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Supergirl: Being Super #1-4
Supergirl: Being Super
A Newsweek Best Graphic Novel of the Year!
New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor-winning writer Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Catwoman) combine forces for a coming-of-age tale of Supergirl, presented with new color in an all-new format.
Kara Danvers is super-strong. She can fly. She crash-landed on Earth in a rocket ship. But winning the next track meet, celebrating her sixteenth birthday, and surviving her latest mega-zit are her top concerns. And with the help of her best friends and her kinda-infuriating-but-totally-loving adoptive parents, she just might be able to put her troubling dreams--shattered glimpses of another world--behind her.
That is, until an earthquake shatters her small town of Midvale...and uncovers secrets about her past she thought would always stay buried. The time has come for her to choose: Will she find a way to save her town and be super, or will she crash and burn?
Collects the limited series Supergirl: Being Super #1-4.
New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor-winning writer Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Catwoman) combine forces for a coming-of-age tale of Supergirl, presented with new color in an all-new format.
Kara Danvers is super-strong. She can fly. She crash-landed on Earth in a rocket ship. But winning the next track meet, celebrating her sixteenth birthday, and surviving her latest mega-zit are her top concerns. And with the help of her best friends and her kinda-infuriating-but-totally-loving adoptive parents, she just might be able to put her troubling dreams--shattered glimpses of another world--behind her.
That is, until an earthquake shatters her small town of Midvale...and uncovers secrets about her past she thought would always stay buried. The time has come for her to choose: Will she find a way to save her town and be super, or will she crash and burn?
Collects the limited series Supergirl: Being Super #1-4.
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2018
About the author
Mariko Tamaki
351 books2,134 followersMariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer, playwright, activist and performer. She works and performs with fat activists Pretty Porky and Pissed Off and the theatre troupe TOA, whose recent play, A vs. B, was staged at the 2004 Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her well-received novel, Cover Me (McGilligan Books) was followed by a short fiction collection, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (Women's Press). Mariko's third book, FAKE ID, is due out in spring 2005.
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 428 reviews
March 6, 2023
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Expressively fluid with art (hits the spot), shining in action, though sadness protraction dilutes and belabors the plot.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Chapter One ◦ Chapter Two ◦ Chapter Three ◦ Chapter Four
Notes: Expressively fluid with art (hits the spot), shining in action, though sadness protraction dilutes and belabors the plot.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Chapter One ◦ Chapter Two ◦ Chapter Three ◦ Chapter Four
August 31, 2022
Very readable Elseworlds retelling of Supergirl's origin.
It's not perfect by any means, and there's quite a bit that didn't actually make sense or was left unexplained.
If there is more to this story, then that's ok. However, if this was some limited edition (and I don't see anything else listed) then there are definitely some dangling plot threads.
Why the Superzit? That was just gross.
And it didn't seem to serve any purpose by the end because her issues
I showed up for Jones art initially, but the actual story turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting. I really liked all the characters. And while I thought the Supergirl villain stuff was badly done, I thought the family & friends side of Kara's life was a win.
If there's more to this run, I'd read it.
It's not perfect by any means, and there's quite a bit that didn't actually make sense or was left unexplained.
If there is more to this story, then that's ok. However, if this was some limited edition (and I don't see anything else listed) then there are definitely some dangling plot threads.
Why the Superzit? That was just gross.
And it didn't seem to serve any purpose by the end because her issues
I showed up for Jones art initially, but the actual story turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting. I really liked all the characters. And while I thought the Supergirl villain stuff was badly done, I thought the family & friends side of Kara's life was a win.
If there's more to this run, I'd read it.
June 16, 2018
Mariko Tamaki, author of the much celebrated This One Summer, works with artist Joelle Jones (Lady Killer) to fill out the origin story for Supergirl, something along the lines of American Alien by Max Landis, the aw shucks story of Clark Kent in Kansas. The point of this volume is to show that Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl, is first and foremost a teen girl, living in a Midwestern community, with friends and family and every day challenges. Kara Danvers arrives, as we know, from Krypton, and from the first she has powers, her parents know she has powers, and they try to keep all this secret, but as we also know, she will eventually need to reveal her powers at some point as the need arises. So that happens a few times, but the Danvers family manages—at this point at least—to largely keep Kara’s powers a secret.
This is also (because it is happening in the present moment) an immigrant story; the Danvers couple see a spaceship crash on their land, they find a girl arriving who needs to be protected, and they just accept her and raise her. That’s the point, they are us and she is us (or, just a regular ol' teenaged girl) and we are a heartland people who accept children when they come to this country (yes, that is political commentary here).
Tamaki opens with Kara and her best friends, Dolly and Jen, ready for the fall yearbook picture, stressing about healthy eating, diet, exercise. Her mom and dad are just regular working class folks, Dolly a lesbian of color, Jen like Kara a cis-gendered white girl and a track star. It's the sixteenth anniversary of her coming to Earth, sweet sixteen.
Emotional trauma is the heart of the second and third issues, and this works because great artist Joelle Jones gets to bear the brunt of the communication of the emotions: fewer words, more images, subtle tones, great colors. So the heart of the volume is here, Kara learns from it.
Recovering from the aftermath of the Midvale earthquake and the loss I’m not spelling out, Kara meets another alien from Krypton, named Tan-On (that we are inclined not to like, though he IS cute), and investigates the suspicious behavior of Coach Stone, whom she follows to an underground bunker stamped Lexcorp (gulp!). Nothing really original here, a little disappointing, actually, but the art from Joelle Jones, the color from Kelly Fitzpatrick, the sharp dialogue/writing from Tamaki, Kara’s friend connections, the nice and believable parents, all these elements make it work.
I think the very best thing about this particular series (which may or may not have a second volume) is the remarkable art of Jones, which is awesome, dramatic when it has to be, especially in the flying and other action sequences, and is also controlled and intimate, in the quiet small town friend sequences, when it has to be. The dialogue is not snarky like Papergirls or even Jillian Tamaki's Supermutant Magic Academy, but it is still really good. The writing is on the whole really good, better than Tamaki’s Hulk. It feels fresh, re-invigorating a teen superhero comic with strong (but not infallible, possibly confused) girl energy. Highly recommended.
This is also (because it is happening in the present moment) an immigrant story; the Danvers couple see a spaceship crash on their land, they find a girl arriving who needs to be protected, and they just accept her and raise her. That’s the point, they are us and she is us (or, just a regular ol' teenaged girl) and we are a heartland people who accept children when they come to this country (yes, that is political commentary here).
Tamaki opens with Kara and her best friends, Dolly and Jen, ready for the fall yearbook picture, stressing about healthy eating, diet, exercise. Her mom and dad are just regular working class folks, Dolly a lesbian of color, Jen like Kara a cis-gendered white girl and a track star. It's the sixteenth anniversary of her coming to Earth, sweet sixteen.
