Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 Fallout: Back Issue #147

I'm a giant fan of Back Issue magazine and how it looks back at the Silver and Bronze Age of comics. The Bronze Age was my formative era for comics so reading in depth articles on characters, runs, and creators is like comfort food. I consider myself an amateur comic historian so this book only adds to my knowledge.

This month is Back Issue's 20th anniversary and they celebrated with a George Perez Tribute issue. This was a great look back at Perez's career from his time at Marvel through his Wonder Woman reboot and everywhere in between.

For me, I had a particular interest and hope. Surely Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 was going to be discussed somewhere in the book. I didn't agree back then that Supergirl needed to die. But I can't deny that COIE #7 is an incredible and historic issue. It showcased Supergirl as the hero she was. And it cemented her place in the annals of comics. 

Part of the magazine was a look at 20 of Perez's most memorable issues. I really liked this section because mixed in with the historic books (like Crisis or JLA #200) were random issues of Marvel Two-In-One and the Flash, picked because the author recognized Perez's brilliance in some way. 

This piece, written by Dan Johnson, was a nice look at the double sized issue. But there were some things in here that stuck out to me as a Supergirl fan.

Back Issue Magazine #123 - Hey, That's Me!

I have sung the praises of Back Issue magazine in the past on this site. For anyone who loves comic book history, especially of the Bronze Age and Silver Age, this is the magazine for you. 

Maybe this is one time where Back Issue sings the praises of me!

This month's issue is the Superhero Romance issue with articles on superhero weddings, Batman's love interests, and Star Sapphire just to name a few.

But there is also a retro-review of Superman #415, a Crisis cross-over issue which prominently features Supergirl.

Remember, Supergirl had just died saving the universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. There was a feeling that maybe this was a last chance to tell a Supergirl story, so Cary Bates and Curt Swan put together this issue.

I started this blog in April of 2008. Superman #415 was one of the first back issues that I reviewed on this site. Here is a link:

http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2008/07/it-came-from-back-issue-box-superman.html

I never revisit those old posts. I didn't know what I was doing back then.

Now I have friends who have had articles in Back Issue, with a byline and everything!

But I was still pretty chuffed to see my name mentioned in the article.

I stand by my assertion that this issue is best forgotten. This isn't the capstone we want for Kara's life. The story doesn't make much sense. 

Still, pretty cool to see "Anj" mentioned in a Supergirl article!

Back Issue #84: All Supergirl

Last week, a true treasure appeared in my folder at the local comic book store.

Back Issue #84 came out, an issue 100% dedicated to Supergirl in the Bronze Age. Given the 30th anniversary of Supergirl's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths, it makes perfect sense for this issue to be published. And it is chock full of great stuff for any Supergirl fan.

We start out with the cover, an obvious homage to Adventure Comics #397 where Kara peruses a bunch of costume variations.

The inside of the magazine has great articles about her stories in the Bronze Age, the movie, Superwoman, merchandise from back then from podcast friend Chris Franklin, an Alan Brennert interview from Aquaman Shrine's Rob Kelly, a brief look at Matrix ... it is all good. Any Supergirl fan should purchase it from TwoMorrows.

Just a couple of samples, a mere scratching of the surface.

After reviewing pretty much all of Supergirl's stories from her Adventure Comics through Daring New Adventure and talking to a ton of the writers from those books, there is a nice summation at the end of the article.

It is clear that each writer basically tried to wring Supergirl into a shape that fit their vision. Thus we saw the all the professions, all the locales, all the personality quirks. And yet, it is all of that sort of change which actually grabbed me as a kid. It felt like Supergirl was trying to figure things out. For me, it made her relatable.

There is a very fun comic in the middle by Karl Heitmueller Jr. focusing on her costume changes. I love it.

In the coverage of Crisis on Infinite Earth #7, there is a portion dedicated to fan reaction.

