Best of 2010 - Honorable Mentions

Happy New Year's to everyone! I hope everyone had a fun and healthy holiday season.

The beginning of the new year means 'best of' retrospectives everywhere, a tradition I am happy to be part of here at Comic Box Commentary.

I'll be posting my end of the year review and top ten Supergirl comic book moments of 2010 on Monday. It is one of my favorite posts to do, looking back at the entire year and picking the scenes that stuck with me.

But 2010 was a banner year for Supergirl. This truly felt like a golden time to be a Supergirl fan. It was hard to pick just 10 moments. While I usually have a couple of honorable mentions, this year I had 6 ... too many to include in the main 'Best of' post. So I figured I would whet the appetite by separating my honorable mentions, giving them a post of their own.

Remember, these are the best moments from the books and as such won't include other places Supergirl appeared in 2010.

On to the Honorable Mentions!

#6 - 'Bat-Bra' - Batgirl #14 - Bryan Q Miller and Lee Garbett

The original Supergirl and Batgirl were great friends so I love the fact that the current incarnations are buddied too. I am pretty amazed at how effortless it has seemed to have the two young heroes become fast pals.

Batgirl #14 was a fun issue as Supergirl and Steph battle some vampires. It is that breezy feeling that permeates the title that has made me add it to my pull list. In one of my favorite moments in that issue, Kara springs to action, ripping off her civilian clothes to reveal her Supergirl uniform. When she asks Steph to do the same, Steph responds she'd be in her bra, and no it doesn't have bats on it. I love Steph's exasperated look!

Laugh out loud funny. We haven't seen the last of this issue in my look back at 2010.

#5 - 'Is that Supergirl?' - DCU Legacies #5 - George Perez

It has always irked me that Supergirl saved the universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths but no character remembers her sacrifice.

So imagine my surprise to see the original Supergirl, headband and all, in a couple of panels of DCU Legacies look back at the Crisis. Even if it is in the fevered memories of the narrator, the fact that some people in the DCU remember what that Kara did was fantastic.

And how great to see Perez version of the headband uniform again!

#4 - 'Ursa Showdown' - War of the Supermen #3 - James Robinson, Sterling Gates, and Cafu

One of my favorite parts of the New Krypton storyline was Ursa. A malicious and crazed sadist, Ursa was more like a force of nature. I mean, she wielded a Kryptonite knife despite the pain it caused her just to be able to kill other Kryptonians. She dominated every scene she was in.

So I was thrilled to see Supergirl and Ursa face off in War of the Supermen. It showed me just how much of a hero Kara was, squaring off against a such a skilled combatant as Ursa, someone with no morals or battle honor. Cafu's art really sizzled in the book.

This scene would have made the top ten if Supergirl won the fight. But it made more sense for Ursa to win.

#3 - Posing like Superman - Supergirl #54 - Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle

Not so much a scene as a pose, I loved this splash page from Supergirl #54. Finally shaken from her post-New Krypton catatonia, Kara dons the Supergirl uniform and goes out to face BizarroGirl.

It is clear that this pose mirrors the iconic Superman pose from the cover of Superman #1. As an amateur comic historian, I love small homages like this. It shows how much of a fan Gates and Igle are, and how much respect they have for the character. Perfect!

#2 - Damien crushing on Supergirl - Superman/Batman #77 - Joshua Williamson and Ale Garza

No character has grown more in my eyes in 2010 then Damien Wayne. At first I couldn't stand him, so much I didn't collect Grant Morrison's Batman run (and I love Morrison). But he has become more complex and nuanced especially in Batman and Robin.

Superman/Batman #77 teamed him up with Supergirl in another adventure that had its share of lighthearted moments. But the best moment was the end when Dick Grayson realizes that Damien has a crush on Supergirl. It was as if a puzzle piece in the character fell into place. He can't always be a hardened assassin boy wonder. And Supergirl has stood up to him in the past (more on that later). So of course he would be smitten with her. This stands out as a 'best of Supergirl' moment with no Supergirl!

#1 - I don't scare easily - Supergirl #50 - Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle

There is always one honorable mention that comes verrrryyy close to making the top ten. This moment was on and off the list so much it should be labeled #11 on the 'best of' list.

Fighting the Insect Queen, Supergirl stands defiantly and says 'I am Kara Zor-El ... and I don't scare easily', a line lifted from the Supergirl movie.

Again, it is one of those moments that let me know that Gates and Igle are true fans of the character, slipping in signature dialogue from the movie into the comic book. Much like the Superman pose above, it is that recognition and appreciation of the character's history that made this run so special. Even the pose Igle puts her in is reminiscent of Helen Slater's when she says that line. How can you not like a Supergirl movie line being said by the Supergirl comic character?

Okay, those are my honorable mentions, the last scenes that fell to the cutting room floor. The main list will be up in a couple of days!