Supergirl In DC Comics Fandex

I was on the fence about purchasing the recently released DC Comics Fandex of Super-Heroes and Villains.

After reading a couple of decent reviews of it on the web, I figured it would be worth the $12.95. At the very least, it would be something fun for the supergirls at home to thumb through. In the end, I think it was a good buy.

Let's look at the Supergirl entry as an example.


As you can see, each card has a uniquely cut top of the character. In this instance, it is the Supergirl Who's Who picture from Superman Secret Files 2009 drawn by Jamal Igle. While the card set includes a list of all the artists used in the Fandex, each card does not say who the artist is. In some instances I know the artist, but in other I don't. I wish they would have put a small line somewhere saying who the art is by.

Following that is a header of information: real names, abilities/powers, weakness, base, affiliation, and debut issue. These are there if appropriate. For example, since The Question has no affiliation that line is not present on her card.

After that is a relatively up to date text piece detailing the origin and pertinent events for the character.

The back of the card continues the text and often includes another picture. Here the panel is of Kara's reunion with Zor-El and Alura from the Superman:New Krypton Special.

There is also an inset text box that has some brief information which adds some dimension to the character that otherwise couldn't be easily fit into the exposition. For Supergirl, it discusses her decision to adopt the Linda Lang identity. For The Martian Manhunter, it talks about his affinity for Choco cookies.

The Supergirl card concentrates mostly on her origin although it does mention her growing pains as a hero at the end. I think it is a nice representation of her character.

So there are a lot of plusses here. The artwork is top notch for the characters. The exposition is tightly written and concise. When necessary, multiple characters are covered on one card. Both Wally and Barry are covered on the Flash card. Both Cassie and Donna comprise the Wonder Girl card. While it is great that all the characters that bore the name are covered, it does mean less text devoted to each individual.

There are a couple of downsides. While aesthetically pleasing, the uniquely cut tops make it difficult to open and close the Fandex easily as corners of cards snag on each other. The Fandex is organized loosely by character ... first the Batman characters (heroes then villains), then the Superman characters, then the Wonder Woman characters, then the rest of the JLA. It would be nice to be able to open up the Fandex and be able to arrange it any way you want.

Still, for short money, this is a nice little purchase especially for a younger DC fan who might want something to look at during long car rides, etc. For any DC fan, it isn't bad as a portable little Who's Who. Thanks to group cards and multiple versions of a character covered on one card, there is a surprising amount of information. For Superman/Supergirl fans, there are 11 cards devoted to the super-family and the art is good.

Congratulations to Jamal Igle who provided the art both for Supergirl and Lois Lane.