[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artists: Brian Ching & Mike Atiyeh
Summary
Supergirl is confronted by her father, the Cyborg Superman.
Positives
The cover by Brian Ching and Mike Atiyeh is great. I really love the starry background and the vapor around Cyborg Superman. It’s atmospheric but it does play into the story. Also, the image of two beams of heat vision connecting is always cool.
The interior art is drawn by Ching and colored by Atiyeh; it’s fantastic as well. I love how expressive all of the characters are especially Kara. There’s a scene in which we see her from Cyborg Superman’s point of view which is already awesome. But Ching allows us to see Kara’s change of emotions very naturally with just her eyes and three panels. I love Atiyeh’s colors well. They create a fun atmosphere for the most part but he also does a good job of making the book creepy in a couple of spots that involve Cyborg Superman and what he is doing. The final panel is unnerving.
I will admit that the New 52 was far from perfect but Supergirl was an amazing book so I am glad to see that Steve Orlando is playing off Kara’s character and story from that book. There’s talk about her anger and her general disdain for Earth which I appreciate. I thought that material was fascinating and while it is nice to see Kara try to move past it, I’m glad it’s not ignored. It is a part of her story and Cyborg Superman is trying to take advantage of that rage.
Cyborg Superman is an effective sympathetic villain. His heart, if he has one anymore, is in the right place. But that doesn’t mean what he is doing isn’t wrong and incredibly creepy. The creative team does a great job of making it clear that what Zor-El is up to is not good. It’s unsettling but, as a reader, you can still empathize with him.
Negatives
I’m still not sure how I feel about having Cat Grant in the book. I know Orlando loves writing her and it’s easy to tell reading this that he’s having a lot of fun. But the character and really anything with Kara’s secret identity is still not playing for me. I don’t think it’s bad by any stretch of the imagination. I’m just not quite as invested in that side of the book yet.
Verdict
This is an excellent issue. There is wonderful character building for Kara and the characterization of Cyborg Superman is working very well. The art is wonderful and it is such a fun book to read. I highly recommend reading this issue.