I wasn’t expecting much from this final issue and I was not disappointed with how little it actually accomplished. The entire Jody Houser run has been pretty much a disappointment; not that I blame her in as much as I blame how Supergirl has been mishandled for YEARS! Most of the people who have written stories for Supergirl over the decades have not had a firm grasp on who she is. The background given to her in this most-recent run has fleshed out her time as a girl on Krypton, but has not allowed her follow up on that. Why does she have to be a “super-hero”? Just because her cousin is? That’s a lame hold-over from the 1960s, a much simpler time for storytelling. Her heart isn’t in super-heroing. Let her pursue what she was studying on Krypton – science! She could be a very formidable scientist introducing Kryptonian-like tech much like Power Girl did. She could start her own company, like Barbara Gordon. She need not be a ‘hero’ to help the world. She should retire from active heroing, devote her time to developing new tech and only come out of retirement when it is really called for.
I think Sterling Gates has had the best run on Supergirl, and his run had to accommodate the New Krypton storyline (which I loved) He had a grasp on Kara, Lana and her family. Supergirl stories haven’t been the same since he left the book almost a decade ago.
I think I’ve tried every Supergirl series since Kara Zor-El was reintroduced in the 2000s and I haven’t been able to stick with any of them.
I haven’t read the issue yet, but regarding Supergirl in general, the 2005-'11 volume is my favorite. Start to finish, I find it to be solid.
The current volume started out well, but has been in a bit of a rut for the last year or so. I think Kara is definitely in need of a break.
Issue #42 was ok. The only issue in the Houser/Stott infected run that wasn’t all out bad.
Could I enjoy it fully?
No, while it is a respectable issue, it is digging its nails into the festered wound of the previous issues and it just hurts too much that DC wrecked the comic.
It is with a mix of relief and sadness that I see this title end. Relief that I no longer have to get suckerpunched with disappointment every issue, and sadness to see my favorite character go.
I had promised myself to end comics anyways after the recent revelations of the comic business so in a way, maybe now was a good time for it to end.
Hopefully next time she comes back into a world with a better DC and where she isn’t left at the mercy of events that cares little for the quality and consistency of the so called satellite titles.
I jumped on Supergirl starting with issue 21 (Andreyko/Maguire). I enjoyed the first few arcs, which compliment the events that unfolded in Bendis’ Superman. Sprawling space saga, with lots of fun action, and an understandably pissed off Supergirl after the events with Rogol Zaar, Kandor and revelations of what happened to Krypton. Then the infected arc came. I don’t mind stories where a hero is mind controlled or what have you, as long as they pull out of it, and she did. I must admit though, I usually have little interest in such stories. I pick up these books to see my characters do their thing, and she was doing the Batman Who Laughs thing… for a bit too long I might add. An issue or two would have been enough, but it just wouldn’t end 
.
All in all, I hope she comes back in some capacity. I’ll be checking her out when she does… er… checking her book out, that is!
Having now read the issue, I thought it was an…okay (at best) finale, with the very last panel being my favorite in the issue.
I’ll be curious to see what happens to Kara after she takes some much needed time off (in our world, but it wouldn’t hurt her in her’s either).
Supergirl the Infected is the story of how one of the very very few women of DC is robbed of agency in her own title. She is the mindslave for a man for one year. The two most powerful women of DC spends half a year trying their best to fix it, but its impossible. Then a man comes in and fixes it in one panel. The resolution is not even shown in her own title. One of the extremely few female led titles is then cancelled while worse selling male led titles continues. Her last two issues are not printed while worse selling male titles are continued being printed. This is complete BS and DC at its very worst. God I’m stll pissed about this.
One of the things I like about Kara is that she remembers Krypton. She grew up on Krypton and has Kryptonian values and biases. This sets her apart from most of the DCU, and all of the Super-family. I liked how this book closed on that tone. Kara is different than Clark, and I think this conclusion sets up her next series to be able to dive into that side of her character. So while this issue was kind of meh from the preceding story arc, I enjoyed the ending. Here’s to the future!
Sidebar: Speaking of the last arc, did anyone actually like any of the infected stories. Shazam, who’d also been infected, had his book cancelled too. Hopefully, Hawkman escapes a similar fate.
Kara having grown up on Krypton is one of the few things I actually liked about this version of Supergirl. I always felt she was so angry and that anger was used by the Red Lanterns, her mission against Rogol Zaar and The Batman Who Laughs. Her anger has made her a problem – People see the “S” on her chest, know she’s somehow related to Superman and expect her to act the same way. Even she was somewhat guilty of that idea – I’m an El, Kal is a great hero, therefore I have to be one too! That’s faulty thinking and for that, I blame the writers who couldn’t think of any other way to deal with her.
I still think she needs to come back as herself – Kara Zor-El, scientist. She could work for or with Mr. Terrific, Barbara Gordon, Ted Cord or any of the other super-smart scientists in the DC Universe. She could really change the world by introducing Kryptonian-style tech that could help reduce pollution, bring clean water to drought-struck countries, cure diseases – the possibilities are endless. And, if she didn’t want to limit herself to Earth, she could set up a lab on the moon, help terraform Mars, expand man’s understanding of the solar system by going out there and sending reports back.
Whatever happens, I hope and pray DC doesn’t screw her up again!