After being a sort of forgotten part of the DCU, it was interesting for me to see just how much backlash there was to her death. There was no internet then. I didn't read a lot of fanzines back then. So seeing how much ill will it brought about was interesting.

"Some heroes appear bigger or more important when they pass away - that is exactly what happened here with Supergirl."

Exactly!

And then there is Rob Kelly's Alan Brennert interview. The classic story 'Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot' is touched upon. I love hearing how Brennert disliked Supergirl's sacrifice (and even existence)  simply being forgotten. So I love that he decided he needed to repudiate it. And, after vilifying Dick Giordano a bit for his role in Kara's death, it was fascinating to hear how he grabbed to story to draw himself.

And I love the hand-wringing from the current creators who were told Supergirl could not be referenced. Hearing how they tried make this vision be an astral projection of Power Girl made me chuckle. Interestingly enough, it was Giordano who shuts them up with the simple statement 'guys, it's just a nice Christmas story'.

I love Back Issue. And I love this issue in particular.

TwoMorrows Upcoming Publications

This summer, TwoMorrows is putting out two Supergirl-centric magazines which I am eagerly looking forward to and you should be as well. Here is a link to their site: http://twomorrows.com/

Now I subscribe to Back Issue because it is spectacular in its coverage of my era of comics. So a Supergirl specific issue is going to be an extra special treat. Here is the solicit for Back Issue #84:

From hot pants to headbands, it’s Supergirl in the Bronze Age in BACK ISSUE #84 (84 FULL-COLOR pages, $8.95)! The Maid of Might’s 1970s and 1980s adventures, including her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths and her many rebirths. Plus: an ALAN BRENNERT interview, behind the scenes of the Supergirl movie starring HELEN SLATER, Who is Superwoman?, and a look at the DC Superheroes Water Ski Show. With PAUL KUPPERBERG, ELLIOT MAGGIN, MARV WOLFMAN, and many more. Featuring a jam cover recreation of Adventure Comics #397 by KARL HEITMUELLER, JR. and friends (STEPHEN DeSTEFANO, BOB FINGERMAN, DEAN HASPIEL, KRISTEN McCABE, JON MORRIS, and JACKSON PUBLICK). Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

I have to assume this was planned given the anniversary of Crisis (and therefore the death of Supergirl). The lineup here is fantastic. Alan Brennert from 'Should Auld Acquaintance' fame.Paul Kupperberg from Daring New Adventures! Marv Wolfman from the Crisis! Superman legend Elliot S. Maggin. And Supergirl herself Helen Slater! Incredible.

I can't wait to read about Superwoman - all of them. Kristin Wells, the Third Kryptonian, the Crime Syndicate villain, and Lucy Lane!

And the cover is a great homage to Adventure Comics #397! Fantastic!

I don't always get Alter Ego, the Roy Thomas fanzine. When the topic hits home, I do get pick up the book and I am always impressed.  Alter Ego #133 is focusing on Supergirl legendary artist Jim Mooney. Here is the solicit:

ALTER EGO #133 (84 full-color pages, $8.95) spotlights Gentleman JIM MOONEY, the guy who drew ’em all—Batman & Robin, Supergirl, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Legion of Super-Heroes, Tommy Tomorrow, Ghost Rider, Dial H for Hero, Kaanga, The Invaders, The Moth, Wildfire, Lash Lightning—and a whole host more! This issue features an incredible in-depth interview conducted by DR. JEFF McLAUGHLIN—never before published! Plus there’s FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster's Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY's Comic Fandom Archive, and more—all behind a cover montage by JIM MOONEY of his greatest DC hits! Edited by ROY THOMAS.

An unpublished interview! And art!

I'm in!

I love seeing Supergirl and her famed creators getting such publicity. I will be reviewing these here!

Back Issue #62

Knowing I had this week off from work and looking for some extra stuff to read, I broke tradition and downloaded a digital copy of Back Issue #62, a book I was unfortunately unable to find in the print version. As an amateur comic historian, I love Back Issue in general but this issue focusing on Superman in the Bronze Age is just a treasure trove for any Superman fan.