Emotional trauma is the heart of the second and third issues, and this works because great artist Joelle Jones gets to bear the brunt of the communication of the emotions: fewer words, more images, subtle tones, great colors. So the heart of the volume is here, Kara learns from it.
Recovering from the aftermath of the Midvale earthquake and the loss I’m not spelling out, Kara meets another alien from Krypton, named Tan-On (that we are inclined not to like, though he IS cute), and investigates the suspicious behavior of Coach Stone, whom she follows to an underground bunker stamped Lexcorp (gulp!). Nothing really original here, a little disappointing, actually, but the art from Joelle Jones, the color from Kelly Fitzpatrick, the sharp dialogue/writing from Tamaki, Kara’s friend connections, the nice and believable parents, all these elements make it work.
I think the very best thing about this particular series (which may or may not have a second volume) is the remarkable art of Jones, which is awesome, dramatic when it has to be, especially in the flying and other action sequences, and is also controlled and intimate, in the quiet small town friend sequences, when it has to be. The dialogue is not snarky like Papergirls or even Jillian Tamaki's Supermutant Magic Academy, but it is still really good. The writing is on the whole really good, better than Tamaki’s Hulk. It feels fresh, re-invigorating a teen superhero comic with strong (but not infallible, possibly confused) girl energy. Highly recommended.
January 19, 2019
Being Super is a kind of Earth One-type origin story for Supergirl that’s basically garbage. I’m not that familiar with the character but I’m not sure her origin, as laid out by Mariko Tamaki, is supposed to be quite so derivative of Superman’s: her Kryptonian pod lands at a farm outside a small American town where the kindly childless couple raise her as their own, doing their best to hide her burgeoning superpowers. Sound familiar? There’s even a page where she lifts up a tractor!
Tamaki is simply an incompetent writer. “Don’t you have to take drugs to be on drugs?” and “The air is, like, vibrating. Extra crisp or something.” are two examples that made me mentally faceplant. Or something. It takes her 130 pages – in a 200 page book! – to come up with a story. Up until then it’s generic teenage drama (Zits! Homework! Junk food! Texting!) with only one scene to break up the tedium where a freak earthquake kills one of Kara’s besties. And the story we’re given is equally generic: evil supervillain wants to kill stuff and superhero gotta stop them!
There’s an awful, unsatisfying non-ending where nothing is resolved – Tamaki spends over a hundred pages on dreary nothing and then fails to do anything with what little story she comes up with about the villain or Lexcorp. No part of this rubbish was the least bit entertaining.
The book would be a total bust if not for Joelle Jones’ art, which is sublime. She’s one of my favourite artists working today with definitely the most evocative facial expressions in the medium, bar none. I was as completely unengaged by the writing as I was transfixed by Jones’ art – the characters’ body language is so perfectly captured, it’s uncanny; I almost expect to see them moving!
I’d nearly say it was worth reading for Joelle Jones’ art alone – and I still think it is if you’re a fan of hers – but, for most readers, the crappy writing and story of Supergirl: Being Super Dull will only bore you to tears!
Tamaki is simply an incompetent writer. “Don’t you have to take drugs to be on drugs?” and “The air is, like, vibrating. Extra crisp or something.” are two examples that made me mentally faceplant. Or something. It takes her 130 pages – in a 200 page book! – to come up with a story. Up until then it’s generic teenage drama (Zits! Homework! Junk food! Texting!) with only one scene to break up the tedium where a freak earthquake kills one of Kara’s besties. And the story we’re given is equally generic: evil supervillain wants to kill stuff and superhero gotta stop them!
There’s an awful, unsatisfying non-ending where nothing is resolved – Tamaki spends over a hundred pages on dreary nothing and then fails to do anything with what little story she comes up with about the villain or Lexcorp. No part of this rubbish was the least bit entertaining.
The book would be a total bust if not for Joelle Jones’ art, which is sublime. She’s one of my favourite artists working today with definitely the most evocative facial expressions in the medium, bar none. I was as completely unengaged by the writing as I was transfixed by Jones’ art – the characters’ body language is so perfectly captured, it’s uncanny; I almost expect to see them moving!
I’d nearly say it was worth reading for Joelle Jones’ art alone – and I still think it is if you’re a fan of hers – but, for most readers, the crappy writing and story of Supergirl: Being Super Dull will only bore you to tears!
October 31, 2018
I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a Supergirl reboot or an Elseworlds tale, but Tamaki jettisons all the nonsense of the most recent Supergirl Rebirth run by Steve Orlando and gives her Superman's basic origin. (She crash lands here at her parents' farm at age 8 and remembers nothing of Krypton.) It works much better than her previous 1,000 times at being retconned. This is very much a coming of age story. Kara's 16, hiding her powers and hanging out with her friends. When she loses someone close to her, she has to deal with that loss. The book is very much about how any teenager feel alienated, even those that are actual aliens. The main thrusts of the book are pretty much straight out of a YA novel. The story with the evil scientists and Lexcorp feel very rushed and tacked on. It feels like it was cobbled together at the last minute (and it probably was when word reached Tamaki that the book was being cancelled). That's a real shame since this is probably the best incarnation of Supergirl I've ever read. Joelle Jones provides her usual kick-ass art. She's adept at handling a big fight scene or 3 friends sitting in a diner booth doing their homework.
October 26, 2017
Finally a Supergirl book I can FULLY recommend. Why is that so hard to find?
Supergirl is a lot about Kara trying to find her place. Nothing new there. The book even opens up with "Where do I start? Oh yeah, same old story." and it knows it can't reinvent the wheel so instead it polishes it and makes a fun as heck read for one of our favorite female badasses! Kara going through learning who she is. Not in the sense of being a alien, which she gathers already. She's trying to find her place among her peers, her family, her purpose.
This is a origin story similar to American Alien. We get to know Kara more than seeing big epic fights with her unstoppable powers. This is about a 16 year old girl (maybe? She's not sure when she landed one earth in earth years) but she's ready to try her best to adjust. When loss and depression hit maybe this teenage girl's super powers won't do her any good.
Good: The art is great. At first I thought the faces looked odd but once I got into the groove loved how everything looked and flow. The scenes in the skies and such are breathtaking. I also thought the dialog, for the most part, was sharp and playful. The banter was current and the characters, especially supporting cast, all did well. I really enjoyed Kara's internal thoughts and hearing how she deals with problems was refreshing.
Bad: The two flaws I saw was sometimes the dialog was pretty bad. It wasn't often but the outburst from Kara's friend could have been written better. Also the pacing is way off. FAR too short. This needed atleast 2-3 more issues to really hit all the right notes.
Overall this is a really enjoyable fun origin story about Kara (more so than "Supergirl") and I'm very much okay with that. I think Mariko is a very solid writer, and she was just a bit rushed in production but I recommend this one to any fans of superhero stories with a lot of heart!
