Comic Book Review: Supergirl #55

Literary & Artistic Credits

Writer: Sterling Gates

Penciller: Jamal Igle

Inker: John Dell, Marc, Richard Friend

Colorist: Jamie Grant, Jim Devlin

Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher

Cover Art: Amy Reeder, Friend & Guy Mayor

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Supergirl wins again!  The title I mean.  Well, I guess I can’t say that yet as there are many other comics I’ve received this month that have totally blown me away.  But Supergirl #55 certainly continues the awesome tradition that Sterling Gates has established with this title by giving it both drama and humor all in one.

The book opens up in a sepia toned flashback of how Bizarrogirl came to be on Earth fighting the girl of steel.  Our dark colored, cracked skinned anti-hero continually makes references of trying to have a party and something about a Godship; clearly something is happening in the world of the Bizarro’s that is yet to be revealed.  Supergirl, being the persistent and caring person she is, seems determined to go to her clone’s home world and discover what exactly is threatening her and her kind.

One thing I can be certain of is how much Sterling Gates loves Supergirl.  So much heart and personality is put into every page of every issue ever since he came on board with this title.  Much like with Gail Simone and Wonder Woman, Gates has managed to create a Supergirl we can love, connect with, and have respect for that will linger on for years to come.  Gates keeps Supergirl as she is, a teenaged girl who constantly goes back and forth in her levels of maturity; she always has her heart in the right place, but she doesn’t always go about it in the right way.  And just like a teenaged girl, she’s very flaky and indecisive.  Granted, I would rather put my trust in this high schooler than, well, any other high schooler in the world, but she still has that teenaged mentality which is always bouncing back and forth.  The entire fight with Bizarrogirl showed us a Supergirl who was bound and determined to stop her clone from creating any more havoc, but at the last second she decides to punch her friend in the face and travel with Bizarrogirl to her home world because of how much Kara cares for living creatures.

Bizarrogirl is a delight to have around.  The Bizarro epidemic has been a repetitive and monotonous event every since the first Bizarro first showed up on the pages of Superman.  Yet Gates finds a way of making this Bizarro run-in seem fresh and vibrant, never dragging the story down with the overplayed nature of Bizarro.  Bizarrogirl, or “Arak” as Mart calls her in his blog “It’s Too Dangerous For A Girl”, (Just think about it for a sec, you’ll get it) not only has new powers that the original Bizarro doesn’t have, but they seem to be much more reflective of the opposite characteristics that both of the super beings share.  (I know, sharing ‘opposites’ doesn’t exactly makes sense, but in the context of the story, it actually does.)

Jamal Igle never wavers in his attention to detail; giving every hand gesture, footstep, facial expression, hair wave, fist punch, and paper wrinkle a realistic flavor to it.  There are moments where I wonder how the Hell Supergirl has survived so long without Igle’s artistic touch.  This is the way Supergirl needs to stay and not as some sex icon that she was made out to be when this series first began.  Igle keeps Supergirl and all of its characters as realistic as need be.

I was a bit distracted with some of the awfully corny lines Supergirl delivered, such as “That’s what I call a close encounter” and what not, (Will Smith, I love you, but man you’ve been a bad influence on the modern “cool” culture) but Igle certainly makes it reasonable and not out of place with the story and character.  And besides, it’s always fun to call back to the hokey days of comics right?

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

Igle is definitely building up for his final days as the writer of Supergirl.  Why he would leave this title I’ll never know, but all the best to him.  I just can’t imagine anyone taking over where Sterling left off, but I guess I said the same thing about Gail Simone huh?

Rating: 10 out of 10

Writing: 10

Art: 10

Themes: 10

+ 2 Incentive Points.