tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post9095725713671424767..comments2024-03-29T10:34:59.159-04:00Comments on Supergirl Comic Box Commentary: Best Of 2017:Top Ten Supergirl Moments in Comics - Honorable Mentions & #10-#6Anjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10023193805914075078noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-40546864276032635462018-01-01T19:09:54.300-05:002018-01-01T19:09:54.300-05:00Continued:
#984:
Cover - Her heat vision beam is...Continued:<br /><br />#984:<br /><br />Cover - Her heat vision beam is thin and not even making a spark on Cyborg. It's diverted, like Lana's electrical energy.<br /><br />Zod has not thought her important enough to bother sending to the Phantom Zone, and without comment, silently and contemptuously rests his boot on her. She's not even struggling, so he's just using her as a footstool. We get a close-up of that. Some scripts specify this level of visual detail. Let's assume this was Jurgens' choice.<br /><br />After a few pages - still lying there.<br /><br />Finally Zod lifts her up by her shirt. She's still unconscious, defenseless. They are depicting an abused girl.<br /><br />Who rescues her? A boy. She's tossed free. Then 3 panels later, she's ducking.<br /><br />Finally, that dramatic panel: "You're done, Zod!" Zod stumbles back, but we don't see what happens to him after that. I guess nothing much - a few pages later he's fighting Jon in the battle suit. Despite her rage, she was ineffectual.<br /><br />She manages to whack Metallo with a sheet of ice.<br /><br />Meanwhile Krypto more than equals her - Zod is at least in some distress before knocking him away. And he gets 4 panels of action.<br /><br />Several pages later, Kara asks: "Shouldn't we go after them?" She's immediately overruled by Kal. Her priorities were wrong. That means: she's no leader.<br /><br />After that she appears in 3 more panels - drawn smaller than any other characters in those panels, and always standing behind Superman.<br /><br />And why was she introduced as Kara Danvers? Seems like a dig by Jurgens. She's so insignificant they have to use the name of her human disguise.<br /><br />In this Jurgens-world, would Superman have asked this version of Supergirl to be ready to help him? That would make no sense. She accomplished nothing, suggested a bad idea, was dwarfed by everyone else, and was an unconscious slab of deadweight that Jon had to save. She was far more of a burden than a help. A young girl in need of saving. More than that, one who is slugged from behind and held down with a boot.<br /><br />It looks to me like Jurgens was told by, one supposes, Eddie Berganza, to include her in a crossover. At best he sidelined her; at worst, told us what he thinks of the character.<br /><br />Is Jurgens trying to comment, through Cyborg and Zod's dismissive attitudes, "This is, sadly, how badly women are treated"? Or is he saying "This girl is insignificant and merits this treatment"? Or more meta, to DC, "This cannon fodder is what you get if you ask me to use this character." He gave DC "the boot." <br /><br />In her own TV show, Supergirl wins that amazing hand-to-hand combat with Kal (great stuntwork!), and later Kal tells her she is stronger than he is - before, I think, the final battle with Mon-El's mother Queen Rhea. I guess that Supergirl is not part of this continuity!<br /><br />Clearly my take is cynical here. I agree with the iconic moments that you've singled out, but don't think we should overlook the overall picture.<br /><br />This is not the Red Lantern Supergirl who took down a Wordkiller by plunging with him into the sun! <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-36209617860422706262018-01-01T18:54:17.749-05:002018-01-01T18:54:17.749-05:00Okay, that went through. I'll try this again. ...Okay, that went through. I'll try this again. Very long post coming.<br /><br />Since you included a panel from Action #983 here, I thought I'd discuss my impression about the whole Revenge arc.<br /><br />Backtracking, I do agree about the iconic panel in Action #982 which you have in your Top Five. But it's mostly downhill from there.<br /><br />Drawn well in panels 3, 5 and 6 on that page in #982. But she's drawn as a linebacker in panels 2 and 4! Especially panel 4, a tiny head atop massive shoulders. Ok, no one wants to see the Michael Turner waif, but this is ridiculous. It's just bad. Drawn in haste?<br /><br />As for the overall treatment of Kara in the Revenge arc, she has her moments - all shown to be ultimately utterly ineffectual.<br /><br />Final splash of #982 - less of Kara is visible than any other characters on the page, including Lana. But it's nice she's supporting Kal.<br /><br />#983:<br /><br />Cover: Nice heat vision, but is she just blasting into the air? I can't tell if she is actually aiming at someone or just expressing - well, what? Her body language expresses at best frustration. She's standing stock still, nothing like the motion everyone else is in.