Kara Zor-El, Super Teen- A Review of Supergirl: Being Super

Written by: Mariko Tamaki
Artwork by: Joelle Jones
Genre: YA Superhero Graphic Novel
Pages: 200 (Trade Paperback)
Publisher: DC Comics

Why I Chose It: I’m a big fan of Kara Zor-El and wanted to see how writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Joelle Jones handled her origin story.

The Premise:

Caldecott Honor and Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer) combine forces for this incredible coming-of-age tale! This is the Girl of Steel as you’ve never seen her before.

She’s super-strong. She can fly. She crash-landed on Earth in a rocket ship. But for Kara Danvers, winning the next track meet, celebrating her 16th 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.

Until an earthquake shatters her small town of Midvale…and uncovers secrets about her past she thought would always stay buried.

Now Kara’s incredible powers are kicking into high gear, and people she trusted are revealing creepy ulterior motives. The time has come for her to choose between the world where she was born and the only world she’s ever known. 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.

Vague spoilers in the fifth and sixth paragraph

Discussion: When it comes to Supergirl, I can’t help but feel that she often gets the short end of the stick. I’ve been disappointed with both her New 52 and Rebirth comics. Even the Supergirl television show, which I am a fan of, had a bit of an uneven third season. But if there’s anything that titles like DC Bombshells -and now Supergirl: Being Super– show us, is that sometimes to get a good Kara Zor-El story, you just need to wander off the beaten path.

Supergirl: Being Super is a stand-alone graphic novel that retells the origin story of the last daughter of Krypton. After being found in a small space craft (or “pod”), emblazoned with a mysterious “S” symbol, she is adopted by Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers, who manage to keep her high-flying powers a secret. That is, until tragedy strikes her home town, forcing her to dig into her past, and rediscover her Kryptonian identity.

The first thing that drew me to this title is the talent behind it. I greatly admire artist Joelle Jones, thanks to her work on Lady Killer, a glorious mixture of bloody violence, 60s fashion and flawed characters. This, as you can easily see, is a bit different from the modern day Supergirl: Being Super, which is aimed at a young adult audience. Fortunately, this is a jump Jones handles quite effortlessly. I love how she made Kara and her friends looked appropriately teenager-y. Each has a distinct body shape, and style of dress that suits their personalities, making them visually interesting without needlessly sexualizing them. Jones also handles the comics more intense moments really well. Kara really gets put through the wringer, and her range of emotions -from stunned shock, to quiet grief- are portrayed so well, helping the audience further connect with the character.

Writer Mariko Tamaki is another creator of note. She’s best known for more realistic graphic novels like This One Summer, and Skim, on top of writing for She-Hulk. I suspect Tamaki’s strong background in young adult literature is why Kara’s adolescent state is so well handled, and the chemistry and conversations between her and her friends and family feel natural and organic. There are times when I almost forget that I was reading a superhero comic, and not just a story about a super-powered girl trying to find her place.

Admittedly, when it did move into the more straightforward superhero territory, I found that certain creative decisions gave me pause. The first one is the fact that Kara begins the story with no real knowledge of her Kryptonian heritage, as other versions of her origin story do. To me, one of the things that makes Kara’s story more bittersweet and sets her apart from her more famous cousin is the fact that she has these strong memories of a home she loves and can never return to. But given where this version of Kara’s story ends up going, I feel like switching things up a bit did end up working well for me.

Another aspect that settled less well, is Kara’s reaction to meeting her first Kryptonian. While I get what they were trying to go for, given her emotional state, the instant trust she feels for him still seemed like a bit of a stretch. Still, Kara remains a character that is easy to route for, so I continued to be invested in her journey, even if this one aspect didn’t work for me.

In Conclusion: Supergirl: Being Super is a high quality origin story, filled with amazing artwork, and depictions of adolescence. I may have a few nitpicks with how the superhero elements were handled, but ultimately, I quite happy with how Tamaki and Jones chose to tell Kara’s beginnings. This is a strong choice, both for established Supergirl fans, and people completely new to the character.