REVIEW: ‘Supergirl’ Issue 16

Supergirl Issue 16 is published by DC Comics. Written by Sophie Campbell, art by Joe Quinones and Paolo Villanelli, colors by Quinones and Arif Prianto, and letters by Josh Reed and Becca Carey.

This issue is part one of the Kingdom of Zod crossover. Supergirl leads a team to the Kryptonite nation of El Caldero, where a new leader has taken hold.

As this Superman-based crossover begins, there are a lot of threads that have to be woven in. Supergirl Issue 16 spends a while gathering those threads and the Kryptonians on Earth to head to El Caldero. For a while, Superman Unlimited didn’t really feel connected to the rest of the DC Universe. The other comics wouldn’t mention the features the series generated or the country that was created. But now, El Caldero is the center of attention. The issue can be difficult to process if you’re new to any of the series, or even if you stepped away for a while.

The pacing is quick and energetic, however, and that keeps Supergirl Issue 16 moving. Every time the Kryptonians set foot on the island made out of their greatest weakness, there is immense danger. It usually requires tech or special abilities, and that always provides the potential for disaster. And in Supergirl Issue 16, the island has now been taken over by a villain much more dangerous than anything before.

There are some incredible characters within Supergirl Issue 16, but there are also far too many. For the most part, it is just a selection of Kryptonians, and that’s fine. Supergirl is struggling to take over Superman’s mantle, especially with the volatility of Superboy-Prime and Superboy. The friction between the Super Family is more than enough within this crossover, and it is very exciting. Jon has a new alias; Lois has superpowers. They’re heading into what would be an enormous battle, which is interesting.

But then Campbell adds a plethora of other characters, all of which are pretty unknown. And it becomes a point where the comic suddenly becomes too full. There isn’t much time spent introducing these characters or explaining what they can do, which can be very confusing to follow. The dialogue itself is fantastic, though. Supergirl, trying to stand out and take control, is excellently written by Campbell, and Lois is leading the tactical charge.

It’s amazing and terrifying how quickly the plan goes south once they set foot on the Kryptonite floors. And whilst many of these characters have spent years fighting crime and aliens, Zod is very different. He’s patient and very experienced as a general. And that begins to become clear from his first appearance in Supergirl Issue 16.

The art could also be considered clunky at times. In the early pages of Supergirl Issue 16, there are very few problems, and the art is gorgeous. The comic shows just how different the House of El logo can look when rearranged and applied to various costumes. From Prime to Kara to Conner to Jon, there are a lot of Super outfits. The heroes swooping in look terrific, and that sense of energy is profound.

But when the action kicks off, and the art style changes, things get messier. Characters fill the pages, almost getting on top of each other. The angles of faces and the facial expressions are odd. And there is somehow too much detail in some spaces and not enough in others. The panels seem pressed against one another.

The colors are wonderfully vibrant. The background, once in El Caldero, is almost uniquely green, which always signals danger in a Super Family comic. And the attention to detail in creating slightly different shades on the costumes is superb, preventing the red, blue, and gold from blending into one. The lettering is very clear and easy to read.

Supergirl Issue 16 tries to fit too much in one comic. As the opening chapter to a crossover, there is a lot of heavy lifting needed for this creative team. Unfortunately, they struggle and end up with a clunky beginning. It’s not very friendly to anyone coming in even slightly cold, and none of the characters drafted in have time to form a connection. There’s so much going on already, with clashes and conflicts coming from multiple Kryptonians. It’s not necessary to make this comic so noisy, whilst many readers are trying to find something and someone to focus on.

Supergirl Issue 16 is available now wherever comics are sold.