But for me, this was just about the perfect issue. I am in my early forties and I consider my formative years on comics to be the late 70s and early 80s. That's when I started to pick out favorite characters, be excited about the ancillary stuff like sneak previews and back-up features, and when I really became a Supergirl and Superman fan. So this issue struck the perfect mix of nostalgia as well as being unbelievably informative.

I mean just look at this table of contents!

There is so much here which I remember reading when these things first came out! Superman Family, World of Krypton, the Supermobile issues, the Superman Back-Up stories, the Alan Moore 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow', and even the Atomic Skull.

In particular, Superman Family and the World of Krypton and the Supermobile story with Amazo all have powerful memories for me.

Now there isn't any specific Supergirl piece in the issue, the Girl of Steel is generously sprinkled throughout the issue. The most salient articles for Supergirl fans is the first one in which the editorial switchover from Mort Weisinger to Julius Schwartz is covered and the Superman Family article.

There is a lot of small little blurbs about Supergirl in those articles.

This one I found interesting and reminds me I should reread those earliest Superman Family issues. In those stories, Elliot S! Maggin has Supergirl deciding to try to leave the super-hero business to help people 'person to person' as the guidance counselor at the New Athens Experimental School.

Despite that overt statement, super-heroics continue to follow Kara around and (if I recall) by the third issue of new Supergirl stories (in this book which alternated new stuff with reprints) Linda isn't bemoaning her life as Supergirl and diving into action as normal.

This picture crops up now and again and I would have loved to see this book. Can you imagine what it would have been like in the early 80s to have an all-woman superhero team. This is Birds of Prey before BoP was a twinkling in DC's eyes.

Supergirl writer Jack C. Harris wanted to create this team of Supergirl, Batgirl, Enchantress, and Vixen. What an interesting mix of characters! Someone should bring this idea back for a mini-series.

Anyways, I covered those Enchantress stories on this blog here and here.

But there is more.

The Superman Family article goes in depth about all the characters in the book, including the married Earth 2 Superman and Lois Lane. It was in these books that I first learned about Susie Tompkins, the telepathic niece now tormenting Superman in Grant Morrison's Action Comics.

Just a couple of more blurbs which grabbed me ... although again I will say this whole issue is great.

There is an article about the Earth 2 Superman and it covers the arrival of Power Girl.

In the original All-Star Squad books, Power Girl was fiercely independent and didn't want to be mentored. Too bad Gerry Conway couldn't explore that more. And ironic how now the Earth 2 Supergirl and Superman have a much more conventional relationship of mentor/protege than the Earth 1 versions nowadays.

Lastly, there is a very nice and in-depth review of the last pre-Crisis Superman, the famous Alan Moore 'Whatever Happened to ...' two-issue wrap-up. As it is pointed out here, I am amazed that this story was only 2 issues! Today it would be at least a 6 issue mini-series ... at least. I usually am anti-decompression. But man, I would have loved this story to be just a bit longer to explore a lot of the zaniness that happens here.

I love this story, a wonderful capstone to the Schwartz era and sort of clearing the deck for John Byrne. I cover the Supergirl bit of this story briefly here.

I haven't even commented on the Supermobile story or the back-up features! Amazing issues!

So definitely worth getting if you are a Superman and Superman family fan. Head to the TwoMorrows website to get your own copy!

Back Issue Box: Justice League of America #157

I keep trying to take an optimistic viewpoint when it comes to this new DC 'relaunch'. One of the things that I saw that intrigued me was the tweet above by Jim Lee. As we know, Lee is drawing the new Justice League book and there were some online concerns written about his timeliness. Lee responded he wouldn't mess things up. And then he invoked the name of Dick Dillin, the fantastic JLA artist of the 70s and 80s.

I find it interesting that part of the push, it seems, for this reboot, is to start fresh and leave the old continuity and history behind and then Lee mentions an artist from 3 decades ago. That sense of legacy and tradition should be considered a strength of the DCU, not a hindrance.

