Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The Other Bizarro Supergirl


A new Bizarro Supergirl is just around to corner, being teased in solicitations for Supergirl #54 and #55.

I may be getting a little ahead of myself by looking back at prior Bizarro Supergirls before this new one has even been introduced. Still, it is always wise to look back.

And so let's look at the Bizarro Supergirl who played a somewhat key role in the later issues of Supergirl Vol. 3. While I think I may be understating things when I say that Peter David's 'Earth Angel' run on Supergirl was controversial, I have to say I really enjoyed it. After a very strong first 50 issues, the book toiled a bit for the next year or so as a depowered Linda followed a chaos stream across the USA in an attempt to reunite with the angelic aspect of Supergirl.

Lilith, the Demon Mother, tries to thwart Linda's efforts throughout the story. After all, Linda had killed Lilith's son, The Carnivean, in the climactic Supergirl #50.

During one of her mishaps on the road, Linda was actually taken to an ER where a blood sample was obtained in case she needed to be transfused.

Linda's guide down the Chaos Stream was Buzz, a former demon with jumbled ethics. In this scene from Supergirl #62, he succumbs to his more evil desires. He teams up with Two-Face who has kidnapped a scientist with cutting edge cloning technology. Craving some revenge against Linda for making him feel human emotions and losing his malevolent edge, Buzz gives the blood to the scientist.


Nudged along with a little Buzz black magic, the cloning chamber is able to process the blood sample and create a ... hmm ... I guess imperfect duplicate is the best way to describe what is created.


That's right, a Bizarro Supergirl is not only created, but is programmed to be the thrall of Two-Face and Buzz.

David has a lot of fun with the 'backwards speak' of this Bizarro. Here Buzz tells her to 'be gentle' with Linda. Of course, the Bizarro does the opposite and gives Supergirl an old-fashioned beatdown. The rules with this backwards speak are loose. Later Buzz tells her to kill Linda quickly. He wants her to kill her slowly, which is what she tries to do. But how did she know that it was the 'quickly' he wanted her to do the opposite of and not the 'kill'. Couldn't that be interpreted as 'heal her quickly' just as easily as 'kill her slowly'; heck even 'heal her slowly' would be the true opposite.

David does use the Bizarro Supergirl as a comic element during this arc. Here, from Supergirl #63, she enjoys shocking herself with a power line. He also has her chase Linda's friends on a pogo stick and get run over by a train.


She also is an interesting foil for Linda.

Remember, Linda's quest here is to reunite with the 'Supergirl angel' and regain her angelic powers. Here, the Bizarro Supergirl actually manifests some of those angelic powers, unleashing the holy 'flame vision' that Linda had in the first 50 issues.

Part of the theme of this whole arc is Linda discovering some self-worth and realizing that she is good with a capital G. For her to see the Bizarro Supergirl have access to the sublime powers while she is denied them was demoralizing.

David also is able to make the Bizarro Supergirl something of a tragic figure. As the story moves along, she begins to sense that she is close to something holy but not quite there. The Bizarro actually begins to question her own self-worth. Despite her bizarre and scattershot actions, she wants to be more like the perfect Supergirl. She has Linda's memories. She knows what Supergirl was. She wants to be more than she is ... but she is too flawed.

In Supergirl #69, after a skirmish with the other Earth Angels Blithe and Comet, she manifests Bizarro versions of more of Supergirl's holy powers. She sprouts black flame wings and is able to 'shunt' or teleport as the angelic Supergirl did.

Her shunting takes her to Lilith's evil garden where the Demon Mother has captured the angelic aspect of Supergirl, the angel of fire.


In Supergirl #71, the Bizarro Supergirl tries to free the Supergirl spirit so she can 'play' with her.

Lilith stops Bizarro Supergirl from interfering with the spirit. But the Demon Mother has a role for Bizarro in her plots against Linda.

Nice art here from Jamal Igle. I think this might be Jamal's first work with the Supergirl character.


In Supergirl #73, Linda and Mary Marvel arrive at Lilith's land to battle the Demon Mother and reunite Linda and Supergirl.

Lilith knows that her key to defeating Linda is to continue to break her down psychologically. In a move that is disheartening to Linda, the Bizarro Supergirl is able to link with the perfect Supergirl angel spirit and sends it to fight Linda. It is another way to cement the idea in Linda's head that Supergirl has rejected her, doesn't want her ... that she isn't worthy of the Supergirl spirit.

This is no easy task for Bizarro Supergirl, who can barely control the spirit without burning out.

In the end, the Bizarro Supergirl breaks the link with the angel spirit and joins the fray.

