Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #4

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #4

DC Comics 2021

Written by Tom King

Illustrated by Bilquis Evely

Coloured by Matheus Lopes

Lettered by Clayton Cowles

Supergirl sets her sights on the Brigands, a group of dastardly nomads hell-bent on slaughtering all they come across. Now she must follow their path of destruction to find the fugitive they've been hiding who set her on this intergalactic journey in the first place!

Tom is one of the undisputed masters of storytelling right now. Everything he is writing turns to gold and in the way that Midus only wishes his touch worked. The depth of the characterisation here is unbelievable and how he manages to get the reader to see, feel and experience those emotions through the characters is second to none. I know this is supposed to be a maxi-series with a definite ending but I want this to be her new ongoing title. Dream big they say heh. I honestly can’t help it though because we’re finally seeing something that isn’t surface storytelling. There is something incredibly deep, rich and personal about this book, the story and the way this is being told. The further we get into the story the darker things become and it seems that there is no such thing as the light at the end of the tunnel here.

I am in love with the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter is magnificently rendered. Seriously how we see personalities rise to the forefront and change and grow is masterfully rendered. The pacing here is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story the deeper we are plunged into the darkness alongside them.

I am immensely enjoying the way that this is being structured and how we see the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. That the layers keep opening up avenues to explore and the depth, dimension and complexity that they add is immeasurable. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how we see the way it moves the story forward is impeccably achieved.

The interiors here are mindbogglingly brilliant. To see the beauty and the horror all together mixed into this is so expertly done. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of the detail in the work that we see leaves me gobsmacked. How we see backgrounds being utilised throughout to expand and enhance the moments as well as work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. How we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a master colourist at work. The beauty and the grace that we see within the work here is beyond what I could have hoped for.

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I’m not used to seeing something this heady from DC but I will say that this is precisely some of the best storytelling to come out of the company and it’s beyond what I could have hoped for. We need more stories like this that take a character far outside what we think of as their norm and create something that changes how we see them, respect them in a whole new way. It can be a powerful thing to see. The writing here is sublime and the characterisation is extraordinary and all of this is brought to life by these mindbogglingly brilliant interiors.