As always, things like this get my mind rolling so I thought why not review one of those Giant Justice League of America books done by Dillin. Of course, it would have to involve Supergirl. And I thought it would be cool to also find one which had some impact on current DC continuity.

Was that possible? Yep.

Released in 1978, Justice League of America #157 was written by Gerry Conway. And, I will admit, Dick Dillin only did some of the art on the book, the opening chapter and the epilogue. But as you will see, those are probably the most important pages of the book. The other chapters of this 'giant' issue are done by Juan Ortiz, an artist I have never heard of before.

The story looks at relationships and love on two levels. On one level there is the human side of love, made only more difficult if you are a costumed hero. The other level is the super-human side of love, that of power-mad love goddesses and the more lustful and possessive kind of love.

And, while I usually look at these things from my particular viewpoint, it can be said that Supergirl is the ultimate hero of this book.

But how could this issue from 1978 still resonate now? Well, as seen in the banner in the upper left, this issue included the Atom's wedding. We all know how that ended, ultimately leading to the events of Identity Crisis.

The story opens in the secret lair of a woman calling herself The Siren. It is a posh set up with hanging tapestries, statues of men and women embracing, sumptuous divans, and the prerequiste band of henchmen.

It is clear that the Siren has complete control of these men, wielding the promise of love and passion as the reward they will get for their complete obedience. It isn't a healthy love. On her command, one man smashes a TV screen with his fist, bloodying himself. It reminds me of the sort of lustful, possessive type of 'love' we see in the current Star Sapphires.

I also had to laugh at the ridiculous henchmen outfits, yellow unitards with a heart on them. Silly.

But who is the Siren?

Elsewhere, Ray Palmer and Jean Loring are enjoying a night out together before their wedding ceremony. The wedding is only a day away. And Ray realizes he needs to come clean to Jean about his other life. And he does it in dramatic fashion. He shrinks down right in front of her.

Before he does this, Ray thinks about Jean's already tenuous psychological state. She has already had three 'nervous breakdowns'. He hasn't revealed his super-heroics to her before this out of fear of inciting another one. Obviously honesty is the best policy. But I think maybe the night before the wedding is not the best time to reveal this. Maybe a little before ...

And Jean responds appropriately. She is angry and confused. She doesn't know what to think. She storms off making Ray wonder if the wedding will go forward.

The scene shows just how out of touch with Jean Ray could be. He is glad she didn't decompensate but he actually says he is surprised that she responded with anger. Really?? He didn't think that might be one of the ways she would react? This relationship was doomed from the beginning.

The rest of the League, as well as Supergirl, are up on the satellite preparing for the wedding.

The pre-party excitement gets interrupted by the Phantom Stranger. The Stranger gives a recap of a recent adventure where the League fought 'The Fiend with Five Faces', a being that was an amalgam of five lesser gods who fused their powers into one being to survive in the modern world. The League ultimately defeated the being, stranding them in statue form at the bottom of the ocean. But, it turns out that one of the five gods actually escaped that trap, replaced by an illusion. Batman, Green Arrow, and Aquaman as well as the Stranger fly to the open waters to investigate.

Meanwhile, Green Lantern and Red Tornado fly to Gorilla City to pick up Solivar who was invited to the wedding as well. Umm ... wouldn't Jean suspect something if a gorilla in a cape showed up at the reception?

With those 2 squads off on missions, the remainder of the League continues to prepare for the wedding. Included in that is Superman and Supergirl talking about relationships. Funny that Supergirl talks about 'never' joining the League given her more recent adventures. But odder is this part where Superman talks about how Kara isn't the 'loner she thinks she is'. I never considered Supergirl a loner, even if she wasn't involved with a team.

I had to include this panel if only because of how inane it is. The Bat-plane gets attacked by a helicopter flown by some of the Siren's henchmen.