Supergirl is a lot about Kara trying to find her place. Nothing new there. The book even opens up with "Where do I start? Oh yeah, same old story." and it knows it can't reinvent the wheel so instead it polishes it and makes a fun as heck read for one of our favorite female badasses! Kara going through learning who she is. Not in the sense of being a alien, which she gathers already. She's trying to find her place among her peers, her family, her purpose.
This is a origin story similar to American Alien. We get to know Kara more than seeing big epic fights with her unstoppable powers. This is about a 16 year old girl (maybe? She's not sure when she landed one earth in earth years) but she's ready to try her best to adjust. When loss and depression hit maybe this teenage girl's super powers won't do her any good.
Good: The art is great. At first I thought the faces looked odd but once I got into the groove loved how everything looked and flow. The scenes in the skies and such are breathtaking. I also thought the dialog, for the most part, was sharp and playful. The banter was current and the characters, especially supporting cast, all did well. I really enjoyed Kara's internal thoughts and hearing how she deals with problems was refreshing.
Bad: The two flaws I saw was sometimes the dialog was pretty bad. It wasn't often but the outburst from Kara's friend could have been written better. Also the pacing is way off. FAR too short. This needed atleast 2-3 more issues to really hit all the right notes.
Overall this is a really enjoyable fun origin story about Kara (more so than "Supergirl") and I'm very much okay with that. I think Mariko is a very solid writer, and she was just a bit rushed in production but I recommend this one to any fans of superhero stories with a lot of heart!
May 8, 2018
An introduction to Supergirl. Kara is a typical teen girl living a normal life with a couple of best friends and parents who love her. She also has a secret... she has superpowers.
This comic has a good story, interesting characters, and great artwork. A fun and entertaining read, and a nice update to Supergirl.
Supergirl: Being Super contains issues #1-4.
Chapter 1: Where Do I Begin - An introduction to Kara and her family and friends.
Chapter 2: Hold On! - Kara loses someone close to her, plus her powers are acting flaky.
Chapter 3: Who Are You? - Kara meets a fellow Kryptonian.
Chapter 4: Who I Am. - Kara must fight back to save her friend, and herself.
I received a digital copy of this book from DC Comics and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This comic has a good story, interesting characters, and great artwork. A fun and entertaining read, and a nice update to Supergirl.
Supergirl: Being Super contains issues #1-4.
Chapter 1: Where Do I Begin - An introduction to Kara and her family and friends.
Chapter 2: Hold On! - Kara loses someone close to her, plus her powers are acting flaky.
Chapter 3: Who Are You? - Kara meets a fellow Kryptonian.
Chapter 4: Who I Am. - Kara must fight back to save her friend, and herself.
I received a digital copy of this book from DC Comics and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 7, 2018
I didn't have high expectations going in, but this was excellent! I want to know what happens next RIGHT NOW.
May 31, 2018
I've never been a fan of Supergirl - I don't actually like any of the Kryptonians - and yet, I enjoyed this origin story of the usually-bubbly blonde hero.
She's not so bubbly in this one. She's a questioning sixteener, trying to figure out who she is and why her body feels weird and why she's so tired all the time. She has two best friends, loses one because that's how these stories are supposed to go, apparently, and begins to remember everything she'd forgotten in the last eight years.
Standard teen stuff, regardless of which planet you're from.
I am not sure why these people in...Indiana? I think Indiana...don't know who Superman is and I'm not sure why it sounds like he's just arrived on the scene when obviously, LexCorp knows full well who he is and what his powers are, etc. But whatever. I didn't delve too deeply into things because this is Supergirl and I was just happy to not hate the story.
This Tamaki woman may be on to something and I hope she and Jones continue to team up for this series.
She's not so bubbly in this one. She's a questioning sixteener, trying to figure out who she is and why her body feels weird and why she's so tired all the time. She has two best friends, loses one because that's how these stories are supposed to go, apparently, and begins to remember everything she'd forgotten in the last eight years.
Standard teen stuff, regardless of which planet you're from.
I am not sure why these people in...Indiana? I think Indiana...don't know who Superman is and I'm not sure why it sounds like he's just arrived on the scene when obviously, LexCorp knows full well who he is and what his powers are, etc. But whatever. I didn't delve too deeply into things because this is Supergirl and I was just happy to not hate the story.
This Tamaki woman may be on to something and I hope she and Jones continue to team up for this series.
October 31, 2018
Yet another Supergirl reboot disappoints. Super angsty narration attempts to remind us that Kara is just a teenager while the generic comic book plot with a secret underground headquarters/research lab reminds us that we really don't really need this sort of disposable story.
September 24, 2018
I’ve been looking forward to reading this Supergirl reboot for a while now. Mariko Tamaki’s work is always worth reading, or at least that's been my experience. That said, this book is decidedly low key.
Kara Danvers lives quietly in the small town of Midvale. She has powers, super strength, flight, etc. but keeps them under wraps. She really doesn't remember her past much before her arrival on earth. She's essentially got Superman’s origin now. It remains to be seen whether the whole bit with Argo City surviving Krypton’s destruction (for a while) holds true for this version of the character or not. Anyway, her life gets complicated when an earthquake strikes Midvale. It seems that her past refuses to remain buried.
Mostly, this volume is about establishing characters and easing us into this slightly different take on Supergirl. It's at its best with the scenes of everyday teenage life. Kara and her friends seem eminently believable, and it's a delight to read about them.
The major antagonist … meh. Pretty by-the-numbers, really, mostly just a chance for Supergirl to grit her teeth and look determined overcoming them. Of slightly more interest is the shadowy conspiracy that seems to be behind things. How it all plays out and how closely this title will be tied to Superman remains to be seen.
And is it just me, or does that zit scene seem really out of place? It seems to be intended as comedy, but it just comes off as more weird than anything.
All in all, a fun and promising beginning. Recommended!
Kara Danvers lives quietly in the small town of Midvale. She has powers, super strength, flight, etc. but keeps them under wraps. She really doesn't remember her past much before her arrival on earth. She's essentially got Superman’s origin now. It remains to be seen whether the whole bit with Argo City surviving Krypton’s destruction (for a while) holds true for this version of the character or not. Anyway, her life gets complicated when an earthquake strikes Midvale. It seems that her past refuses to remain buried.
Mostly, this volume is about establishing characters and easing us into this slightly different take on Supergirl. It's at its best with the scenes of everyday teenage life. Kara and her friends seem eminently believable, and it's a delight to read about them.
The major antagonist … meh. Pretty by-the-numbers, really, mostly just a chance for Supergirl to grit her teeth and look determined overcoming them. Of slightly more interest is the shadowy conspiracy that seems to be behind things. How it all plays out and how closely this title will be tied to Superman remains to be seen.
