Supergirl #2 // Review
Lesla-Lar had been saved from certain death by a superhero. She was really grateful until she realized that there wasn’t any specific reason for saving her life other than the fact that she was going to die. There was nothing special about her. It was the hero who saved her life. SHE was special. Lesla has decided to take her place in Supergirl #2. Writer/artist Sophie Campbell continues a deeply enjoyable exploration into the life of Kara Zor-El with a fun second issue that further explores the new life set out for her in the new series.
Lesla is a genius, but she doesn’t see that. She only sees how little work Supergirl had to put-in to become beloved by everyone. So naturally she’s going to use some exotic tech to transform her own look so that she can take her place. And then she’s going to use mind-warping technology to make everyone else in her home town think that she’s Supergirl too. Things have gotten complicated, though. The real Supergirl has shown-up. It was easy enough to make the people of Supergirl’s home town think that she’s an impostor, but how long can she hold-up the illusion?
Campbell’s story continues to find kind of an appealing energy about it. A jealous Kryptonian from Kandor wouldn’t have to do that much to become super-powered. All they would have to do is get out into the sunlight on Earth. Campbell explores some of the problems with this in a remarkably fun second issue that also features a continuing friendship between Supergirl and Lena Luthor, which turns out to be a very cool dynamic in Campbell’s hands. Campbell is sharp to decide on the small-town setting for the new series as well. It keeps the canvas she’s working on quite small even as it’s dealing with larger-than-life Kryptonian powers.
The artwork continues to look endearingly cute throughout. Lesla’s pet Superbunny is a cleverly cute addition to the visual mix of the series. Campbell’s execution of the action continues to be deeply appealing on a whole bunch of different levels as well. There’s a deep connection with the drama as well. Campbell manages to make slight exaggerations of facial expression still manage to hold a great deal of subtlety and nuance, which is a hell of an accomplishment on its own.
The clever modulation of action and drama in a well-paced issue feels quite impressive. There’s a strong sense of action that continues to flow through everything. Kara’s distinctive personality shines through the second issue of another remarkably well-rendered narrative package. There’s just enough action, interpersonal drama and room around the edges of it all to feel exquisitely well-balanced throughout from beginning to end. It’s just such graceful work throughout. The decision to start small in Midvale also allows Campbell the opportunity to expand the series over time in a very thoughtful way that should be fun to follow in the months (and hopefully years) to come.
