REVIEW: Supergirl #6

Supergirl #6, “Demon Night!”, kicks off the Halloween season by having Kara face a new, spooky adversary. The issue also references Supergirl’s difficult past and how that’s effected her super hero career.

The standard cover is by Sophie Campbell. We’re introduced to Nightflame and their demonic seeming connections straight away. Supernatural foes are always a problem for the El family, and Nightflame is no exception.

Stanley “Artgerm” Lau’s variant is nothing short of amazing. Their cover art is always a joy and having Kara and Krypto just enjoying some time together enhances that feeling.

The variant by Ben Harvey imagines Supergirl for a more modern age. Here we have Kara talking a mid-flight selfie which is completely relatable. Plus Harvey’s realistic art style really sells the believability of the piece.

Paulina Ganucheau’s variant is a vibrant depiction of Supergirl in flight. This honestly feels like a throwback to an ’80’s style of art in all the best ways. The cover is super colorful and super fun.  

Sophie Campbell shares art duties with Rosi Kämpe and Colorist Tamra Bonvillain this issue. The visuals in ‘Supergirl #6’ are just incredible. Kara ends up bouncing between two realities and there’s never a question of which one she’s in based purely on the art. Kara’s level of exhaustion is sympathetically felt by anyone whose had several rough nights of sleep in a row. Plus we’re treated to a historical montage of tragic events in Kara’s life that reminds us of the Rebirth notion that all of Prime Earth’s past has merged into one.  

Sophie Campbell, lettered by Becca Carey, dives right into the consequences of last issue’s cliffhanger. Kara faces a new supernatural threat that seems to be akin to Insomnia from “Knight Terrors”, but there’s more at play here. Campbell takes into account the long road of hardships Supergirl has endured and turns the story into a great metaphor about facing trauma. This makes Nightflame a unique character for Supergirl and it’ll be interesting if/when they show back up again. Even if this issue is the result of various storylines it reads as a standalone making it one of the more accessible stories of Supergirl to date.  

(8/10) ‘Supergirl #6’ is a really great one-off issue that packs in a lot of acknowledgement towards Kara’s growth over the years. Full of fun, nostalgic imagery, a bit of comedic levity, and a sprinkle of Halloween charm, this issue is a blast to read.