Alex Ross Adult Titans

I am always amazed when I hear about comics that were pitched and for some reason weren't made. So many sound like good reasons for companies to take my money.

So imagine when I read this story on Comic Book Resources about a series Alec Ross pitched for a series starring Batman's son which included a JLA composed of the older wiser Titans. Here is the link:
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/03/06/comic-book-legends-revealed-513/

That image above is just incredible. Batgirl as Batwoman. Donna Troy as a Wonder Woman sporting her unitard look. An older Robin. And in the background, Supergirl!

Who wouldn't buy this book??

Of course, Batman's son was part of zany Bob Haney's insanity so maybe DC didn't want something like that out there in any form.

What about the concept? Well the article covers this bombshell ...

But here’s the craziest twist…the whole series would be revealed to be a tie-in with none other than ZERO HOUR!
Remember how Hal Jordan wanted to create a new, nicer world in Zero Hour?

Oh my god! A 'nicer' universe? With an adult Titans/League??

Incredible!

For this Donna Troy alone I would buy the book.

But I gotta give some love to this Supergirl with her faux-hawk, point sleeves, and bathing suit look. Just beautiful!

We seen precious little of Alex Ross' Supergirl - a panel in Kingdom Come and the Silver Age Kara in Justice.

This world should have been part of Multiversity!!

Alex Ross Supergirl In Kingdom Come:Revelations

I  love stumbling across Supergirl that I haven't seen before. So here is a great shot of Alex Ross' Kingdom Come Supergirl. I have talked about Kingdom Come and Ross in the past but not for some time.

So imagine my surprise when I saw this picture out on the web. Here is a Ross sketch of Supergirl and Superboy from the Kingdom Come Revelations slipcase book. This is Conner and Linda/Matrix. Both are sent into the future in Kingdom Come as a way to eliminate their power set from the conflict (the explanation in the text on the above page). I love the Legionnaires' look to these costumes with the big Legion symbol belt buckle. There is also something 'Laurel Gand'-ish about Supergirl's look as well. Just beautiful!

Here are Ross' own words about the design from Revelations as well.

The current inheritors of these classic Superman family roles may not have the same blood relationship to Superman that the former had, but they could still join the Legion just as the originals did. The 30th Century's interplanetary Legion of Super-Heroes could well invite both super-youths to join their ranks and offer them a second home in the future. The implication in Kingdom Come is that at some point they will leave our modern era behind for a more settled society of superhumans in the future. Designing these costumes was a real joy, combining the modern Legion aesthetic with the classic Silver Age outfits of Superboy and Supergirl. Superboy's current "mod" hairstyle is grown out like Superman's recent 'do, but pulled back to give a sense of the original Boy of Steel's clean-cut look.

Here is the one quick peek at Supergirl in Kingdom Come (issue 2)  itself in extreme close-up. She is a tiny little thing in the full panel of the Legion.
 

As for Kingdom Come Revelations, it is a slipcase book, hardcover of the Kingdom Come comic as well as another book of sketches, notes, etc. It is signed by Waid and Ross and exceedingly rare. Good luck finding one! And be prepared to shell out some bucks!

Does anyone actually own it??

Mythology: The Art Of Alex Ross

Serendipity is defined as 'an aptitude to make desirable discoveries by accident' or 'good luck; fortune'. I am a firm believer in serendipity.

You see, I have several 'coffee table' books about comics that I keep on ... well ... on a coffee table in my house. It is my little way of opening up the idea of comics to non-comics people who visit the house. I also thumb through them during long commercial breaks or when just relaxing.

For the last several months, the DC Comics Encyclopedia was on the table. I felt it was time to change things up, so the encyclopedia went on the shelf and I put Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross down. I hadn't flipped through the book in a while and thought it would feel new to me. Before I did flip through it, I read a comment here by blog friend John Feer about the Cliff Chiang 'hot pants' commission. He reminded me about how Ross used that outfit in the mini-series Justice.

Suddenly Alex Ross had suddenly crept into my consciousness twice. And I didn't really have a post planned for today. The universe was trying to tell me something. It was time to look at the book again.

Now while I enjoy Ross' work very much, I am not his biggest fan. His work alone isn't enough to make me pick up a book. But when working on the right project, his work is perfect. Perfect.

