Supergirl 6 review

In the last 5 issues, Supergirl’s spent her time between trying to adjust to her new foster parents, trying to live a normal life on Earth and fighting Cyborg Superman, who happens to be her Kryptonian father. It’s been a very dramatic story arc, with Supergirl reminded in so many ways of what life on Krypton used to be and that it’ll never be the same, while dealing with a father corrupted by technology who’s willing to commit genocide to bring back his people.

Supergirl 6, written by Steve Orlando, concludes the Cyborg Superman arc in kind of a glorious fashion. The battle between the military and Cyborg Superman’s forces is intense, with jets attacking the approaching flying Argo City. The action brings in everything from Supergirl punching her father straight through Argo City to Cyborg Superman throwing a jet at his daughter. Their duel of words is just as intense, with Cyborg Superman referring to a man who once sacrificed his son to save a city on Krypton, showing how truly lost he is. Without spoilers, Supergirl’s plan works really well, showing that she’s capable of using her brain.

As intense as the climax is, both in terms of action and drama, the rest of the comic is mostly just fun. There are a number of quick scenes that conclude all of the sub-plots that popped in throughout this arc, while also sparking some new ones. There’s a fun moment with Kara spending time with her foster parents, showing that she’s starting to get used to them. The last page is a quick yet nice moment to close off the arc, with Supergirl promising that she won’t give up on her father.

The art by Brian Ching is great. There’s a slight cartoon feel that works very well for the comic’s mood. The opening page is full of detail with all the fighter jets launching to take on Cyborg Superman’s undead robots, with the glowing engines of Argo City in the background. When Supergirl faces off with Cyborg Superman, there’s a lot of debris flying around. There’s also great use of motion blurs when the two of them are zooming around, and when the fighter jet its thrown at Supergirl. Facial expressions perfectly capture a wide range of emotions, like Kara’s determination when she’s fighting her father, and a slightly smug look in a fellow student’s eyes when he mentions that he helped Kara get into an internship when she missed her follow up. While Cyborg Superman usually looks cold and kind of creepy, there’s one panel where he seems to show regret. Michael Atiyeh’s colouring is also great. Everything is bright and colourful when it should be, while the skies are darkened during Argo City’s attack.

This is a great comic, and a fantastic closer to Supergirl’s first DC Rebirth arc. In fact I’d go so far as to say this is my favourite comic of the week, in a week where I read several fantastic comics (including a major game changer for my favourite character in All-New Wolverine 17). The drama throughout the arc is very deep and compelling, with a wide range of emotion going around. The series also wisely borrows elements from the TV series, while still remaining true to the comics. This makes it easy for fans of the TV show to jump in, without betraying anything pre-existing from Supergirl’s New 52 run. If you’re a Supergirl fan, whether from the comics or the TV show, you should check this series out. This is also an easy recommendation for Superman fans who want to check out his teenaged Kryptonian cousin.

9.5/10