Rage Against Supergirl: Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton

The Good: Interesting character direction for Kara Zor-El, Good artwork
The Bad: Very basic plot
The Basics: Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton places Kara Zor-El within the ranks of the Red Lanterns and pits her against her oldest enemy!


It has been a while since I read any of the Red Lantern-focused books. Come to think of it, it has been a long time since I picked up Green Lantern, too. But, as I make my way through The New 52 library of Supergirl, the Red Lanterns rear their disgusting heads. Their appearance comes in Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton when Kara Zor-El joins the Red Lantern Corps.

Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton picks up after the events of Supergirl: Volume 4 – Out Of The Past (reviewed here!) and it completes the arc for Kara as someone who has been kicked around by the whole universe. Rather nicely, Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton is the entire arc of Kara Zor-El as a Red Lantern from beginning to end!

Opening with Lobo hunting a bounty, Supergirl arrives at Dr. Veritas's facility where she discovers her entire staff appears like her - both in appearance and genetically. Veritas runs tests, which confirm the Kryptonite poisoning is no longer afflicting Supergirl. Veritas is being hunted to the core of the Earth by Lobo, who Supergirl goes to try to speak with only to be attacked. When Supergirl appears to kill Lobo, Veritas's staff is thrilled at the opportunity to dissect and study the corpse of a Czarnian. Lobo is not dead, however, and after playing possum, he incapacitates Veritas's staff and takes out Supergirl. But Veritas escapes to her containment area and sets free Blaze and unleashes a yellow sun orb that super-powers Supergirl. In the ensuing fight, Veritas teleports Lobo and Supergirl out and Lobo taps into Kara's rage to keep her off-guard. That rage, however, calls forth the power of the Red Lanterns and a ring arrives for Kara.

Kara is transformed into a Red Lantern and Siobhan is the first person on the scene. Red Lantern Supergirl attacks Siobhan and Siobhan reluctantly taps into the power of the Silver Banshee to save her own life. To save Earth, the Silver Banshee convinces the Red Lantern to take her thirst for revenge elsewhere and Red Lantern Supergirl flies out to the stars to find who or what destroyed Krypton. Supergirl joins the Red Lantern Corps to protect Grax from the invading Diasporans. In The Block, Blaze is free and starts a hunt for Supergirl and Silver Banshee. Kara tells Guy Gardner - who is leading the Red Lanterns in Atrocitus's absence - that she wants to eradicate the Diasporans and the Worldkillers. The Red Lanterns travel to Primeen where they hunt a new, rogue Red Lantern and try to prevent her from joining Atrocitus. Atrocitus and Dex-Starr hunt the new Red Lantern and before that hunt is resolved, Guy Gardner kicks Kara out and sends her to Mogo to be de-ringed. Kara rejects that, though, and heads to Earth where she finds the Diasporans and Worldkiller-1 waiting for her! Worldkiller-1's armor attacks and attempts to absorb Kara in order to make her the ultimate judge of the universe! To stop the Worldkiller armor and save Earth, Kara must make a choice between being a Red Lantern or being herself!

Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton has a good arc for Kara Zor-El as she has spent the entire four volumes before this being betrayed, abandoned, and manipulated. Here, the universe recognizes her pain for the angry potential it represents and rewards her with a Red Lantern ring. Kara's time in the Red Lantern Corps allows her the opportunity to put an end to creatures reminiscent of the Worldkillers that plagued her from her arrival on Earth and affords a few Red Lanterns the opportunity to make some beautifully cutting barbs at her expense.

Siobhan Smythe is well characterized in Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton. She is granted almost a solid chapter to wrestle with being the Silver Banshee and while the book leaves the whole Blaze hunt for her and Supergirl unresolved, Smythe is a solid friend to Kara and Earth in the book.

The artwork in Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton is good, with vibrant colors one might expect of a Lantern-themed book. The character design for Red Lantern Supergirl is good and not exploitatative, which is appropriate. The movement in the fights is decent and the static shots are well-rendered. There is a good balance between action and dialogue in Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton.

Ultimately, the conflict in Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton is surprisingly basic after the set-up and there are massive subplots which remain noticeably unresolved. But, for the bulk of Supergirl: Volume 5 - Red Daughter Of Krypton, there is a solid story being told and it is well worth the read for fans of Supergirl and the assorted Lantern Corps!

For other Supergirl New 52 works, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Volume 1 - Last Daughter Of Krypton
Voluime 2 - Girl In The World
Volume 3 - Sanctuary

6/10

For other graphic novel reviews, be sure to check out my Graphic Novel Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the graphic novel reviews I have written!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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