A Mighty Good Time — Reviewing ‘Summer Of Supergirl Special’ #1

Hitting the big screen this summer, after a prior cameo, means that Supergirl is getting a lot of deserved attention. That includes within the medium which spawned her birth in the first place, comic books.

As the “Summer of Supergirl” catches fire, DC Comics is jumping on board with Summer of Supergirl Special #1, featuring multiple stories featuring the Maiden of Might herself, beginning with a story from current Supergirl series writer Sophie Campbell joined by Belén Ortega, Triona Farrell, and Becca Carey. Additionally the special features a Mary Marvel team-up from Gail Simone, Emma Kubert, Sandra Hope, Trish Mulvihill, and Ariana Maher as well as an origins style look back from Mark Waid, Cian Tormey, Alex Guimarães, and Steve Wands.

The current run on Supergirl is very fun, wholesome, classic yet modern feeling, and emotionally dense. We get a good sense of that within this first part of the special, as it picks up on events from the new Lobo series, with Supergirl, Lobo, Princess Shark, Krypto, and Dawg on trial for their battle in that series. Campbell sells how good Kara is as a character with how she stands up for the truth and also for Lobo getting actual help.

Plenty of beyond solid humor fills the pages, from the different flashback story telling moments, to everything that goes down with their return to Midvale on Earth. It celebrates the character and her brightness and strength, especially in the face of someone that is a complete opposite to her in so many ways.

Matching that beat for beat is Ortega, with such striking artwork. It feels dense and deep while also very light and fluid at the same time. Kinetic energy is a must for this character and story and Ortega delivers there for sure. Paneling has a good sense of flow and adds to the overall effect with how much it shifts and changes depending on the situational need. There is a heavier feeling to the colors that Farrell adds to the imagery, giving everything a more natural and familiar tonal range.

Just enough vibrancy is added to give the costumes, powers, and other fantastical things their flowers in the moment. She balances the light and the dark masterfully across the whole of the story, and everywhere else I’ve come across her coloring. Characters emotions are given more power through the lettering done by Supergirl series regular Carey, who knows the voices of these characters quite well. Adding enough flair to give some of them uniquer appearances to their words.

Speaking of classic feelings, that is what the second story is meant to evoke. It opens with reference to being “a beautiful yesterday.” I will say it does feel more like an old comic at various points of the story, so Simone is handling that part well. As a story it was a bit too classic in its execution and over explanation for me, but still hit the mark with some of the more emotional and connective beats. It features some of the more shruggable issues that I’ve come to find with Simone’s more modern work compared to her classic works.

Again, the artwork fits what the story is asking for. Kubert gives things a more timeless feel and really leans into the boldness of the past, especially with Hope’s inks that give it that right hefty push of density. Similarly, Mulvhill’s colors are very light and bold through and through, as the vibrant flashy colors evoke that old school superhero excitement. Maher doesn’t have as much space to go innovative with the lettering as usual, but keeps doing the good work of creating authentic and emotional voices.

Last, but certainly not least, is the aforementioned sort of origins story. Waid is the master of being able to write stories that evoke classic and modern sensibilities at the same time. Makes sense then for him to tackle a story such as “Who Is Supergirl?” and answer that question. Which is funny since he did similar with the recent New History Of The DC Universe specials, which I found dry as a textbook reading.

Here though we get a different approach with Superboy Conner Kent, Superman Jon Kent, and Steel Natasha Irons going through the files of Supergirl on the watchtower. They are cleaning up files after a previous computer infestation, and become confused by those of Supergirl, which gives us a different walk down memory lane. It’s a fun way to dive into the character and the various changes that came from the different eras of comics, with a fun group of characters. Waid makes it work, giving the characters some great back and forth between the dumps of information.

The way that Batman and Martian Manhunter, alongside the other three, speak about Kara as a light and hero is great.

The contextualization of classic stories into something we can reckon with today is done well. Like how Superman dumping Kara at an orphanage gets a lot of expansion here to deal with her survivor’s guilt and loss of her family and life twice. Speaking about how she chose her family rather than be assigned one, and it really adds to the character history.

I quite enjoy the artwork of Tormey. It’s very modern in a lot of ways and fits the superhero esthetic, with just a touch of timelessness baked into things — slick, smooth, and slightly whimsical on top of it’s very focused aesthetic. It pairs very well with the coloring from Guimarães, who goes for a more light approach. It’s fitting since most of this takes place in the very white and gray Watchtower setting, allowing the flashbacks on the screens and the costumes in reality take up most of the flashier colors from the palette wheel.

Wands has a lot of exposition to deliver, and does it well. Very spaced out, with a solid flow through the story. Punching up the dialogue of the actual characters with the right modifiers and emotional weight to stand alongside the computer reading off a history entry.

Summer Of Supergirl Special #1 is now available from DC Comics.