Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow Paperback – 26 July 2022

A space revenge western is maybe not where you'd expect to find Supergirl, but here she is. You probably didn't expect to find her swearing and getting drunk in a bar either, but here she is. Young girl Ruthye's father is casually murdered, and she fixes on revenge. But she needs the help of an older, wiser (if slightly hungover) head. Someone with strength and depth of experience. She needs Supergirl, and here she is.If that brief story set up sounds familiar, it should. This is True Grit warped through the lens of space opera, superheroes and decades of DC continuity. But it is True Grit all the same. The book really should include some sort of recognition to Charles Portis, True Grit's author. It doesn't just borrow the setup, it borrows Portis's whole way of telling the story, with Ruthye narrating it as she relects back on the events. Just as Mattie does in True Grit. King has been clear in interviews about the influence of the films as well as the book, which he's rightly described as "one of the great novels of all time". It would have been a classy mark of respect to include something.So having the set up and narrative device of one of the 20th century's finest novels is a pretty solid basis. King then does some excellent work fitting Supergirl into the story. We see Supergirl from Ruthye's point of view and this works so well. Ruthye is not quite Mattie from True Grit, she is much plainer and far less interesting of a character and that helps spotlight Supergirl. Their dramatic adventures on different worlds give space for their characters to blossom. There is plenty of action as they hunt down the killer of Ruthye's father, plenty of worlds to explore and journeys to endure.A borrowed story well retold, sounds like a solid three stars. But then there's the art. Bilquis Evely is some sort of magician. This is the best looking comic book I've ever read. What an artist. She takes King's words and elevates them many, many levels (particularly the somewhat flat narration he gives Ruthye). The characters and worlds feel real. They feel, for want of a better phrase, full of true grit. These characters are put through intense emotions and situations, Evely's art pulls you into it all and through everything. Her art works with King's writing to build toward a powerful and satisfying ending. Bilquis Evely's art is simply extraordinary.It's a shame they didn't give credit where credit was due to Portis, but that shouldn't detract from an excellent piece of work. A good many books and films have borrowed similarly from Shakespeare to create fresh new work. That's what happens here. King finds a fresh new take on Supergirl, and Evely takes it to the stars.

I had been hearing great things about this series before the TPB came out. I am glad it held up to my expectations. I wanted to give this 4.5 stars, book definitely deserves a round up.The book has a dark fairytale vibe to it. Though my first impression of the artwork was not my faverite, the artwork fits the story perfectly.A young girl finds her fathers dead body, and begins a quest for vengeance against the kingsagent who did the deed. She is aided in her quest by the legendary Supergirl.This book is a great ballance of scifi, fairytale, magic, action, story and character development. One of my faverite things about this book is it does not focus on Supergirl's powers but her toughness (she is definitely not the soft cousin) and empathy. I think the toughness with a bit of a mean streak really differs the two super cousins.If I had one complaint about the story it is that it little slower pace, but I understand why this was the same as it give a chance to tell both characters' stories and a bit of development. I especially liked the difference between Supergirl's perception of Krypton and its destruction compared to Superman has very little real connection to his birth planet. The book finishes with a varient cover gallery and sketchbook.

Brilliant book! Quality art & the best Supergirl story in a long time.

A young woman is seeking a warrior to avenge her father's death. Thank goodness the warrior is Kara Zor-El, whose own struggles with survivor's guilt helps Ruthye understand what it is to forgive.King's novel is clever and manages to dig into the heart of Supergirl - teasing out the anger, the pain and the guilt in order to show us where her strength comes from. The story is about finding strength and holding onto honour, but is also a lesson on the dangers of underestimating someone based on first impressions. The artwork is dreamlike, fitting the plot point about this being an old woman's memory of an event from her youth and the colouring is at its most vivid when Kara is at her most human.

I buy a lot of graphic novels. especially those from the DC stable. Sometimes I'm not sure why - muddled plotting, formulaic characters, poor art. But this is different! This shows what a graphic novel should be - strong and interesting storyline, clever, character development, and most of all elevating Supergirl to the top table of superheroes. Hope that Tom King does more in this line.

Evely's art is lovely but King's words are verbose, full of unsatisfying platitudes and a sense of inevitability that feels contradictory to the uncertainty of the central quest. If much of the narration is dropped in the adaptation, though, this will make for a roaring cinematic introduction to Supergirl that will set her apart from her cousin and provide some beautiful worlds for the audience to discover. We'll see...

This book is utterly fantastic, both story and art are stand out. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First time I ever saw the need for SupergirlExceeded expectationsWay to go good peopleGood night to you allThanks