It’s Good To Be Good — Reviewing ‘Supergirl’ #3

There is something about the type of hope that heroes wearing that iconic S shield tend to bring with them. A pureness that exudes at all times. While they fight to protect everyone from their family to strangers, they are willing and able to find alternatives.

Kara Zor-El embodies this hope and goodness in Supergirl #3, even as her own space in the world remains under threat. Another rocking good issue from Sophie Campbell, Tamra Bonvillain, and Becca Carey.

There are numerous ways to approach that aforementioned feeling surrounding the Super-family. Campbell elected to take a tact different from the other books on the shelves, one more reminiscent of comics past. Yet it is still very relevant and modern in that approach.

Right away, it’s felt in the artwork on the page. A softer exaggeration to the characters and space. Plenty of depth and detail to give them a vast and tangible sort of appearance with plenty of whimsical energy baked right in that counters and connects with the slightly rougher edges.

It delivers a tone that feels hopeful and bright, but also serious and hard at the same time.

This is a series that doesn’t shy away from what might cause people to do the wrong thing. Loneliness can cause people to cross lines they might not normally cross. This is not an excuse or a reason for them to not being held accountable for their actions, though. There would be every right for Supergirl to want to see Lesla punished more after the mind-control of the Danvers and damage done to Midvale.

Instead, she takes the approach that Super-related characters can so easily take: compassion and understanding. She finds hope and sees that there is good in Lesla when the chips are down; someone that would benefit more from a second chance than a harsh punishment.

The lighter aspect of this story can very much be felt in every fiber.

Chiefly in the color choices that Bonvillain makes. Delivering lots of bright, vibrant, and sometimes (perfectly) overpowering tones. They create specific-colored filters over everything. These are bolstered by the palette, which makes up most of the setting spaces. It is more toned-down and somewhat natural or neutral in effect. Again, delivering that tangible and firmer aspect for the pages.

Backgrounds constantly shift and change through the artwork. From sparser to denser and often just pure white or various streaks of color. Especially once Supergirl gets changed by the use of Black Kryptonite.

So much also rests on the ways that Carey really works with the lettering throughout, giving everything the right touch of energy for every character. Letting the colors and shifting fonts jump in to help with the heavier dialogue and caption lifting. Very much fitting the melding of hard but soft we see through so much of the work.

I still can’t believe that I’m really down with a comic book using thought balloons! Captions are still the preferred method for this reader, but there is something wholesome and fitting for their use here. Especially during the previously mentioned Black Kryptonite sequences.

There are a lot of stories that we need in these tougher times. This version of Supergirl is very much one of those stories.

Supergirl #3 is now available from DC Comics.