Don’t Skimp On The Sides — Reviewing ‘Supergirl’ #7

Grab a turkey leg, load up the mashed potatoes, some of that gelled cranberry sauce, and gather around the table. It’s time for the holiday based on being thankful, and the super-friends and family of Kara Danvers have much to celebrate.

It’s a holiday affair, with a little detour, in Supergirl #7 from Sophie Campbell, Tamra Bonvillain, and Becca Carey. The crew who kicked off the series are back together again for this really fun tale featuring friends new and old.

A contingent of moviegoers seemed quite shocked about the wholesome foundation that held the latest Superman movie up. Too many years of films focused more on the big-time action destruction sequences and less on the human element of the characters. I bring this up because it’s something that should be inherent with anyone wearing that House of El crest or resides within the Super family.

Supergirl is a series that gets that, and then some.

Just a truly delightful wholesome series, that still has seriousness baked into the overall recipe. Campbell is a wonderous character writer as well as a plotter, marrying the two together as seamlessly as they should be. She gives us the action but also shows why Kara is really a hero, from her kindness to her ability to even help a foe.

Just like her cousin, she’s a foundation of tenacity and embodies the best that humanity should aspire to.

Intercutting a tale of Kara helping Princess Shark be free and tying that into the overall Thanksgiving portion of the issue was so good. We got all the trappings of Midvale, the Danvers, Karas growing friend group and menagerie, and the overall being Super stuff. This is all contained in one regular sized issue never feeling crowded or rushed. Instead, it actually feels like a denser and thicker issue than the reality of the page count would confirm.

This series has brought in some fabulous tonally perfect artists for the past few issues. That being said, there is something that hits just a bit differently when writer and artist are one and the same, especially when it’s Campbell. This is where she really hammers home the more hopeful whimsical aspects. The artwork is soft and slightly exaggerated with the right bursts of energy at any moment. Kinetic as all get out as the action bursts forward on the page and the emotional energy is tangible in its spot on delivery.

There’s just enough of a rougher texture to play with the serious edge of things as well.

With the colors from Bonvillain, going a bit heavier on the color tones with plenty of darker and more saturated tones help with the aforementioned balancing act going on. It all just right away feels warm and welcoming, like a familiar comfy space, the moment you open the pages.

I especially really like the choices with the backdrops often where there are more filter-style colors that instantly set a mood. Striking luminescent warm yellows in the Danvers home versus the cooler and then darker blues of the undersea areas or the lush greener outside spaces.

All the visuals get to have some fun in appearance, the letters most definitely in that party. Carey is a letterer that I’ve really enjoyed seeing more of the past few years. She really makes the various words and thoughts flow so authentically, emotionally deep, and resounding unique, dropping in modifications here or there to better the power of the various lettered elements found on any given page.

Supergirl #7 is now available from DC Comics.