The Supergirl From Kandor
May 7, 2006 by The Fortress Keeper
It’s One Year Later and… Kara 2.0 is lying naked on a table.
Hmmphhh.
So much for the hope that writer Greg Rucka and artist Ed Benes would tone down the cheesecake somewhat. (How old is New-Kara supposed to be anyway? Kryptonian or not, she’d better be over 18 DC …)
Anyway, it’s 13 months after the Crisis and Kara is battling racial and religious intolerance in Kandor. Her aide and mentor - Karen Starr, better known as Power Girl.
As the masked heroes Nightwing and Flamebird, the buxomed duo serve as an inspiration to the (bottled?) city’s oppressed residents. Complicating matters, Kara is still struggling with her inner demons and wants - above all else - to return “home.”
Although this issue is somewhat of a sequel to “Godfall” - a Superman arc that, to be honest, made no sense to this reader - Rucka’s portrayal of unrest within the (Kryptonian?) city adds an interesting dimension to the earlier story.
It’s also nice to see Power Girl - a character who usually thinks with her fists - act as a voice of reason for her younger partner.
Yet the Keeper must admit some disappointment over the book’s ostensible star - Supergirl. Even though the story takes place more than a year after the previous issue, little seems to have changed for Kara 2.0. The character still acts like an angry, spoiled child.
There are also hints that her “evil past” may be more than a delusion, a point that could prove interesting if it’s portrayed more skillfully than Loeb managed. (The Keeper still expects an all-new Satan Girl to emerge from that mess…)
It could be argued that Kara 2.0 is still growing into her role as a hero, but if that were the case why does she seem so much more competent in the Legion Of Super-Heroes and recent Superman/Action comics?
Either Supergirl is mentally unbalanced - a distinct possibility, given the most recent issue of Legion - or the “New DC” is just as fragmented as before.
Hopefully, someone will have an answer to all this. (Joe Kelly?) In the meantime, the Waid-Kitson Legion remains this Supergirl fan’s best bet.
