Written by Sterling Gates
Illustrated by Jamal IgleA dangerous new foe has it in for Cat Grant, and as much as Supergirl’d like to see Cat get what’s coming to her, The Girl of Steel has no choice but to get involved! This one’s got it all — Arkham Asylum, Superwoman, the Justice League of America, and a couple of twists and turns you won’t see coming!
Sterling Gates’ run on Supergirl made it onto our list of must overlooked titles of 2010 and has long been heralded on Multiversity Comics. Would you think for even a second that he would drop the ball on his last issue? Yeah, neither did we.
Gates’ last issue is the conclusion of a two-part arc whose seeds were lain throughout earlier issues of the title. It isn’t quite the explosive, action-packed finale that one might expect in a cape comic, though; rather, it’s more of an emotional conclusion, wrapping up the way Gates has been developing Kara’s character throughout his run. And you know what? That’s fine. Hell, that’s great. I’m sure that I speak for many comic fans when I say that the main problem with superhero comics is the lack of meaningful character development and too much emphasis on Michael Bay-esque action. Ending a run with Supergirl having a heartfelt moment rather than punching out a world-threatening villain is fine, and I would say its even better than the alternative.
Don’t misinterpret me, there certainly is a good deal action in this issue — action that is incredibly well illustrated by artist Jamal Igle — but the action isn’t what is important. Let me explain: throughout Gates’ run, Supergirl has had a less-than-friendly rivalry of sorts with Daily Planet writer Kat Grant, who tried to drive Kara’s name into the ground with an article entitled “Why the World Doesn’t Need Supergirl” in Gates’ very first issue (#34), and continued to pester her from then on. No matter what villains or monsters she defeated in each issue, Kat still remained as a thorn in her side. As his run went on, Gates led us readers to get as pissed off at Kat as Kara was, but — like Kara — we only saw one side of the story. That is, until now. Gates takes us on one last twist of character development for Kara, and leaves us with the perfect final page to tie up his run. Kudos to you, sir.
I already said a lot about the run as a whole in our Overlooked Titles of 2010 article, so I’ll keep this brief: Sterling Gates made me care about Supergirl, something I thought impossible. His run was pure superheroic fun, and I’m glad I didn’t miss a second of it. If you didn’t follow it as it was released, get the first two New Krypton trades and follow his run out of there. You’ll believe a previously unknown writer can take a title that was seconds away from cancellation and make it fly.
Okay, so it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but my point still stands.
Final Verdict: 8.4 – Buy It!