The book does a great job of looking at Ross' career from his earliest childhood drawings to his influences in art to a very close look at all the major DC projects he had done at the time of the book's creation. If you are a fan of Ross, you need to have this book. Each chapter is chock full of goodies. For me, I especially love seeing the pencil sketches that eventually became to finished art as well as 'test sketches' of the characters. There are chapters based on the big three, then Captain Marvel, then JLA (these all looking at the oversized graphic novel he produced for the characters such as Superman:Peace on Earth), and then individual DC characters, and finally Kingdom Come.

I picked a few relevant pics for here to look at.

The title page in the book is of the Legion and prominently features Supergirl, looking as though she is reaching for the words 'The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross'. Again, it is the 'hot pants' costume.

It is a close-up of this Ross print of the Legion of Superheroes. Most people know that I am a huge Legion fan as well. I had not known about this print before seeing it in this book. If I did, I would probably have bought it. For me, this is the Legion of my youth sporting the 1970's outfits designed by Dave Cockrum and Mike Grell.


In particular, I am a huge fan of this version of Shrinking Violet's costume.


In the middle of the book, we see Ross' approach to many of the more famous DC characters. Ross had produced many 'character' posters for DC including this one of Supergirl. The posters are only of the upper half of the character; I had forgotten that it was a whole body shot. Again, I am a fan of the boots with this version of the costume rather than the ballerina slippers look.

Here is the text:
She's Superman's Kryptonian cousin and she has had many different outfit designs since her comics debut in Superman #123 (August 1958). All were variations of her famous kinsmen's. "This is the version of her costume I first saw in the mid-1970s. There's a sexiness to it that also considers her individuality, as a young woman who wants to fit in on Earth."

Ross' women always look somewhat older that I imagine the characters to be. This Supergirl looks like someone in her late-20s, so it is slightly off for me. Still, it is a very nice iconic pose for the Girl of Steel.

I am also a giant fan of Kingdom Come, so I appreciated the very in-depth look that series gets in here. From the design of the futuristic characters, to sketches and break-down of pages, to his designs of the 'next generation' characters, it really rounded out my appreciation of the book.

Here are true thumb-nail sketches of many of those 'next gen' characters as well as some of the main background characters.



Here is Ross' thumb nail of XTC, what I am presuming is the daughter of Supergirl and Brainiac 5 seen in the book and discussed on this blog way back when here.

Moreover, the chapter looks at a potential sequel that would involve Ross. His Kingdom varied a bit from the ultimate prequel that DC released with the same name.

It seems the few sketches he produced for that project were put to good use. Here is his Gog, the character who would eventually create Magog. It is the exact design for Gog used in Justice Society of America recently.

So if you are a big Alex Ross fan, I highly recommend the book. There isn't much in here for a Supergirl fan. But if you are a fan of DC Comics and in particular the 'big 7' and Kingdom Come, it is a real treasure.

Kingdom Come - Supergirl and Brainiac 5's Daughter?

My many thanks to frequent poster Talos who brought up the presence of a Brainac 5/Supergirl daughter in the great Elseworld series Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid and beautifully painted by Alex Ross.

Now I have read Kingdom Come probably a billion times and did not recall anyone fitting that description. So I had to go back and thumb through the issues to see if I could spot her.

Here she is on the back cover of the letterbox Ross cover. There she is ... the green-skinned woman behind the Flash and Cyborg.

Now, at the end of the weekly series 52, it was revealed that the multiverse exists again but is limited to 52 universes. The 'Kingdom Come' universe was designated Earth-22. The Earth-22 Starman and Superman are currently playing significant parts in the Geoff Johns' Justice Society of America comic.

What do we know about the Supergirl of Earth-22?

Well, in Kingdom Come #1,the Spectre is discussing super-heroes to Reverand Norman McKay and he lists several who have simply stopped being active or left, leaving humanity to its own fate. On that page we see the above shot of the Legion. And who is flying right at the front of that phalanx?

Yeah, it's Kara. And that is probably Conner flying next to her. So Kara left the troubled present to spend her days in the brighter future. We can only conjecture why she would do that. Love of Brainiac 5? Frustration with present day Earth? Need to be in an environment more advanced like the one she knew best on Krypton?

