DCU Comic Book Reviews

SUPERGIRL #37

Who Is Superwoman? Part One:  Puzzle Pieces

March 2009

Written by Sterling Gates

Pencils by Jamal Igle

Inks by Keith Champagne

Covers by Joshua Middleton and Chris Sprouse

Synopsis

[continued from Action Comics #873] On New Krypton, Superwoman suits up.  She has been given orders.  Elsewhere, Alura searches for her daughter.  Kara (aka Supergirl) is drifting in space, alone with her thoughts.   She is joined by Superwoman.  On Earth, Inspector Mike Henderson investigates the death of Agent Liberty.  He shows the body to Lois Lane, who recently interviewed Agent Liberty.  The Inspector also shows Lane that Agent Liberty left a message on her cell phone moments before he was murdered.  On New Krypton, Supergirl visits with her mother.  Alura gives her daughter a mission:  return to Earth and find Reactron, the one who killed her father.  As she is leaving, Superwoman tells her not to go.  When Supergirl insists on going, Superwoman attacks her.    [continued in Superman #684]

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Here is the question in a convoluted way.  For the month of March, DC is running a promotion featuring the "Faces Of Evil" theme, with special covers and the focus on the villains of the DC Universe.  For this title, Superwoman appears on the cover.  So, did Gates readjust his writing to account for Superwoman?  Is the opening sequence written specifically to fit into the Faces Of Evil theme?  The reason I ask is that I think the focus of this story is off; it should not be focused on Superwoman, but on Supergirl.  We don’t really get much of Supergirl and her internal struggles with her feelings for her mother and what her mother has done.  It seems to me to be swept under the rug, pushed aside for those opening pages with Superwoman before we get to the upcoming mission.  I don’t want Supergirl to take a back seat to the mystery of Superwoman (and the murder of Agent Liberty).

As I was reading this issue, I kept wondering:  why can’t DC make up their mind regarding what they are doing with this character.  She is given a secret identity, they take it away, they give her a new identity, and they take it away.  She lives on Earth, no, wait, she is going to New Krypton.  And in this issue, she is going back to Earth.  I understand that there has been a lot juggling going on with the Superman world and a big shake up of the status quo.  But for Supergirl, it feels like more of the same old, same old.  It would be nice at some point if the editors can settle down and pick a status quo for Supergirl that lasts more than just one issue. 

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