Supergirl: behind the scenes of the comic book behind the film, with Brazilian designer Bilquis Evely

Created in 1938, Superman remains one of the world’s most famous and beloved superheroes. His greatest achievement? Maintain your charisma while wearing briefs over your pants. Her cousin Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, present in the comics since 1959, does not benefit from the same notoriety among the general public. The lack of enthusiasm generated by the 1984 film and the 2015 series probably has something to do with it… A situation which could well change with the release on July 1 of a new feature film soberly titled Supergirl, directed by Craig Gillespie (Me, Tonya).

Now played by Australian Milly Alcock, the superheroine already made an appearance last year in the Superman by James Gunn where, quite drunk, she retrieved her super-dog Krypto from Kal-El’s Fortress of Solitude. A way of pointing out the clear differences in temperament between the two Kryptonian cousins ​​and of assuming a less smooth version of Supergirl than in the past.

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A brawler, addicted to drinking and in the midst of an existential crisis, the new generation superhero is directly inspired by comics Supergirl : Woman of Tomorrow. Between the galactic western and unbridled space fantasy, this mini-series was compiled by Urban in 2022 then reissued in April 2026 in a version augmented with numerous sketches, storyboards and other bonuses. The opportunity to return to the genesis and singularity of the project in the company of its Brazilian designer Bilquis Evely, interviewed by videoconference.

To the United States and beyond

« When I was young, I didn’t really have any contact with superheroes because, in my neighborhood, you couldn’t find these kinds of books in stores. », Tells Bilquis Evely to Figaro. Although she has been drawing since she was little, it was only as a teenager that she finally discovered comics when she came across the cover of an album. Supergirl in a kiosk: “I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is so good! It’s so interesting the way they tell the stories!’ And, from that moment on, I knew this would be my future. »

While studying at a comics school, Bilquis Evely met a professor who passed on his passion for academic-style cartoonists, notably Alex Raymond and Al Williamson, respectively the creator and one of the illustrators of Flash Gordon. « Their lines were particularly skillful, able to create movement and depth with very few strokes. I fell in love with this style, and this is one of the reasons why, even today, I work in a traditional way with paper and a brush “, she confides. It was also thanks to the director of her school that, after three years of creating comics in Brazil, she managed to work for the American publisher Dynamite.

In 2015, she joined the DC Comics stable, first with Supergirl figurines then by illustrating series such as Wonder Woman et The Dreaming (in the universe Sandman, with the excellent Simon Spurrier). She then receives a tempting offer: to draw a Tom King story in which Supergirl accompanies a young woman named Ruthye on a quest for revenge full of sword duels and spaceships: “ I immediately loved the idea because I like adventures, fantasy and science fiction. I love images of the cosmos! I knew this was the project for me, so I accepted without hesitation. » A happy collaboration since the King-Evely duo will reform in 2024 on Helen de Wyndhorn (Glénat).

Great artistic freedom

The abundant universe of Supergirl : Woman of Tomorrow evokes the pulp magazines Americans, dinosaurs and extraterrestrials included, but also French masters of comics like Druillet or Mœbius, whom Bilquis Evely considers “ the best artist of all time “. Furthermore, the designer is full of praise for “her” screenwriter Tom King, “ brilliant author » (Strange Adventures, Rorschach, The Animal Pound…) particularly comfortable with cutting, without seeking to control every aspect of the story.: “ At one point, Supergirl takes a space bus. Tom just wrote “space bus” in his script. Then I created everything myself, she says. I had a lot of fun drawing these aliens; one plays music, others chat or snooze… »

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Easily recognizable, Bilquis Evely’s protagonists often have square jaws and large eyes surrounded by superb eyelashes, increasing their expressiveness and reinforcing their psychological characterization. “ It’s a challenge that I particularly like: expressing different emotions in a single look, she explains. For example, when Supergirl is angry, you can see sadness in her eyes. I like to draw these kinds of details that enrich the narrative. This can also concern their posture, hand and body movements. This sensitivity that Tom instilled in him is like a playground for me. » The depth of the characters, mistreated by a tragic intrigue, is never sacrificed on the altar of entertainment.

When we point out the beauty of her interlacing and superpositions of lines – hair, cape, smoke, clouds… – the designer evokes her way of handling the brush: “I use my elbow more than my wrist. It’s a question of movement, of precision in the line. Working on the details of hair or clouds therefore comes very naturally to me. It’s not intentional, it’s just my way of doing things. » The versatility of colorist Matheus Lopes, who adjusts his generous chromatic palette to each scene, each landscape, each interior, makes this fictional world almost palpable: “ Her color choices are so pleasant to look at, so soft! estime Bilquis Evely. He is very sensitive and knows how to adapt his work to each artist. »

The surprise of the film adaptation

How did the Brazilian welcome the announcement in 2023 of the cinema adaptation of Supergirl : Woman of Tomorrow ? « Oh, I was living my life as usual, working, and then everyone started tagging me [sur les réseaux sociaux], and I didn’t understand why. And then I saw the news… I was really in shock! I still find it surreal today. I was very proud of the book at the time, of course, but I didn’t expect a movie to come so quickly. »

« I can’t wait to see the result, I have high hopes, enthuses the designer. When I found out that Milly Alcock would be playing the role, I was ecstatic, as I had just finished House of the Dragon and she was my favorite actress on the show. She is so talented! I’m really looking forward to seeing her play this character. »

Bilquis Evely has already invested in the promotion of the feature film by creating new illustrations, notably the cover of a forthcoming artbook, called From Comic to Screen.

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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (Expanded Edition), by Tom King (screenplay) and Bilquis Evely (drawing) with Matheus Lopes (colors), translated from the American by Jérôme Wicky, Urban Comics, 280 pages, 25 euros.