What does seem apparent is that there is a Supergirl/Brainiac 5 amalgam, presumably their offspring, who is active in the present day. Here is her biggest showing in issue #2, albeit 2 panels and no lines of dialogue.

There she is in the lower right hand corner, flying in during this skirmish.

And here is the best shot of her. How the heck did I miss this despite my many readings of this comic over the last decade?

First off, she is basically a green-skinned Kara. But look at that costume design. The 'S' shield is the entire front of the tunic. The 'yellow' areas of the 'S' shield are actually cut out of the tunic, with her green skin showing in those areas. She has the choker and cape. Clearly this is someone linked to the super-family. Given everything we know, it makes perfect sense for this to be Kara and Brainiac 5's daughter.

Despite looking closely at all the issues, that is about it for her in the series. Maybe she is seen in the background of a couple of panels. Maybe.

Now Talos (another tip of the hat) wrote that the character's name was Kara Dox ... a mix of her alleged parents' names. Also a nice play on the word paradox. Of course her fighting in the past while her parents are in the future is sort of a paradox.

So mystery solved, right?

Not so fast. Look at how she is listed in the apocrypha section of the Kingdom Come trade paperback. Brainiac's daughter? Ancestor of Brainiac 5? Makes little sense, especially given her resemblence to Kara and her costume choice. Maybe this entry was an error?

Does anyone have any more information? Maybe from the Absolute Kingdom Come edition?

Regardless, whatever her origin or bloodline, we know her fate. She was not one of the survivors of the nuclear attack on the super-human war in Kingdom Come #4.

Anyways, my thanks again for having this brought to my attention. I still am flummoxed how I never saw her before.

Justice Supergirl Action Figure

The Supergirl doll based on the Alex Ross mini-series Justice was finally released last week. What a spectacular figure and definitely a worthy addition to the Supergirl shrine. Here are a couple of other views of the figure so you can get a sense of it in its entirety.



This is one of the best Supergirl figures in recent years. It is very nice and includes a couple of nuances that I really like. One is the very long cape that Kara is wearing here. I was never a fan of the smallish cape that some artists put here in. Also, the belt on the costume is a seperate (but attached) piece. As a result it hangs a little off the figure rather than just being painted on. For some reason I think that is a very nice touch.

This costume, the 'Hot Pants' costume, was the predominant costume for most of the 1970's and early 80's. This is the Supergirl that I grew up with, learning about the older versions of her costume later on. In fact this is the costume of one of the more iconic images of Supergirl, the Rich Buckler cover for Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1. This is one of my favorite Supergirl covers. Heck this cover was even put on a US postal stamp.


I will say that this is another of my favorite covers in this costume, Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #5, by Ed Hannigan.


So most Silver Age readers really loved the Justice mini-series. The story of the Justice League versus a Legion of Doom type line-up was coupled with old school versions of the DC pantheon. For Supergirl fans it was particularly wonderful because it was the first time we had seen the 'Hot Pants' costume in more than 20 years. In fact, it was the rumor of Kara being in the series that made me buy it in the first place. Here's a panel from Justice #7, one of the first panels we see Kara (albeit mind-controlled by Brainiac). Ross' women usually look like they are in their mid-30's, usually not a good style for Supergirl. Still, I think this is a pretty good rendition.


Now this costume has had some minor variations. Here is one of the first covers it is seen on, Adventure Comics #419. Note the beaded bottom of the shorts and the slippers rather than boots.

While this version of the 'hot pants' costume was the one in the latter Adventure Comics issues as well as the 1972 Supergirl solo title, I never was a big fan of it.

I like the boots look more than slippers; boots look more heroic.

Anyways, I recommend this figure highly to any Supergirl fan, especially those with a feeling of nostalgia for this particular uniform.

Alex Ross' New Krypton Art

A couple of days ago, Newsarama released the above sneak peek at Alex Ross' image for the New Krypton storyline starting in all the super-titles in October. The covers for November's issues of Action comics, Superman, and Supergirl will be able to be put together to form this image.

The news story also included a brief interview with Johns and Gates. Here is the link:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080813-SupermanTeaser.html

Here is what I am guessing the cover for Supergirl #35 will look like (the last 1/3 of the Ross piece).

