The Supergirls From Krypton
February 23, 2006 by The Fortress Keeper
The Fortress Keeper welcomes all who enter, but beware for SPOILERS await!
But we jump ahead of ourselves. As is the case with many comics these days, there’s a considerable back story to deal with first.
Few characters suffered from the original Crisis as much as Kara Zor-El. (Except for maybe Hawkman. And The Legion of Super-Heroes. And Doctor Fate. And… well you get the idea.) A true comics icon, Supergirl died a hero’s death that was light-years more dramatic than Superman’s over-hyped clash with Doomsday and spawned at least a cottage industry in “homage” covers.
Yet within months, her very existence was erased from the DC Universe. A major, established hero who appeared in one form or another since the 1950s disappeared without a bang - or even a whimper. Even Justice League Detroit members received better treatment …
Corporate copyrights being what they are, however, DC soon ensured readers were treated to a “new” Supergirl - an, er, protoplasmic blob from an alternate universe. Not an easy character to develop an affinity to, unless you happen to be a protoplasmic blob yourself.
Writer Peter David later turned a sow’s ear into a silk purse by merging Superblob with a teenage Satanist named Linda Danvers. (Sounds terrible, yes, but bear with your humble narrator…) The resulting trials and tribulations of this “new” Supergirl created a memorable story of identity and redemption, culminating in the heroine sacrificing her life to defeat an entity that usurped creation itself.
Although this incarnation’s adventures probably should have ended at this point, her adventures limped along afterward until a memorable, and heartbreaking, encounter with the original, Silver-Age Kara Zor-El.
DC’s next attempt at a Supergirl involved the alleged future daughter of Superman and Lois Lane: Cir-El. A chirpy do-gooder inexplicably dressed in a Goth-styled uniform, let’s just say she didn’t stick.
Finally Kara Zor-El returned in a popular, if somewhat disjointed, story arc that appeared in the popular, if somewhat disjointed, Superman/Batman series. This iteration of Kara, however, had “issues.” Why couldn’t she remember her past? Was she good or evil? Would Ma Kent really dress a teenager like that?
After innumerable delays, many hoped the fifth issue of the new Supergirl series would answer some, if not most, of those questions as Kara confronted the physical embodiment of her dark side (dressed, natch, in an appropriately evil black outfit).
Writer Jeph Loeb starts off with a genuine shocker: Is New-Kara a sleeper agent sent from Krypton by a jealous Zor-El to destroy Superman?
Actually, the better question may be why Zor-El was too cheap to spring for a space suit his daughter could wear. Hope the thermostat was running while Kara was in suspended animation.
Unfortunately, none of those questions are answered as readers are then treated to page after page of an evil-twin catfight that is less satisfying dramatically than a similar confrontation that occurred in the animated Justice League Unlimited series.
At the end, the notion of an evil Kara is thrown into doubt by a twist that basically brings the character back to square one.
Given such an unsatisfying conclusion, the Fortress Keeper can’t help wonder if Loeb’s plans for the book were abruptly short-circuited by factors other than his son’s tragic death - i.e. a defection to Marvel Comics and/or DC’s unwillingness to create a villainous Kara Zor-El.
It’s too bad, because the concept could have been compelling over a more developed story arc. An amnesiac Kara 2.0, traumatized by the destruction of her homeworld, finds herself surpressing destructive impulses while assuming the mantle of Supergirl.
When Zor-El’s machinations were ultimately revealed, perhaps through the manifestation of a “Supergirl-Black,” New-Kara would cast aside her evil past due to the positive influence and heroic actions of her Kryptonian cousin, Superman.
In the end, DC would have a Supergirl motivated to atone for her family’s sins and a potential arch-villain when her twin inevitably returned as the all-new, all-sinister Satan Girl. Maybe Linda Danvers could even return to offer Kara a few pointers, given her own dark past.
Perhaps Greg Rucka’s arc will follow along similar lines, perhaps not. Still, the Fortress Keeper hopes Supergirl’s future creators will take greater care to provide the character a personality, motivation and rogue’s gallery worthy of the world’s mightiest heroine.
Cheesecake art and splashy fight scenes are great for the short term, but do little for a character’s longevity. Just ask any number of female warriors left to rot on the scrap heap of ’90s comics…
I didn’t read the post because I’m waiting for the trade, but I flipped through #5 yesterday and I’m wondering why the last page said “Thanks for everything, Jeph” (or something comparable) but DC’s description of #6 says written by Jeph Loeb?
Because the title was so late due to the death of Loeb’s son, the original plots for 5 & 6 were condensed into one issue. The new #6 will be Rucka’s first issue, and will coincide with DC’s One Year Later stunt.
I miss Linda D.
Kara 2.0 is boring.