Supergirl #69

Posted: Tuesday, April 30
By: Jason Cornwell

Writer: Peter David
Artists: Leonard Kirk (p), Robin Riggs (I)

Publisher: DC

Plot:
The book opens with Buzz trying to enjoy a Supergirl-free existence, as he uses the credit card he stole from Jason Blood to hit the tables of Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Supergirl's luck is continuing its downward pattern, as she finds herself getting pounded on by an enraged Captain Marvel Jr., thanks to the demon mother Lilith tricking her into attacking Mary Marvel. As Mary Marvel comes to and goes about fixing her dislocated shoulder, we see Supergirl is busy trying to stay one step ahead of a pissed off Captain Marvel Jr. To this end we see her take refuge in a theme restaurant devoted to super-heroes, and when she borrows a Captain Marvel costume from the back, we see Supergirl lucks her way into Captain Marvel Jr.'s one weakness, as he accidentally says Captain Marvel, which turns him back into his easy to knock out human identity. Meanwhile, Mary Marvel has had an encounter with Lilith, and upon learning that the demon mother has set her sights on Supergirl, we see Mary Marvel decides to hang around with Supergirl for the next little while.

Comments:
As I mentioned in my last review I don't really know all that much about the Marvel family, but they come across as likeable enough characters in this outing, and since it does look like Mary Marvel is going to be sticking around the book for the next little while, I guess my knowledge of the Marvel family is going to increase. This issue did serve to remind me of the rather unusual achilles heel that Captain Marvel Jr. has, and as the writer of Captain Marvel for Marvel Comics, I imagine Peter David had fun with the sequence where Supergirl inadvertently stumbles upon it (though it would've been a lot more fun if she had been dressed up like Marvel's version of the character when she made her claim to the name Captain Marvel). In any event, Captain Marvel Jr. gets a pretty good showing during the battle as he shown to pack a bit more punch than Supergirl, and Mary Marvel's ability to recognize Lilith was certainly an unexpected development. It should also be interesting to see how Buzz & Mary Marvel get along.

As for the regular subplots, the big one would have to be Bizarro Supergirl's adventures in Leesburg, as while there's a couple confusing moments where the character's backwards speech pattern seems to slip in and out of existence, the scene where it remembers that it's an earthbound angel was rather cute. The sequence in the final pages is also quite surprising, as I had come to believe that the earthbound angel aspect was buried deep inside Linda, but this issue makes it quite clear that it's being held separate from Linda. It should also be rather interesting to see how Bizarro Supergirl deals with the defense that are sure to come into play when she tries to make contact with this part of Supergirl. We also look in on Buzz who is starting to flip out over his being linked at the hip to Linda, and her quest to rescue Supergirl, and this results in one of the funniest moments of the entire series, as Buzz gets in a conversation with his former worshippers about why summoning demons from Hell is not a productive use of their time.

Leonard Kirk is back for another issue and I'm ever so thankful that he looks to be able to work on both this book & the JSA, as he brings so much to this book. I mean his Supergirl has to be one of the most likeable characters in the entire DCU, as she's like the female equivalent of Peter Parker when it comes to her interaction with others. From her pained expression on the double-page spread that opens the issue to her smug expression on page sixteen as she finally manages to send Captain Marvel Jr. flying, this issue is all the better thanks to Leonard Kirk's highly expressive facial work. The demented nature of Bizarro Supergirl is also captured by the art, and the final couple pages do a wonderful job conveying the importance of what we've just been shown. The art also does a pretty fair job on its guest-stars, as Mary Marvel's Mel Gibson impression looked quite painful, and how can you not love the annoyed expression on Captain Marvel Jr.'s face as he accidentally reverts to his mortal identity in the middle of the battle.

Final Word:
A very enjoyable issue that makes pretty good use of its guest-stars, and we also get a couple very big developments as the book gains itself a rather high profile new cast member, and Bizarro Supergirl makes a rather shocking discovery. Now the battle between Supergirl & Captain Marvel Jr. isn't exactly going to make any top ten lists, a large part of the battle Supergirl spends running away, and she secures her victory using mostly dumb luck. However, the issue has enough forward momentum that I can't help but be excited by the looming issue #75 on the horizon. The final page does make it look like Peter David is gearing up to deliver the big finish to the quest for the earthbound angel side of Supergirl, and as much fun as Buzz & Linda partnership has been, the addition of Mary Marvel to mix should give it a much needed shot in the arm.