Last issue, rich asswipe Simon Tycho captured Supergirl by scoring an easy victory through kryptonite. This issue Kara wipes that smug smile off of Tycho's face. Booyah!
Some characters and actual people just rub you the wrong way. Simon Tycho is such a character. A charisma-less bastard that already believes he has won, Tycho is a reflection of the pompous, self-centered individuals currently trying to bring down the Obama Administration at the expense of the 99%.
Giving Tycho such an easy victory over Supergirl last issue pissed me off. He didn't deserve to win or even compete. He just lucked out by finding the one thing that can kill a Kryptonian. This is the issue I wanted to see, and Green and Johnson give my desires voice.
The writers remind the audience that not everybody agrees with Simon Tycho, and that Supergirl is a force of good that instills heroism in others. Furthermore, humanity is worth saving. I'm an atheist, but I do harbor a philosophical belief. Humans are basically good. They want to live their lives and be free, to paraphrase Belinda Carlisle. It's just a comparatively few sphincters that ruin it for everybody else by trying to impose their will on others.
Mercy Repaid
Tycho exhibiting his typical arrogance and stupidity makes a mistake that most villains of his ilk make. Mind you, there are few villains as annoying and undeserving as Tycho.
Never Kill a Hero's Friend
There's a reason you shouldn't do this. You get as a result one "Cheesed off, Slayer."
When Tycho triggers events, artist Mahmud Asrar turns Kara into an unstoppable force, almost like a powerful spacecraft consolidated into the form of a young woman. He at once bestows graceful flight, majestic power and fantastic laser beams to Supergirl.
Perhaps best of all, Supergirl outwits Tycho. Tycho believes himself so smart. He believes, like so many villains in the past, that Supergirl is merely the 'lil girl cousin to Superman and a blonde to boot. Sure, she has powers comparable to the Man of Steel, but they must be less, and she can't be intelligent and invincible. That would just be ridiculous.
F.U. Simon Tycho
That's not a miss. Kara uses her awesome intellect to beat and damage Tycho where it hurts, the wallet and the ego. The beauty of it all? This gorgeous force of nature isn't even trying to hurt anybody, except perhaps Tycho.
Imagine the destruction she might have wrought were she trying? All she really had to do to stop Tycho's men was to punch a hole in the satellite with her pinky. Then, all the air would have rapidly evacuated, leaving behind cold corpses. Instead, Kara breaks her captors in ways they probably never experienced before. Painful, but she does not kill them. I'm sure some died in the climax, but Supergirl did not coldly murder her opponents. Her attack is devastating, but it could have been so much worse. That's Supergirl in a nutshell.
Ray Tate's first online work appeared in 1994 for Knotted. He has had a short story, "Spider Without a Web," published in 1995 for the magazine evernight and earned a degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh. Since 1995, Ray self-published The Pick of the Brown Bag on various usenet groups, where he reviewed comic books, Doctor Who novels, movies and occasionally music. Circa 2000, he contributed his reviews to Silver Bullet Comic Books (later Comics Bulletin) and became its senior reviewer. Ray Tate would like to think that he's young at heart. Of course, we all know better.