Now you have to understand that earlier in the book, the Stranger teleports into the JLA satellite. Just prior to this, the Phantom Stranger is standing on the wing of the Bat-plane without any harness. I mean, he was just standing there.

So I think it is a little silly that Batman was that concerned about him. If he could teleport into space ... if he could survive the supersonic speeds of the jet while standing on the wing ... I am pretty sure the Stranger could figure out how to survive a fall.

After a crazy skirmish where Green Arrow disables one of the Siren's helicopters with a magnet arrow, the assailants turn tail and run. This allows Batman to pick up Aquaman and find out what he learned on his reconnaisance mission.

It turns out that the Siren is indeed related to the '5 gods in 1' case mentioned before. There is a missing god from that underwater tomb, Mauri the Goddess of Love. Well, now we know exactly how the Siren wields her power over men. And as this was the 1970's, Mauri's powers only work on men.

Mauri's powers are strong. She meets up with Green Lantern in Gorilla City and very quickly takes control of Hal, promising him pleasures.

And the away team of Green Arrow and Batman have also been taken over, inoculated by the Siren's men with some controlling potion. With a portion of the male Leaguers controlled by Siren, they convene on the satellite to continue her evil plots.

With the rest of the League and Supergirl, Sue Dibny, and Iris West now off the satellite, Mauri comes on board and seduces Superman!

I guess her love powers could be considered magical, explaining how easily Superman succumbs.

All this passion and mind control is happening unbeknownst to the women Leaguers. Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Black Canary as well as Iris Allen and Sue Dibny are all helping Jean get ready for the wedding. Here, while she gets her hair done, Jean breaks down. How can Ray love her if he couldn't trust her with this information? Man, that is one plump tear on her cheek.

Odd that Supergirl seems confused by this. She certainly was keeping her identity secret from any number of suitors including Dick Malverne and that creepy San Francisco reporter Geoff Anderson. Still, it is nice that Diana lends some sisterly advice about how messy those secrets can become.

And it still adds a little bit of retrospective creepiness to Identity Crisis. Those secrets can lead to some messiness.

The final phase of the Siren's plans is to have her male slave super-heroes kill the female heroes, thus removing the one threat to her plan to rule the Earth.

A 'battle of the sexes' is set up on a remote island. And, thankfully for the League, Supergirl is there to add some needed muscle for the women. Here, she uses some smarts to get the Flash and Superman to take each other out.

During the fight, Supergirl actually figures out how to turn the tides. We see that Green Arrow seems to be pulling his shots around Black Canary. And Supergirl realizes that Superman also seems to be halfheartedly attacking her.

Taking the ultimate chance, she stops running and faces the Man of Steel. Supergirl realizes that her cousin really doesn't want to hurt her regardless of what Mauri tells him. It's time to take a chance ...

And it is a chance that works. The power of 'true love' will always win out, is more powerful than superficial lust or overpowering infatuation. The female heroes are safe and sound, the men standing behind them.

Without her thralls, Mauri doesn't have much of a chance. A right hook by Kara with a left by Diana and another right by Dinah makes short work of the god. And the Stranger ultimately traps Mauri underwater with the other gods there.

I'm always happy when Supergirl plays a big role in a story like this. She figured out how to defeat the Siren, took a big chance, and pounded the bad guy ... all in a Giant JLA book.

Dillin comes back to pencil the last chapter of the book.

Jean confirms her love for Ray despite his lack of complete honesty. True love means learning about someone over time. So why stop that journey? The wedding is back on.

And for once, the ceremony itself goes off without a hitch. No supervillain attacks. Nothing but an exchange of vows and a kiss.

I will admit, I had forgotten that Supergirl was a bridesmaid at the Atom's wedding. And yet there she is with Black Canary. Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl. Didn't Sue have any friends of her own? And doesn't that panel composition make it look like Hawkman is a bridesmaid too?

The super-identity floating over the civilian one is an interesting way to go but I don't know if it 100% works here.

