Helen Slater Interview

Planet Origo is a website out of Norway which is a magazine and store for music and CDs. They just posted a fabulous interview with Helen Slater where she talked at length about her role of Supergirl and as Lara on Smallville.

It is a fabulous interview and well worth reading in its entirety!

Here is the link: ( http://news.planetorigo.com/article.php?poarticle_id=505&s=sfFCIKQXQNEBg2Cd& ). As usual, some blurbs stuck out and are worth commenting on.

To get the role, Slater had to compete against other young up-and-coming actresses, such as Demi Moore and Brooke Shields, but what director Jeannot Szwarc wanted was a person who was athletic but without big muscles, and who knew ballet and could be graceful. How did Slater meet those criteria?

Helen: I had attended performing arts classes in high scool, and we had to take [extra] dance classes. I never did sports per se, but I had done dance classes and that fitted Jeannot's idea of what he wanted in [a female lead].

Now I freely admit it has been a looooong time since I saw the movie, something I really need to rectify soon. But one thing that stuck was just how graceful Slater was in the role. This wasn't a brutish strong-arm of a Supergirl. This was elegance. And it clearly made a lasting impression. And I had no idea that Demi Moore and Brooke Shields were being considered for the role. For me, Slater was absolutely perfect.

PO: Adding to the sheer size of the movie and its ties to popular culture was the fact that some major names were to be seen on screen; Mia Farrow played Kara / Supergirl's mother, Faye Dunaway played the witch Selena, and Peter O'Toole was Zaltar, a Marlon Brando-esque character on Supergirl's home planet. How were those veteran actors to work with?

Helen: Oh, that was such a great experience for me, that whole spectrum. Peter I still think of as this incredible mentor. I don't know if you [know] this, but he would have me do Shakespeare for him, and kind of helped me get rid of some of my American habits, which I still do to this day. He said to me; 'I want you to imagine holding a daffodil between your thumb and your forefinger' while I was doing a speech from Romeo and Juliet, and very much gave me this incredible light into doing Shakespeare, which I hadn't started performing. I've had great teachers since Supergirl [too], about getting more insight into how to work with text.

Helen: And then with Faye, for me it was her professionalism... I was very aware of how an extraordinary beautiful woman she is. She was very mindful of the way she was lit, because there was that kind of self-protection on her part that I think was good. I think she was very helpful [to me].

I can only imagine what it must have been like to be a kid and have this incredible face time with these Hollywood legends. My guess is O'Toole took the part because he had bills to pay. But still, I can only imagine what Slater was feeling, starring in her first movie and doing scenes with Lawrence of Arabia!

It does sound like the cast took care of Slater and I think that is pretty cool.

Planet Origo: The aerial ballet scene looks particularly great in the film. Was it achieved with wires, and how was it to shoot?

Helen: That was such great fun and one of the highlights of the movie for me. It was done with wires back then, [the technique of achieving it] looks really archaic now. I don't know how they do it today, but when I did in the 80s they had a long-nose construction crane, and then they attached two piano wires to a track that went across a frame, and then two guys had a rope on a makeshift wheel, and when they pulled the wire I would go up, and two other guys had another wheel [and when they pulled their wire] I would go across the frame, so that's how they made me fly.

This is another scene that I can remember pretty vividly and also had that feeling of both grace and power. It is hard to believe that she could pull it off when it sounds like such a crude way of shooting.

But one thing for sure, Slater was absolutely perfect for the role. I mean look at the picture above. Just perfect!

Smallville, the long-running TV series about Superman's younger years. Helen Slater played Lara, Clark Kent / Superman's biological mother in two episodes.

Helen: They offered me that part and I had so much fun doing it, they are just wonderful peple over there. They tip their hat alot to the movies that were made, by bringing in actors or voices, so for people who love the Supergirl comics or Superman comic books, it was fun to be that surprise in that I was playing Superman's biological mother.

I never really commented on how Smallville cast Slater as Lara. For someone as continuity obsessed as me that was such a nice touch. It sounds like she had a fun time doing it too.

Planet Origo: Is there any particular incident or situation you remember more than anything else from your 25 year old involvement with the Super universe?

