Review by Frank Plowright

It’s not a great start when a Supergirl graphic novel opens with six pages of Lobo going about his brutal business, yet it’s indicative of a collection where anger and brutality result in a completely different Supergirl.

Tony Bedard is the guiding writer, and he posits a potentially interesting path for Supergirl, building on earlier work. What happened in Out of the Past has left Supergirl angry and traumatised, and when she seeks solace in a place of sanctuary events push her further over the edge. Bedard’s deliberately messing with the sweet and well meaning Supergirl of yesteryear, but considering that’s her USP is it wise? Well, that would depend on the results, and unfortunately they’re unconvincing.

In the DC universe of 2014 excessive anger meant the Red Lanterns would be in touch, and Supergirl is transformed into one of them, given a red costume makeover and becoming a barely coherent personification of rage. A two chapter interlude spotlighting Green Lanterns is integral in Supergirl’s journey, yet for a long time focuses on the Green Lanterns’ problems, and there’s no resolution to their concerns here. It also plays up that Billy Tan and Alessandro Vitti are better artists than Yıldıray Çınar, who draws most of the book. Glance quickly and his pages seem fine, but look more closely and the figures are poor and distorted, at times resembling nothing as much as twisted puppets.

Emanuela Lupacchino gradually takes over more and more of the art, and hers is a far more attractive style, delicate and imaginative, yet supplying power when needed.

Once Supergirl’s over her rage, her term as a Red Lantern throws up good surprises, not least something harkening back to pre-explosion Krypton, but some weak plotting ends Supergirl’s troubles. We’re told a Red Lantern ring bonds with the heart, eventually replacing it, and cannot be removed. Even allowing for a foundation of superhero comics being the impossible escape, Bedard stretches credibility to breaking point with his solution.

Red Daughter of Krypton’s better parts hit the spot, but there are too few of them, leaving this as an interlude collection easily skipped. New writers take over for Crucible.