One of the hottest comics in DC’s All-In initiative is Sophie Campbell’s Supergirl. Filled with Silver Age and Bronze Age Easter eggs for longtime Kara Zor-El fans, the comic also gets at the heart of what makes the Girl of Steel a beloved member of Superman’s family: her compassion for others and her need for a sense of belonging. Campbell has been achieving this by reestablishing locations and relationships that are important to Kara, such as Midvale, and her adoptive parents, the Danvers. She even brought back the various costumes she wore since her 1959 debut in Action Comics #252.
On the relationships front, Campbell has been expanding Kara’s supporting cast of characters, namely in the form of Lena Luthor, and now, Kandorian resident and former supervillain, Lesla-Lar. Campbell continues to build Kara’s relationship with Lena and Lesla in Supergirl #4, but does something a bit different: instead of actively looking for bad guys to fight, they decide to go out to a Goth nightclub just to have fun. But like everything else that happens in Supergirl’s world, trouble eventually finds her – even when she doesn’t want it to.
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One of the high points of Supergirl #4 is how Campbell continues to evolve both Kara and Lesla’s characters. Campbell mainly does this by putting Kara in the “Superman” role of mentoring another Kryptonian who is new to life on Earth. Not only does this lead to more fun interactions between Kara and Lesla, but it’s even the source of issue #4’s funniest moments. For most of this issue, Lesla continues to feel a need to prove her worth – an internal conflict that Kara is now well aware of. It’s the reason she ultimately decides to take Lesla under her proverbial wing and teach her how to validate herself. Of course, this is easier said than done.
Undoubtedly, the best thing about Lesla’s attempts to “fit in” and follow Kara’s lead is that she dives in, head first, with good intentions, only to completely botch her heroic actions. This makes up the bulk of the conflict in Supergirl #4, as she accidentally creates a monster in her attempt to stop a man’s harassment of an uninterested young woman. But the beating heart of the story continues to be Lesla learning from her mistakes, and more importantly, her learning not to shame herself over it. This leads to one of Kara’s best moments in the comic as well.
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Despite Kara’s own frustrations with needing to do damage control, she also teaches Lesla how to pick herself back up when she makes a mistake. Instead of succumbing to anxiety (as she’s been consistently doing), Kara gives her the opportunity to fix her mistake by working alongside her like a teammate. This helps Lesla take the focus away from herself, and back to the situation at hand. This also allows Lesla to apply her quick-thinking skills, especially since she knows her own inventions better than Kara does.
On Kara’s end, this allows her to exercise her own leadership skills – something she was never allowed to do fighting alongside her famous cousin in Metropolis. For once, Kara is not the one taking orders – she’s the person leading her own team of two women. This is a very significant development for Kara, as it allows her to maximize her own potential. Just as important, it allows her to decide what kind of hero she wants to be on her own terms. Working alongside Lena and Lesla, and being able to assume the “adult role” in her own battles, adds as much to Supergirl’s growth as it does the very child-like Lesla.
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Another thing that’s great about Supergirl #4 is that Campbell’s artwork continues to be highly energetic and engaging. The action sequences continue to convey fluid, rapid motion, and the quieter moments continue to focus on the characters’ emotions. How the characters react to the situations they find themselves in is conveyed humorously through Campbell’s artwork, but also results in some of the comic’s more heartfelt moments.
Campbell also gets to exercise more of her fashion sense by tapping into the Goth scene, but also through the introduction of a new character named Luna. More than being a one-off character, Luna is being set up to join Kara’s band of misfits, and especially befriend Lesla, who had the most interaction with her.
All in all, Supergirl #4 continues to be a fun comic to read. Not only does Campbell understand the character she’s working with and the rich history that accompanies her, but she loves and embraces everything Kara is about. Likewise, despite issue #4 building on the plot threads Campbell has established since the comic’s launch, it also reads well as a standalone issue. This keeps the comic new reader-friendly in a way that entices readers to pick up both previous issues, and upcoming ones.
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