And now we have a little more exposition about Supergirl's solution. Superman tells the League that Supergirl guessed that their familial love would overcome the Siren's spell and she was right.

Once the spell was broken, Superman and Supergirl used their super-hypnotism to free the rest of the League and that was the end of the Mauri.

So how to grade this issue is tricky. Overall, the story itself, even with the subtext of true honest love versus magical infatuation, is pretty forgettable. But the 'event' nature of the issue, the wedding of the Atom ... especially given the ultimate ending to that relationship ... ups the ante. Of course, part of the problem is that link to 'continuity' is probably going to be rendered moot soon. Will the events of  Identity Crisis be wiped away by the 'relaunch'?

As for the Supergirl angle, she plays a pretty big role in this issue. Plus, she guest starred in the Silver Age Justice League only a handful of times, making these appearances rare and special. And to see her rendered by legend JLA artist Dick Dillin is a bonus. I would rank it low/medium in importance but a nice piece in a Supergirl collection. As usual, this is probably $5 or less in most back issue boxes.

Overall grade: B

But wait there's more!

Now I know what you might be thinking. There really wasn't enough Dick Dillin in this issue to get a sense of his take on Supergirl. Well, she did appear in Justice League of America #132-134 as well. As a bonus to this post, here is some more Dillin art, and Supergirl's brief appearance in JLA #133, as she chastises the League for their slow response to Superman having gone missing.

I might end up reviewing JLA #134 at some point which has a decent Supergirl vs. Despero fight.

Happy Halloween!

I guess Supergirl won't be walking through any haunted houses tonight if a spider makes her this terrified.

Nor do I think I she'll be handing out the candy tonight if a Cowboy costume scares her this much!

"The Frightened Supergirl" was the main story in Adventure Comics #401. Written and drawn by Mike Sekowsky, the story involved Nasty Luthor slipping a fear potion into Supergirl's water making the Kara run amok from fear.

In the end, the whole story turns out to be a dream.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

Back Issue #17

My thanks to blog friend Gene for telling me about Back Issue #17, published by TwoMorrows publishing. Back Issue (as well as TwoMorrows other magazines including Alter Ego) really does a great job looking back at comics past, specifically how it impacts current books. Here is the link to their site: http://www.twomorrows.com/

I have looked at Back Issue #34 which looked back at Crisis on Infinite Earths as well as the end of the current creative super-teams just before the Byrne Superman reboot. That was a very good issue. Back Issue #17 is even better.

Dubbed the 'super girls' issue, the book has many in depth articles about some characters and times that I really like and appreciate. There is an article about the de-powered Wonder Woman run from the 70s; one about the intricate origins of Spider-Woman.

And, of course, there are a couple about Supergirl.

The main article is titled Supergirl From Argo City To Legend and really takes a very thorough look at Supergirl's comic history from her Adventure Comics days through to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Specifically it looks at the editors, writers, and artists on her stories in those times and looks at each person's take on the character of Supergirl.

The historical review starts with Adventure Comics #397 which was the first for editor/writer/artist Mike Sekowsky. This period included the beginning of new reader-inpired costumes, the introduction of Nasty Luthor, and Supergirl losing her powers. Sekowsky was known for 'humanizing' his characters and so there aren't many outer space or super-powered villains in his run.

Starting in Adventure #409, comics legend Joe Orlando took over as Supergirl's editor and brought with him a new writer Steve Skeates. Skeates was a fan turned pro who wrote strong independent women.

That era closed when the decision was made to give Supergirl her own book and bring her back to college. Bob Kanigher editted this book with Cary Bates as writer and Art Saaf as artist. Her solo series was a brief 10 issues long and suddenly the Supergirl character was one of the Superman Family in the comic of the same name. She was put under the editorial umbrella of Superman editor Julius Schwartz and E. Nelson Bridwell. During this time Elliot S! Maggin wrote her early adventures followed by Jack C. Harris.

