Review: Future State - Kara Zor-El Superwoman #2 (of 2)

There are characters where longevity seems assured. Be it Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman or even Spider-Man, these character has remained on our shelves month in month out. There is also a raft of character that, despite the push from the Big Two’s powers that be, will always try and push, which includes Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Spider-Woman and unfortunately Kara Zor-El.

Since her introduction, this popular character has been through the wringer; having been killed in Crisis, practically replaced buy Power Girl, rebooted as Matrix, returning in the Batman/Superman book, going through New 52 as a Red Lantern at times and of course the Rebirth book which offered a quest but lost its way when the said quest was completed. As I said, it has been a helluva ride!

These second issues of Future State doesn’t as much offer a restart as a possible end to the Maid of Might. It is a different Kara than the one seen in the Superman of Metropolis book. Superwoman, subtly showing the passage of time, has setup shop on the Moon offering it as a heaven for the refugees of the universe. Somehow her altruistic actions haven’t warmed her to the people who live there. When one more runaway crashes into Kara’s life, it takes a sacrifice to save everyone, leaving Superwoman’s message of tolerance and hope alive and kicking.

One of the things that I was looking froward to in Future State was the different typer of stories we could see. For the most part, I have been disappointed. Yet Marguerite Bennett has clearly taken the Future State mission statement to heart. Taking influences from the Supergirl movie and TV show, Bennett presents a Kara who has had losses and tries to live up to the ideals of simpler time, maybe even a simpler world view. In that respect, Krypto remains her faithful companion. Bennet uses a monologue style of storytelling which feels like a bit of a throwback. It’s effective as it allows the action to speak for itself, whilst Bennet can concentrate on the motives of all involved, building to the ramifications.

Marguerite Sauvage provides the art for the two issue run. Sauvage will be know by many for her work on Bombshells. With that in mind, the art here is of the same ilk, though misses the focus that the Bombshell idea gave the look and feel of the characters involved. Kara’s outfit is more reserved than previously seen, again implying an aged Kryptonian. The action scenes can be a little chaotic, rather than flowing, part of which could due to the colors, but the final act is worth the price of admission. The colors, again from Sauvage, have an indie washed out feel that differentiates the art from the rest of the Future State. It is a wordy book; Wes Abbott works miracles to allow the art to breath through the sheer verbiage.

Kara Zor-El Superwoman is one of the books that I was looking forward to, being a fan of most of Supergirl’s incarnations. On first glance, the book could thought of as too different from the majority of DC’s products or even previous Supergirl series. But upon reflection, this little two issue story continues the vibe of who Kara Zor-El is.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 3.5 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Written by; Marguerite Bennett
Art & Colors by; Marguerite Sauvage
Letters by; Wes Abbott
Published by; DC Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network