Helen: I was very moved when I met Laura Vandervoort, who plays Supergirl on Smallville, because she was my age when I played Supergirl, and that was a little bit of a shock. She might have been one or two years older, but I almost felt like seeing myself 25 years ago, and walking on the set I had that really odd feeling watching her. She was so poised and lovely, and I had a kind of... not eerie [feeling], but I was thinking 'wow, that was me 20-something years ago'.

I just thought that was a nice story.

Anyways, I have to go order the movie now. I have been remiss in not buying it sooner.

Review: Wednesday Comics #1

Wow!

I thought I was going to like Wednesday Comics. I saw the great talent assembled. I heard how literally big the project was going to be.

But I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. Wow!

First off, the thing is huge! I unfolded it once thinking that was it. Turns out you need to unfold it twice to begin reading. It is a little smaller than your average newspaper.

But the stories are what grabbed me. While the pages are huge they also have huge panels. We are probably talking the content of 2 pages of your average comic ... if that. With only 12 pages to tell a complete story, most strips jump right into the action. Compressed story telling is probably more difficult than stretching a story out so you need the right creators to do it correctly.



So for the Supergirl story we jump right in with Kara chasing Streaky and Krypto who are seemingly out of control. That's them crashing through a department store with Supergirl in close pursuit. A moving van in the background makes me think we are in Gotham. Could they be out of control because of Scarecrow fear gas? Could we get a guest appearance by Ace the Bat Hound?

One thing I do know ... Amanda Conner's art is slick.

But the other strips work just the same dropping us right into the action.

Batman (Azarello/Risso) has to stop a murder scheduled for midnight. The strip opens with the clock showing 11:59.

Kamandi (Gibbons/Sook) is startled by someone when reminiscing at Command D. This strip's art and panel layout read just like the Hal Foster Prince Valiant strips I read each Sunday when growing up.

Deadman (Dave Bullock) comes across a murder scene only to stumble on the murderer in the act again.

Metamorpho (Gaiman/Allred) is sent on the trail of a huge diamond.

Sgt. Rock (Adam and Joe Kubert) is captured and being tortured by Nazis. Joe Kubert!

Catwoman/Demon (Simonson/Stelfreeze) has Selina trying to steal Camelot relics from Jason Blood. Stelfreeze is amazing!

You get the point. Green Lantern, Superman, Teen Titans, Wonder Woman .... each strip grabbed me ... a mixture of high talent and high concept.

I highly recommend Wednesday Comics and not just for the Supergirl strip which looks like it will be madcap slapstick fun.

Cosmic Adventures: Linda Lee Production Information

It has been a very busy time for a Supergirl fan with news coming out almost every day! I am actually running behind on things I want to post on! It really is a good time to be a Supergirl fan!

Landry Walker continues to show us the backstage production of the Cosmic Adventures series on his blog. Last week he talked about Linda Lee and gave us some of the concept art of the character ( http://xray-studios.livejournal.com/51957.html ).

As the series came out, it was interesting to see how the depiction of Linda evolved along with the character. Early in the series when she is at her most vulnerable and most unsure of herself, she really shows it physically, shoulders slumped and hunched a bit. Compare that to the last issues where she is happily bouncing on her dorm bed.

As always, I recommend reading the whole post there and looking at the blog in total. I will eventually catch up and post and comment on the Supergirl production art.

But here are some blurbs that stuck out with me:

And I know there are a great number of people who question whether or not Supergirl even needs a secret identity. The answer is: Yes. Sure, she could fly around all day, performing acts of incredible strength and what not. Sure. And while that might even be the reality if a teenage girl had superpowers, comics are not reality. Comics are entertainment. And one of the key factors in entertainment is relatability.

It has been interesting to see the debate about Linda Lang in the main book. And maybe for the audience of that title, there is a bigger need for that debate.

But in a Johnny DC book where you are trying to capture the attention of a younger audience, you need Linda. The Supergirls at home clearly identified with what Linda was going through even if that then spilled into more super-hero adventures.

Of course, there is room for another take. MiracleMan is a perfect example of this. Why would MiracleMan ever change back to his human self? But this is Supergirl. A character who, despite her alien origins, was always shown to be more human than humans were. A deeply empathic and caring person who would allow herself to live in an orphanage because she believed that the rest of the world would be better served by her sacrifice.

Any talk that includes a Miracleman reference is a good talk! That series was spectacular.

But I think Walker hits the nail on the head about who I think Supergirl should be ... more human than humans, someone who would sacrifice for the good of others.