The Superman Family stories ended with Paul Kupperberg writing Kara's adventures. He easily rolled over as writer in her next solo book Daring New Adventures of Supergirl.

The article really does a great job reviewing all these periods, talking to as many creators as they could, with side panel articles about the editors and some of Supergirl's more nutty adventures.

One thing that stuck out in the article (much like it did in Back Issue #34) is Marv Wolfman and Dick Giordano's clear dislike of the Supergirl character. I can't believe that DC got more angry letters about Terra than they did Supergirl. And for Giordano to say most people didn't care seems like an overstatement. If no one cared, if her death wouldn't impact people ... why would DC stress the overall importance of Supergirl's death.

As someone who has most of these early issues, this article took me through some of the process that the creative teams had. But for me, the real treasure of the issue is an article about Double Comics, a proposed title which would have both Superboy and Supergirl adventures in it ... a title shot down when Crisis appeared on the horizon.

Luckily some of the first Supergirl script and art exists and so we can see a story that might have been.

Written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Eduardo Baretto, the story has Supergirl dealing with a variety of personal issues including the return of Dick Malverne into her life.

Struggling with her place on Earth, she returns to Rokyn to find herself. She actually gets a lot of support from Alura who thinks Kara needs to start finding her own place in the universe.

Judging from the pages we see here, Baretto would have been a fabulous artist for Supergirl. And in reading some of the script, it sounds like Kupperberg was really planning on establishing Supergirl as her own person, distancing her a bit from the shadow of Superman.

What a treat to take a look at this Supergirl issue that never was! That splash page is gorgeous!

I cannot stress how great this issue was ... certainly worth the price for any Supergirl fan. I highly highly recommend it. One thing I liked about TwoMorrows was the ability to buy a .pdf version of the magazine. It is worth looking over the whole website to see if any other of their magazines intrigue you. I recently got the Alter Ego dedicated to Bob Oksner and really like that one too!

Back Issue Box: Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl #9

With Hunt for Reactron halfway done, I thought I would take another trip into the back issue box and review Reactron's first appearance as a Supergirl rogue. I already reviewed the first half of his 2 part story a while ago ( http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2009/05/back-issue-box-daring-new-adventures-of.html ) and figured it was time to wrap up his story as seen in Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #9.


To catch people up, Reactron was a standard 1980's energy-wielding baddie who arrived in Supergirl's hometown Chicago and was planning on draining a nuclear reactor located on campus to increase his powers. Reactron had been on the run from the Doom Patrol, who had been chasing him cross country. Last issue ended with Supergirl confronting Reactron in the reactor control room.

Paul Kupperberg clearly has a love of Supergirl and makes her a powerful hero to be reckoned with.



On rereading these issue, one thing I really like is just how confident Supergirl is in her abilities. Reactron had showed of some impressive nuclear abilities last issue but Supergirl basically laughs them off here. She almost seems to be taunting him ... telling him his blasts are like spitballs.

In the meantime, Reactron speaks a sort of street level villain-speak which seems pretty in line with his current incarnation.

Despite clearly having the upper hand in the fight, Supergirl realizes that the tight quarters and the inherent dangers to the local environment from a fight inside a nuclear reactor control room only benefits Reactron. She decides to take the fight outside where she can get a better handle on him.

Once again, I have to comment on Supergirl's banter ... a mix of insults and put-downs which goad Reactron into following her. I mean 'Stop flapping your big mouth and let's see a little action!' is not a line I would typically think would be spoken by Supergirl. Sounds more like a standard Guy Gardner or Spiderman line to me.

Still, it is very refreshing to see Kara so comfortable with her powers, realizing that she is one of the most powerful beings on the planet.

Still, after a little more of the skirmish plays out in the air, Supergirl realizes that Reactron is an inexhaustible nearly unstoppable weapon. He can absorb any radiation ... cosmic rays, radio waves, solar radiation ... and throw it right back at his enemies. While she ponders her next step, the Doom Patrol shows up and brings the fight to Reactron.

