, and a big fight that leads to a new threat. It was very “by the numbers” in my opinion. It wasn’t bad by any means, just typical. Thankfully we have a great art team that really made this fight look amazing. So they deserve quite a bit of credit. That being said, when it comes to the story of this issue, it’s very lackluster. It’s not bad but it’s not super good either.
Bits and Pieces
Supergirl gives us a fairly basic and “by the numbers” issue this month as we get our classic monologuing villain that leads into a big fight scene. Some really great art in this issue really brings this battle to life and it really is great to look at. Unfortunately, the rest of the issue is just very basic. Not bad, but not good either.
I didn't like this at all. This was supposed to be the conclusion of Supergirl's journey to find out about Krypton's destruction. The conclusion is that Rogol enters by Deus Ex Machina, stops Gandelo and disappears? That's a terrible ending. Supergirl is sidelined in her own story in the last issue? It's like the worst kind of RPG campaign where the DMs new favorite NPC is the one to shine. I hope this wasn't by Anderyko's choice. This has Bendis scent all over.
ReplyDeleteTo get any information in regards to Krypton's fate this last week of the arc, we are left to read Superman and we only get the Jor-El perspective. Jor-Els relationship with his brother is not even mentioned.
Reading it from a Superman point of view perhaps is even less satisfying as Rogol is just gone and the circle story in the current time get no conclusion at all.
Was this the intention all along or did the year of the villain just massacre the Circle plot to get started?
I really hope this is just a temporary pause in the story arc and that we get back to it soon, so we get to see the fallout. How will the actions of the circle be handled? How does the circle's betrayal affect the Rogol character? How does it affect Supergirl?
If next issue acts as this arc is over, I'd feel very disappointed.