REVIEW: Supergirl #1

Supergirl #1, “Misadventures in Midvale: Part 1” is finally in our hands and is a fun blend of the character’s myriad history. From acknowledging her more current space adventures to readopting her Linda Danvers identity there’s something for every fan of Kara Zor-El no matter the era you prefer. Even with the great attention to Supergirl’s past, this story may prove the old saying “you can’t go home again” true. 

The standard cover is by Sophie Campbell. Supergirl gets her own All-In treatment as this is definitely a jumping on point for anyone interested in the character. The art also acts as the cover debut of Supergirl’s new outfit which harkens back to her more classic looks.  

Bilquis Evely & Matheus Lopes graces us with a variant that is a pleasant reminder of their “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” run. Their art is simply gorgeous and it’s good to seem them add their talents to the character once more.

We also get the pleasure of Stanley “Artgerm” Lau’s photo-esque art on a variant. Kara’s all smiles as she poses in her new “old” look. As with most of Artgerm’s work, this cover is fantastic and definitely worthy of being displayed.

Pablo Villalobos, Joshua Middleton, and W. Scott Forbes, lend their talents to the many variants available. Even Sophie Campbell wasn’t satisfied with just the standard and has a variant to look out for. Plus we get a head start celebrating the new Superman movie with a variant by Nicola Scott & Annette Kwok.

Sophie Campbell and Colorist Tamra Bonvillain handle the interior art in Supergirl #1. Being both artist and writer, Campbell captures the style and tone of her story perfectly. There’s an inviting feel to the art that makes this book very approachable. Having Kara revisit Midvale, we get to see Supergirl turn into Linda Danvers which felt intentional not only to set up the story but also as a play on the superhero transformation sequence. The opening scenes really gives us a sense of who Kara is and her importance to the El family by assisting in both matters of Metropolis and Kandor. She’s definitely a woman who doesn’t have time for the shenanigans that are about to beset her.

Sophie Campbell does it all this issue! Not only is her art on display on two covers and interiors, she’s also writing. Lettered by Becca Carey, Campbell starts out showing us a typical day in the life of Kara Zor-El with just enough splash of humor to keep things interesting. Reluctantly accepting an invite from her adoptive parents to visit them in Midvale, Kara soon realizes something isn’t right with the small town. A mysterious young woman is posing as Supergirl, but not only has she stolen Kara’s hero identity, she’s also masquerading as Linda Danvers. The final pages really gets you curious what’s actually going on and makes this a solid first issue. So many questions present themselves and it appears Kara’s on her own to get to the bottom of this mystery. 

(7/10) Coming off her last two space adventures and guest appearances in “Power Girl”, Kara felt a bit off to me, but taking into account this is also an introductory tale, it can be forgiven. That being said, Supergirl #1 and its premise and execution has me wanting to know more and I’m intrigued to see it all play out.