I always like the Negative Man and Negative Woman. The energy spirit is just cool looking. Here we see The Negative Woman try to take out Reactron by phasing right through him. Unfortunately, it has little effect on the villain.

While the Doom Patrol spar with Reactron, Supergirl thinks she has come up with an easy solution to the Reactron threat. Why not just encase him in lead, thus blocking all radiation from even reaching him?

Ahhh ... but that would be too simple. It turns out that Reactron's personal radiation acts differently on lead than all other radiations. In fact, lead becomes an unstable and explosive element when subjected to Reactron's powers.

The Doom Patrol's Tempest tells Supergirl this after she dumps the molten lead on Reactron. As a result, she needs to get Reactron up and out of the way as quickly as she can.

Up above the city, the lead coffin does explode, knocking Supergirl briefly unconscious. Unfortunately, Reactron has disappeared. When Supergirl awakens, she asks Tempest how he knew about the lead reaction. He reveals that he knew Reactron before his days as a super-villain when they both served in the military.

It turns out that this Reactron is just as much a sociopath as the current one. Tempest served in Vietnam with Reactron. Back then Reactron was Sergeant Ben Krullen. While on patrol, Krullen led a massacre on a small village of elderly and children. Tempest couldn't allow that atrocity to happen. While enraged, Tempest's powers manifested themselves for the first time. He lashed out at Krullen with his energy blasts. To his surprise, Krullen seemed uneffected.

Not knowing what else to do Tempest takes off, in essence deserting the army. He has been on the run ever since.

He does learn however that Krullen was exposed to radiation during the early experiments with atomic bomb tests and that must be how he became Reactron.

With the exposition out of the way, Supergirl suddenly realizes that her worst fears from the earlier battle has come true. Her initial fight with Reactron did indeed damage the nuclear reactor and it is now running out of control, radiation and energy spilling out.

Unfortunately that is like ringing the dinner bell for Reactron who laps up the energy, becoming more powerful than ever before. And, now juiced up, he plans to not just defeat Supergirl; he wants to kill her.

Kara still has the welfare of the campus and the city as her primary mission. She tosses Reactron out of the reactor in hopes of containing the radiation leak.

With Reactron situated above the leaking core, Supergirl crates a massive vortex which accomplishes two things. First it draws up all the remaining radiation from the reactor and force feeds it to Reactron in one big dose. Second, it then sends the overfed and suddenly unstable Reactron into space where he explodes into nothingness. This is really Supergirl at her best ... saving people, thinking on her feet, defeating the enemy.

Of course, we have seen Reactron survive two similar episodes already so I don't think we can label this Kara a murderer.

Alas, the results of that explosion are different for some reason. Supergirl now has contracted a case of radiation poisoning which is effecting even her Kryptonian physiology! How will Supergirl survive?? Cue the dramatic music!

All in all, this is a pretty action packed issue. Unlike last issue where the Doom Patrol dominated the fight scenes, this is clearly Supergirl's battle. And throughout the issue she is always working out solutions to the problems she is faced with.

Again, I have to say I love the confidence she radiates here both in action and words. Even the way she interacts with the Doom Patrol shows that she considers herself an established super-hero, not a sidekick or a novice.

As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate Carmin Infantino's art more and more. His angles and perspective are a bit skewed but overall I thought he did a great job here. Although I did not post any panels here, he definitely drew one of the lovelier Linda Danvers.

And how can you not like a Daring New Adventures of Supergirl cover by comic legend Gil Kane!

While the science and solutions are a little fuzzy, this was a fun issue when viewed in retrospect. As far as I know, Reactron was never seen again in the pre- or post- Crisis on Infinite Earths DCU until he was reintroduced in the current title. As he now plays a big role in the current Supergirl mythos, these 2 issues would be a good addition to any Supergirl comic collection. The issues can be found for about $3 a piece at conventions.

Overall grade: B+