Supergirl: Being Supergirl is published by DC Comics. It is written by Mariko Tamaki with art by Joelle Jones.
DC has released many titles under their Rebirth line and so far, Supergirl has been one of my favorites. So I was very excited about her receiving another title where we can see life for her early on. Unlike Superman, Kara was not a baby when she landed on Earth. She is technically older than Clark, but due to suspended animation and complications in her trip, she landed on Earth later but still maintained a younger age. Like Clark, she has also landed on a farm with a couple that take her in and decide to raise her, despite not knowing where she comes from. In this debut issue, Kara is just turning 16 and she is dealing with the every day issues of a 16 year old girl. Stating with the worst thing ever – a pimple. I don’t know about you, but I have had some obnoxious pimples in my high school years and Mariko Tamaki really captures the experience well. Friends comment, parents comment, despite life happening all around you – you can’t escape this blemish on your face. Tamaki also writes Kara as a relatable and average student. She isn’t an outcast, she isn’t popular, she isn’t a star athlete, she’s not an academic genius, she’s just a girl. She has 2 close friends and although she possesses super speed, she can’t show it off despite being on the track team. So yeah. She’s 100% normal to everyone around her. Until her body begins to change. And until an Earthquake hits her small town hard.
Pros: Kara is incredibly relatable. Given that she is a crazy, super-powered being like Superman, Mariko Tamaki keeps her as someone you can identify with. That even goes along with the way she and her 2 friends, Jen and Dolly, are drawn. None of the characters are over-sexualized. Dolly, is a lesbian and also non-white. Jen is super tall and a tomboy (I seriously was her in high school). Kara is a petite build, but she fits her body, meaning she doesn’t have huge boobs like Powergirl, and she only wears one outfit that shows her stomach, her track uniform, which other girls wear too. So far, this issue presents Kara as an ideal role model for young women, especially those round high school age. Oh, final prop to Joelle Jones – she has her pimple in EVERY scene until she pops it. Like, holy crap. Such attention to detail! And it makes it more realistic. Because a pimple isn’t just there one moment and then gone.
Cons: I wish we would have seen Kara interact with someone other than her 2 friends and her family. I mean, she talks to her coach a little I guess, but it’s not really a telling conversation. I want to see how is with people she isn’t close to. How does she talk to those random classmates that sit next to her? How do her teachers approach her? She isn’t depicted as a character that just isolates herself in the back of the class and ignores everyone, I want to see all of her. Which can also be viewed as a positive for the way Tamaki is writing her, because she makes me want to know more.
OVERALL SCORE: 9.5 / 10
This issue doesn’t have much action until the end, but it doesn’t need it to keep you reading. I highly recommend picking it up at your local comic store!
Happy reading!
