Title: The Adventures of Supergirl #1
Writer: Sterling Gates
Artist: Bengal (cover by Cat Staggs)
The Buzz: This digital-first comic is based on the CBS Supergirl series, which provides a whole bunch of in built buzz of its own. More to the point, it’s the cute, fun all-ages Supergirl comic that DC should never NOT have been publishing – given the recognisability factor of Supergirl as a character (my daughter fell in love with her based on an image on a drinking glass), this is the perfect gateway title for young girls to get into comics as a source of adventure stories. Check out this article about how much this comic has been needed.
All You Need To Know: If you’ve watched the pilot of the show (or the extended trailer of same) you pretty much have what you need, and if not this 1st issue is pretty good about covering the basics. Story elements specific to the CBS version of Supergirl include her adopted sister Alex Danvers who works for a covert ops aliens-are-of-interest squad who support and study Supergirl, run by Hank Henshaw. Presumably we’re also going to see the Calista Flockhart interpretation of Cat Grant and ditto for the rest of the office staff, but they’re not in this first issue.
Story: Kara is Supergirl! She has a brief origin story, she punches monsters, and her sister is in danger! It’s basic stuff, and as with all digital first comics the issues are too short to really get a handle on what they’re doing (three of these are equivalent to one traditional comic, hence the price point). Most adult readers will probably not find this especially challenging or innovative (it doesn’t have the raw cheeky humour you find in a Hellcat or a Squirrel Girl), but it’s so long since there’s been an uncomplicated, light-hearted Supergirl comic I would actually feel okay about handing to my kids that I’m still delighted to see it. More importantly, it feels exactly like the Supergirl we get in the highly-accessible-to-newbies show, so is the perfect first comic to offer to those who have discovered a love of superheroes thanks to CBS and Kara.
Art: This is the big one for me – it’s inoffensive! That may sound like damning with faint praise, but it’s not. Four years ago, when I was desperately hunting for Supergirl product to feed my hungry daughter, I was really distressed at the way that the character (especially when portrayed as a teenager) was so often needlessly sexualised in comics, the short skirt being used as an excuse to twist and contort her into stripper poses, and so on. This Kara is drawn respectfully, and I like how many of her poses are of strength rather than passivity or random sexuality. This is not rare to find these days – not compared to only a few years ago – but it’s still one hell of a relief.
But What Did I Miss?: You definitely don’t have to have read the show for this one, which sums up the character’s origin and set up nicely. I’d be interested to see how the comic adapts to various character-progress reveals later in the season, or if it’s going to stay grounded in the current ‘early episodes’ feel.
Would Read Issue 2?: I am intrigued, but as with many digital comics I am likely to wait until they have a lot banked up, then mainline them – these tiny bites don’t quite fit with how I like to consume comics.
Read it if you Like: CBS’ Supergirl, Gotham Academy, Superman Family Adventures, older comics (80’s Teen Titans etc.), superhero cartoons like Justice League Unlimited.
Other titles reviewed in 2016:
Hellcat #1