Supergirl: Survive #3
Written by Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan
Art by Rod Reis
Cover Art by Rod Reis
Throughout our lives, it’s an indisputable fact that we will eventually deal with some sort of trauma. As much as we all wish life was simply made up of great moments, those ugly ones tend rear their heads and often times when you least expect it. Supergirl: Survive #3 takes a look at how deeply Krypton’s destruction cut Kara Zor-El and how she deals with the trauma from the worst day of her life. Let’s get into it. Spoiler Warning Now In Effect for Supergirl: Survive #3!
“No Yellow Suns. Do I Make Myself Clear?”
Our issue opens one day after the destruction of Krypton. After being rescued by the amalgamated Lantern Corps, Bro’Dee “Saint” Walker’s attempts to get any information out of Kara about Krypton’s destruction fall on deaf ears. Kara simply stares off into space, still trying to come to terms with the fact that everything and everyone she’s ever known, with the exception of her baby cousin Kal, is gone. Just unimaginable loss, especially for someone as young as Kara. You can’t blame her for not wanting to speak about things just yet.
I give Saint Walker some credit; he really does try to cheer her up, and he comes off very kind. Some of my favorite dialogue in this issue comes from this early conversation as well, but Kara doesn’t buy his words for a second. In her mind, how could someone who has gone through something as traumatic as she has feel any sort of hope in her current situation? She and her cousin will one day come to embody the ideal of hope, but that day seems far away compared to the pain of today. That pain is, unfortunately, only beginning for Kara because the universe is not kind… even to refugees like her and Kal.
That evening, as Kara watches over a sleeping Kal in a bedroom on the ship, she overhears Abin Sur and Saint Walker talking with one of the Guardians of the Universe on Oa. The Guardians want her and Kal as their prisoners on Oa and specifically make it clear to Sur and Walker that they are not to take the quickest way back to Oa. They need to avoid going anywhere near systems that contain a G-Type Main Sequence Star, also known as a yellow sun.
This version of the Guardians seems more… ruthless than normal. It’s quite clear the Guardians don’t want Kara and Kal to know they have powers, and they mean to make them pieces on their side of DC’s massive cosmic board as quickly as they can. From the way the dialogue comes off, it seems that the Guardians may have even tipped off criminal elements in that region of space that two Kryptonian refugees survived, so their Lanterns have no choice but to move them to Oa as quickly as possible. For two children who have been through the unthinkable, you’d think a more measured approach would be taken instead of immediately making them prisoners, or at the very least hostages, on an unfamiliar planet. While Abin Sur and Saint Walker have their doubts about what the right thing to do is, Kara doesn’t stick around to find out.
Can you imagine, having dealt with the death of your planet and your people, and the first act of kindness you are shown may be backed by a group of people who want to do nothing more than control you and your power? What kind of message is the universe sending to Kara and Kal? Can they trust anyone? Anything? Should these two children have to deal with this so soon after a devastating tragedy? Its a stark reminder to Kara that the universe is not going to take care of them and owes them absolutely nothing. Her and her cousin are going to need to figure out how to survive on their own.
Kara and Kal escape aboard an escape pod as the story begins to jump forward in time. We get a gorgeous montage from artist Rod Reis of Kara and Kal’s first 168 days alone in space after K-Day. The duo goes on the run, and from the looks of things, they don’t seem to have much luck. Shoddy clothes… hiding from horrid weather wherever they can… barely any money… The last survivors of Krypton don’t fare all that well at first.
One important thing to remember here, though: Kara would rather they figure this out on their own instead of being forced to do someone else’s bidding on Oa. Kara’s convictions are strong. Day 168, the last video panel shows us Kara flying off with Kal with the blue lantern ring that she obtained at the end of last issue. The montage takes on a sort of “Cyberpunk” feel, and you can almost imagine each panel as little video screens on someone's wall. It’s almost as if someone is watching Kara and Kal along with us…
“It’s Tuesday. There’s a Quiz.”
Now this issue makes an even larger time jump, and we end up over a year since K-Day; 388 days to be exact. A female imp from the fifth dimension has taken notice of a planet that shouldn’t be there. It looks like a planet, it’s certainly the size of a planet, but the entire thing is… a blue energy construct. As this imp, we will come to learn that Ms. Mxyzptlk, surveys this strange planet, she comes across Kal and his construct caretaker Oogie. They, in turn, escort her to the “Princess” of the planet, who is, of course, Kara.
