Supergirl #11 Review

Writer: Steve Orlando / Artist: Brian Ching / DC Comics This what the hell I’m talking about! Do you see this cover?! For the first time in a long time, do you see Supergirl have weight? A degree of seriousness to counterbalance the dork-charm that lost its charisma too long ago? Supergirl flexing on the cover like she just won a round in Injustice 2 – this is what I came for. This is why I am here. And while the story does not live up to Bengal’s cover, it is another small step in the right direction by a series plagued with several challenges. We left off with Supergirl, Batgirl, and Ben trapped in the Phantom Zone, and Supergirl diving into the mouth of a spiritual dragon that could very well kill her. It was an intense ending to issue #10, which culminated somewhat well – if not predictably – here, as Supergirl communicated with Gayle’s dragon form. The scene is reminiscent of Kara’s conversation with her mother back in Supergirl #4, closer to the beginning of Orlando’s run on the title. There, similarly, Kara had to use her influence rather than her fists. I generally appreciate this aspect of Kara’s personality – her frequent ability to talk someone down or plea for humanity through her characteristic optimism – so the dialogue between Kara and Gayle served its purpose to highlight the type of hero Supergirl is. The dialogue in other areas unfortunately fall flat, particularly between Batgirl, Ben, and Xa-Du as they exchanged some rather cringe-worthy lines atop a few p…