DC Comics Bombshells #23
Grumpy Supergirl is grumpy
I didn't expect to feel the feels I felt with this one. This issue is set in London with Mera and Stargirl trying to raise morale of the soldiers by putting on a projection of whales taking down what must be a German submarine. For some reason, Kara doesn't like their "pageantry and propaganda", and doesn't think they should use their powers in such a way. Good thing Mera doesn't care and isn't at all phased by it. Mrs. Varvara, Kara and Kortini's mother, come to see them and tells them a story of her past.
She tells them that Kortini's real father was an English lord named Samuel Whitmore. Unfortunately, he was driven away while she was pregnant, but he gave named the baby Courtney Whitmore. Mrs. Varvara at the time was forced out into a the woods and left for dead. The forest creatures, Swamp Thing included, gave her fish and berries and furs to survive. Afterwards she came to a village and met her current husband, Ipati. They both believed that "there was more to the world than the world." She goes on to talk about some interesting things, such as "comets, studded with crystals glowing green as jealousy", "lights like lanterns, many-colored, hanging in the sky", and my favorite one, " a planet, which should not have been there, and then was not there". I'm sure you can guess what those mean. Yes, its a lot of quotes, but Mrs. Varvara might be touching on some big stuff that we may see in the future. Mrs. Varvara ends the story with how happy she is whenever she looks at Kara and Kortini.
For some reason Supergirl is over in the corner looking angry. She flies off by herself, but Mera catches up to her. As soon as Mera asks her if she's alright, the floodgates open. Kara blames herself for Ipati's capture. She tells Mera that she is the reason Kortini has no father when she should have too. She feels she doesn't belong because while Kortini and the Varvaras are blood, she is just a "foundling". That's pretty harsh. Being a good sister, Kortini shows up to tell her that she need to be afraid of her and hr mother leaving her. That Kara is her sister and she loves her. The issue ends with Kortini telling Kara that nothing in her life has ever made her so happy.
If you don't think this issue is a tearjerker, you should go back and read it again. I don't blame Kara for feeling the way she does. How can she not be sad that she's an alien who was found in a field and living with these strange people? Speaking their language and probably never knowing her native tongue, or never knowing her real family. It is a lot to deal with. Despite all this, I am not liking the grumpy Kara from the beginning. I know she has a lot of feelings , especially with her father being captured by the USSR government. However, her grumpiness seems really out of character.
The art in this book wasn't my cup of tea either. For instance the clumpy hair of Mera and Supergirl almost took away from the face. It fit well for Mera on some parts, but Kara's hair wasn't done well at all. There is no depth to the art. No shadows or highlights, except the pure black shadows seen in many of the panels. There was some environmental inconsistencies as well. In one panel, Kara is shown standing next to a rail with open sky behind her. After that, there is a panel with her, Mera, a building, and a tree. In the next shot there is only part of a tree and open sky. Not sure if the "camera" is rotating or the artist just didn't finish the drawing. On the bright side we get some amazing work during Mrs. Varvara's flashback. The drawings and colors are simple and beautiful. The shots are 2 dimensional, but the flat colors and earthy tones make it work. Behind Mrs. Varvara's flashbacks are beautiful patterns of trees and flowers and stars. Makes you think of a tapestry. This is definitely a plus for this issue.