Supergirl #9 Review

 

Writer: Sophie Campbell

Artist: Joe Quinones

Letterer: Becca Carey

Cover Artist: Sophie Campbell, Joe Quinones, Lucas Meyer, Chrissie Zullo-Uminga, Marguerite Sauvage & Fanyang

Editors: Jillian Grant & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock

Release Date: January 14, 2026

 

Kara Zor-El hadn't planned on moving back to Midvale when her adoptive parents returned to their hometown. Kara's visit becomes an extended stay when she discovers an interloper living with Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers. After battling the Kandorian girl who assumed her dual identity as Linda Danvers and Supergirl, Kara could have let the Kryptonian city’s Science Council punish Lesla-Lar. Instead, Kara agreed to sponsor Lesla and teach her how to use her Kryptonian powers responsibly.

 

Despite the loving homelife she enjoys with Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers, Kara has endured some dark times recently. While others celebrated the holidays, thoughts of her late family and friends in Argo City contributed to Kara’s seasonal depression. But when Kara was down, her ward supported her. What's next for Kara and Lesla? Can anything shake the trust growing between them? Let’s slip on our yellow rings of Nor-Kann, leap into Supergirl #9, and see!

 

Story

When Clarissa invites her friends to a No Beer New Year party, Lena Luthor wants to decline. But Clarissa Giltedge was the first to welcome Kara back to Midvale, so Kara talks Lena into attending. A party without booze isn't Lena's cup of tea. And when she enthuses about the merits of drinking, Lesla wants to experience the euphoria of alcohol.

 

In Supergirl #9, Lena Luthor is used to being a loner. Her father's image as a rich villain hasn't helped her make friends. But when Kara needed her help, Lena used her talent for invention to aid her. When Kara sponsored Lesla, Lena accepted her Kryptonian ward. As a newcomer to Earth, everything is new to Lesla. So when the girl from Kandor decides she’d like to experiment with booze, Lena decides to help her.

 

While Sophie Campbell focuses the narrative on Kara, she also shows how her friends interact around her. As Lesla and Lena expand their horizons, Kara strives to be a good mentor. She has helped other people turn their lives around. Taking responsibility for Lesla is a big step, as Kara declined the Science Council's earlier offer to sponsor Lar-On.

 

Her discovery over the Christmas holidays helped Kara realize she had let someone down. She doesn't want to do that again. But when Lena and Lesla conspire behind her back and put her in a no-win situation, Kara feels hurt and betrayed in Supergirl #9.

 

Art

Joe Quinones opens with a close-up of Clarissa's invitation, featuring a symbol of her New Year's resolution. Kara smiles as she regards Clarissa's decision to take greater control of her life, while Lena frowns. Lesla stares down at the others with a bemused expression. But Luna frowns at this infringement of her right to celebrate New Year's Eve as she likes.

 

As they prepare for the party, Kara tries on a jacket that evokes the cousin who consigned her to an orphanage, and the battle she endured on the day Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers adopted her. Joe Quinones brings Lena Luthor forward in panels as the girls stand on the sidewalk discussing the event. The Goth girl clutches Lesla's shoulder as she tempts the Kryptonian girl.

 

On the big night, most of the girls wear purple in Clarissa's purple house. While Lesla and Lena hang out by the drinks table, Luna Lustrum’s psychic abilities help her see purple auras over their heads. But like the Kryptonite her father often uses on Kara’s cousin, the green highlights in Lena's black hair link her with Lesla’s dress in Supergirl #9.

 

Becca Carey shows the girls' dialogue as black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons and Kara's thoughts in clouds. The letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink after Lesla disappoints Kara. Colorful, enlarged dialogue invites sound effects, as friends ring in the New Year in a less controlled manner than Kara would have preferred. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Kara knows that everything comes at a price. And despite her enhanced abilities beneath a yellow sun, she realizes there are limits to her abilities. Lesla’s misinterpretation of Kara's statements and Lena's desire to have fun with her friends confirm Kara's fears of inadequacy in Supergirl #9.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Supergirl #9.