Kara Zor El/Supergirl has to choose her guild. Unlike Kal El/Superman, her cousin, who refused to choose a guild in issue #1 of World of New Krypton, and was subsequently assigned one by Alura, Kara willingly will make a choice. A Kryptonian’s “Guilding Day” is a day of celebration and will be one for Kara, but the recent death of Superwoman at her hands, and her strained relationship with her mother are two unresolved issues which continue to hang over Kara’s head. Fortunately, for Kara, one of these issues will start to resolve itself by the end of this chapter, but others, including Superwoman’s death, will plague Kara for some time.

Issue #43 of Supergirl is a breather of sorts between action, and Supergirl has been action packed of late. Gates uses this issue to further develop Kara, her mother, and the issues between them. Chapters like this one are what make the current run of Supergirl so great. While not one punch is thrown throughout the issue, it’s just as compelling and interesting as the many battle issues that have recently been a staple of Supergirl. The strong character development and Kryptonian background story make readers actually care about these fictional super-powered beings, their struggles, and their triumphs.

Gates has Kara narrate this issue through a letter she has written to her deceased father. It adds a touching intimacy to this chapter that really helps the reader get a closer look at Kara’s feelings for her father, who was so long lost to her, and too shortly found. Her father is gone though, and her mother is still alive and in need of an understanding daughter. Kara realizes this, and her choice of guild exemplifies Kara’s desire to understand, and therefore draw closer to, her mother.

Igle’s pencils continue to fit Supergirl perfectly, as he captures the new vision of Kryptonian society with its architecture and costume masterfully. It’s great to see that John Byrne’s version of Kryptonian dress survives as the uniform of the Science Guild. It’s like catching a glimpse of an old friend amongst new and unfamiliar surroundings, and Igle recreates the look perfectly.

Overall, Supergirl remains a strong read in a string of strong reads that the Superman Family books currently are. They’re definitely worth the monthly wait.