The Supergirl of Gotham is Back With A Brand New Costume (And Mystery)
The Gotham City doppelgänger of Supergirl is finally making a return and bringing a mystery with her. With all the powers of a Kryptonian and all the damage that comes from living in the Dark Knight’s city, Gotham Girl will be headlining a backup story in the pages of Detective Comics. However, her future in Gotham will depend on her being able to solve a murder case she finds herself a key player in.
Claire Clover, aka Gotham Girl, was created by Tom King and David Finch for their first arc in Batman Vol. 3. She possesses the powers of a Kryptonian thanks to an experiment she participated in with her brother, Hank, who served as her crimefighting partner, Gotham. After Gotham’s death, Gotham Girl found herself manipulated by the Flashpoint universe’s Batman, turning her from Batman's ally into a villain. While eventually freed from Thomas Wayne’s manipulations, Gotham Girl struggled with guilt and depression over what had happened to her and Hank. Now she’s getting a chance to explore those feelings in a new story.
As part of DC's April’s solicitations, Detective Comics #1059 by Mariko Tamaki, Nadia Shammas, Ivan Reis, Danny Miki will feature a backup story, “Gotham Girl: Interrupted” by Sina Grace and David Lapham. A variant cover showcases the new Gotham Girl, sporting shorter hair, a new mask and a stylish top with her Super Family-style crest emblazoned on her shoulder. The released information mentions “the super-powered Claire Clover returns to the city that helped ruin her life...to get psychiatric treatment at the new Arkham Tower.” Claire is in for tough times ahead, though, as her comeback “is rocked by a murder mystery, she finds someone unexpected at the scene of the crime...herself.”
While her outfit is certainly a step in forging her own path as a hero, Gotham Girl's return looks help her move forward as a character by forcing her to confront her worst fears. There's already been discussions about whether the new Arkham Tower will be able to actually help its many residents, as opposed to being the revolving door that was Arkham Asylum. Gotham Girl seeking out treatment shows she's ready to work toward overcoming the trauma she incurred the last time she was in Gotham. And while she may be at the center of a crime, Batman and his allies already have the new mental health facility on their radar. If there's one person Claire trusts, it's Bruce Wayne, so the two possibly being on a path to reunite is a good thing for her.
Gotham Girl having to solve such a complex puzzle is a challenge, but if she can do it, she may prove to the Bat-Family that she's a worthy ally and potential future member. While Claire may have the powers of Supergirl, Gotham Girl's going to need to call on the powers of deduction to solve such a curious case.