<br /><br />Page 3: good pose but weird facial expression. Kind of blank.<br /><br />She hangs around a bit, then:<br /><br />Page 6 double-splash - Far as I can tell, we haven't seen anyone engaged in any action with her, but she's staggering, apparently in exhaustion, leaning against some wreckage. We see Cyborg Superman approaching her before he wallops her from behind. She apparently was unable to sense his approach. As he hits her he says "When the time comes I want the man." This girl is an unworthy opponent.<br /><br />So what has happened here? (1) She's exhausted (2) She's unaware (3) She's smacked from behind (abused) and (4) Cyborg dismisses dealing with a young woman as a task that's beneath him. He wants to deal with a Man.<br /><br />Remember, if I may break the fourth wall, Cyborg didn't do and say this on his own - it's Dan Jurgens who made these choices. If Supergirl made Cyborg pay for his attitude, there would be poetic justice - but that never happens.<br /><br />Her heat vision is ineffective against Cyborg.<br /><br />She's then offscreen for many, many pages. She attacks Zod while screaming, and he dispatches her COMPLETELY, takes her out of the action for the rest of the book and into #984. With her eyes red, maybe she used some heat vision on him, maybe it just shows anger, but either way one punch takes care of her. So how was she depicted? As an angry, shrieking and ineffective girl.<br /><br />Next two times we see her, she's lying unconscious in a heap on the floor. She's the only one who has been taken completely out. Even those without superpowers of any kind (Lex, Steel), and those with newfound powers (Kenan Kong, Lana), are still standing. But not someone much more experienced like Kara. (She is not a newbie - she's been around since New 52 arrival), was trained at the Crucible, etc.)<br /><br />To be continued in next post...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-52095184014016781512018-01-01T18:38:46.075-05:002018-01-01T18:38:46.075-05:00Hmm - I tried to post part 1 of a long comment, af...Hmm - I tried to post part 1 of a long comment, after the full comment got rejected because it exceeded 4096 characters. Anyway, the comment has not shown up yet. I don't think these comments are moderated, so something may have gone wrong. I tried to use a "name" by putting a random name (but not a URL) into the Name field, but perhaps that caused a problem.<br /><br />So, if this little comment goes through, I'll repost part 1 again using regular Anonymous.<br /><br />Sorry if the following turns out to be a duplicate!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-36089388795703583782017-12-29T03:29:50.421-05:002017-12-29T03:29:50.421-05:00I’ve never been into ranking and listmaking - as l...I’ve never been into ranking and listmaking - as long as Supergirl is being published, with the odd collectible and collection, I’m good. Let the rest of the world respect her or not, it doesn’t affect how I feel about her. Martin Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09574149543260175962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-59925012928833330212017-12-29T00:24:18.437-05:002017-12-29T00:24:18.437-05:00The demarcations of A list characters are really b...The demarcations of A list characters are really blurry and we can say that only two characters are A-list for sure- Batman and Superman and even there is a hierarchy with Superman being slowly reduced to a more reactionary role rather than one of direct action. <br /><br />This grey area is so hard to judge since a year can change everything- technically she is in a pretty okayish kinda spot in terms of comic book sales with Harley Quinn and wonder woman a bit above to keep her company. As for catching upto Superman, it seemed impossible before, but even supes is running out of steam and it's vividly apparent in the stories given to him. But will Supergirl replace him as DC's flagship hero for hope? Again, I think that's why they are cultivating Jon's character, for now, it seems to me that he will take over the cape for DC IF it ever comes to that. <br /><br />Technically, Supergirl SHOULD be doing all right as of now with a quite popular tvshow, being given a prominent place in two regular ensemble comic books and a popular video game, it's quite clear that they are starting to bank off her popularity and that's a good sign cause that's what it all ultimately boils down to- the money the character generates for the parent company. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-71846947718353054472017-12-29T00:06:59.600-05:002017-12-29T00:06:59.600-05:00"But even though she shines in everything the..."But even though she shines in everything they give her, the readers suck at giving her the equal acknowledgement as well."