In and out of comics, Kara Zor-El has always had an identity crisis. Few writers seem to agree on whether she is a teenage girl or a young adult. She’s also been written with a variety of personalities, ranging from embittered survivor to perky optimist. The new Supergirl series by Sophie Campbell and Tamra Bonvillain tries to reconcile nearly every version of the Maid of Might. Miraculously, it accomplishes this while simultaneously presenting the story of Kara Zor-El as a ‘magic girl’ manga.
The story opens with Kara as Supergirl trying to balance her role as a hero on both Earth and Kandor. This is particularly important given Superman’s recent exile from the shrunken Kryptonian city. However, even a Girl of Steel can feel burned out and put upon. It doesn’t help matters that, for all her independence and status, even the people of Kandor view her as a Superman substitute.
An invitation to visit her foster parents, DEO agents Eliza and Fred Danvers, offers a chance at some relief. Initially, Kara is reluctant to return to Midvale, where she briefly lived as Linda Danvers while learning about Earth culture. However, she decides a change may be as good as a rest. Unfortunately, it seems there’s a new Supergirl in town who has taken over both of Kara’s double lives!
Supergirl reconciles Kara Zor-El’s conflicted history
Most of Supergirl’s comic series are complicated by modern standards. This is true even of the times when she wasn’t a lab-grown shapeshifter from a parallel Earth or a literal angel. (Don’t ask. Just… don’t.) Even her more standard solo series contained complicated subplots involving the machinations of her father or her own dark nature hidden behind a mask.
Rather than pick and choose from the canon, Sophie Campbell embraces the mess and turns that conflict inward. Half of this first issue is a slice-of-life drama, with Kara confronting her complicated feelings about the many hats she wears. The idea that Kara has impostor syndrome after so many years of pretending to be other people is a brilliant conceit and one that justifies her many portrayals in the past. This identity crisis then becomes literal with the introduction of the other Supergirl.
The other half of the comic is a Sailor Moon–style magic girl manga, with Kara dealing with the responsibility of her powers and the fallout of her double life. This extends to the artwork, with Campbell’s smooth pencils and Bonvillain’s vibrant colors offering a friendly, welcome appearance. This also lends to clearly choreographed visuals during the action sequences.
Supergirl #1 is a perfect reintroduction of the Girl of Steel for modern readers. It neatly updates the solidifies Kara Zor-El, while still encapsulating everything that makes her a memorable and lasting character. It also offers a new take on the Maid of Might, through the aesthetics of shojo manga.
Grade: 9/10
Supergirl #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
