While still coming to terms with the loss of her home planet, Supergirl meets a Kryptonian named H'el who promises that he can travel back in time to save their doomed world. Despite Superman's warnings, Supergirl decides to place her trust in H'el. In doing so, she may have condemned Earth to the same fate as Krypton.
Supergirl Volume 3: Sanctuary collects Supergirl #13-20, with writing by Mike Johnson, Frank Hannah and Michael Alan Nelson, as well as art by Mahmud Asrar.
This collection starts where the previous one left off. Kara has been led to an underwater fortress, where she encounters her first foe Simon Tycho. She discovers that this lair has been left for her and that she must defeat Tycho in order to assume control of it. The issue is, in essence, one giant fight. Thus far, this title has done very well with its battle scenes and Kara's fight with Tycho is no exception. Tycho does a great job of pushing Kara's buttons and this serves to heighten her resolve to win. In the end, Tycho is taken care of and Kara gets her own version of the Fortress of Solitude (until it's destroyed in issue #20… sad face).
Much of Sanctuary is comprised of Supergirl's issues from the Superman crossover H'el on Earth. Without the Superman and Superboy parts of the narrative, it's easy to get lost when it comes to the plot. There are inevitably some plot holes, given that much of the action takes place outside of what is collected here. It interferes with the experience and jettisons Supergirl's book by making her a supporting character in a Superman storyline. What's worse is she falls for the bloody villain of the piece. It's terribly cliché and seems rather forced.
Even though Supergirl's parts of the crossover act as a subplot to the action in Superman, Johnson does an admirable job of keeping the reader up-to-date on the plot and tries his best to ensure that there's as little confusion as possible. Interestingly enough, the two best issues in this collection are filler for the crossover. Issues #16 and #17 feature Supergirl taking on the Flash and Wonder Woman respectively. Both issues are packed with relentless action as Supergirl takes on two of the most powerful members of the Justice League, but do nothing to move the plot along. The hero vs. hero narrative has been done many times over, but it's refreshing to see Supergirl be taken seriously as a contender. Johnson and Asrar also deserve props for not turning Supergirl's battle with Wonder Woman into a silly cat fight, as well as not forcing a win on Supergirl's side just because it's her book.
The three issues that follow the crossover are penned by Frank Hannah, Mike Johnson and Michael Alan Nelson respectively. This arc serves as the aftermath to H'el on Earth, which sees Lex Luthor observing Supergirl as she encounters Power Girl for the first time. It's glee-inducing to see Supergirl and Power Girl team-up to thwart a shared foe, as well as interact with one another once the battle is done. A point is made that they're like twins and the sisterly dynamic they form is a fantastic direction to take them in. There is one small problem though. When Power Girl changes her costume to her now-familiar boob window look, Supergirl tells her that she looks beautiful yet in the following issue Supergirl insists that Power Girl is "too old" for the costume. The problem here is inconsistency and this stems from the fact that Johnson wrote Supergirl to respond to the costume one way, while Nelson writes her reaction as the opposite. It's a little off-putting to see Supergirl acting so hostile towards Power Girl when she was very receptive in the previous issue.
Unlike preceding collections, Supergirl Volume 3: Sanctuary is a mixed lot. While the art is great throughout, the writing is inconsistent at times and the plot relies heavily on the presence of guest stars. It's difficult for the issues here to stand on their own since the majority of them are parts to a larger storyline. As such, Sanctuary is much less accessible than the first two trade paperbacks and the switching of writers towards the end fumbles with the aftermath of H'el on Earth. Though not nearly as impressive as its predecessors, this collection still has its moments of fun and has its share of epic battles. While its usage of guest stars can feel a little excessive, it's actually pretty cool to see Supergirl being connected more to the DC Universe. Plus, the world always needs more Supergirl/Power Girl team-ups.
Rating: B
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