And is it just me, or does that zit scene seem really out of place? It seems to be intended as comedy, but it just comes off as more weird than anything.
All in all, a fun and promising beginning. Recommended!
October 9, 2019
Why two stars? The art, mostly, from the characters, to the background, to the colours and covers. The art was the best thing by far. Also I really loved the final page, not the whole ending, just the very last page .
Everything else? Well, let's just say I was not a fan of this story. There was some potential though, if the story was given a couple more of issues. Maybe even three. It kind of felt like the action was starting waaay to late, and it was resolved (it really wasn't) waaaaay to quickly. But the story as a whole doesn't feel rushed, it's just that's so poorly executed, that things started too late and there were only four issues, so the pacing was off and there was a ton that got skipped at the end, robbing the story of possible emotional moments. (A pay off with Kara's parents, for example, was needed in my opinion, and it'd have been so much better than the short conversation with Dolly).
The writing felt off the entire time, a bit cringy and super shallow, and Kara's inner monologues were the foggiest things.
I liked the idea of the supporting characters, but like I said before, I needed more to actually engage with the relationships and the whole story.
I really thought I was gonna like this... but hey, at least the art is pretty.
Everything else? Well, let's just say I was not a fan of this story. There was some potential though, if the story was given a couple more of issues. Maybe even three. It kind of felt like the action was starting waaay to late, and it was resolved (it really wasn't) waaaaay to quickly. But the story as a whole doesn't feel rushed, it's just that's so poorly executed, that things started too late and there were only four issues, so the pacing was off and there was a ton that got skipped at the end, robbing the story of possible emotional moments. (A pay off with Kara's parents, for example, was needed in my opinion, and it'd have been so much better than the short conversation with Dolly).
The writing felt off the entire time, a bit cringy and super shallow, and Kara's inner monologues were the foggiest things.
I liked the idea of the supporting characters, but like I said before, I needed more to actually engage with the relationships and the whole story.
I really thought I was gonna like this... but hey, at least the art is pretty.
August 8, 2018
I really wanted to like this. I love Tamaki’s Hulk book and Joelle Jones’ art is always a gift. However, I just couldn’t connect to anyone in this book.
The tone just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t get attached to Kara’s plight or her grief. The dialogue for the teenagers reminded me of what happens when adults try to write young adult lingo. It’s always just strange to me and never makes much sense. Dolly’s lines like “assprick” and “buttturd” (or something like that) were just odd and took me out of the book.
I couldn’t connect to the attempt to write their response to losing their friend, either. Dolly’s “Don’t die ever, okay?” speech felt stifled and awkward. I’m not far enough from my teenage years for me to think this is odd to me because I’m old. It just didn’t work for me. I can see this worked for other people, though and I’m glad.
There wasn’t enough of the plot with the coach for me to latch onto, either. The only aspect I really connected with was Kara’s relationship with her parents and I wanted more of that.
That being said, I liked that this was a fairly diverse book. I loved he art. Jones’ work was gorgeous as usual.
So, I’m honestly surprised I didn’t like this because I adore Tamaki’s Hulk book. Anyway, onward!
The tone just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t get attached to Kara’s plight or her grief. The dialogue for the teenagers reminded me of what happens when adults try to write young adult lingo. It’s always just strange to me and never makes much sense. Dolly’s lines like “assprick” and “buttturd” (or something like that) were just odd and took me out of the book.
I couldn’t connect to the attempt to write their response to losing their friend, either. Dolly’s “Don’t die ever, okay?” speech felt stifled and awkward. I’m not far enough from my teenage years for me to think this is odd to me because I’m old. It just didn’t work for me. I can see this worked for other people, though and I’m glad.
There wasn’t enough of the plot with the coach for me to latch onto, either. The only aspect I really connected with was Kara’s relationship with her parents and I wanted more of that.
That being said, I liked that this was a fairly diverse book. I loved he art. Jones’ work was gorgeous as usual.
So, I’m honestly surprised I didn’t like this because I adore Tamaki’s Hulk book. Anyway, onward!
August 4, 2018
I thought this was an alternate-universe Supergirl, but by the time I got to the end I decided it was perhaps a rebooted origin story (because it's very much an origin, with a few unresolved plots). But I'm still not sure. DC continuity is soooo horribly broken.
Anywho, this is a nice story. It creates a good supporting cast for the young Kara and acts very much as a coming-of-age story, where the general teenage feelings of alienation are made all the more blatant by the fact that Kara is a literal alien. This book shines the most when it looks into the life of Kara and her friends (and it drags the most when we get multiple pages of superheroic conflict).
I'd definitely read more of this version of the character.
Anywho, this is a nice story. It creates a good supporting cast for the young Kara and acts very much as a coming-of-age story, where the general teenage feelings of alienation are made all the more blatant by the fact that Kara is a literal alien. This book shines the most when it looks into the life of Kara and her friends (and it drags the most when we get multiple pages of superheroic conflict).
I'd definitely read more of this version of the character.
June 30, 2017
Petition for Mariko Tamaki to write all the comics and Joelle Jones to draw all the comics.
Fantastic through and through.
Fantastic through and through.
July 1, 2019
I gotta confess before we begin, while I don’t think it lessens my comic book reading experience or anything (hell, it may arguably enhance it) I can never see a Kryptonian origin story the same way again.
For those of you who don’t know that is the main character from Brightburn (great movie IMO), a horror parody of Man of Steel. Imagine Michael Myers with Superman’s powers and the kills are the kind of gore you’d expect in a Garth Ennis book so I gotta thank the makers of that because now reading this normal Kryptonian origin story, I kept wanting Kara to snap.
Alright, now for the main part of the review.
What’s it about?
In an alternative, modern day retelling of Supergirl’s origin story. She notices weird things happening to her right when she’s turning/turned 16. She then starts having visions about a spaceship, dramatic stuff happens in her life, etc.
Pros:
The story is interesting. It’s a bit different from the origin story we’re used to but not super different. It does a good job of using the modern day setting well.
The art is really good. That is one of the reasons I picked it up, Joelle Jones is a very good artist and this book is no exception.
The characters are interesting. I cared about what happens to them, even those who didn’t have superpowers.
The narrative is well written. Good way to tell the story.
There’s some decent comic relief.
Cons:
There is a lack of action. Only a few short, intense scenes. Maybe it’s because I didn’t expect it but it’s more a coming-of-age drama than a superhero adventure and while I get that, there should be more action in a superhero comic.
This story is very predictable. I could tell the main twists way before they happened.
The characters act younger than they are. It’s not as bad as a lot of books I’ve read but it’s definitely in that category of books that don’t write young characters well (I don’t know why it’s so hard for so many writers to write 12-21 year old characters well).
The dialogue is not good. Like I said, the characters act a bit younger than they are meant to be so that’s a big part of that.
