Supergirl Special #1 Review

     

     

Written by: Mariko Tamaki
Art by: Skylar Partridge
Colors by: Marissa Louise
Letters by: Becca Carey
Cover art by: Jamal Campbell
Cover price: $5.99
Release date: October 31, 2023

Supergirl Special #1 finds Kara Zor-El grappling with her place on Earth as the protector who can never fulfill her mission and an identical superhero to a visitor from an alternate Earth.
Is Supergirl Special #1 Good?

I don't understand the point of this special. Supergirl Special #1 appears to have only one purpose - to retread old feelings and hang-ups Kara has explored multiple times over and done much better. At some point, DC needs to let Kara move on from her shock over getting to Earth too late to protect Kal-El because this continual return to the same well is starting to make Supergirl look emotionally immature.

Mariko Tamaki's script centers on Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, wrestling with unresolved upset (depression?) over not getting to Earth before Kal-El, aka Superman, and not finding herself competing to be the best Supergirl ahead of Power Girl. Kara remembers what it was like growing up in Argo City before Krypton was destroyed, and she finds her unresolved feelings of unhealthy competition plague her to this day.

How else is a superpowered girl with an "I'm always second best" complex supposed to cope? In the only way that makes sense - with hugs, girl talk, and cupcakes.

That's right. There is no villain, adventure, or life-changing journey. Kara feels down, she gets rude to her friends and family, and she eventually feels better after a chat and cupcakes with people who care about her. The end.

What's great about Supergirl Special #1? By the end, Kara appears to be okay with her place in the world. If DC is smart, this will be the end of that tired plotline, so we shall see.

What's not so great about Supergirl Special #1? Again, it's pointless. We've been down this road with Kara multiple times before. Readers don't learn anything new about the character, the ending suggests she's okay, but her "growth" appears soft at best, and the story has as much energy and dramatic tension as a loosely wound rubber band.

How's the art? Unfortunately, the lackluster art contributes to the pointlessness of this issue. Skylar Partidge's line work looks solid in the closeups but loose to barely passable in the wider shots. Further, Partridge got the design of the twins wrong, which should not be happening in a modern comic (Otho and Osul are fraternal twins, and they're supposed to be upper-elementary school-aged. Here, they look like young teenagers). Further, Marissa Louise's colors are flat, washed out, and bland.

Overall, this is a pointless comic with an unnecessary story that barely qualifies as a story and mediocre art.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Supergirl Special #1 is a strange comic. Kara continues to explore unresolved feelings about being the second-best Kryptonian, feelings that have been addressed and resolved multiple times before, and the art is mediocre at best. For the excessive cover price, Supergirl fans should expect much better than this comic.

4/10