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| Review by Stefan Blitz |
ADVENTURES OF SUPERGIRL Chapter 1
Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Bengal
Cover art by Cat Staggs
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: January 25, 2016
As someone who has been a fan of the DC Universe for over forty years, it’s unfortunate that the last several have left me in a state of permanent frustration.
I’ve found that the enthusiasm that I used to have for the titles have for the most part found their way to television, and this year’s Supergirl series (like last season’s The Flash) has captured the optimism missing from most comic and film properties.
Supergirl (the television series) is still finding it’s legs, but it’s one of my favorite shows currently airing, with a charming ensemble, a serious continuity and a forward moving plot that continues to entertain with each new episode.
Which is why that it absolutely stuns me that there wasn’t a comic book series for fans of the series to embrace when it debuted this past September.
But, as of today, that’s been rectified and I’m happy to state that Adventures of Supergirl, a new weekly digital comic series has arrived and it’s as good as I hoped it would be.
Part of the success immediately comes from writer Sterling Gates, who does a fantastic job establishing the characters and the series’ mythology in a few short pages. Gates, who wrote the character in the mainstream DCU, has captured the tone of the series and he uses a narrative device to allow the audience to get into Kara’s head (a voiceover is something the tv series hasn’t utilized, but I definitely heard series star Melissa Benoist’s voice when reading the issue).
The plot is essentially a set up, with a criminal escaping Fort Rozz (Rampage from John Byrne’s 1986 era Superman reboot) and making a very public appearance at a football game before Kara and the DEO responding.
As for the art, Bengal’s layouts are phenomenal and the scale of the action is much broader than can be delivered on the show’s budget. Likenesses aren’t particularly accurate, but the art is very reminiscent of Jason Pearson (which is never a bad thing).
Based on this first issue, it looks like I’ll be regularly be reading Kara’s comic adventures in addition to watching it. Highly recommended.