So Linda Lee was an unquestionable necessity. Particularly when you consider that Linda is a more accurate reflection of who Supergirl really is. A young teen-age girl alone in a confusing new environment. She's not like Superman, pretending to be bumbling Clark Kent. She's really a normal young girl who just happens to have suddenly been given amazing powers and is striving to live up to an impossible heroic ideal. She's still going to be awkward and nervous and shy. If she isn't, than we can't relate to her. And if we can't relate to her, why would we want to read about her?

In some ways, Linda was her identity. I am sure the way she acted as Linda is how she acted as Kara in Argo City. There was nothing false about her.

I have always said that part of the appeal of Supergirl for me is that she is still becoming a hero. She isn't a finished product like Superman. So in Cosmic Adventures when you saw that awkwardness and nervousness and the heroic adventures and willingness to risk it all to save people ... well that IS Supergirl to me.

I have said it before and I'll say it again. I miss this title and I hope a sequel will happen.

More thoughts about Justice League: Cry For Justice And Some Upcoming Covers

I enjoyed Justice League:Cry For Justice #1 but the praise for the mini-series hasn't been universal. In fact many online reviews have been negative. I can completely understand the concerns that people have over the characterization of the heroes here. They all might be yelling 'Justice' but they are acting more like they should be yelling 'Revenge'.

And I concur that this will make the portrayal of Kara that much more important to scrutinize. The current Supergirl seems to be moving away from this mode of justice and striving to be a better hero. I hope James Robinson won't derail Sterling Gates current characterization.

The above image is the cover for Cry For Justice #3. Here is the solicit information.

The team welcomes two new members as Supergirl and Shazam join the roster! And it's just in time, too, because when Prometheus is finally caught and his evil machinations are revealed, the League finds out they may be unable to stop him.

One thing that seems to be lauded more universally is Mauro Cascioli's art.



Of course the image of Supergirl on the cover with the Cable-esque one glowing eye makes me worry that Supergirl will veer a bit towards the dark side.

The Source released the cover for Cry For Justice #4 a while ago. Here is the link:
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2009/06/29/some-more-cry-for-justice-art-to-help-you-pass-the-time/

Boy, Starman and Congorilla still seem pretty irked.

Here is the close-up of Supergirl, tucked in the background. Unfortunately, this is a more passive position than any of the other characters on the cover.

My guess .... my hope is that, in the end, the story comes around to show the futility of revenge and how it does not equal justice.

One Last Bike Shorts Post

I know I promised to not initiate anymore talk about this topic, a change in Supergirl's costume I completely love.

But this is from my post on this blog from November 21, 2008 ( http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2008/11/review-supergirl-35.html ):

I show this panel for one reason.

That's right, there are bike shorts under the mini-skirt! I, for one, think it makes sense for Supergirl to wear them given all the flying she does. And, thankfully, it takes away the potential for the pandering and gratuitous panty shot we sometimes have been subjected to. It also eliminates the need for the skirt to defy physics and always stays down.

I am completely okay with it.But I know that when Renato Guedes added them to Kara's costume in his issues, the negative feedback about it was unprecedented and (I feel) unwarranted. Buckle up Mr. Igle ... my guess is the same folks might complain again.

I know that even a broken clock is right twice a day but I knew that this topic might become a flashfire.

But even I could not foresee that the story would get so big that it would be covered by a mainstream site like NPR ( http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2009/07/let_there_be_bike_shorts_a_gee_1.html )!!!!

I think this is 'any publicity is good publicity' especially since the site talks about how good the title has been of late. From the article:

But things have been looking up for her of late. In her current series, the fantastically named writer Sterling Gates is doing good work supplying the character with depth and intelligence while downplaying some of the vampy-trampy aspects she got saddled with upon her return.

Meanwhile, artist Igle has given her a real, physiologically plausible body, outfitted in a costume that is growing steadily less, in the artist's words, "hoochie."

And that article led to more internet discussion including posts on popular comic sites like The Beat ( http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/07/06/supergirls-guide-to-short-skirts-and-the-active-lifestyle/ ) and CBR's Robot 6 ( http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/07/the-panty-shot-decree-heard-round-the-world/ ).

Unfortunately it is clear that a lot of the people who are posting responses there haven't read the book recently and are disparaging the character. That irks me to no end.