Ms. Mxyzptlk seems to recognize Kara, but Kara has no idea how they could even be remotely possible. Kara initially believes she could be one of the Guardians of the Universe, but Ms. Mxyzptlk is insulted by that, and Kara realizes pretty quickly that this is a very different sort of being she now has on her hands. The “planet” is a construct made up of the blue light of hope that Kara originally made to keep both herself and her cousin sane. Kara realized, after creating constructs of her friends and family and even her old high school, that it felt like she was basically walking among ghosts, and keeps it all going just so Kal can have some idea of what was robbed from him. It’s depressing, it’s heartbreaking, and it shows how someone like Kara decides to express her trauma.
At the end of the last issue, Kara was granted one of the greatest powers in the DC universe: the power to wield a ring powered by one of the parts of the emotional spectrum. Even at one of the most flat-out depressing times in her life, the power of hope still resonates within Kara Zor-El. She is without her people, her planet, and is being hunted down by various different factions in the galaxy… but still… Hope burns within her. Right now, that hope is being manifested as a physical representation of her trauma. It’s being manifested as the one place she ever felt safe. It’s being manifested as a coping mechanism for her and her cousin. She has power she never imagined at her disposal, and all she wants to use it for is to see some semblance of her homeworld again. It’s very sad and makes you feel for this girl who has had an impossible situation thrust upon her.
It’s also not lost on me that Kara calls Kal her brother at this point in the story, either. Her relationship with him has only grown, as has her role as caretaker. He’s the only family she has left, and each day, they grow closer. I have to give the writers credit for not having to spell that out for us, but being able to use one simple shift from cousin to brother to show how deep the relationship has grown between the two.
Ms. Mxyzptlk teaches Kara a very valuable lesson: there’s no such thing as a utopia. Krypton had a darkness building within it that ultimately led to its destruction, and Ms. Mxyzptlk not so subtly tells the reader and Kara that Earth needs her and her cousin so they can be helped to not make the same mistakes Krypton did. A deal is then struck; Ms. Mxyzptlk will tip the scales in Kara’s favor when she can and set her off on the right path… in exchange for her blue lantern ring. Kara agrees, and our issue ends with… well, I’ll let you discover that part, but it seems to me that Kara and Kal are about to get quite the power boost as Supergirl: Survive continues on.
Final Thoughts and Rating
Parker and Sheridan just seem to be getting better with each passing issue. This issue weaves its themes of trauma, hope, and seclusion brilliantly, and by the end, we are left with a Kara Zor-El who is beginning to see a possible way out of her trauma-filled situation. Kara, using the blue light of hope to make a false version of Krypton to keep her sanity in check, is both extremely compelling to read and extremely sad to read when you come to the realization that all this girl really wants for her and her cousin is just to be back in their world experiencing a normal day. I came into this series expecting good writing, and I’m being rewarded with great writing.
Rod Reis has been nailing the artwork in this one since issue one, and issue three continues the trend of not just strong covers but strong interiors. Reis’ art has the ability to craft scenes filled with both bright colors and feelings of hope, while also having no problem with the flip side of that and giving us some pretty dark images that represent the depressing side of what Kara is feeling. His art has this feel to it that I can’t particularly put my finger on, but if you could bottle the feelings of calmness and wonder with a touch of anxiety thrown in, I think you’d be pretty close.
The use of blue to represent not just calmness but sadness was a great touch in this issue. Normally, when we see the green light of the Lantern Corps, it means the power of will is coming to the rescue, but Reis has managed to make the green of the Guardians in this issue to stay more in line with fear… Closer to what feelings of Kryptonite bring rather than willpower. I thought his choice really worked. He uses reds and blacks in this issue really effectively as well, and I loved his color choice throughout. The emotion he brings out of his characters through their facial expressions and body positions all greatly enhance the narrative as well.
Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan deliver their strongest narrative of the series so far in Supergirl: Survive #3. Kara Zor-El’s journey dealing with the traumatic experience of K-Day manifests in some very emotional ways, and Rod Reis’ art continues to be an absolute feast for the eyes. It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through DC’s latest Elseworlds tale, but if these first three issues are any indication, this version of Kara Zor-El’s story is primed to continue its strong run.