The Resurrection of Kara Zor-El

essay by Gabe Mariani

Supergirl is the best comic you aren’t reading right now, and it’s probably better than most comics you are. In his run so far, Kelley Puckett is creating a dark, contemplative science fiction tale with truly shocking twists: sentient universes and alternate futures share page space with booby-trapped birthday presents from Batman. There’s as much to be considered independently as there is to discuss with other funnybook fans about Kara’s place in the DC Universe.

A scene in the current issue (#29) elegantly illustrates that point. In this arc, Kara is working with Resurrection Man - a character who develops a new, random superpower every time he dies and resurrects – to find a cure for cancer in order to save a little boy’s life. When they have a few minutes of downtime, Kara asks him… well, see for yourself.

Puckett doesn’t pretend to have an answer for the reader. You’ll have to figure this one out on your own.

Set against this gloomy, introspective backdrop is the resurrection of DC’s golden girl. Although she’s struggling against a nonsensical origin and three years of meandering, inconsistent, aggressively-mediocre-at-best storytelling, Kara is becoming an interesting, relatable, and likeable character. Naïve and unrelentingly optimistic, Supergirl is pushing herself to live up to the emblem on her chest, even though it’s an almost impossible goal. She’s still a rookie when it comes to superheroing and makes more than a few mistakes, but she’s determined to do anything she can to help.

Puckett is exploring what it means to be a superhero through the eyes of our altruistic young protagonist. Why don’t superheroes cure cancer? Hell, why don’t they just solve all the world’s problems? Kara refuses to recognize the limitations set by her mentors (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) on what their role should be. As dangerous as this ground is to tread on – in my opinion, no one has ever written this type of story well – Puckett is doing a very good job. I believe that previous attempts to cover this material have failed because those questions simply don’t have satisfying answers, and – like the scene I posted above – Puckett will probably refuse to attempt to create any. That’s the only way to be true to the world Kara lives in.

Fair warning: the artists sometimes butcher the script, and once every few issues you’ll scratch your head as you try to figure out exactly what happened. While Johnson and his cast of assistants aren’t terrible, they leave a lot to be desired in what should be a visually stunning storyline. The two pages above are the only place in Puckett’s run that the art truly compliments the writing. But hey, don’t let that stop you, really: Supergirl is the best book DC is publishing right now without the name “Morrison” on the cover, and Puckett’s giving him a run for his money. Coming from the biggest Grant Morrison fanboy this side of Buddy Baker, that’s gotta mean something, right?