Supergirl In The 31st Century
May 2, 2006 by The Fortress Keeper
It’s tough for this long-time Kara fan to get excited about the current Supergirl series.
Unlike many on the Net, the Keeper has no qualms with the revamped Kara Zor-El. The overly sexualized, anorexic character design is annoying but other artists - notably Pete Woods in Action Comics - have remedied that problem.
Otherwise, her personality hasn’t developed enough to really draw a conclusion one way or another.
The fact her book is about to welcome its third writer in eight issues (over what seems like a 5-year period) isn’t an encouraging sign that such issues will be resolved soon.
Happily, Mark Waid & Barry Kitson recently imported Kara to their imaginative Legion of Super-Heroes update. In two issues, they created a Supergirl who evokes the classic Silver-Age character yet maintains enough edge to appeal to modern readers.
By playing up the whole victim of psychological trauma bit - a condition that apparently also creates evil doppelgangers out of whole cloth - Waid is able to simultaneously recreate and affectionately parody Kara’s wide-eyed Silver-Age innocence.
It’s a neat trick that makes this rendition of Kara fun and likable, rather than the obnoxious “Buffy Spears” portrayal seen in both her own title and Superman/Batman.
After Greg Rucka concludes his epic two-issue run of Supergirl, the Keeper will give incoming writer Joe Kelly a chance to do something with the character. In the meantime, however, the definitive update of the Maid of Steel resides in the 31st century.
Unless the LSH is just a dream, hoax or imaginary story …
So was it Rucka or DC that realized he can’t stay on schedule if they make him try to write five books a month?
Oh well, I was only interested in the his run for the Power Girl story.
I think it was Rucka’s decision, given that he’s also trying to finish some novels as well.
Joe Kelly is an … interesting choice. His best work remains Deadpool, and I’m not sure how that sensibility will translate to Kara.