<br /><br />You mean those 'readers' who simply don't buy current comics much anymore? Most of today's 'comic book fandom' doesn't even read the stuff; they usually get their fix from other media. The numbers don't lie; comics sales have been circling the toilet for a couple of decades already. <br /><br />I think the so-called bias merely a matter of personal perspective than anything tangible. Given the fleeting nature of genre fandom (which lately seems polarized over the latest Star Wars sequel, even though it's pretty much performing at the box office as expected), measuring online commentary doesn't always equate with actual acceptance anymore, as there's always audience demographics that don't always equate the same even from similar looking IP. To that juxtaposition, Superman always makes for a false comparison with Supergirl, because he's not female; Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Storm, Invisible Woman, Buffy Summers, Sailor Moon, Sarah Conner...even Lt. Uhura, make for much more equitable character comparison/contrasts, since they're all genre heroines (Wynonna Earp probably fits in there as well, but I don't watch the show, so I can't really comment). <br /><br />Given that the genre has also historically been male-dominated, the rise of female superheroes has had to wrestle with character evolution in most cases, and outright sexism, the latter of which isn't going to go away quietly anyway. To that end, Supergirl is almost always going to receive a different measure of respect among fandom. There's nothing wrong with that...but if one were to more fully document the Girl of Steel's character influence through history, she's managed to inadvertently create a LOT of imitators in her wake of existence...which is not at all bad for a Silver Age spin-off character who once was dismissed as 'a flying Barbie with a cape'. And she's still doing it now with a whole new real-life generation who doesn't read comics at all. <br /><br />KETKEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13797904604074311480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-61352975453992908322017-12-28T22:06:26.592-05:002017-12-28T22:06:26.592-05:00Thanks for comments.
She certainly has grown in p...Thanks for comments.<br /><br />She certainly has grown in prominence over the last handful,of years. But A-List is tricky for a derivative character. That said, the TV show, the popularity of DCSuperheroGirls, and even stuff like the Snickers comic shows that if she isn’t A-list, she’s close.Anjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10023193805914075078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-43333374964636803832017-12-28T19:21:13.379-05:002017-12-28T19:21:13.379-05:00I would say she is not on the A-list and might nev...I would say she is not on the A-list and might never will be. Both sides are to blame here. DC gives her a lot of space now, but even though she has the same powerset as her male counterpart, he will always get the priority seat for the big events. DCEU goes to Superman, Justice League comics go to Superman, Dark Metal - Superman, Doomsday Clock - Superman, Action Comics - Superman etc etc. For all DCs desire to paint women and men as equals, Supergirl rides economy, and gets one monthly comic, the lower budget tv-show, etc. <br /><br />But even though she shines in everything they give her, the readers suck at giving her the equal acknowledgement as well. Everything she does she gets fewer consumers, even things where I would venture to say she is in the objectively better creative work. The more big things she appears in, the more consumers could find her, but too many discards her as a lesser carbon copy of Superman, which is crazy. She was created in the 50s and most people haven't even read anything from that time. Following the same line of reasoning would mean discarding every force sensitive character except Leia in Star Wars because she was the first one on screen and the others just copied her origin story of a being with inherent special powers, a surving member of a dying breed.<br /><br />Heh, though when the Superman copyright goes into the public domain one day I am guessing Supergirl will still have a decade or so left in her. Maybe that will be the day when DC decides to let her feel the first class seat. :P<br /><br />I am happy that DC is giving her economy though. It's way better than stuffing her in the daek cargo hold like they did before. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-69961067068685053932017-12-28T18:27:41.487-05:002017-12-28T18:27:41.487-05:00What is the A List? If it’s an IP generating reven...What is the A List? If it’s an IP generating revenue as KET mentions then right now the answer has to be yes. She’s showing up not just in nerdy places like comic shops but in the toy aisles at department stores, Christmas tree ornaments, lunch boxes, t-shirts, backpacks, and just a ton of other merchandise. The comic is selling reasonably well, and better than books like Avengers or Green Arrow.<br /><br />So she’s probably A-List in the eyes of the sales and marketing departments, and probably the finance gnomes too. She’s probably putting smiles on the faces of the people with corner offices at WB. <br /><br />Comic book fans? No character with an S on their chest is in the top 20 books in sales these days, and in fact it’s hard for a DC book to get there if Batman isn’t involved.