Review: Supergirl Vol. 4- Out of the Past

Quick Summary

Pros: The main narrative is interesting and has enough action, emotion, and surprise to keep it interesting. The character development around Supergirl works out well. The artwork is mostly positive.

Cons: The closing chapters form a poor piece of a lackluster crossover event.

Overall: This is one of the better collections of Supergirl stories from this era. The majority of the book details a compelling story arc that stays interesting from start to finish. There are a few chapters at the end that aren’t that good but they only form a small piece of the total collection. Fans of Supergirl, Cyborg Superman, or the relationship between the two may be interested in checking this volume out.

Story

Supergirl Vol. 4: Out of the Past, by Michael Alan Nelson and Scott Lobdell, contains one solid story arc but also contains a few really poor pieces of a crossover event. The volume opens with an interesting arc that has action, drama, emotion, and even a few unexpected surprises. This arc is entertaining and works out well for Supergirl. Unfortunately, the pieces of the volume relating to the Krypton Returns (Review) crossover event are not nearly as good and end up dragging down the collection. In the end, this book still ends up having more positives than negatives and still ends up being worthwhile.

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The main narrative in Out of the Past gets interesting quick and stays interesting. The story starts out with action as Supergirl ends up on another planet fighting a giant monster. Then, the story gets tense as she has to deal with deception from Cyborg Superman and the people of the planet she saved. Then, a twist is introduced when readers learn that Cyborg Superman is actually Supergirl’s father and get an emotional peek into his past. Finally, this story arc closes with a triumphant victory from Supergirl due to her father’s touching sacrifice.

This narrative also does well in developing Supergirl as a character. It expands and adds to her backstory by giving her a modern connection to her home world. In addition, her actions throughout this collection come across as more mature than they did before. There are even places where she mocks the ridiculous nature of a few moments from her past.

The only unfortunate part about Out of the Past is the portions of the volume connected to the Krypton Returns (Review) crossover event. Right off the bat, it is hard to enjoy this portion of the book because it jumps right into the middle of the event and only barely explains what has happened in the event thus far. Adding on to this, the event is pretty disappointing as a whole and has most characters acting childish and has Superman condemn the villain to an unending cycle of torture rather than killing him, which seems like a fate worse than death. In general, this portion of the book is not good and weighs the collection down.

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Art

The artwork in Out of the Past is mostly positive and pairs well with this story. Pencils from Diogenes Neves make the book’s extraterrestrial setting look unique. These visuals also enhance the story by allowing the characters to look emotionally troubled, mysteriously sinister, or outrageously angry depending on which specific emotion is required by the specific scene. Later on, Kenneth Rocafort’s work on the book’s final chapter looks fantastic and brings out Rocafort’s characteristically imaginative work. There are a few chapters within Out of the Past that just end up looking alright but, for the most part, the artwork in this collection looks nice.

Continuity

Supergirl Vol. 4: Out of the Past continues the story from Supergirl Vol. 3: Sanctuary (Review).

This volume also contains chapters that form part of the Superman: Krypton Returns (Review) crossover event.

The story here continues in Supergirl Vol. 5: Red Daughter of Krypton (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Small elements from the majority of Supergirl’s New 52 history, starting with Supergirl Vol. 1: Last Daughter of Krypton (Review), are briefly mentioned.
• This volume’s final chapters are tie-ins to the Superman: Krypton Returns (Review) crossover event.