Review by Karl Verhoven

With a Supergirl film due in Summer 2026, having her as the fourth DC headliner to be taken on by international creators for this anthology makes perfect sense. The format is heavily weighted toward Europeans, who take eight of the fourteen slots, and as heartwarming as Mariko Tamaki and Skylar Partridge’s ‘Chicken’ is, why have the USA represented when all Supergirl comics originate in the USA anyway?

An additional remit is that the creative teams have Supergirl visit their home country, which involves different interpretations. Rocío Zucchi’s art for Tomás Wortley’s Buenos Aires setting includes a single illustration of the city and the remainder of Supergirl dealing with Toyman might as well have taken place in Cleveland. Aneke, however, not only immerses Supergirl in Spanish culture, but takes the trouble to include some masterpieces on display in Madrid’s museum. The most surprising use of local culture is Satoshi Miyagawa and Kai Kitago’s love letter to Japanese sweets. “This is really 100 yen…? The thickness of the egg custard is super-exquisite”! It’s bonkers.

Several creators involve Supergirl with local mystical legends. In Cameroon Suyru Njoka and Ejob Nathaniel Ejob have her free weakened goddess Ngonnso in a decent story that could have been clearer, and in Mexico Mariana Moreno’s appealing cartooning has Supergirl deal with a dragon. A spirit guardian of the mines helps out in Anna Krztoń and Kasia Nie’s tale of Warsaw.

Krypto also features a few times, most prominently in Kid Toussaint’s tale of Supergirl in a Paris gorgeously brought to life by Joël Jurion, but also in Ankara for the Joker’s visit from Mahmud Asrar. That’s another tale not making the most of local culture.

While there’s a novelty about Supergirl visiting other lands, all too often very good art masks stories that aren’t bad, but neither do they offer anything greatly original. On that basis two contributions stand out, and supply the sample art. Yoann Krehl and Maria Sann use Berlin’s 20th century reputation for spy culture as the basis for Supergirl attempting to locate a missing alien. It’s gorgeously drawn, keeps readers guessing and has a good pay-off. Johanna Sinisalo and Rosi Kämpe taking Supergirl back to a Russian occupied Finland in 1908 is also different. It’s a little dialogue-heavy in establishing the period limitations, but uses the era well. Also different is Colombian artist Sara Rodríguez having Supergirl intervene in whale hunting, but her art isn’t as polished.

Only a single story disappoints completely. Irene Marchesini works with Italian singer and TV personality Francesca Michielin for an extremely wooly tale about a magic mirror. Even lovely art from Fedrica Croci can’t rescue this. That only leaves Uroš Dimitrijević and Stevan Subić on a tale about Lex Luthor’s ruthlessness in exploiting a Serbian mine. It’s nicely told and certainly delivers Luthor’s arrogance, but doesn’t greatly connect as being an international story.

So, largely excellent art not often matched by the stories, but an interesting selection when something hits home.