In this review of Supergirl #16, Kara takes on the role of leader and one of her first tests is squaring off against General Zod. No pressure, right?
SUPERGIRL #16
Written by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Art by JOE QUINONES
Main Cover: GUILLEM MARCH
Variant Covers: NOOBOVICH, STEPHANIE HANS, JOE QUINONES, MARK SPEARS
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 8/12/26
This review contains spoilers
The “Kingdom of Zod” event begins in Supergirl #16 and it begins with a quick recap of Zod’s life on New Kandor, as well as the backstory of El Caldero and the disappearance of Superman after DC K.O. After this refresher, Superboy (Conner) and Superboy Prime continue the fight they started in the third story of Action Comics #1100.
Supergirl, trying to step into a leadership role, has to act fast to break them up. Lois gets a holoprojector call inviting her to return to El Caldero. It’s an obvious trap and Supergirl knows that Lois can’t go alone, so she calls upon the Kryptonians present, as well as some non-Kryptonians, to help.
Lena Luthor, as part of Supergirl’s Super Force team, creates anti-K force fields for each Kryptonian that only last an hour per charge, but will keep them safe from the harmful effects of El Caldero’s Green K.
On the helicopter ride there, Lena shares the details of how Lois got her Superwoman powers. The superarmor Lois wore transferred the powers of another, unknown Kryptonian to her body through quantum entanglement from deep space.
Upon arriving at the Kryptonite Kingdom, Lois starts to feel strange. She soon realizes that her powers came from Zod and he’s now in command of El Caldero. He takes control of Lois and unleashes Eradicatrix to attack the superheroes.
While they fight off Zod’s creation, he puts Lois in a machine that will transfer his powers back to him. Zod also activates a K-Zone field around the city, preventing anyone from leaving. With the anti-K force fields quickly running out of power, the issue comes to an end.
Analysis
I immediately liked what writer Sophie Campbell is doing with Kara. The transition from the “Reign of the Superboys” over to this “Kingdom of Zod” event has required Supergirl to step up to fill Superman’s shoes. Campbell is giving her plenty of opportunities to test those leadership abilities.
Supergirl is able to get the two Superboys to settle down and realize there are bigger things afoot. She makes quick decisions about how to protect Lois while getting Kryptonian tech out of El Caldero. Once there, she’s confronted with the completely unexpected appearance of Zod. Rather than tuck tail and run, she stands tall and rallies the entire team to fight back.
I’ll admit that this wasn’t a title I was actively reading prior to the “Reign of the Superboys” event, but I now plan on going back to catch up on those missed issues, as Campbell’s work has been enjoyable.
I’m also intrigued by the mysterious voice that speaks to Kara, primarily toward the end of the story, saying that they will help her succeed. We (or at least I) have no clue who it is or where it’s coming from, so I’m looking forward to that reveal.
There are a couple of flashback sequences that feature artwork by Paolo Villanelli while the rest of Supergirl #16 is drawn by Joe Quinones. The two have noticeably different styles. Villanelli uses more detailed drawing and angular shapes, while Quinones utilizes heavier, smoother linework. Both styles are eye-catching and the variation helps to distinguish past from present events in the story. Quinones pulls double duty, as he also colors the action, along with Arif Prianto. The colors on Quinones’s pages are ever so slightly more vibrant, but both colorists make the artwork pop off the page.
Final Thoughts
Supergirl #16 kicks off the “Kingdom of Zod” event in a big way. This one is filled with heroes, action, and great artwork. This event is relatively short (only covering 9 issues), so it’s a good time to jump on to check out this title, if you haven’t already. Have fun, comic lovers!