The ending. It’s one of those endings that would be good as an ending to a first volume but sucks as the ending to a miniseries. It even leaves things unfinished.
Overall:
The art, characters and story make this a decent read but it is without a doubt very flawed and I can’t say I’d recommend it or particularly want to read more books like this.
Not bad but not good either sums up my thoughts on this pretty well.
3/5
PS- Yeah, Brightburn’s better.
(Yeah, Kara, fly away with that look of fear on your face. You’re not aggressive enough to win that fight)
For those of you who don’t know that is the main character from Brightburn (great movie IMO), a horror parody of Man of Steel. Imagine Michael Myers with Superman’s powers and the kills are the kind of gore you’d expect in a Garth Ennis book so I gotta thank the makers of that because now reading this normal Kryptonian origin story, I kept wanting Kara to snap.
Alright, now for the main part of the review.
What’s it about?
In an alternative, modern day retelling of Supergirl’s origin story. She notices weird things happening to her right when she’s turning/turned 16. She then starts having visions about a spaceship, dramatic stuff happens in her life, etc.
Pros:
The story is interesting. It’s a bit different from the origin story we’re used to but not super different. It does a good job of using the modern day setting well.
The art is really good. That is one of the reasons I picked it up, Joelle Jones is a very good artist and this book is no exception.
The characters are interesting. I cared about what happens to them, even those who didn’t have superpowers.
The narrative is well written. Good way to tell the story.
There’s some decent comic relief.
Cons:
There is a lack of action. Only a few short, intense scenes. Maybe it’s because I didn’t expect it but it’s more a coming-of-age drama than a superhero adventure and while I get that, there should be more action in a superhero comic.
This story is very predictable. I could tell the main twists way before they happened.
The characters act younger than they are. It’s not as bad as a lot of books I’ve read but it’s definitely in that category of books that don’t write young characters well (I don’t know why it’s so hard for so many writers to write 12-21 year old characters well).
The dialogue is not good. Like I said, the characters act a bit younger than they are meant to be so that’s a big part of that.
The ending. It’s one of those endings that would be good as an ending to a first volume but sucks as the ending to a miniseries. It even leaves things unfinished.
Overall:
The art, characters and story make this a decent read but it is without a doubt very flawed and I can’t say I’d recommend it or particularly want to read more books like this.
Not bad but not good either sums up my thoughts on this pretty well.
3/5
PS- Yeah, Brightburn’s better.
(Yeah, Kara, fly away with that look of fear on your face. You’re not aggressive enough to win that fight)
June 20, 2018
Pretty good! Heard this one was really good, so I ordered the trade as soon as I saw it on the previews and I'm glad I did! So the story is origin story of sorts for Kara, since DC feels the need to reset the origins of Superman related characters every few years. This one has Kara growing up in a small town similar to Smallville as strange things start happening around town and something is effecting Kara's powers.
I enjoyed the story for the most part; coming of age stories always have a warm place with me. This book had a similar vibe to Superman: Earth One, Volume 1 which I really enjoyed (although its not as good, but it's a strong second). But overall I really enjoyed the story, I finished it in almost one sitting, which just shows how easy and enjoyable the writing was for me! The Artwork was also pretty good, not the best but I felt it suited the story well.
Only negative I can really say is the book does tend to lean more towards the teenage girl crowd and not hopeless nerds like me Lol But I was still able to enjoy it quite a bit!
I enjoyed the story for the most part; coming of age stories always have a warm place with me. This book had a similar vibe to Superman: Earth One, Volume 1 which I really enjoyed (although its not as good, but it's a strong second). But overall I really enjoyed the story, I finished it in almost one sitting, which just shows how easy and enjoyable the writing was for me! The Artwork was also pretty good, not the best but I felt it suited the story well.
Only negative I can really say is the book does tend to lean more towards the teenage girl crowd and not hopeless nerds like me Lol But I was still able to enjoy it quite a bit!
May 30, 2018
Although the character has been around for six decades in comics and other media, the mainstream became very aware of who Kara Zor-El was in TV’s Supergirl, which first aired in 2015. The show took its time to find its footing, but has managed to give the superheroine her own identity that doesn’t have to associate with her more popular cousin, something that Mariko Tamaki and Joëlle Jones have taken to heart when creating Supergirl: Being Super, their four-issue miniseries from last year which is finally released as a graphic novel.
Please click here for my full review.
Please click here for my full review.
July 30, 2017
Supergirl Earth One.
World: Fantastic art that's expressive and full of character. This is a character story and the art really helped bring the emotions to the reader. The world building is also fantastic. Being non canon the creative team had a lot more leeway to play with this world and it's similar and different enough to be it's own thing. Solid.
Story: Fantastic 2/3 of the way and a weak final act. That being said this is a really well written story and the tone and character personal voices were fantastic. The origin we get here for Kara is fresh and different and the focus on her personal emotional discovery is great. I don't want to say more but it's a great read and a great character book. The third act when the superhero aspects come into play a bit rushed and though it's still good was a bit jarring from the intimate character drama we got before. It's still very so good.
Characters: The heart of this story and Kara is the center. Kara is complex, real, empathetic and full of personality, all these thought bubbles gave her a very distinct personal voice. The friends and people she is surrounded with is also well done and fully formed. The emotions were real and the people were real making this fantastical tale grounded.
This should have been called Supergirl Earth One and I absolutely want a sequel.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
World: Fantastic art that's expressive and full of character. This is a character story and the art really helped bring the emotions to the reader. The world building is also fantastic. Being non canon the creative team had a lot more leeway to play with this world and it's similar and different enough to be it's own thing. Solid.
Story: Fantastic 2/3 of the way and a weak final act. That being said this is a really well written story and the tone and character personal voices were fantastic. The origin we get here for Kara is fresh and different and the focus on her personal emotional discovery is great. I don't want to say more but it's a great read and a great character book. The third act when the superhero aspects come into play a bit rushed and though it's still good was a bit jarring from the intimate character drama we got before. It's still very so good.
Characters: The heart of this story and Kara is the center. Kara is complex, real, empathetic and full of personality, all these thought bubbles gave her a very distinct personal voice. The friends and people she is surrounded with is also well done and fully formed. The emotions were real and the people were real making this fantastical tale grounded.
This should have been called Supergirl Earth One and I absolutely want a sequel.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
February 21, 2021
Fine work! Gorgeous, detailed, warm-hearted pencils (finally, a comics artist who can draw people of different weights and heights and colors and have it feel so lifelike and effortless and kind) and lovely color and excellent framing. A+++ Skilled character development, soothing pacing, TIME SPENT ON GRIEF AND GRIEVING. Interesting story with just enough punching and superheroing. Sure, a bit more time could have been spent on the baddie so she wasn’t reduced to the ‘but it’s doing bad stuff for the good of humanity’ trope but, whatevs. Good enuf. And there's more than one baddie. And Kara has a very believable set of parents, and sensible reasons for doing what she does. I mean what??! To think I never would have read this comic --cause I have read more than enough stories about skinny blonde white girls, barring anything else being available to me-- if not for my partner, who doesn't hold the same burning spite for Superman and his kin that I experience whenever faced with that character set. Why am I giving this book four stars it deserves five.
