Supergirl: Survive #2 Review
Writers: Ethan Parker & Griffin Sheridan
Artist: Rod Reis
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Cover Artist: Rod Reis
Variant Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke & Ethan Young
Editors: Chris Conroy, Matthew Levine & Andrew Marino
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99 US/$5.99 US (Card Stock)
Release Date: July 1, 2026
Before General Zod's speech, Kara Zor-El's biggest worry was
whether Ben-Lo would invite her to the Equinox Formal. Sadly, Zod's vitriolic
speech proved to be the final straw for Krypton. As the fragile strands that
bound society frayed, their parents packed Kara and Kal-El into a spaceship.
Then they sent it off toward a distant planet that had yet to repeat Krypton's
mistakes.
Instead, Kara and her cousin have arrived elsewhere. Who
inhabits the glowing green moon that serves as a constant reminder of Krypton's
faults? And can Kara protect young Kal from any adults who threaten them? Let's
leap into Supergirl: Survive #2 and see!
Story
As violence erupted on Krypton, their small, homemade
spaceship malfunctioned, sending Kara and Kal crashing down on the devastated
moon. As Kara crawled from the broken craft that was supposed to send them to a
planet in Sector 2814, a giant brute bore down on her. Kara raised her blaster.
But clad in a bulky spacesuit and carrying her cousin in a pod, Kara struggled
to defend herself against the sudden attack.
While revealing this event in flashback, Supergirl: Survive
#2 opens 158 days later. Kara Zor-El clutches Kal-El as they navigate a crowded
spaceport. The girl carrying her young cousin struggles to find their way among
the other travelers and refugees. And a big man seems to lurk behind them, as
they navigate the corridors of Station Grand.
While Ethan Parker and Griffin Sheridan's story focuses on
Kara and Kal, it also introduces other players. As a team of Lanterns meets to
discuss cosmic threats, one of them wishes the Corps were more proactive. But
like the authorities in Station Grand, they only assist people after they've
lost everything.
This lack of a central authority casts its shadow over Kara
and Kal as they float in the tide of people seeking a new home. As in any
crisis, opportunists seek to profit from the suffering of others. But the Lobo
Gang has earned a formidable reputation. And as Kara seeks to fulfill her vow
to Kal, she must decide how best to protect him in Supergirl: Survive #2.
Art
As Kara carries Kal through the spaceport, a cloak covers
her spacesuit. While ships arrive and depart, a downward view across the
terminal reveals all the travelers and an immense spaceship passing outside the
wall windows. A man in a long coat stands out amid a crowd of many species. Yet
the brim of his hat casts his features into shadow.
As Kara grows anxious amid the turquoise and blue
surroundings, her fellow travelers lose their distinctiveness. In Rod Reis’s
art, the people struggling to reach their departures become blue blurs with red
outlines. Desperate for help, Kara begs for help from a silhouette in
Supergirl: Survive #2.
Compared with the blue-green of Station Grand, the surface
of Krypton's moon glows yellow-green. A gray monster attacks, his cracking skin
disfigured with boils and bone spurs. As Kara stumbles back, her brass gun
produces yellow sparks. But while Krypton burns red, and Wegthor glows green,
all the colors of the spectrum fill Oa’s atmosphere. Despite the futuristic
architecture and radiant atmosphere, Lanterns meet in a dark, cavernous room.
Yet a yellow-and-orange world evoking a bygone age influences Kara and her
cousin's future.
Lucas Gattoni places uppercase black letters in white
dialogue balloons as Kara endures another day of endless waiting. Blue letters
in white balloons direct refugees to gates, while bigger letters in white
erased areas locate readers in time and space. Text in colored narrative boxes
conveys offscreen dialogue, while a hovering robot addresses Lanterns using
green text. Amid the sounds of confrontation, battle, and death, the giant red
letters that fill the air illuminate another sad fact of refugee life. Thanks
to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Kara was supposed to attend her school's Equinox Formal with
Ben-Lo. Then, she and her infant cousin were to forge a new life on a planet
that hadn't yet made Krypton's mistakes. Instead, Kara Zor-El and Kal-El endure
an eternity of waiting in a universe where everyone does the best they can,
even if people fall through the cracks in Supergirl: Survive #2.
Rating 9.4/10
To look inside see my preview of Supergirl: Survive #2.
For what happened last time, see my review of Supergirl: Survive #1.
