GraniteState ComicCon And The Time Capsule Warehouse Sale

It is hard to believe that convention season is basically in my rear view mirror. Obviously Terrificon is my main convention I aim to hit but there are others that dot the New England landscape in the summer and early fall. 

I usually consider Granite State Comic Con  to be the end of the con season as it usually happens in late September and there aren't many others I always try to hit in the months after. (I know Wicked Comic Con just happened and Rhode Island Comic Con is coming up but I wasn't/won't be attending because of other obligations.)

And Granite State is a favorite of mine because they often have solid comic creator guests. Off the top of my head I can remember seeing Aaron Kuder, Jeff Parker, and Michael Cho there. It has been growing in some ways, now occupying two different areas in the hotel it is in as well as the floor of an arena across the street. The media guests have been growing as well. Interestingly, the con used to be almost exclusively comic vendors, but much like Plastic City, there were only a handful of comic dealers there with toys, shirts, and other memorabilia filling up the bulk of the floor.

But I am burying the lede as they say. I was telling friends of mine that I was going to this con and many recommended that I try and get a commission from Dave Wachter, an artist best known for TMNT. Since I don't read TMNT, I had never seen his work but did a quick perusal on line. Suffice it to say my friends have great taste. 

Wachter did the commission above and it is stunning. I love the pose, the shading, the background. I love Supergirl's happy expression and flexing. I am just floored by how great this commission is, a perfect ending to con season.

But wait, while not a con, there was one more Summer-ish 'event' worth talking about.

Review: Superman Unlimited #6

Superman Unlimited #6 came out last week and continued the story of the Kryptonite King and the sun stone uncovered in El Caldero. It is a standard comic, a fine book, with some fun moments. But it is pretty clear to me that of the super-books on the stands these days, this one sort of lags behind.

Writer Dan Slott is certainly throwing a lot out there trying to add new ideas and new powers to the Superman mythos all while dipping into the nostalgia pool by bringing back some Bronze Age super-stuff. But I seriously wonder how much of this is going to stick in a meaningful way. Will the world always be full of green K? Will Superman always have his time-limited 'gold form'? And I probably would be more accepting of these major world-changes if the story they are built into was compelling but six months in I feel we are sort of treading water. Even classic Superman moments showing who he is a hero feel a bit forced. 

The art is by Rafael Alburquerque and Mike Norton. Six issues in and in two of those issues Albuquerque has needed an assist. I'd rather there be an issue here and there entirely by a new artist to give Albuquerque time to do a whole story than the sort of pinch-hit pages approach. I do think Albuquerque draws a great Supermobile. 

Sorry for such a downer intro. Part of the issue is that Waid's Action Comics and Williamson's Superman and Campbell's Supergirl are all hitting it out of the park right now. This just pales in comparison.

On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #44

Batman/Superman World's Finest #44 came out this week and was a rollicking good time, bringing together the oddball team of Robin and Supergirl again. I have been waiting to read a story with these two on an adventure since the first time Mark Waid teamed them up in World's Finest #12.

One thing I have liked about this title as a whole is that Waid gives himself a 'done in one' issue between big arcs, a sort of breathing space. He has taken advantage of these side adventures to explore our characters a little deeper and have a little fun. And trust me, this issue is a lot of fun.

It builds on the characterization from the earlier stories. In those early arcs and that other solo issue, Kara is a more mature late teen dealing with the razzle-dazzle, overly eager, almost too self-assured Dick. You can feel her eye-rolling at his circus showmanship. But over the course of this story that softens as she gets to understand him more, appreciate him more. And both recognize their status as 'seconds' in their family. Whenever you put two people in a high pressure, high stress situation, emotions will run hot ... and we even get a little bit of that here.

The art here is done by Lucas Meyer who brings a significant polish to the proceedings. There is a little Lupacchino in there, a little Sook, a little Rags Morales. It is all beautiful.

This is a truly a laugh out loud issue. Everyone should be reading this title and, in particular, this issue.

Supergirl #6 (Greek)

One of the things that I truly appreciate about this community is just how generous they are. One of the things I really love is when people who are traveling and see something Supergirl think of me and occasionally send it my way.

A good friend was in Greece recently and sent me two Supergirl books, one of which I will share today. From Anubis Publishing, I present their presentation of Supergirl #6 from the Loeb era of the character. This was on the shelves in the states way back in 2006!