April 8, 2018
The original Supergirl was invented in the early 60s. It was still the time of silly, light stories, and her stories, set in an orphanage were light humor, and odd adventures, such as her dressing up like a fairy godmother to entertain kids, or her boring a hole through the earth so people could look through it and see the leaning tower of Pisa.
I grew up on this Supergirl, and though that it was odd that she would have to be reinvented. But in looking at the old stories, though I loved them as a kid, they seemed odd, a time of orphanages, and having to be perform to be adopted seemed much older than the 60s, more like something out of an Little Orphan Annie musical.
So, I shouldn't have been too surprised that someone has decided that she needs to be updated. Because, she does. And though I love the CW TV version of her, I find this retelling to be well written, interesting, and well rounded.
The basic facts are still the same. She is still Kara from Kyrpton, and her parents put her on a ship to escape when she was a young child. Only in this version, she isn't discovered by Superman, but by a rural couple, and raised by them, rather the way Superman was, if his parents had not trusted the government.
Like the Superboy of old, this Supergirl has to hide her powers from everyone but her family. She has to hold back in sports. And this works, as she grows up to have good friends, and a good life.
Of course, something has to happen to make her become a hero, and something does happen, but that is the story you have to read.
The pacing was good. The friends of Supergirl seemed fully formed. She has a lesbian best friend, and it is just part of the story.
This first collection of the first four books of the series held my attention, was fun to read, and makes me wonder if they will continue the series from here, now that they have established her as a character.
I would recommend this to people who remember the original Supergirl and what to see a well done retelling, as well as people who have never heard of Superman's cousin, and wonder what all the fuss is about.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest reivew.
I grew up on this Supergirl, and though that it was odd that she would have to be reinvented. But in looking at the old stories, though I loved them as a kid, they seemed odd, a time of orphanages, and having to be perform to be adopted seemed much older than the 60s, more like something out of an Little Orphan Annie musical.
So, I shouldn't have been too surprised that someone has decided that she needs to be updated. Because, she does. And though I love the CW TV version of her, I find this retelling to be well written, interesting, and well rounded.
The basic facts are still the same. She is still Kara from Kyrpton, and her parents put her on a ship to escape when she was a young child. Only in this version, she isn't discovered by Superman, but by a rural couple, and raised by them, rather the way Superman was, if his parents had not trusted the government.
Like the Superboy of old, this Supergirl has to hide her powers from everyone but her family. She has to hold back in sports. And this works, as she grows up to have good friends, and a good life.
Of course, something has to happen to make her become a hero, and something does happen, but that is the story you have to read.
The pacing was good. The friends of Supergirl seemed fully formed. She has a lesbian best friend, and it is just part of the story.
This first collection of the first four books of the series held my attention, was fun to read, and makes me wonder if they will continue the series from here, now that they have established her as a character.
I would recommend this to people who remember the original Supergirl and what to see a well done retelling, as well as people who have never heard of Superman's cousin, and wonder what all the fuss is about.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest reivew.
July 31, 2019
Supergirl was always a favorite of mine. It might be nostalgia: when I watched the shitty 1984 movie with my dad, I was too young to know it was shitty; I just wanted to be as kick-ass as Supergirl. I even manage to enjoy Melissa Benoist's interpretation for the silly Arrowverse TV show. So when I saw that my favorite Kryptonian had been drawn by my favorite graphic novel artist? I needed it.
I don't think anyone reinvents the wheels with DC superhero comics anymore, and I don't expect that. All I want is to have fun and enjoy the artwork, and "Supergirl: Being Super" perfectly fit the bill.
Kara Danvers is a normal Midwestern teenage girl: close to her lovely friends Dolly and Jen, concerned with the upcoming track team meet and annoyed with the nasty zit that's growing on her chin. But she also has a secret no other teenage girl has: a talent for heavy-lifting and a pod, now hidden in her parents' barn, which she crash-landed in when she was a little girl... After a devastating lost, Kara's unusual abilities begin to act up and while trying to understand what's happening to her, she uncovers a rather sinister situation.
As coming of age stories, this is pretty classic, but the dialogue is grounded, fresh and fun. Joelle Jones' art is, as usual, gorgeous, dynamic and express the characters' emotions beautifully. I loved the final resolution, and dearly hope that they continue that series.
4 and a half stars.
I got my copy at the amazing Gutter Pop Comics in Buffalo (https://www.facebook.com/gutterpopcom... if you are ever in the area, go say hello! They are the awesomest nerds!
I don't think anyone reinvents the wheels with DC superhero comics anymore, and I don't expect that. All I want is to have fun and enjoy the artwork, and "Supergirl: Being Super" perfectly fit the bill.
Kara Danvers is a normal Midwestern teenage girl: close to her lovely friends Dolly and Jen, concerned with the upcoming track team meet and annoyed with the nasty zit that's growing on her chin. But she also has a secret no other teenage girl has: a talent for heavy-lifting and a pod, now hidden in her parents' barn, which she crash-landed in when she was a little girl... After a devastating lost, Kara's unusual abilities begin to act up and while trying to understand what's happening to her, she uncovers a rather sinister situation.
As coming of age stories, this is pretty classic, but the dialogue is grounded, fresh and fun. Joelle Jones' art is, as usual, gorgeous, dynamic and express the characters' emotions beautifully. I loved the final resolution, and dearly hope that they continue that series.
4 and a half stars.
I got my copy at the amazing Gutter Pop Comics in Buffalo (https://www.facebook.com/gutterpopcom... if you are ever in the area, go say hello! They are the awesomest nerds!
October 24, 2018
Honestly this is one of the only Supergirl comics that have actually liked. I have to hand it to Mariko Tamaki for not letting me down. I have loved her writing for other graphic novels/ comics and she really showed her talent by making a boring character so multidimensional.
January 11, 2022
65% | B- | Great
"You'll have to get through me first"
At its core, this is a Supergirl origin story which documents the struggles of growing up and discovering who you are. Kara is likeable, and Tamaki manages to make her extremely relatable by giving the superhero human struggles which most people have experienced growing up. Unfortunately, Kara's friends are not likeable, stemming to the point of being down-right annoying at times. I would be willing to look past this as they are side characters, but their interactions with Kara feel awkwardly penned and there is no chemistry between them, making the ultimate feel unearned from the readers point of view. The villain doesn't have a very menacing presence, but they do serve to show Kara's power growth and trigger her memories. Honestly, I was on the edge of giving this 3 stars, but the awesome art and my biased love for Kara Danvers admittedly bumped this up to a perhaps undeserving 4.
