The Woman With the Iron Face in the Iron Mask
Written By:
Sterling Gates
Art By:
Carmen Carnero, Sandra Molina
Letters By:
Saida Temofonte
Cover Price:
$0.99
On Sale Date: May 16, 2016
**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE
BOTTOM**
It looks like Supergirl
is going to get another season, at the regular home for Greg Berlanti’s shared
DC universe, the CW. And I couldn’t be gladder about it! Those who read my
recaps of the television show for the second half of the season will know I
found Supergirl to be okay, but not
particularly thrilling, and I couldn’t help but feel that the variance in tenor
was due to it being on CBS. To support my contention, I’ll direct your
attention to the three other DC Comics-based shows on the CW network that are
very similar in tone, and fairly engaging and action-packed besides. I think
that this network change could be the shot in the arm Supergirl needs to realize its potential, and if nothing else this
makes it easier for Kara Danvers to do crossovers, which are always awesome.
Yes, you’ve got my number Berlanti, now take my money in the form of ad revenue
accrued by the time I spent watching your television programs! So Supergirl comes back in the Fall, but in
the meantime we’ve got the very engaging and enjoyable Adventures of Supergirl digital series written by Sterling Gates.
Hmm…maybe the other television shows should be ported to comics as well? I
mean, if it’s budgets you’re worried about, even the most lavish comic book
costs a small fraction of your average television episode. And comics can still
be great! Something you may find if you read on to my review!
Kara “Supergirl” Danvers and her sister Alex, agent
of the Department of Extra-Normal Operations, are still within the entombed
wreckage of Fort Rozz Space Prison, fighting Kryptonian guard robots. They seem
to come apart pretty easily, implying they were made by Mattel. The robots seem
endless, however, reducing Alex to one clip of armor-piercing bullets, a
DEO-issued knife, and…uh, a “boomer” in her belt. Supergirl maintains the
tremendous power set she always has, and continues reducing robots to scrap while
Alex takes potshots from the corner. Suddenly, two hands burst through the wall
around Alex and pull her through, which suggests the Terminator is on the
scene—but no, it’s Facet!
So Facet is a wetsuit-wearing powerhouse in an iron
mask, who speaks fluent Kryptonian, English, and Formless Mumble. Kara can’t
understand Formless Mumble, but she can understand that Facet keeps saying
“Supergirl” over and over, so they’re either trying to sell her something or
annoy her to anger. Facet breaks Alex’s arm, which does annoy Supergirl to
anger, and she tries to wallop Facet with a flying punch…that breaks her hand?
Turns out Facet has more…facets to
reveal! See what I did there? Facets beats Kara around a bit, then Kara turns
on her super X-ray vision and wrecks Facet enough to make her mask come off and
reveal that she’s got a shiny metal face like Destro from G.I. Joe. Facet tells
Kara she’s about to begin her training, just then Alex drops her “boomer,”
which distracts everyone enough for Supergirl to grab her and fly out of the
place before it blows up! Next stop: Kara gets some answers…from her mother??!
Oh right, she has that Donner Device that allows her to speak to her long-dead
mother whenever she wants, I forgot.
This was a fairly thin chapter of Adventures of
Supergirl, but it was still a reasonably good time. It was just Supergirl and
Alex pummeling robots, then Supergirl getting pummeled by Facet, and an escape.
Not a whole lot of story progression, aside from learning Facet has some great
chrome detail and knew Kara’s Kryptonian mother. The art is really nice here,
and I’ve no complaints about it. This is clearly a bridge to the next issue,
where we hopefully will get some conclusion. Considering the strong showing of
the series thus far, I have faith Sterling Gates has something cool up his
sleeve for the next chapter!
Bits and
Pieces:
Sister power is in full effect as Kara and Alex stand side-by-side, blasting robots. Ultimately, Kara has to save the day because, you know, Alex is merely human. The mysterious Facet, who beset Psi on Kara's dreams two issues ago, reveals themselves--and proves to be nothing you'd expect! Unless you expected a chrome-plated lady, that is. Then they're exactly what you expected. This is a pretty thin chapter in the series, but still has some good moments including pretty awesome close combat scenes. I think we'll get some resolution next chapter that should help wrap this story arc into a nice, tidy package.
7.5/10
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