Anyways, I am pro-shorts and always have been. I am happy they are there. And I (again) promise to not initiate discussion on this topic again.

Belinda Zee Design

As thoroughly great as Cosmic Adventures was my favorite parts were the Belinda Zee moments. She was just so wonderfully malicious. She seemed conflicted ... like she had both a superiority and inferiority complex. She had some of the funniest moments in the book. She embraced chaos and often aimed her anger in Kara's direction. I think Kara was an easy target; Belinda clearly hated all Supergirl represented but was jealous of it at the same time. That is just a great stew of a character.

Suffice it to say that I was thrilled that the Belinda Zee concept art was posted on Landry Walker's blog ( http://xray-studios.livejournal.com/51396.html ).

Here is some of what Walker says about Belinda:

The design of Belinda was partially inspired by Archie Comics character, Veronica Lodge. A little of her temperament springs from this source as well. Belinda is a fun character to write. She's not exactly evil, and she certainly isn't good. Her emotional state of being is on a hair trigger. Essentially, she's an agent of chaos. Chaotic neutral, if I must let my roots as a D&D geek show.

The Veronica Lodge reference is so clear now that you say it. In my mind, I thought she was based on Serena, the black-haired mischievous cousin of Bewitched protagonist Samantha Stevens.

And as a fellow D&D geek, chaotic neutral perfectly sums up Belinda. To share my own D&D geek roots, I always play chaotic neutral characters as they can usually have the most fun. So whether it be the Drow cleric raised by good humans and struggling to be good or the pessimistic ex-wererat turned bounty hunter using a demonic sword, my guys have learned to use all CN has to offer.

The images here of her as Superiorgirl are Eric's original take on the concept. But I was looking more for the mirror image feel, so we switched to classic Bizarro look, with the mask. The mask was specifically inspired by the Silver Age appearance of an evil Superman, who was indistinguishable from the good version, except for his domino mask.

Hmmm, anyone know reference issue for the evil masked Superman?

I see that the original Superiorgirl shirt was used as the Stanhope cheerleader sweater design.

I hope that if a sequel happens that we see more Belinda Zee.

Happy Fourth of July !!

Happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans!

Since this is the day we celebrate America's birthday, I thought I would find a patriotic Supergirl story to review. So please pay no attention to the 'Superwoman' on the cover.

Instead I'll show one of 'Supergirl's Three Time Trips' featured in Action Comics #274 (scanned from the DC Archives Supergirl Vol. 2), written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and drawn by Supergirl master Jim Mooney. In the story, Linda Lee is given an assignment to write a report on a historical figure of her choice. She narrows it down to Annie Oakley, Betsy Ross, and Pocahontas. To help with the report, she decides to travel back in time to witness history rather than just read about it.

Supergirl travels back in time to 1776 and sees George Washington show the proposed design of the United States flag to Betsy Ross who agrees to sew it.

Unfortunately, the messenger she gives the flag to has a hard time holding on to it. A strong wind blows the flag into a brush fire thus destroying the first American flag. Luckily Supergirl witnesses the event and decides to intervene.

Hoping to set matters straight, Supergirl takes a British flag from a nearby Redcoat and a blue jacket from a scarecrow in a local farmyard. Using her 'superspeed-sewing' she recreates the original American flag.

Then, hiding behind the brushfire she uses her super-breath to blow her flag into the hands of the revolutionary messenger. He thinks it is simply a stroke of good luck that the flag was blown away from the fire and back into his hands unsinged.

As Kara sneaks behind a bush she sees the messenger deliver the flag to General Washington. Supergirl sewed the first American Flag!

Unfortunately, Washington is sitting atop a big chunk of green Kryptonite forcing Supergirl to escape back into the time stream. Oddly enough, Supergirl runs into Kryptonite in all her adventures in the past ... something which seems impossible since Krypton exploded only recently.

After telling Superman about her Kryptonite encounters, Superman figures out what happened. Only recently he heaved a malfunctioning H-bomb into the stratosphere just as a Kryptonite meteor was entering Earth's atmosphere. When the bomb exploded there was no trace of the meteor left and it was presumed vaporized.

Now knowing that Kryptonite is in the past, Superman deduces that the force of the explosion must have flung shards of the meteor back throughout time.

Still ... Supergirl played a crucial part in the creation of the first American flag.

Happy Fourth everyone! Hope you all see some cool fireworks!