The character of Supergirl was a hot topic in 2026. Whether it’s the most recent Supergirl movie underperforming at the box office or the over emphasized backlash manufactured by anti-woke grifters, the character and mythos of Supergirl has seen better days. The press said the 2026 movie was an adaptation of Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” comic book mini-series, released from 2021-22. You can find more information on that and more on the Substack. The question is whether third times the charm for this story, or whether audio can do the comic book justice. Before beginning the review proper, some background might be helpful. If it’s not, then at least it’s interesting for people who maybe weren’t aware of this audio dramatization.

DC Comics and the House of the Random Penguin

The fourth audio dramatization from Penguin Random House and DC Comics has a turnaround time of three years going from the end of the source material to the movie adaptation and the audio adaptation. That’s two years more than the previous entry, “New History of the DC Universe,” which only had a year between the story ending and the dramatizations publication date. So far, I’ve reviewed the first and listened to the second. Those stories were “All-Star Superman” and “Kingdom Come” respectively. And, of course, there’s the most recent entry of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.”

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow — Hero’s Journey Tropes and Broadway Musical Motifs

If you were to listen to the first two chapters — you may walk away with deja vu inspired by a galaxy far, far way. Early chapters of “Woman of Tomorrow” follows the first few story moments found in Joseph Campbell’s plot framework, the monomyth. More specifically they are the hero refusing the call to adventure and then accepting it. The adventure is a revenge story for the character Ruthye, whose father died at the hands of Krem of the Yellow Hills in cold blood. Pretty standard beat in this type of plot structure. A hero refusing the call isn’t necessary for a story of this type to advance. Sometimes it’s better for pacing to go from everyday life and start of an adventure immediately. “Woman of Tomorrow” is not one of them. The first couple of episodes start slow for a super hero story in today’s long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe and barely year-old DC Studios. People who say most MCU movies end the same and they’re sick of it, then bash a film like “Thunderbolts” for doing something different are there for clicks and views from outrage culture. As the saying goes, you can’t please everyone.

One aspect of the first couple of episodes that felt unique was the music. The opening instrumental was somewhere on the continuum of Broadway musical on one end and film score on the other. Perhaps a more apt name would be the diegesis spectrum. I honestly expected someone to start singing. That feeling of anticipating a musical number any second was a short-lived sensation as the story found its footing around episode three. Not without bumps along the way. However, those bumps didn’t vanish. The musical score, despite finding a nice balance, did not hold back when the moment called for it. More on that later.

Supergirl Adapting to the Beat of Multiple Genres

The middle chapters borrow the stylings of several classic and modern storytelling genres and are episodically successful to varying degrees of success. From a western/suspense mix to an inverted time bomb trope, “Woman of Tomorrow” knows how to stay true to the essence of the material that inspired it while still subverting expectations. The first adventure leads Supergirl and Ruthye to a planet akin to the region fought over by the Hatfield and McCoys. Based solely on the classic Western story beat of a stranger rolls into town and saves the townsfolk from the gang of evil misfits, you expect Supergirl to be that stranger. Hell, describing it that way probably put a Clint Eastwood western in your head. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say there’s a lot more depth beyond the obvious black and white morality found in those old movies.

There are other examples, but I’ll let you experience Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow yourself should you get yourself a copy. The full-cast audio production is available wherever audiobooks are sold. You can find it on Audible using this affiliate link and help support the site at the same time. Now, let’s close a time loop and talk about adaptations

Details and Flashbacks in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

Having not read the comic, I’m not sure how faithful it works as a one-to-one adaptation. I can however tell you that converting a visual medium to audio works best when the images aren’t essential to understanding the story. With so many moments set in the past that feel part of the present in the audiobook, it was hard to grasp what was a taking place in the past or current day. I imagine this is easier to follow in the comics, but for an audio listener the struggle is real.

Early on while listening, I looked up chapter synopses of the book to make sure I was understanding what happened in those sections. This was helpful for me, but did the audiobook a disservice as so many details (important or not) were left out. In short some stories work better in a visual medium. And, if we’re talking about a beat for beat recreation of the story, then this dramatized audiobook would be easily forgotten. However, that doesn’t mean they didn’t capture the heart and soul of the comic book.

What is a Faithful Adaptation?

Despite all the little things mentioned above, I did enjoy the story. Chapter eight by itself is worth whatever metric you’re using to determine quality. Retelling Supergirl’s time on Krypton and having a heartfelt monologue that brought tears to my eyes makes this audiobook better than those I’ve listened to before in the series. Maybe it was the source material being more modern than those from the 90s and mid-2000s, but my emotional reaction is something the others can’t claim. A lot of the credit goes to the composers, Sam Ewing and Alexandre Côté, and their cinematic score that Jonathan Roberts mixes together with the rest of the audio to great effect. It’s powerful when it needs to be, but not overwhelming either in volume or the mood it elicits. Whether you tend to put more emphasis on a character’s appearance than their performance, there’s a Supergirl here for everyone. A woman of tomorrow, who comes today.

Rating: Low Groundbreaking (8.5+/10 or 4.3/5 Stars)