Written by: Tom King
Art by: Bilquis Evely
ISBN: 978-1-77951-568-1
Price: £12.99 (UK) $19.99 (USA)
This Graphic Novel reprints the following stories:
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow # 1 – 8
Released as an eight-issue miniseries between August 2021 – April 2022, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow has already attained legendary status in the short period it has been out, with the upcoming Supergirl movie expected to be an adaptation of the storyline. Written by Tom King, known for his work on Batman, and with art from Bilquis Evely, known for her work on Wonder Woman, the series reinvents Supergirl for a new generation by taking her out of her familiar Earth-based setting and sends her off on a female-led road trip across some of the more obscure parts of the DC Universe. Blending science-fiction and high fantasy together to create a new juxtaposing sub-genre that feels fresh and exciting, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow stands separate from the mainline DC Comics continuity, making it an extremely accessible read for casual fans.
From the very first page, Bilquis Evely’s artwork makes an impact on the reader and immediately sets the tone for this fantasy-driven epic. Her meticulous line work and sharp edges imbue her panels with an extremely distinctive look, and I found the way she drew the eyes of her characters to be utterly mesmerizing, communicating so much emotion with ease. She also displays an uncanny ability to create rich and detailed worlds, along with vibrant and unique creatures to populate them. She demonstrates this skill multiple times throughout the story which, considering the road-trip element of the plot, must have come close to almost exhausting her limitless imagination. Her interpretation of Supergirl is largely consistent with other takes on the character, but Evely manages to channel the character’s inner-strength and determination in a way I haven’t seen from any other artist. So much of the book’s tone and atmosphere stems from her artwork, and she was the perfect choice to visualize Tom King’s high-concept script. Another vital element comes from the series’ colorist Matheus Lopes, who brings a kaleidoscope of different colours to the page to accentuate Evely’s work and emphasize the mood of the panel.
Blending Supergirl with a ‘swords-and-arrows’ fantasy is an unexpected twist given the character’s contemporary roots, but the resulting story is so utterly incredible, it almost seems like an obvious pairing in retrospect. In an effort to get blind-drunk for her 21st birthday, Kara takes herself to a remote planet with a red sun to allow the alcohol to take effect, but she inadvertently gets caught up in a quest for vengeance that stretches across the stars. To say too much would spoil the genuine pleasure that came from experiencing it completely blind, but writer Tom King does a tremendous job at creating an epic revenge fantasy, that just happens to feature Supergirl. The camaraderie between Kara and her friend, Ruthye, is well-earned, and King utilizes narration boxes to their fullest effect to not only give us a glimpse into Ruthye’s personality, but also to establish a Tolkien-esque tone to the story.
Supergirl has always lived in the shadow of her younger cousin – both within the DC Universe and our own – and while this story does touch upon this plot point, it also showcases Kara in her own adventure, far away from Superman. King regularly reasserts Supergirl as her own character rather than a gender-swapped version of Superman; a sequence taking place during the destruction of Krypton and later, Argo City, highlights how her experiences of the disaster are totally different from Kal-El’s and how this informs her character. Superman is regularly described as “a boy scout”, and in this story, Supergirl is anything but. She regularly curses, and as she embarks on this quest for vengeance, seeing the aftermath of horrific violence and facing her own brutal trials, there is a notable change in her attitude, which King focuses on in the finale. I’ve always found her a more interesting character than her cousin, and this story is a perfect example of why that is. She is more fallible and less idealistic than Superman, and infinitely more intriguing as a result.
Whether intentional or not, Ruthye’s quest for revenge upon her father’s murderer evokes memories of Inigo Montoya’s hunt for the six-fingered man in The Princess Bride, and it feels like the miniseries regularly draws inspiration from other classic sci-fi and fantasy stories, not to mention, the western genre with True Grit cited as an influence by King. My favourite sequence takes place in the fifth chapter, with Kara and Ruthye marooned on an alien planet with a green sun, which weakens Supergirl the entire time that it is up in the sky. Not only is the very sun trying to kill them, but there are all manners of predator roaming the desolate land. It’s an exhilarating part of the story, removing Supergirl’s powers and putting the duo’s survival in the hands of the inexperienced adventurer. The series’ ending is another highlight, and again, I am reluctant to say too much as the story truly deserves to be experienced without spoilers, but I loved the blunt and matter-of-fact conclusion.
After devouring all eight issues in one setting, I can honestly say that this was one of the most enjoyable comic stories I have read in years. It truly felt cinematic, and I’m very excited to hear that James Gunn wants to adapt the adventure for his new DC Cinematic Universe.
In my experience, all of the best DC Comics stories tend to be stripped from the mainline continuity so that creators can really let loose with the characters without worrying about upsetting the status quo too much. Many characters have had their definitive stories over the years; for Batman, there are number of options, such as The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, Year One or The Dark Knight Returns. Superman has the likes of All-Star Superman, The Death of Superman and Kingdom Come, but until now, Supergirl has never really had that iconic storyline in the same league. Until now. Put quite simply, this is now the definitive Supergirl story – nothing else comes close. If you have any interest or affection for the character, you need to read this book.
Score – ★★★★★
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is available in all good comic-book stores, as well as online at Amazon. Digital copies are available through the DC Comics app or directly through Amazon Kindle.
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