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-67933539175454767212017-12-28T15:25:03.581-05:002017-12-28T15:25:03.581-05:00"Here is a simple question for one and all, &..."Here is a simple question for one and all, "Is Supergirl on the A-List at Long Last or Not?"<br /><br />Seems to me that "A List" can often be arbitrarily attributed, given that the real distinction for the corporate parent(s) is how well the IP is generating revenue for its brand. In this case, 'Supergirl' has absolutely nothing for DC or WB to be concerned over performance at the moment. <br /><br />KETKEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13797904604074311480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-9310647806459398452017-12-28T12:35:40.821-05:002017-12-28T12:35:40.821-05:00Here is a simple question for one and all, "I...Here is a simple question for one and all, "Is Supergirl on the A-List at Long Last or Not?"<br /><br />Discuss.<br /><br /><br />JFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-33246615308311739652017-12-28T09:07:37.820-05:002017-12-28T09:07:37.820-05:00"You can blame a previous writer for coming u..."You can blame a previous writer for coming up with Zor-El as Cyborg Superman, but it's hardly his fault Steve Orlando used him when his run started. Be fair."<br /><br />I'm not blaming Nelson. I'm blaming his run (for all I know, it wasn't his idea). Everything I'm telling is if -IF- Steve Orlando was told to deal with Cyborg Superman as soon as possible so Jurgen could reintroduce the classic version, then there's another more reason to dislike the "Cyborg Zor-El" subplot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-81395183918804294952017-12-28T08:54:01.794-05:002017-12-28T08:54:01.794-05:00Anonymous said: 'If so, another reason to disl...Anonymous said: 'If so, another reason to dislike Nelson's run. Because of the idiotic decision to turn Zor-El into the new Cyborg Superman, Kara's next solo book would get off to a bad start.'<br /><br />You can blame a previous writer for coming up with Zor-El as Cyborg Superman, but it's hardly his fault Steve Orlando used him when his run started. Be fair.<br /><br />Great list, Anj. Interesting to hear you mention the lack of standout moments in Being Super - as you know, I packed in after #1 because while I saw the quality craft, it wan't surprising or exciting me.Martin Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09574149543260175962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-87714533915902674872017-12-28T08:27:15.771-05:002017-12-28T08:27:15.771-05:00"I wonder if Steve Orlando was told to clear ..."I wonder if Steve Orlando was told to clear the decks and early."<br /><br />I've not asked Orlando about it, but I'm fairly sure that is the case.<br /><br />If so, another reason to dislike Nelson's run. Because of the idiotic decision to turn Zor-El into the new Cyborg Superman, Kara's next solo book would get off to a bad start.<br /><br />"Here she says outright that she chooses Earth so that people can save each other's lives."<br /><br />Personally I think that wording is a bit clunky. It doesn't sound quite right. Although maybe it's me.<br /><br />I really liked that beam war. You might say Supergirl and Empress weren't eye to eye. Okay, I'll stop now...<br /><br />"I still feel like I'm reeling from the earliest New 52 Kara who hated Earth and the people on it. It is hard to believe this Kara is the same one."<br /><br />Personally I think people are too hard on early Post-Flashpoint Kara. It's like that garbage H'el on Earth crossover is everything people remembers (and even so she turned against H'el as soon as she found out about his real plan). After re-reading "Last Daughter of Krypton" and the part where she goes back to Earth to fight Reign, in spite of being hurt and weakened, and swears she'll die before letting the Worldkillers hurt anybody... well, I have a hard time regarding her as anything other than a hero, even if her attitude wasn't the best.<br /><br />"You Don't Fool Me Lex"<br /><br />A real good -and funny- scene. I wonder if it's poking fun at that scurrilous storyline where Matrix fell for Lex's "son".<br /><br />AC #983 was very good, although my favorite SG scene from that issue may be that one where Kara confronts Henshaw "I already put an end to a Cyborg Superman", indeed.<br /><br />It led me to think Jurgens could actually do good for the character. Unfortunately, the next arcs would deep-six my hopes and this week's issue killed them off for good.<br /><br />The Snickers comic was silly, but I like when Supergirl interacts and bonds with other heroes.<br /><br />Injustice 2 has good Supergirl moments. A pity it guts several more characters.<br /><br />Looking forward to the next half of your list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com