Review by Frank Plowright

Crucible is a transition volume of Supergirl featuring Tony Bedard’s final contributions and then writing collaborators K. Perkins and Mike Johnson finishing off the series before the next reboot.

Bedard’s final stories obviously occur during some big Superman crossover where kryptonite has seeped into the air. Supergirl crashes into the basement shelter of a man who’s confined to a wheelchair and a pleasing conversation ensues, drawn with the appropriate nuance by Karl Moline. The following team-up with Red Hood confiscating alien guns is more standard, and so is the art from JonBoy Meyers. Because both are part of a crossover there’s an unsatisfying leap between the threat of Brainiac manifesting at the end of one part, only for there to be no reference to him in the next.

A theme of Bedard’s contribution is Supergirl needing a life beyond being a superhero, and that’s picked up by Johnson and Perkins to open the five chapter title story. It’s not their main point, though, as in Red Daughter of Krypton Kara became a loose cannon, actually endangering people with her powers. When she’s selected to be part of an intergalactic training school for the super powered she decides to take up the opportunity.

Emanuela Lupacchino’s graceful art gives ‘Crucible’ a glossy sheen, but it’s muddled, and as soon as Supergirl begins hearing evasive answers to straight questions most readers are going to have a good idea where the story’s going. Unfortunately it takes a hell of a long time to reach that point and what occurs in between isn’t anything special. Kon El will be a puzzle to most, but there is a nice scene at the end where Maxima thanks Supergirl.

It’s followed by another leap to elsewhere. It’s five years in the future and a cyborg Supergirl now works for the Cyborg Superman. Bedard is back, and this isn’t good. It’s supposed to tease by revealing bits of what’s happened in the years leading up to Kara’s current state, but all it does is warn readers away from investigating as it’s uninspired.

One might have thought Supergirl under the ‘Rebirth’ banner in Reign of the Cyborg Supermen could only be an improvement, but it’s not.