New creative team announced: Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle

At the DC Nation panel at Wizard World Chicago today, DC announced that the new creative team for Supergirl would be writer Sterling Gates and artist Jamal Igle.

I have seen Igle's work in that past and think his stuff is clean and beautiful. If the cover above (their first issue, 34) is any indication, he is going to hit the ball out of the park.

I know little of Sterling Gate's work and the GL Corps issues he has done were sold out at my LCBS. That said, his interview with Newsarama after the announcement makes me very optimistic, and I might add gave me a bit of deja vu. More on that later.

The entire interview is worth a read and available at http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080627-WWCSupergirlteam.html .

I highly recommend reading the whole thing.

Here are some clips (in blue) and my comments.

Newsarama: How did you get the job on Supergirl?

Sterling Gates: I had an idea and a take on Supergirl that I thought would be great for her. I talked to Geoff Johns about it in great detail, and he had some words of encouragement and some advice and ideas that got me thinking even harder about that character and how to approach her and incorporate her more into the DC Universe.

Sounds like he is coming at it from the right place. He had an idea that including incorporating her more into the DCU and after talking to Johns, he pitched the idea.

Here Newsarama is commenting on seeing him with Supergirl back issues at Wizard World LA months ago.
NRAMA: Were you buying those issues as a fan? Or were you preparing for the pitch?

SG: Both. I'm a Supergirl fan anyway, and I was trying to fill in some holes in my “Daring New Adventures” run, but I was also doing research. I was into the character when I was a kid, because of the Supergirl movie with Helen Slater.


Wow. So a comic professional is filling his holes in the 'Daring New Adventures' run. He's a Supergirl fan!! He's a fan even of the spotty late Silver Age stories. And he likes Helen Slater! Already he sounds like he has a love of the character. And I never got that vibe from anyone on this title but Puckett.

He does say he realizes that many of those stories were not epics but that was more a sign of the times. He says he has big things in mind, not just 'saving the neighborhood cat.'

NRAMA: What is it about Supergirl that you like so much?

SG: I love that Kara is a growing, real person. I know she’s had times where she’s been cold, she’s had times where she’s smoked cigarettes and some readers really reacted negatively to that. But that kind of thing makes her more like a real teenager to me, all fury and rebellion and angst and anger and change. Constant change. And she’s grown out of some things, and she’s embraced some others, just like any of us did when we were teenagers.As we watch Kara grow and learn and develop into the hero we know she’ll be, I hope reader’s respect and admiration for her will grow, as well.

Another good answer. This is on the money. At the very least he is not completely ret-conning some of the lower points of the title so far. Instead, he is saying Kara has grown and moved on. I got this vibe of the Puckett issues too.


NRAMA: Since you did research on the pre-Crisis Supergirl, are you wanting to bring some of the characteristics of that Supergirl into this new character?

SG:When this new version of Kara Zor-El came along, though, she was polarizing to fans. No one was ready for Supergirl to have this semi-bitchy, hard attitude, and people came to react negatively towards it. I think it’s important to try to find a nice balance between those takes on the character.

Another great response and for a couple of reasons. One, he immediately points out the 'elephant in the room'. This current Kara is polarzing, even amongst die-hard Kara fans. Some liked the 'semi-bitchy' hard attitude ... I did not, feeling there was nothing heroic about her. That said, we don't need to go to the sweet as pie, innocent Kara either. Our heroes need to be a balance of those extremes.

These are difficult times and that means our heroes will be conflicted. But they will still be heroes.

The Kara from issues 1-19 was simply not heroic.

(Of course, no one was more conflicted or struggling to be heroic than Linda Danvers/Matrix. But you guys are probably sick of hearing me talk about how much I loved that title.)

NRAMA: Can you tell us anything about who might be appearing in the Supergirl title? Is she going to have a supporting cast?

SG: Part of what made it a hard book to follow as a fan, and I'm speaking purely as a fan, was her lack of supporting cast members. So in my first issue, in the first three pages, I set up a foil for her in Cat Grant. And Cat Grant will be a regular supporting cast member, as will Lana Lang.

Deja Vu #1: On message boards and on this very blog I have spoken about how lack of a supporting cast and a rogue's gallery is a huge weakness of the title. Not that you need a degree in literature to make those realizations.

Here's a sample quote of mine.

"3) While it fits this story in particular, the number of guest stars in this title is staggering. What I wouldn't give for a supporting cast and a rogue's gallery!" ( http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2008/05/review-supergirl-29.html )

Deja vu #2: Cat Grant as a foil! I looked in the crystal ball a bit when I talked about Cat's comments in Action 866 in this posting ( http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2008/06/subtle-sarcasm-about-supergirl-in.html ).

Hah! It's cool to be on the money every so often.

Here is the famous panel.

NRAMA: Anything else you can tell us about how the books will tie together?

SG: We're going to bring back the numbered "S" diamonds on the covers of the Super-books starting in October.

Deja Vu #3: Wasn't I just talking about those triangles when I heard Supergirl was being 'integrated' into the Superman titles? (http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2008/06/johns-and-robinson-on-integrating.html )




At the very least, the triangle is a visible reminder that the book is part of the super-titles. At its best, it will bring in Superman readers who are completists.



NRAMA: What can you tell us about your first issue in October?

SG: The first issue starts with the opening salvo of Cat Grant's media war against Supergirl, which Geoff has been hinting about in Action Comics. Cat Grant takes her first big shot at Supergirl, and Kara is completely devastated by it. In the midst of this media attention, Kara faces off with one of my favorite supervillains, the Silver Banshee. I think she's one of the best visuals and one of the scariest villains to come out of the first few issues of John Byrne’s reboot.


Cat Grant and the Silver Banshee. Should keep Kara busy.

I also like Silver Banshee a lot. I really liked her in Walt Simonson/Dan Brereton's Worlds's Finest miniseries.

Of course, she tussled with the Linda Danvers Supergirl early on it that series.

It was a nice bit in those issues that she was not killed when Banshee yelled Supergirl because that was not her name; her name was Linda. That storyline of discovering who she was, her humanity, was such a key part of the Peter David run.

NRAMA: Is there a plan to give Supergirl some villains of her own?

SG: Yeah, one of my goals that I put forward in my pitch was developing Kara’s Rogues gallery. Since the relaunch of the character, no one has extensively focused on her villains.

Deja vu #4 about deja vu #1: Kara needs her own rogue's gallery.

This guy Gates is really saying all the right things.

NRAMA: And after that, your series will be part of a larger story with Action Comics and Superman?

SG: Yes. Kara Zor-El will play a huge, huge part in this big crossover we’re going to do that I’m not sure has been announced yet. She’s going to be the linchpin to a lot of things that we have plans to develop, and Supergirl is going to be a key title to read.

The linchpin of things to come; a huge part of a big crossover; the cover star on Final Crisis 3.

(gasp) Could this actually be a good time to be a Supergirl fan?

NRAMA: How has it been working with Jamal on this series?

SG: I had a list of one ideal artist, essentially, when I pitched this. And it was Jamal. And we got him. I think he's one of most talented pencilers in the business right now. He does great character work, and expressions, and action, and layouts -- I mean, the guy’s the whole package to me. I don’t think I could ask for a better artist, really.

I think Jamal's style is perfectly suited for the title.

This is going to be great!