I don't know if Ross' style works with Supergirl. Most of his characters appear to be in their late 30's, even Kara here. That said, I think this piece is wildly fascinating. We see just about every version of Kryptonian that has been written: Silver Age, Byrne Age, Donner film-like, Birthright. An old-school Nightwing and Flamebird? Heck, next to Kara is someone who looks like Superwoman. Do you remember her from DC Comics Presents Annual #2?

In truth that Superwoman was an Earth woman from the future (I think Jimmy Olsen's great-great-great-great-something or other) who had tech based powers. So technically, as that Superwoman is not a Kryptonian, this must be someone else just dressed like her. Still nifty to throw in that imagery. I haven't read that DCCP issue in a dog's age.

And here are the Kara specific bits from the interview:

Sterling Gates, the new player on the Superbooks, will start on the Supergirl series with issue #34 in October with artist Jamal Igle.

"For Supergirl, who remembers life on Krypton, having 100,000 Kryptonians creates some unique conflicts," Gates said. "From that, Supergirl's relationships change as we get going. Her relationship with Superman is such right now that he's like a big brother to her, because he is her family. And through New Krypton, you're going to see that dynamic get turned on its ear and go through changes."

It is going to be very interesting to see how Kara responds to this discovery of Kandor. I can only imagine that her first instinct is going to be to live with the Kryptonians and go back to her original culture. I mean if for years I was living in a place I felt was strange and just could not get acclimated (much like Kara now), I would jump at the chance to go home. Remember, we learned in the Brainiac arc that she even had close friends who lived in Kandor, albiet 35 years ago. There was a hint back in Action #850 that her parents survived the destrution of Krypton (which of course they did in the Silver Age). Could they somehow be in Kandor? Methinks I will need to review pertinent bits of Action #850 on this blog, especially on rereading it in the recent Supergirl trade.

But even the scene with Cat Grant this month shows that Kara still hasn't adjusted to life on Earth and probably still feels like an outsider. My guess is she is going to be very conflicted during this arc.

More from the interview:

Johns said that Superman, Supergirl, 100,000 Kryptonians and Zod's soldiers are just the start -- the entire Superman universe will be involved in the story.

So maybe we will see all those different styles of Kryptonians from the Ross' pic in the arc. Strange.

"It's going to involve the entire cast and a lot of the villains. It's going to redefine a lot of villains, like Reactron and Metallo," Johns said.

I like the Reactron comment. Does this make him the first official member of this Supergirl's rogues gallery?

I do wish that the Gates/Igle team had a few issues under their belts before being thrust into a cross-over. Still, this should insure some healthy sales for the first issues of their run and might garner some long term readers.

Expensive Wednesday!

Heading to your local comic book store today and want to get the latest in Supergirl stuff? Better hit the ATM before you go! There are a few items arriving today.

1) Action Comics #868 - there is a great preview at Newsarama ( http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=20714 ) as the Cat Grant/Supergirl feud begins to heat up a bit. It is such a great and humorous scene. I will review later this week.

2) Supergirl: Beyond Good and Evil trade - collecting the first 5 issues of Puckett's run including the reboot of Zor-El, the battle with Reactron, and the beginning of the 'Saving Thomas' storyine. The cover is from the Adam Kubert variant cover of Supergirl #23. It also includes the Supergirl story from Action Comics #850.

This was the first time I felt the Johns' feel with Kara. Watching from the future (this was the Legion Kara), she makes sure to let Superman know he is not alone and has family. This was a very likeable Kara, drawn by Renato Guedes. Well worth a read.

3) Justice Series 8 action figure: Supergirl - the first hot pants and holter top action figure, based on Alex Ross' art on Justice. Add in the puffy sleeves and the choker and this is just bubbling over with Silver Age goodness. It is a worthy addition to the shrine.

4) Tiny Titans #7 - "Supergirl stops by to save the day!" This is sort of like an after dinner mint after all of the heaviness going on in the DCU. I am sure I will have a couple of scans in the near future.

All told, if you buy it all ... $38.18. Not that bad for all those goodies.

Johns on the 'New Krypton' storyline

Over on the CBR website there is an interview with Geoff Johns talking about the big Superman crossover event happening the in fall called 'New Krypton'. The opening issue is Superman:The New Krypton, a one-shot on sale in late October and whose cover is shown at the top of the post. The issue is written by all three super-title authors: Johns, Robinson, and Gates. Internal art is by Pete Woods, Gary Frank, and Renato Guedes.