In Supergirl #74, Linda is actually able to use the backwards speak and addled mind of Bizarro Supergirl to her advantage. Linda actually tricks the Bizarro to attack Lilith and the resurrected Carnivean. Bizarro's role in the fight over, Lilith decides to destroy her. Hurmizeh, Lilith's plague demon servant, realizes that Bizarro is 'more vegetable than animal' and releases a plague of locusts against her. She is devoured.

And thus ends the short and tragic life of the 'other Bizarro Supergirl'.

One day I'll right a thesis about the merits of PAD's Supergirl. At the very least, it was clear that Peter David is a huge Supergirl fan, stuffing his run with a lot of Easter Eggs.

So we have seen the Silver Age Bizarro Supergirl and this Modern Age Bizarro Supergirl. I look forward to seeing how bizarre Sterling Gates' and Jamal Igle's Bizarro Supergirl is.

11 comments:

Saranga said...

ahh i loved these issues! when are Dc gonna hurry up and release a trade pf PAD's Supergirl run?

valerie21601 said...

Two trade's available on back order from most comic book shop's are: Who Is Linda Danvers and Many Happy Returns (where Linda meets the original version of Kara Zor-El)

The Many Happy Returns storyline is so very good (in my opinion) because PAD gets the original Kara so right. Along with a good dose of fun and seriousness along the way. Plus PAD gets one to thinking about the "possible" power that maybe accessible only to Supergirl.

Saranga said...

@Valerie, Yeah I've got those 2, I meant the rest of the run. Sorry, shoulda been clearer :)

Many Happy Returns I particularly adore.

valerie21601 said...

That's okay.

I found to my surprise my local public library had many comics trade paperback books available through them. Among them the two Linda Danvers/Supergirl TB's.

After years of hearing the "critics" dump on it. I decided to give it a fair chance and as well as being curious what the fuss was about too.

And much to my surprise I was actually drawn into the stories especially the Many Happy Returns storyline.

I would love to get all of the Linda Danvers/Supergirl back issues available at my local comic book store but alas my budget is very tiny at this time. I can only afford to buy 3-4 comics a month at this time. Some I get by simply trading with a couple of other comic book readers in my area.

Gene said...

I wonder if Hurmizeh unleashing the locusts was a homage to the Bone comics.

Does anybody know why Linda's Supergirl outfit changed from blue to white? Was it an edict from DC so she would match the animated Supergirl that was on TV at the time?

Saranga said...

in context explanation was that Linda needed a costume quickly and that one was in a looted costume shop next to where her fight was.

But you probably already knew that and I definitely don't have any clever ideas on the editorial front.

Anj said...

I'd love for the first 50 issues to be collected in some format.

And I have to assume, since the white shirt was so prominent in the DCAU, that DC mandated the costume change.

Anonymous said...

At this point in the PAD SG series, my eyes started to glaze over and I stopped flipping thru the back issues to review all the discursive plot points.
The whole mythos just became horribly complicated irregardless of PAD's many homages to the original Kara Zor El.

John Feer

Anj said...

At this point in the PAD SG series, my eyes started to glaze over and I stopped flipping thru the back issues to review all the discursive plot points.
The whole mythos just became horribly complicated irregardless of PAD's many homages to the original Kara Zor El.


I agree.

The first 50 issues really stand out as spectacular. 51-74 were fine but not standout. And then 'Many Happy Returns' seemed to grab momentum again.

Anj said...

in context explanation was that Linda needed a costume quickly and that one was in a looted costume shop next to where her fight was.

But you probably already knew that and I definitely don't have any clever ideas on the editorial front.


There had to be some editorial edict to change the costume. Had to be.

Anonymous said...

"Does anybody know why Linda's Supergirl outfit changed from blue to white?"

I got an answer from Mr. David on the DC comics forum a while back.

As I discussed that I hated that outfit, and pointed out that she was depowered for,like, half of the series [which was annoying to me at the time], I rambled on saying that I didn't understand the last trade paperback of the series, because of the fact that she took the perky Supergirl's place. Then went back to the current timeline (at that time)without her daughter.

He stated (and I'm paraphrasing loosely here)that he changed it from the Matrix outfit to the animated one because the head guys at DC wanted to do a continuity of the animated Superman TV show that had that white and blue version. and...

"Was it an edict from DC so she would match the animated Supergirl that was on TV at the time?"

Yes, in his view it was one of the many downfalls of the series: less loyal readers + less sales = a cancelled series that was deticated to continuning the Supergirl franchise.

Thank Rao, we have Jamal and Sterling on these recent books.

Thay're so deticated to hearing the fans' responses, and are BIG fans themselves, which is a plus for me.

-ealperin