Each Friday, we'll be letting a different DC.com writer share what they'll be reading over the weekend and why you might want to check it out. Here's this week's suggestion for a perfect Weekend Escape!

Sometimes, clarity comes in forms you least expect. Take Supergirl for instance. Not only is she often burdened with the destruction of her home planet, but in Supergirl: Bizarrogirl, she’s engaged in a war with her own people for the fate of the Earth! The Girl of Steel is feeling pretty down in the dumps in this 2010 storyline, which wrapped up writer Sterling Gates and artist Jamal Igle’s landmark run. (We discussed the start of their stint a couple of weeks ago here in Weekend Escape.) Luckily, Kara Zor-El’s about to get help from the last person she’d ever imagine—herself. Only, a little more…bizarre.
 

THE PREMISE:

In the aftermath of the earlier War of the Supermen event, Kara Zor-El is feeling as low as she’s ever felt. After battling her own people, she’s given up the red cape and is resigned to live with Lana Lang under the name Linda Lang. However, her retirement is short-lived when a super-powered, craggy-faced being dressed in her costume begins attacking Metropolis. This screeching creature wields flame-breath and freeze-vision, and can entomb others in a form of solid matter. It’s a Bizarro-Supergirl, and just like her cousin’s similar doppelganger, she communicates in backwards-speak but is just as powerful as Kara. Supergirl just got through fighting her fellow Kryptonians. Can she now get over her feelings of self-doubt to face up to a dark mirror version of herself?
 

LET’S TALK TALENT:

Writer Sterling Gates and artist Jamal Igle came onto the Supergirl title with issue #34, and for the following two years set a new standard and tone for the Maid of Might. This was a Kara who had memories of Krypton, who was given the mission of finding Kal-El, and upon landing on Earth and seeing her cousin grown as an adult, struggled in adjusting to her new home planet. The “War of the Supermen” only exacerbated her insecurities as she battled her own mother Alura for the fate of the planet.

Gates and Igle take to this version of the character with great aplomb. Kara’s feelings of angst and self-doubt are not only natural, but highly compelling and set her apart from her famous cousin. When Bizarrogirl begins, she’s suffering from nightmares that cause her to blast her heat vision at the ceiling in her room. It’s more than enough psychological stress to eat at her when she’s fighting against the darker version of herself. However, it also strengthens her resolve to find solutions quickly and effectively, electing to be the best hero she can be, or give up the job entirely.

This kind of grounded writing is enhanced by Igle’s pencils, rendering Supergirl and her world with indelible realism. The expressions and body language of the familiar cast make the world of Bizarrogirl believable and tactile enough to carry weight when buildings and structures are being destroyed left and right. Igle truly goes to town when depicting Bizarrogirl. Complete with blackened sclera, rotting teeth and an ashen pallor, this character appears more immediately monstrous and frightening than past Bizarros, who have historically been used for comedy and hijinks throughout the Silver Age.
 

A FEW REASONS TO READ:

• The reason for Bizarrogirl’s sudden appearance is given before long, and we get a glimpse at some of the other Bizarro versions of DC characters, including the fan favorite “#1 Hero” himself. If you love Superman’s Bizarro stories, you’re going to really enjoy what Gates and Igle have put together for you here.
   
• If you’re looking for action, you’re in the right place. It comes at you hard and frenetic, with adrenalized sequences by Igle instilled with the outrageous powers often found in classic Superman and Supergirl comics. Also, look for some truly inventive uses of Kryptonian (and Bizarro) superpowers.
   
• The supporting cast serves to reinforce the human connection Kara values in Metropolis, especially with the characters of Lana Lang and Cat Grant. The latter has a tetchy relationship with Supergirl, and it’s a pleasure to see that develop further into the story.
   

WHY IT’S WORTH YOUR TIME:

With a character who has a history as long and varied as Supergirl, it can be tricky to know where to start with her comics, especially for new readers. Thankfully, Supergirl: Bizarrogirl, despite coming at the end of Gates and Igle’s run, works as the perfect springboard for a truly celebrated period of stories for Superman’s famous cousin. Full of action, heart, suspense and real stakes, this is a storyline that’s easy to digest, yet perfectly compelling for Supergirl fans old and new.

Supergirl: Bizarrogirl by Sterling Gates, Jamal Igle and Jon Sibal is available as a softcover graphic novel in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and digital retailers. It can also be read in full on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Donovan Morgan Grant writes about comics, graphic novels and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @donomark and X at @donoDMG1.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Donovan Morgan Grant and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.