Supergirl #19 // Review
Kara has been exposed to a poison that doesn’t kill her. And it's not going to make her sick. And it's not going to have any serious ill effects. But it is a poison. There's no questioning that. And it is the type of thing that might be just a little bit more serious than a passing illness in Supergirl #19. Writer/artist Sophie Campbell and colorist Tamra Bonillain continue an impressively well balanced series that is just now reaching the second half of it second year in existence. There is much to admire in the overall package that continues to be appealing.
She has come into contact with gold kryptonite. So she's lost her powers. They say it's permanent. And that's going to be something that she's going to have to live with. She's going to have to make a few decisions. Thankfully, she doesn't have to make those decisions on her own. She is in a position to have quite a few people giving her advice. And she's been nice enough about helping other people out that she has a really good support system. With any luck, it might be enough to get her through a very trying time.
Campbell it seems to be giving Kara just enough time with one moment to allow the reader to connect up with her. There's been definite progress since the beginning of the series a year and a half ago. She's certainly a slightly different person than she was back then. And that's really impressive for any mainstream superhero. To have that kind of character progression is really quite admirable. Those who follow the superhero genre tend to have some kind of obsession with a firmly-established status quo that can be stifling creative lead to any writer. Campbell maybe moving Kara forward through various different eras rather quickly, but the personality of the central character is strong enough to maintain the readers’ interest.
Once again, Campbell is doing an excellent job of developing the overall drama of the series. She's able to do this without a resorting to overwhelmingly melodramatic moments. There's quite a bit of nuance in Kara losing her powers that meets the page in a very thoughtful way visually. The action that interfaces with the story is also delivered to the page with impressive force.
Campbell seems to be charting the right kind of progress. Moved too quickly in one direction or another and the rhythm of the series might seem a little bit disjointed. However, Campbell is moving things forward with a steady hand that never less manages to seem dramatic without saving melodramatic. It's very powerful stuff. A more thoughtful approach might have anyone issue expanded into a full year. There's enough story in one of Campbell's issues to do that. However, Campbell is covering a hell of a lot of ground. Kara has been through a lot already. It'll be interesting to see how the narrative momentum is maintained in the remainder of the second year of the series.