"You'll have to get through me first"
After an earthquake rips through Midvale, Kara is left to reflect not only on her abilities, but also her origin as her powers continue to grow and she has to make a choice between aligning herself with Earth or Krypton
At its core, this is a Supergirl origin story which documents the struggles of growing up and discovering who you are. Kara is likeable, and Tamaki manages to make her extremely relatable by giving the superhero human struggles which most people have experienced growing up. Unfortunately, Kara's friends are not likeable, stemming to the point of being down-right annoying at times. I would be willing to look past this as they are side characters, but their interactions with Kara feel awkwardly penned and there is no chemistry between them, making the ultimate feel unearned from the readers point of view. The villain doesn't have a very menacing presence, but they do serve to show Kara's power growth and trigger her memories. Honestly, I was on the edge of giving this 3 stars, but the awesome art and my biased love for Kara Danvers admittedly bumped this up to a perhaps undeserving 4.
June 23, 2018
Die beste Supergirl-Origin-Geschichte aller Zeiten! Wir erleben Kara als Teenager, der sich fremd in seiner Umgebung (=auf der Erde) fühlt, was für Teenager nichts ungewöhnliches ist; nur das Kara eben tatsächlich fremd ist, weil sie von Krypton kommt, also ein waschechter Alien ist.
Die Superkräfte spielen keine herausragende Rolle in diesem Auftaktband, es geht um Freundschaft, Umgehen mit Verlusten, seinen eigenen Weg gehen, kurzum: es geht ums Erwachsenwerden.
Die Geschichte ist sehr emotional und sympathisch erzählt und die wunderbare Artwork von Joelle Jones passt perfekt dazu.
Aus dem Leben eines normalen Teenagers …
naja, nicht wirklich:
January 13, 2021
One of the best Supergirl comics out there, 3+/5
Unfortunately, even this one, drops the ball @ the second half...
The first half is very strong, because Tamaki is a master in YA/Slice of life stories.
Art is wonderful.
Unfortunately, even this one, drops the ball @ the second half...
The first half is very strong, because Tamaki is a master in YA/Slice of life stories.
Art is wonderful.
June 9, 2018
I never liked Supergirl.
Not before 'Supergirl: Being Super', anyway. I always saw her as nothing more than Superman's distaff counterpart - young, pretty, blonde, something for heterosexual Superman fanboys to ogle at while the power fantasy they can imagine themselves as was being realized (what some of them take away from the Man of Tomorrow. I know there is much more to him than that, as a character and a symbol. Still not a fan). At least Batgirl has the dominant characteristic of being smart and computer-savvy, and she has undergone various changes, identities, revamps, remodeling, and interpretations since her creation. Supergirl/Kara is... young, uncertain, a typical teenager, a sexualized underaged girl, an unintentional poster child for eating disorders, a petite DC heroine constantly living in her cousin's ginormous Holy Trinity shadow, and a weak link who is always male-dependent, taken advantage of, depowered, turned evil, and killed in storylines. Woman in Refrigerator applies to her in magnitudes. I maintain that 'Supergirl Vol. 1: The Girl of Steel' is one of the worst comics I've ever read - and that was meant to entice new readers to the character, and attract fans of the CBS show, which I like okay. Other than that, Supergirl never worked for me.
Until now. After waiting nearly a year for 'Supergirl: Being Super' to be published in trade in my country, my hopes were not to be dashed. I'm glad I gave this superheroine another chance.
Written and drawn by the female team Mariko Tamaki and Joëlle Jones, 'Supergirl: Being Super' is a sweet, heartfelt, wonderfully-realized coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who can fly and possesses super strength and speed. This origin - which manages to be unique among hundreds of others about Supergirl over the years - has her not really remember her time on Krypton before it blew up when she was a child, nor does she remember that she is an alien. She does not yet know of Superman's existence, much less her connection to him. This works on a myriad of levels to her story's advantage.
Kara Danvers is confused, but assertive and proactive. She philosophizes about beginnings and what they mean to different people. Other than at birth, when does one's life begin? No, this blonde, relatively-sheltered girl is not Rapunzel.
'Being Super' is about Kara finding herself, wondering who she really is and why she is the way she is - and what her destiny could be. What is her purpose in this "ordinary" world, as an extraordinary girl?
So she is like any other teenager.
She also gets literally explosive zits. No blood splatter since this is for a relatively young audience.
Kara lives and works on a farm, where there is plenty to lift and plenty of land to go running and jumping in. Aside from her adoptive parents, the other two people who form the backbone of her life are Dolly, a plump, queer POC, and Jen, an aspiring athlete and health geek, her best friends from school. They are lovely, distinct, and they leap off the pages, as Kara can leap off her roof and fly into the air, contemplating the universe. Female friendships are the central focus of 'Supergirl: Being Super', and it is beautiful to see in a modern superheroine comic, especially from DC.
Kara's parents do not allow her to reveal her secrets - how she was found in a space pod on the farm eight years ago, and the nature of her powers, which are a mystery even to her - to anyone, not even to Dolly and Jen. Issues of trust, love and loyalty are among the major themes of the book.
Tamaki is a fantastic writer - she knows all about human emotions and struggles, troubled thoughts and anxieties, plus the need for support from other people. These apply to none-human characters as well. The plot is written to explore the stages of adolescence; of discovering what the real world is like. There is angst, but it is sophisticated, all-encompassing angst. It is executed with the care and craft of a seasoned storyteller, who is serious about characters most of all.
There are lessons included here for the teenage demographic, such as: Dealing with loss and grief; even a superpowered being can't save everyone; no one is immune to tragedy; dealing with guilt; being there for your friends; listening to and loving your kind, caring parents who have sacrificed everything for you; anti-war; anti-greed and hunger for power over disadvantaged and innocent foreigners; anti-revenge; moving on in life; never running away with a strange boy just because he is handsome and has a tragic past. The usual good stuff.
I wasn't sure about the artwork at first - with the lines and pockmarks on the characters' skin, also Kara is still super-skinny; all elbows and pencil waist (lucky for that super-metabolism!) - but it grew on me. It is colourful and vibrant, as a comic about the Girl of Steel should be.
And this comic is definitely about her. 'Supergirl: Being Super' is fun and super-moving, a fresh new treat for both old and new fans. Supergirl receives as much respect as Superman does.
Being super - what does that mean? Being good with your powers and gifts? Saving lives? Being a good friend? Being good for your family? For the world? It can mean a great many things.
Kara Danvers - not quite Supergirl yet - like all teens, is still trying to figure it out.
