Exclusive DC preview: Convergence gets irreverent with Supergirl: Matrix

DC Comics’ two-month Convergence event gives creators the opportunity to explore more obscure corners of the DC Universe as it mixes and matches different characters from various points in the publisher’s history. In the late ’80s, John Byrne introduced a new take on Supergirl that was a far cry from the character’s original origin as Superman’s cousin: this new Supergirl was actually a “shape-shifting glob of organic matter” that went by the name of Matrix, and the character’s history only became more convoluted through the ’90s.

That descriptive quote comes from a note at the bottom of the first page of Convergence: Supergirl: Matrix, which establishes that writer Keith Giffen is fully aware of how ridiculous this lead character is. He’s also aware that nobody is hankering for a showdown between Matrix-Supergirl and the villainous team of Lady Quark and Lord Volt, but giving Giffen the opportunity to play around with lesser-known characters in the DC sandbox often leads to delightful superhero stories thanks to his irreverent sense of humor.

Giffen is joined by artist Timothy Green II, inker Joseph Silver, and colorist Hi-Fi on the two-issue miniseries, and the art team nails the look of the era of superhero comics from which these characters are pulled. Green has a stronger handle on anatomy than a lot of ’90s super-artists, but he channels their spirit with big hair and cheesecake (breasts and behinds are very prominent in that opening page), and Hi-Fi uses a vibrant, saturated palette that evokes a time before the versatility of digital coloring. Convergence: Supergirl: Matrix may feature a story that no one was begging for, but it has a lot of potential if the creative team embraces the absurdity.