Evil With An All Too Familiar Face — Reviewing ‘Supergirl’ #4

Being a superhero isn’t just about punching bad guys, catching falling reporters, or holding up crumbling structures looming over civilians. No, there are other things required of those who don the capes, masks, and skin-tight costumes.

Things like standing up for others and advocating for second chances and being a true inspiration. Kara Zor-El has that part down as she keeps on being quite super in Supergirl #4 from Sophie Campbell, Tamra Bonvillain, and Dave Sharpe.

There are some comics that are just easy to gush about, issue after issue. If you hadn’t already guessed, this is most definitely one of those books.

Campbell is a stellar writer, and I’ve been a fan for years now. There is such a richness of character that is always on display. She really understands the various iconic characters she has been able to write. This really pulls from the core of the characters while doing her own thing with them in a modern but classic feeling way.

There’s so much to really pull at in this issue from the Kandor council, Lesla’s struggles, the Goth Club, Kara’s missing so much about her hometown, the incel Howard Pendergast and his turn as the gooey Decay, and more. All of this is packed into a really thickly paced but light issue that moves briskly. It doesn’t feel as if it’s rushing through things.

Once more, I have to also nod my head in acceptance of the thought bubbles. Something about this series and its aesthetic makes the classic tool work.

All of that feeling bleeds into the artwork that Campbell is also delivering. So dense and detailed but light and whimsical, keeping a bit of a sharp edge present with the things going on but never letting go of the more fun appeal of comics. Campbell adds just a bit of soft exaggeration which plays into the overall tone of the series.

This foundation gives Bonvillain such a solid place to begin with the color palette. She lets the colors flow to some vibrant highs and some more natural middle tones. The Goth Club offers a chance to also bring in the darker aspects, from the club appearance to the lighting, while not sacrificing any of the lighter appeal.

Speaking of the club pages, the scenes where the backdrops are mostly black with some lights and obscured figures rocks. This really gives us focus of the characters at the forefront and setting the mood for the whole affair.

Sharpe steps into this issue to help craft and deliver the voices, making everything flow smoothly, including the aforementioned plethora of thought balloons. There are far more of them this time, with both Kara and Lesla sharing their thoughts with the audience.

There are numerous shifts to font, bubbles, and colors utilized as well, giving the words different volumes, tonal ranges, and feelings. One example is the really jagged bubble and fonts when Howard is drunk ranting to the bartender about his nice guy incel syndrome. This guy definitely embodies the grossness of men.

Supergirl #4 is now available from DC Comics.