Every time I read Supergirl, one thought stands out most in my mind: "I wish DC was doing trades of this series." Peter David does a pretty solid job of keeping this jumping-on point accessible, and I'm definitely interested in what's going on, but the price of a series where characters actually grow and change is a growing amount of backstory and characterization that requires explanation for new readers, and I always feel like I'm not really in the club when I read Supergirl. That said, my wish for DC to pursue a more aggressive reprint strategy with the book doesn't detract too much from this issue, which features a reunion of daughter and parents (a universal kind of theme), a surprise visitor from another planet and David's trademark sense of humor, with some capable and occasionally better than capable artwork by Benes and Lei.
Supergirl has a pretty convoluted backstory at this point, going back as far as John Byrne's elimination of the original character during Man of Steel. She was, at various times, made up of an alien protoplasm, a human girl with a fascination with the occult and an Earth-bound angel. Then there's her affair with Lex Luthor, her involvement with a demon named Buzz, her parents, various other Earth angels, etc. etc. Even if it's not directly referenced, that convoluted backstory is always there. I'm still not entirely sure what her powers are or where the new look costume came from.
However, most of that is irrelevant to this issue, and it shouldn't scare off those who like the character and have been looking for a jumping-on point. Supergirl's return to her hometown gives David plenty of room to explore what has happened in her life recently by having her explain it to her parents, and since she's been gone a while, it also lets David spring some new plot elements on Supergirl that are new to the reader as well. While it's impossible to avoid the feeling that this is part of a longer-running story, most of the continuity is a bonus for old readers rather than a bane to new ones.
At the center of the story, though it's not introduced until the last few pages, is the surprise promised on the cover. Kara Zor-El is one of those characters everyone loved after she was gone, and it's interesting to see Peter David introduce her, or a version of her, back into the story. In addition to providing some fun moments at the end and a great contrast to the limited powers version of Supergirl in current continuity, the story element introduces a mystery that has me fascinated. Who is this new Supergirl, where does she come from, and what are the reactions she's going to find in the DC Universe?
Ed Benes is a name I recognize, but I couldn't tell you anything he's done before off the top of my head. His work here is pretty solid, reminiscent of Tom Grummett, Terry Dodson and Gary Frank, and he does a really great job on the action sequences at the end. In addition, he's got one particular trick, which he uses at least three times in the issue, of showing a great big smile on a character's face as an indicator of their mindset.
