Sooner or later, it was bound to happen. A mediocre issue. The Gates/Igle run of Supergirl has been consistently good and the Codename: Patriot crossover has been exceeding my expectations. So it probably shouldn’t be a big surprise that this issue was a bit of a let-down.
Regular Supergirl readers who haven’t been keeping up with Codename: Patriot might feel a little left out. The first seven pages of the issue detail Ral-Dar’s escape from General Lane’s holding cell. All the information that is needed for comprehension is provided, but I’m not sure these readers are likely to care if they haven’t been following the other Superman books.
If you have been following Codename: Patriot, the issue hits a lot of the same story beats as last week’s superior Action Comics. After five pages recapping who all the characters were and how they related to each other, we get a fight scene in which the characters are being manipulated by Mirabai. All of this was better done in Action where it also had the benefit of being done first.
Due to the nature of cross-over stories, the issue just kind of ends without anything being resolved. The last few pages have characters commenting that “something big” is about to happen, but it doesn’t happen in this issue. And we’re not given any clues as to what it might be. Sure, there’s a cliffhanger on the last page. But it’s nothing you can really sink your teeth into.
While Action Comics got a jolt out of the Codename: Patriot crossover, it seems to have interrupted the flow of Supergirl. And as part of the larger crossover, this issue just felt like recaps and filler material. Hopefully, the next issues of Supergirl and of the Codename: Patriot story will be a return to form.
[...] then things went off the rails. The Supergirl chapter of the story just stalled out. And the entire affair crapped out completely in [...]
[...] a vocal supporter of the Gates/Igle run on Supergirl since the beginning. But then the mess of Superman crossovers sent me running for cover. Thankfully, the crossovers are done. Action Comics has been the [...]