Short Box: Supergirl: Survive
Supergirl: Survive
#1A
Rod Reis Regular
| Release: | Jun 03, 2026 |
| Cover: | Aug 2026 |
Creators
| Writer | Griffin Sheridan | Ethan Parker |
| Artist | Rod Reis |
| Cover Artist | Rod Reis |
With Superman: Father of Tomorrow and this title, now seems to be the time for alternate takes on the survivors of Krypton’s destruction.
The former finds Jor-El, after having lost Lara and Kal-El, being the sole survivor of Krypton’s destruction and landing in Smallville and being taken in by the Kents.
This Elseworlds tale focuses on Kara Zor-El and her infant cousin Kal-El being sent away in a rocket to Earth to escape destructive events – if not complete destruction – on Krypton. That’s the plan, anyway, but Earth is not where they find themselves at the issue’s end.
But I’m jumping ahead. Most of the story, seen entirely from the point of view of young Kara Zor-El, begins with her meeting her newborn cousin for the first time and, upon taking him into her arms, finding herself awash in feelings of intense love and fierce protectiveness.
You are the most magical thing I have ever seen. I will protect you with my life.
All around Kara…things are happening. Things that lead to an argument between her father Zor-El and her uncle Jor-El during that first meeting with her cousin, an argument that leads to a year-long estrangement.
Things that have her parents and all other adults on edge. Things that cause ever-more frequent atomic attack drills at school. Things that have turned one of Krypton’s moons – Wegthor, I’m assuming – green. Things involving General Zod.
What things? We don’t really know, and that’s what I find brilliant about the storytelling in this issue. We know only as much as Kara knows, and while she’s not completely checked out or unconcerned, she’s spending most of her time simply existing as a teenage girl with one of her biggest concerns being her date to an upcoming dance.
Experiencing these vague things from her barely-informed perspective really ratchets up the tension and puts you in the mind of a teenager who doesn’t fully grasp what’s happening around her.
The vague things come to a head when real alarms are raised and Jor-El, Lara, and Kal-El show up after an extended absence. This leads to Kara and Kal-El being strapped into a rocket with the promise that their family will find them when it’s safe to do so, and sent off into space.
Unfortunately, things go awry, and the rocket lands not on Earth but just a short distance away on the green moon, where Kara and Kal-El have a front row view of what appears to be Krypton’s total destruction in atomic fire,
To make matters worse, some seemingly hostile shadowy creature is closing in on the cousins.
This was a very strong start, and like I said, the effective use of Kara’s limited point of view makes it all very intriguing.
It’s also nice to see some Rod Reis art, as I can’t recall the last time I’ve read anything featuring his always excellent work.
I’m looking forward to what comes next.
Born and raised in the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Jon Maki developed an enduring love for comics at an early age.