The book sports the 'variant cover' by Ian Churchill. This was during the extremely brief time Greg Rucka was on the book and basically this books first 2 years was so all over the map it was the impetus for me to start the site! I ultimately did review this issue as I deep dived into Kandor at some point. 

This Greek edition is more than just a reprint of the issue though which is why I thought it might be fun to share here. Check out below.

(Now I will say that I don't speak Greek but if one of you out there does ...)

At the very least, I can see how Nightwing is written in the Greek alphabet but there is more.

Review: Action Comics #1091

Action Comics #1091 came out last week, bringing a close to Mark Waid and Skylar Patridge’s first Superboy arc in the book. This is an extremely early adventure in our hero's career. I guess is it's his first adventure! And it comes with the 'is he a bad guy' Captain Comet angle as well.

The Captain Comet angle comes to an interesting end here with another lesson imparted on Superboy. But I have some questions about it. We'll get there. Waid continues to add some depth to the 'new' Smallville. This is the first time we have had a Superboy timeline in a while. So seeing Lana, Pete Ross, and Kenny Braverman interact feels fresh. Waid understands the character so seeing Clark figure it all out feels right.

Skylar Patridge remains on art and continues to bring a completely fresh, clean feel to the book. It perfectly fits these 'simpler' younger days for the character. I have said it before and I will say it now. The high school pages by Patridge are incredible. 

I think Waid has said that he had at least a year of Superboy stories in his head. So it will be fun to see the next arc and how it picks up.

On to the book.

Review: Supergirl #6 (v8)

Supergirl #6 came out this week and as anticipated by the solicit and the cover, it is an homage to the classic Nightflame tale from Adventure Comics #421. It is important to know that that story was an early foray into what now seems to be the well-trod soil of Supergirl having a dark side. In it, Supergirl must face the evil she has in her own soul in her own mind. 

One of the things that I have loved about this latest title is that writer/artist Sophie Campbell has really leaned into Supergirl's mythos. It seems as if everything has happened, something we have seen played out in the New History of the DC Universe. Campbell definitely shows us that all aspects of Supergirl's multiple histories is allowed in this book. And if we are revisiting the concept of Nightflame, the darkness in Supergirl's soul, Campbell has a lot of material to pick from. Best of all, Campbell shows why Supergirl is who she is, maintaining optimism and heroism because of the life she has endured.  She is a bright hero. As I have said before, if you are a longtime fan of Supergirl, this book is an absolute treasure trove. 

The art is a wonderful mix of Campbell's usual sunny style for the live action and Rosi Kampe's more angular, harsher art for the hellish innerspace of Supergirl's mind. The contrast plays wonderfully.

In a meta sense, this was the perfect time for this issue to be released. Recently Supergirl movie screen writer Ana Nogueria told Variety that she couldn't wrap her head around the always sunny Supergirl until she read Tom King's gritty Woman of Tomorrow. It is clear no one gave Noguera any recent books because as Campbell shows, Kara has been through a lot and always shined brighter because of it, not falling into drunken, angry despair. More's the pity. 

On to this tremendous book.

DC Comics December 2025 Solicits

The DC comics solicits for December came out recently and the winter looks good. Here is a link to the entire month's books:
https://aiptcomics.com/2025/09/19/full-december-2025-dc-comics-solicitations/

I still think the concept of DC K.O. makes little sense. Heroes fighting heroes is done. That said, I saw the bracket and filled one out like a college basketball conference sheet. I suppose I will be following, at least peripherally. 

But the Supergirl solicits still make me smile and I am glad to see Kara in a couple of other places.

On to the books.

SUPERGIRL #8
Written by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Art and cover by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Variant covers by JAE LEE, TODD NAUCK, and MEGAN HUANG

Years ago, to protect her secret identity, a young Supergirl created a robot to pose as Linda Danvers while she ventured around the world saving the day. Now, after years of abandonment, this mechanical Maiden of Might has returned…in the name of vengeance! Can Kara make peace with the past before it destroys her present?

I think blog friend Mart Gray and I have wondered about the Linda Lee robot over the years so to see Sophie Campbell answer the question is fantastic. And these oddities happening in Midvale makes me think we are getting some sort of 'Chaos Stream' hijinks in the book.

Is this Supergirl-specific trip down continuity lane a hit for everyone? I'm not sure. But I hope so. This comic is a delight so far.