The Good

We all know what happened to Krypton (spoiler alert: it went boom), but now we get an in-depth look at how Zor-El handled the demise of his home. What immediately stands out for me is the art by Mahmud Asrar (complimented well by Dave McCaig's colors). His style manages to combine a more unrealistic and cartoonish appearance with a pleasant amount of detail, especially when it comes to close-ups of Zor-El. There's a superb panel of Zor-El hunched over with his eyes closed. You can really feel the emotional weight behind what he's feeling in that key scene.

Supergirl might be on the cover, but this isn't Kara's story... it's Zor-El's. By far the most interesting part of the plot is seeing the contrast between what he says and what he thinks. The end is near and he's made the impossible choice of trying to save only his daughter, despite how that will hinder every aspect of his life. Saying he's between a rock and a hard place would be a vast understatement and writers Michael Green and Mike Johnson do a fine job conveying that.

The Bad

Unfortunately, you don't need to have any experience with Supergirl for this story to feel all too familiar. In the end, I sadly had no real desire for a second read through or to flip through pages to relive some of the scenes. Consistently solid, but no moments truly packed a punch for me.

Zero issues are promoted as being new reader friendly. Even if you're not following the events of the ongoing, its meant to provide an informative look at the root of the character. That said, this issue certainly accomplishes that objective, but Superboy makes a cameo and I have no idea how or why he's there. Will loyal readers of Supergirl or Superboy know? Probably, but I'm trying to give every zero a shot and his seemingly random inclusion was off-putting.

Verdict

Issue 0 of Supergirl is a short and enjoyable read. It's a familiar story that widely plays it safe, but the invested look into Zor-El's heavy conflict and Asrar's art take center stage. This is certainly worth a purchase if you have any interest in the character.