Reviewer: Ben Morse
Story Title: The Supergirl From Krypton pt. 1: Alone
Written by: Jeph Loeb
Penciled by: Michael Turner
Inked by: Michael Turner
Colored by: Peter Steigerwald
Lettered by: Richard Starkings
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics
Superman/Batman is a book I let get away with a lot. A hundred guest stars an issue, two hundred villains, implausible situations, even more outlandish solutions; this is all stuff I’ll wave a red flag on in most other books, but not in Superman/Batman. The simple reason is that this is a book about the two biggest icons in the history of comic books; if the writer gets the character of Superman and the character of Batman and how they relate to one another, that third element is so big that it gives a free pass to pretty much anything else that goes on. Guest stars couldn’t steal the spotlight from Superman and Batman done the right way if they tried, five hundred villains could still realistically be not enough to get the job done, and no problem or solution is too fantastic. If any writer has nailed the World’s Finest and how they get along perfectly in the last couple decades best, for my money it’s Jeph Loeb. This issue goes another step towards proving that.
This is only part one of the “Supergirl From Krypton†storyline, so there are a lot of twists and turns, no doubt, ahead before any of us can pass final judgment on whether or not Loeb has done a yeoman’s job of introducing yet another Supergirl into DC continuity, but this issue was a good start. The way that the not-yet-Supergirl arrives, her initial encounters with a new planet and unfamiliar elements, the way she reacts to powers she’s obviously never dreamt of, Loeb did all of this perfectly; the new Supergirl is charming and sympathetic without ever saying a word (in any language the reader would understand).
Though Batman takes center stage for most of the action, Superman really shines in the narrative. It’s not always easy to garner reader sympathy for a character who seemingly has it all, and writers of Superman seeking to do so must tread lightly when using the “well, but his entire planet and all his people did blow up†card, but Loeb weaves it masterfully. The dialogue in the first few pages between Superman and Batman borders on “ok, what are they married?†levels at times, but I found it more amusing than annoying. The last page will either bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye.
I’ve gone this far and I haven’t mentioned the art, which amazes me. This is my first actual encounter with the work of this Michael Turner fellow and good lord if he can’t get it done. It’s as if somebody took the best elements of Todd MacFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Lee from ten years ago, threw out all the bad and jammed them together. Turner is a meticulous and brilliant storyteller, masterfully using the smallest line or dot to tell his tale. And yes, he draws a gorgeous female form. But Turner’s Supergirl is not the generic sexpot of the Image heyday or the cutesy pre-Crisis darling, she’s a legitimately beautiful teenage girl who doesn’t look any older than she should but still makes your jaw drop. His Batman is mysterious and downright cool, his Superman is iconic yet sleek and modern.
In this title, average stories are still good and good stories are great; so far, “Supergirl From Krypton†looks to be the latter and then some.