The 9 part story will also cross-over all three Super titles: Superman, Action Comics, and Supergirl. Below is the link to the Johns interview.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17359

The article is light on facts about the storyline, although it is hinted at that the bottle city of Kandor and it's 100,000 Kryptonian inhabitants will survive the current Brainiac arc. The article again does highlight how intergrated the Supergirl title will be. While I have covered this before, I am fairly giddy about the attention Kara is getting in the news and think it should be covered here. Here are some of the Supergirl-centric quotes.

Johns told CBR News, "The story grows out of my 'Brainiac' arc in 'Action' and the 'Atlas' arc James has going in 'Superman.' But to put it simply, when those stories end there are 100,000 Kryptonians left on Earth going: 'This must be New Krypton, how wonderful.' And the story builds from there.
"It's obviously a very personal story for Superman, and Supergirl gets caught up in the action pretty quick."

This storyline is probably when the numeric triangles on the covers will appear so people buying the arc will know what order to read the issues. Supergirl gets involved 'pretty quick' which leads me to believe Supergirl 35, Gates' second issue will be in the storyline. I wonder just how involved she will be. Will Gates' story riffs (Cat Grant/Silver Banshee) be able to be progressed in these cross-over issues? Or will the New Krypton story dominate completely? I like having Kara enmeshed in the super-titles. But I hope she doesn't play second fiddle to Superman in her own title.

I think about this Peter David issue as an example. While Supergirl 20 was a cross-over issue in the Superman storyline Millenium Giants, it still advanced the ongoing plot lines of the Supergirl title itself.

Back in the interview, Johns talks more about Sterling Gates. He says emphatically that Gates is a huge Supergirl fan, which is great news. When he was first announced at Hero-Con, Gates said he was at the con buying old issues of the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, a sign he is a fan. Johns then continues.

"Sterling's first issue of 'Supergirl' is the best issue of 'Supergirl' I have ever read. I think he's got a great take on the character and a great energy for the character," said Johns. "James and I really believe in him. [Editors] Matt [Idelson] and Nachie [Castro] really believe in him and [artist] Jamal Igle is turning in some amazing pages on that book. 'Supergirl' is going to be a book to watch. "And Supergirl is a character that James and I are already integrating into our books, 'Action' and 'Superman.' She is very important to Superman and we want her to be as prevalent and prominent in the Superman mythology as Robin is to Batman. She is not always going to team up with Superman but she has a very important part in his life and his world. And a lot of things are going to come out of her book that will be pretty big for the world of Superman and the other 100,000 Kryptonians."

Supergirl 34 is the best issue of Supergirl Johns has ever read?! This is probably hyperbole but I guess it is a nice compliment. I don't know if it can ever live up to that hype for me, especially since I loved the David run. Still, sounds promising.

I also both like and dislike the reference to Robin. I like it because Robin is a well-respected and well-represented character in the DCU. I dislike it because Robin is a side-kick and Supergirl should not have the sidekick 'feel' to her.

Still we have seen that Supergirl will be a big part of Johns' title (already seen) and Robinson's title (she is appearing next month's issue, cover below).

As for the New Krypton storyline itself, I am greatly looking forward to it. It looks like it will streamline the history of Krypton a bit. The Frank cover of the special shows 2 distinct Kryptonian architecture types, both of which have been valid in the past. But I don't know which one is valid now.

Here is the Alex Ross cover for Superman 681, one of the early issues of the New Krypton story arc.

Notice that there are a bunch of Kryptonian-garbed people flying around. I can make out a Silver Age Jor-El, someone in a Byrne-like outfit, someone in a Donner/Brando style outfit, and some I don't recognize at all (fully admitting I didn't read super-titles outside Supergirl from 2001-2007). Hopefully we will get one true and current Krypton for the current DCU that everyone can build on.

My guess is that the 100,000 Kryptonians are 'stuck' in the city much like they were in the Silver Age. That sets the table for me to review this issue sometime in the fall.

The bottom line is I am stoked for the new team and thrilled that Kara is going to be an important figure in the DCU soon.