Supergirl: Being Super

May 1, 2018

Gr 8 Up-Kara Danvers can't remember anything before she crash-landed on Earth eight years ago. As the teenager struggles to piece together her past, she begins to inexplicably and intermittently lose her powers, leaving her with more questions than answers. When an equally unexplainable earthquake hits Midvale, Kara's life forever changes as she loses someone close to her and starts to uncover dark secrets lurking in town. This four-chapter title works best for readers with little prior knowledge of or investment in the Superman mythos. Existing fans will find that Kara's origin bears a striking resemblance to Superman's, calling into question the time line of each character's arrival on Earth and Superman's awareness of Kara. This character-driven tale deemphasizes existing canon and explores Kara's identity without delving into her more famous cousin's baggage. In this regard, it excels; most of the story's focus is on characterization, even if Tamaki pulls this off by containing most of the action to a frantically paced final chapter. The characters are expressive and authentically flawed. Though some of the secondary characters are from underrepresented communities, the cast is mostly thin, white, and heterosexual. The creative and varied use of panel sizes, shapes, and layouts, as well as dynamic camera angles and character positioning, keeps the story moving even when focusing on internal dialogue. The work brings an elegance to the cool, muted graphics through the artistic use of silhouettes. VERDICT This beautifully depicted origin story is a recommended addition to libraries hoping to pull more teens into the fandom.-Alea Perez, Westmont Public Library, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2018
Kara Danvers' bad day begins when she pops a zit. As origin stories go, Tamaki (The Moon Is Up, 2018, etc.) focuses on Kara the teenager over all else. Having arrived on Earth as a young child, she endures bad dreams and has no idea that she's an alien. Blonde, blue-eyed Kara has just turned 16, and her odd abilities are glitching. At a track meet, an earthquake takes the lives of several people, including one of Kara's best friends, who slips out of her grasp. Later, when responding to a mysterious cry for help, she discovers not only the reason for her malfunctioning strength and the quake, but a dark-haired, olive-skinned man strapped to a table who speaks a language that she has only heard in her head and who has the answers to her questions about where she is from. His escape from the facility, however, causes problems that Kara could have anticipated if she was not so busy giggling at his face and admiring his abs. Superpowers are sidelined by the drama of fitting in, keeping secrets, and dealing with grief. Of her small circle of friends, the brown-skinned lesbian Dolly has enough sass to power Kara through everyday interactions as well as the weightier theme of the death of a loved one.More "teen drama" than "super," this is an interesting choice for those looking for more than the usual hero fare. (Graphic novel. 12-16)

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July 2, 2018
In this reboot of Supergirl, Kara, cousin of Superman, lives a normal high school life with her best friends, sporty Jennifer and purple-haired, girl-crazy Dolly. After Kara fails to save Jennifer from dying in an earthquake, she challenges her adoptive father’s insistence that she hide her superpowers. Tan-on, another survivor of Krypton, offers her a connection to her past, but he also seeks revenge upon those who harm Kryptonians. Kara will have to decide what kind of person she wants to become and which moral lines she should cross. Tamaki and Jones have created a fun and sincere version of Supergirl whose relationships are realistic and poignant and who will attract a broad audience. Kara grows as a character as she faces increasingly complex and harrowing circumstances. This first volume gives direction to the protagonist, unpacks her origin story, and pulls her into the larger DC universe, all while delivering a grounded tale that shows Kara as both a person and a hero. Ages 10–up.

Starred review from May 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Kara Danvers is your typical 16-year-old, worried about zits on picture day, wolfing down junk food with her best friends, and a little surly with her well-meaning but out-of-touch parents. Of course, there's also her superpowers and the alien pod she arrived in eight years ago hidden in the barn. A lot of this origin story will sound familiar to anyone who knows about Superman, but Tamaki breathes new life into the story with her pitch-perfect ear for teen dialogue and keen focus on building well-rounded, vibrant characters. Kara's friendship with track teammates Dolly and Jen is the emotional core of the story, and when tragedy strikes during a freak earthquake at a track meet, it's a heartbreaking, believable spark for Kara's incipient heroic ambitions. Jones' fantastic artwork nods at iconic Superman imagery, but her style is much more naturalistic. Her figures are refreshingly varied in body shape and skin tone, and she renders the athletic teen girls with undeniable strength but not a hint of the oversexualization that's so pervasive in superhero comics. Dynamic splash pages, varied panel layouts, cinematic action, and dense, lush colors are icing on an already delicious cake. Even teens who don't typically go for caped crusaders might find something to like here. Among the massive field of superhero comics, this one is an impressive standout.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)