Final Score: 5/5
Not before 'Supergirl: Being Super', anyway. I always saw her as nothing more than Superman's distaff counterpart - young, pretty, blonde, something for heterosexual Superman fanboys to ogle at while the power fantasy they can imagine themselves as was being realized (what some of them take away from the Man of Tomorrow. I know there is much more to him than that, as a character and a symbol. Still not a fan). At least Batgirl has the dominant characteristic of being smart and computer-savvy, and she has undergone various changes, identities, revamps, remodeling, and interpretations since her creation. Supergirl/Kara is... young, uncertain, a typical teenager, a sexualized underaged girl, an unintentional poster child for eating disorders, a petite DC heroine constantly living in her cousin's ginormous Holy Trinity shadow, and a weak link who is always male-dependent, taken advantage of, depowered, turned evil, and killed in storylines. Woman in Refrigerator applies to her in magnitudes. I maintain that 'Supergirl Vol. 1: The Girl of Steel' is one of the worst comics I've ever read - and that was meant to entice new readers to the character, and attract fans of the CBS show, which I like okay. Other than that, Supergirl never worked for me.
Until now. After waiting nearly a year for 'Supergirl: Being Super' to be published in trade in my country, my hopes were not to be dashed. I'm glad I gave this superheroine another chance.
Written and drawn by the female team Mariko Tamaki and Joëlle Jones, 'Supergirl: Being Super' is a sweet, heartfelt, wonderfully-realized coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who can fly and possesses super strength and speed. This origin - which manages to be unique among hundreds of others about Supergirl over the years - has her not really remember her time on Krypton before it blew up when she was a child, nor does she remember that she is an alien. She does not yet know of Superman's existence, much less her connection to him. This works on a myriad of levels to her story's advantage.
Kara Danvers is confused, but assertive and proactive. She philosophizes about beginnings and what they mean to different people. Other than at birth, when does one's life begin? No, this blonde, relatively-sheltered girl is not Rapunzel.
'Being Super' is about Kara finding herself, wondering who she really is and why she is the way she is - and what her destiny could be. What is her purpose in this "ordinary" world, as an extraordinary girl?
So she is like any other teenager.
She also gets literally explosive zits. No blood splatter since this is for a relatively young audience.
Kara lives and works on a farm, where there is plenty to lift and plenty of land to go running and jumping in. Aside from her adoptive parents, the other two people who form the backbone of her life are Dolly, a plump, queer POC, and Jen, an aspiring athlete and health geek, her best friends from school. They are lovely, distinct, and they leap off the pages, as Kara can leap off her roof and fly into the air, contemplating the universe. Female friendships are the central focus of 'Supergirl: Being Super', and it is beautiful to see in a modern superheroine comic, especially from DC.
Kara's parents do not allow her to reveal her secrets - how she was found in a space pod on the farm eight years ago, and the nature of her powers, which are a mystery even to her - to anyone, not even to Dolly and Jen. Issues of trust, love and loyalty are among the major themes of the book.
Tamaki is a fantastic writer - she knows all about human emotions and struggles, troubled thoughts and anxieties, plus the need for support from other people. These apply to none-human characters as well. The plot is written to explore the stages of adolescence; of discovering what the real world is like. There is angst, but it is sophisticated, all-encompassing angst. It is executed with the care and craft of a seasoned storyteller, who is serious about characters most of all.
There are lessons included here for the teenage demographic, such as: Dealing with loss and grief; even a superpowered being can't save everyone; no one is immune to tragedy; dealing with guilt; being there for your friends; listening to and loving your kind, caring parents who have sacrificed everything for you; anti-war; anti-greed and hunger for power over disadvantaged and innocent foreigners; anti-revenge; moving on in life; never running away with a strange boy just because he is handsome and has a tragic past. The usual good stuff.
I wasn't sure about the artwork at first - with the lines and pockmarks on the characters' skin, also Kara is still super-skinny; all elbows and pencil waist (lucky for that super-metabolism!) - but it grew on me. It is colourful and vibrant, as a comic about the Girl of Steel should be.
And this comic is definitely about her. 'Supergirl: Being Super' is fun and super-moving, a fresh new treat for both old and new fans. Supergirl receives as much respect as Superman does.
Being super - what does that mean? Being good with your powers and gifts? Saving lives? Being a good friend? Being good for your family? For the world? It can mean a great many things.
Kara Danvers - not quite Supergirl yet - like all teens, is still trying to figure it out.
Final Score: 5/5
May 24, 2022
A Supergirl é uma daquelas personagens que toda hora que uma equipe criativa chega nela, precisa refazer a sua origem, de tão convoluta que é sua história e a sua popularidade. Para o selo DC Teens, Mariko Tamaki e Joelle Jones fazem isso novamente, recontando a origem de Kara Zor-El para uma nova geração, mas dessa vez com o intutito de atingir um público diferente, o que é louvável. Temos aqui Kara e suas amigas lidando com problemas adolescentes de identidade e pertencimento, enquanto a protagonista busca entender mais sobre seu passado. Nesse caso a "nova origem" de Kara lembra bastante o seriado Smallville, tendo também Lex Luthor e a LexCorp como antagonistas, que realizam experiências em kryptonianos. Contudo, é nesse qusito que Tamaki esbarra num problema, trazendo à baila um kryptoniano que não faz parte da mitologia dos El. Os desenhos de Jones são magníficos como sempre, emprestando uma dimensão narrativa impressionante para a HQ. Esse é um dos volumes com mais páginas do selo DC Teens, mas nem por isso sua narrativa é pesada. Ela é leve, rápida de ler e fácil de acompanhar.
April 14, 2022
To była świetna rozrywka i, zadziwiająco, nostalgiczna i uspokajająca historia. Powrót do komiksów jest dla mnie powrotem do początków mojego czytania, a Supergirl to dla mnie świeży temat.
Ogromnie doceniam queerową reprezentację, pokazanie różnych typów ciał, ludzi etc. oraz humor połączony z normalizacją. Poza tym ojciec - fan teorii spisowych to tak zabawny wątek poboczny!!!
Więcej jeszcze będę pisała na Instagramie
TW eksperymenty na ludziach, tortury, żałoba, śmierć bliskiej osoby, gore
Ogromnie doceniam queerową reprezentację, pokazanie różnych typów ciał, ludzi etc. oraz humor połączony z normalizacją. Poza tym ojciec - fan teorii spisowych to tak zabawny wątek poboczny!!!
Więcej jeszcze będę pisała na Instagramie
TW eksperymenty na ludziach, tortury, żałoba, śmierć bliskiej osoby, gore
August 26, 2020
Zupełnie inne niż można się spodziewać po originie Kary i w sumie dobrze. I nawet lgbtq reprezentacja! Nie wiem, czy istnieje jakaś kontynuacja tej historii, bo mogłaby jak najbardziej i z chęcią bym przeczytała. A na końcu są jeszcze te wspaniałe niewykorzystane szkice Wady z nowym strojem Kary! Taka niespodzianka.
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