Can anyone explain to me what’s going on with this book? Loeb’s writing on “Superman/Batman” has been exceptionally entertaining from day one (with the exception of that horrific Pat Lee one-off), so I expect nothing less from Supergirl. Instead, we’re being treated to a book whose sole purpose seems to be to propel forward other titles’ plotlines while doing it’s level best to avoid providing Supergirl with a coherent plot of her own. Instead we’re treated to JSA sub-plots in the still relatively enjoyable issue 1, while the Teen Titans take over everything in #2, resulting in a confusing jumble of words and pictures. It’s fairly obvious that this title is going to have some sort of major importance in the upcoming Infinite Crisis, but it would really be nice if Loeb and company could at least try to tell us a story even half as entertaining as they managed in Supes/Bats on our way there.

As far as the art is concerned, I know that Ian Churchill can do better than this. While he’s not my favorite artist, It’s not like I loathe his work. But for some reason, this title is really bringing out his Liefeldian leanings - facial expressions, body contortions - it genuinely looks like Jim Lee inking Liefeld’s breakdowns. I’m certain that there’s an audience for this style, but I’m afraid that I’m not a member.

At this point, I’m cutting back on my monthly comic book budget as it is. I’d like to give “Supergirl” one more issue to win me over, especially considering how much I flat out love “Superman/Batman,” but considering how disappointing issue 2 is, I’m not betting on it. We’ll see how large a week it is when #3 ships, but it’s not looking good.

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