Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely Announced

[Vordan]

That’s less Kara than I wanted from the preview pages, but the artwork is absolutely stunning.

I didn’t see this book in the October solicits, so it must be taking a break then.

Weird if so, King has stated repeatedly that Evely is on schedule and that the mini should be coming out on time.

[Quinlan58]

Ruthye's wordiness in that preview was annoying me by the time I was halfway through.

[Vordan]

Ruthye's wordiness in that preview was annoying me by the time I was halfway through.

I’m not used to Tom King characters being so… verbose

[seismic-2]

Ruthye's wordiness in that preview was annoying me by the time I was halfway through.

Since Ruthye is filling the role that Mattie Ross did in True Grit, she has to be precocious, precise, and legalistic in her speech. Kara is the Rooster Cogburn character, so she drinks, cusses. and has no use for elaborate syntax. It is this contrast between the two allies that is at the heart of the story.

[Vordan]

https://twitter.com/heyitsjennalynn/...676532226?s=21

Shocked I missed this, guess whatever this is will be the PAD Linda Danvers reference King was talking about. Looks damn cool!

[SuperX]

https://twitter.com/heyitsjennalynn/...676532226?s=21

Shocked I missed this, guess whatever this is will be the PAD Linda Danvers reference King was talking about. Looks damn cool!

Of course she looks cool, but what I also see is taking Linda's "thing", and making sure we don't see her back, and if we do not like this

[Thor-Ul]

Of course she looks cool, but what I also see is taking Linda's "thing", and making sure we don't see her back, and if we do not like this

She has taken Powergirl personality (at least in other media), why she would not take Linda's thing?

[Vordan]

God Evely is in a league of her own

[Quinlan58]

God Evely is in a league of her own

I love the alien just chilling with a neckrest, headphones and a sleep mask.

[Superlad93]

Wouldn't it be absolutely hilarious if she didn't end up becoming Superwoman, but rather became Flamebird, and this was her "Nightwing" moment?

I mean, I doubt it very much. I think that's likely a picture of Kara after sun dipping, and this is Evely using some artistic license to pay homage. But the thought is funny.

[Frontier]

Wouldn't it be absolutely hilarious if she didn't end up becoming Superwoman, but rather became Flamebird, and this was her "Nightwing" moment?

I mean, I doubt it very much. I think that's likely a picture of Kara after sun dipping, and this is Evely using some artistic license to pay homage. But the thought is funny.

I wonder if the Bat-office has "dibs" on Flamebird, even though Bette Kane hasn't worn a costume in years.

[The Frog Bros]

I love the alien just chilling with a neckrest, headphones and a sleep mask.

Probably trying their best to ignore the make-out session in the next seat

[Quinlan58]

Gotta say, this was way funner on the re-read when I was ignoring the narration. That it's not the 12-year-old Ruthye who's telling it but rather her presumably more mature elderly self just makes it even worse.

I'm puzzled as to how does Tom King imagine this represents a return to the Otto Binder Supergirl. Sure, helping an alien orphan is 100% an Otto Binder plot, but everything else, up to and including what she's helping with, is much different from those stories. I also see the whole "King is just projecting a grizzled Western protagonist on Kara" complain (sadly haven't seen True Grit to now how it compares with that specifically). Kara punching the creep who was threatening Ruthye was of course on-point, but not a single glance to Ruthye afterwards, in sympathy or anger or comradery or whatever? And last issue her cursing was perfectly fine given she was first drunk and then hangover, but this time around it's really gratuituous. The worst part is when Ruthye says Kara had a look of regret on her face after saying she never looked for revenge. The iconic take of Krypton's destruction is that it exploded from natural causes, in which case there's no one to take revenge on (and everyone who prevented people from escaping is dead). In-continuity, there's some blame to abscribe to Brainiac and Rogol Zaar, but Supergirl has fought both of them and explicitely said she was avenging Krypton while doing so, so Kara saying she never did look for revenge is a lie. She shouldn't have a look of regret on her face, it should be grief or shame or something else.

It's an entertaining comic overall, but the way it handles Kara makes little sense in light of both previous characterization and her circumstance both iconically and in-continuity.

Notes while skimming through it:
- Evely kills it. The sequences in the space bus are amazing.
- Tons of emphasis on how their womanhood informs how they're treated, from Ruthye being harassed by creeps in the bus to criminals trying to take on Kara because they don't dare take on Clark.
- I love how Ruthye's body language is portrayed in the scene where Kara takes out her would-be assassin. Like she's used to seeing this but still in awe everytime she sees it despite knowing exactly how it goes but also trying to look uninterested.
- That's such a great design for a terrified bus driver/space pilot trying and failing to keep calm.
- Taking a Red-K pill right after it was explicitely framed as a drug. Oh yes, King sure wants us to know that Kara's now an adult doing adult things.
- My complains with the "life of regret" moment, the whole scene with Kara teaching Ruthye how to wash her hands is really touching.
- Ah, so Krypto's dying. Expecting him to appear constantly and give this tale some whimsy was too much, I guess. Surely this is the better use of him.
- That closing moment where Kara regains her powers is amazing.

[Vordan]

Yeah King isn’t writing this with a care about referencing to the ever shifting status of current Superman continuity. He’s writing this as a stand-alone story you can give to anyone, and frankly it’s all the better for it. The last couple Supergirl runs were constantly derailed by being tie-ins to whatever was going on in the Superman or wider DCU Universe.

Ruthye is amusing, her verbosity putting that guy back to sleep got a laugh out of me. Kara’s characterization is interesting, her being a bit foul mouthed noblewoman amuses me because it’s a good contrast with the prim and proper farm girl Ruthye. Loved the sequence where she takes Red Kryptonite to go fight a dragon, that’s more metal than when they made Kara tie-in to Metal

Looks like Krypto really is dead though RIP pooch. Wonder if Clark or Jon will get a new dog? Wonder if Kara will pick up a take on Streaky?

Edit: Oh wait I misread that, Krypto is dying but not dead yet, Kara has to track down Krem to get a sample of the poison to cure him. Makes sense.

[sifighter]

I guess I misread that as well, I'm glad to hear Krypto is not dead. But yeah Kara better get that guy.