Michael Alan Nelson has saved Supergirl…rather, he has saved the “Supergirl” title for me. Supergirl has long been one of my favorite characters, no matter the incarnation of Kara over the years…but Nelson’s appearance as writer back in issue #20 marked a turning point in the series for me. The New 52 Kara had been so distant, so not-human that she wasn’t as relatable a character as I would have preferred…but that has all changed. We still see Kara trying to find her place in the universe, but even as she travels in deep space we see a more grounded character, one that is more relatable and sympathetic while remaining as powerful as only a Kryptonian can be. Now, in her travels we get to meet the New 52 version of a fan-favorite bad guy…the Cyborg Superman!

There are some things we won’t learn fully in this issue – and that’s fine as it sets up some interesting stories for future issues. But, it’s pretty safe to say that this is a revamped and re-launched character, one that still retains the creepiness and power that made the original Cyborg Superman so compelling. This new version has a purpose that ties him much more closely to Kara than to Clark – and that’s really all that can be said without spoilering too much. It is a great study in the development of Kara’s New 52 persona – and I keep finding myself cheering her on as she is faced with difficult and heart-wrenching choices.

The artwork is a bit unusual this issue. The pencils are all by Diogenes Neves, and that artwork is good throughout. But, the inks are divided among three different artists, with Marc Deering getting the first 11 pages and Oclair Albert and Ruy Jose splitting up pages afterward, swapping back and forth. And the colors were also divided between Dave McCaig (first 15 pages) and Daniel Brown (pages 16-20). That sounds like a tough recipe for consistency, and there were some noticeable changes between artists…but thankfully for the most part the breaks between artists made sense within the script so that the changes were not so jarring as they may otherwise have been. I will say this…the design for the New 52 Cyborg Superman is VERY impressive. In several respects this out-does the original…and that’s truly saying something.

The bottom line here is that “Supergirl” #22 is an excellent issue well worth your time and hard earned comics dollars. If you haven’t been checking out “Supergirl” lately, this is a great time to get back on board!