A review by rhganci
Sanctuary by Mike Johnson
2.0
Note: Last week, I reviewed the crossover volume "H'el on Earth", which includes four of the same issues collected in this trade paperback. To avoid a recap of that material, this review will just cover my thoughts on the other four issues.
Appropriately enough, Supergirl, Vol. 3: Sanctuary picks up immediately where Vol. 2, Girl in the World left off, puts Kara's exploration of her new secret base on hiatus to follow Superman and Superboy into battle against the Kryptonian supervillain H'el, and then essentially returns to mildly conclude the Sanctuary arc. As such, this volume is rather fragmented in its presentation of Supergirl's story and depends to a large extent on your ability to acquire the remaining 11 issues of Superman and Superboy (I suggest the H'el on Earth collection in terms of cost-effectiveness).
With the "Sanctuary" plot, Michael Alan Green does a few things right, but ultimately it only cements Kara's place on Earth. She crosses paths with Power Girl, deals with the aftermath of the "H'el on Earth," and that's about it. We learn a modest amount about the Sanctuary fortress, but there isn't a large amount of content beyond that. Aside from a cool-looking cover by Emanuela Lupaccino, Mahmud Asrar's artwork stands pat as just-okay and keeps the overall quality of the book towards the middle of the pack.
BACKLOG PRIORITY
3/10 - This is a volume for collectors of the Super-books only, as it doesn't really contain all of the content necessary to understand all of what's happening in all of Supergirl's story arcs. If this book has quickly resolved the consequence of Kara's involvement with Superman in the fight against H'el, then this is a volume safely skipped for most readers.
Appropriately enough, Supergirl, Vol. 3: Sanctuary picks up immediately where Vol. 2, Girl in the World left off, puts Kara's exploration of her new secret base on hiatus to follow Superman and Superboy into battle against the Kryptonian supervillain H'el, and then essentially returns to mildly conclude the Sanctuary arc. As such, this volume is rather fragmented in its presentation of Supergirl's story and depends to a large extent on your ability to acquire the remaining 11 issues of Superman and Superboy (I suggest the H'el on Earth collection in terms of cost-effectiveness).
With the "Sanctuary" plot, Michael Alan Green does a few things right, but ultimately it only cements Kara's place on Earth. She crosses paths with Power Girl, deals with the aftermath of the "H'el on Earth," and that's about it. We learn a modest amount about the Sanctuary fortress, but there isn't a large amount of content beyond that. Aside from a cool-looking cover by Emanuela Lupaccino, Mahmud Asrar's artwork stands pat as just-okay and keeps the overall quality of the book towards the middle of the pack.
BACKLOG PRIORITY
3/10 - This is a volume for collectors of the Super-books only, as it doesn't really contain all of the content necessary to understand all of what's happening in all of Supergirl's story arcs. If this book has quickly resolved the consequence of Kara's involvement with Superman in the fight against H'el, then this is a volume safely skipped for most readers.