Back Issue Box: Legion Of Super-Heroes #16

It is an off-week for new Superman books on the shelves so that means dipping into the back issue box for something to review. As always, I look for books that resonate with current proceedings. So between the reappearence of the Absolute Legion and the new Crisis On Infinite Earths podcast The Monitor Tapes  hitting the airwaves, I thought it would be a great time to review Legion of Super-Heroes #16, the most 'why isn't this a Crisis cross-over' issue that hit the racks in 1985. 

Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 came out the first week of July 1985. This issue came out 4 weeks later in August 1985. So amazing timing by writer Paul Levitz and artist Steve Lightle to maximize the impact of Supergirl's death. 

Levitz always had the knack of juggling the many characters and many plot lines of this book. He knew that Supergirl's death would have a major impact on Brainiac 5. Legion fans love continuity. Kudos to him for giving the aftermath the pages it deserves. And given Brainy's past with mental health crises, we needed to see this, in all its beauty and ugliness.

But Levitz has more irons in the fire. We get the five new Legionnaires on a solo mission. Four of them are peppering the then relatively unknown Sensor Girl about her powers. The rest of the Legion is away at a baptism. Heck, there is even a hint at a storyline that is more than two years away. That is a lot of plot. But Levitz had that knack.

Meanwhile, legend Steve Lightle is on art. Bob Smith is on inks this issue, giving Lightle less of a polish than Larry Mahlstedt does. But the art is still great. Brainy's pain is palpable. The action is swift and potent. And the downtime scenes with the other Legionnaires show a posh side to the super-hero team.

But why??? Why is there no official Crisis Cross-Over banner on this issue! This has way more to do with the Crisis than some of those 'look, the sky is red' ones!

On to the book.

Supergirl Best Of 2024 Part One: Non-Comic Reviews And Comic Honorable Mentions

Well, we have reached a new year and that means it is a good time to go back and look at 2024 and how it treated Supergirl.

As with most years, this will be a three day review.

Today - non-comic year as well as Honorable Mention 2024 comic moments

Tomorrow - Top ten 2024comic moments, #10 - #6

Friday - Top ten 2024 comic moments, #5 - #1

It has been an interesting year for Supergirl overall.

She was a major player in the Crisis On Infinite Earths trilogy movie which wrapped up that era of the DC Animated universe. She also was a key player in the second season of My Adventures with Superman television show. A Supergirl movie is in the works and she was even casted. That is a lot of exposure for the character which I think is always a good thing. But certainly the concept of the upcoming movie and her portrayal in the two animated series weren't exactly what I look for in Supergirl as a character. 

In comics, it was a bit more piecemeal as you had to sort of look to find Supergirl here and there. I think she had a great presence in the House of Brainiac arc. I think she has been treated well by Mark Waid in his Phantom Zone arc in Action Comics. But I have found her one solo story by Mariko Tamaki to be a bit lacking. 

So overall I think it has been an okay year for the character. Certainly her being visible outside of comics is a good thing. And I'll reiterate that while these takes on her don't work for me, if you love them, I am glad.

As always, I want to thank the people who come to the site and read my ramblings! Appreciate you all!

On to the year in review.

Comics Interview #26: Crisis On Infinite Earths Interview

I have been doing this blog for over sixteen years, covering Supergirl in all her incarnations.

One topic that I keep coming back to is Crisis on Infinite Earths. Every time I think I have covered all of it, and in particular Supergirl's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, I find something new to cover.

Now I have said before that I have made my peace with Supergirl's death in Crisis. It was an incredibly heroic moment. She saved Superman and basically the multiverse. The cover of COIE #7 is the image of the series. Everyone remembers her role.

That said, it still stings a little to know that DC thought so little of the character that they felt she could ... and should ... be killed and erased from history. 

All this is preamble to the fact that at a visit to a local comic store I ran across Comics Interview #26 which included an interview with Marv Wolfman and Robert Greenberger about the Crisis. It is a very interesting article.

First off, it hit the stands before Crisis was finished, right after COIE #9 was released. So Wolfman and Greenberger have to be a bit coy about the overall ending. But the deaths of Supergirl and the Flash were pretty fresh. The concept of rebuilding the DCU into one universe hadn't happened and was basically an unknown. And these ideas are touched on by interviewer Patrick O'Neill.

So let's dive in.

Crisis On Infinite Earths Part 1 Trailers

DC Entertainment is planning to release an animated version of Crisis on Infinite Earths in 2024. The whole story will be told over a trio of movies. But the teaser trailer and the official trailer for part one have dropped and it looks pretty good. 

Head here to watch the teaser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6oSqBly2ho This one has the most Supergirl content.

There is a lot of classic Crisis iconography. We see the anti-matter wave erasing worlds. We see the Anti-Monitor Shadow Demons. We see the Monitor pulling together the heroes to fight the threat. We even see the Earth-3 villains involved. Their world was the first we saw die in the book. 

The trailer looks pretty good.

Now as many know, I have come to appreciate the Supergirl legacy with Crisis. While I don't agree she was irrelevant and ready to be offed, there is no denying how great the story is and how much her legend grew because of COIE #7.

So will Supergirl face the same fate in the movie?

She actually gets some decent screen time in such a packed trailer. First we see the Monitor say he needs her and her facing the screen (above). 

And then there is a cool action shot of her skimming the surface of the sun!

I like the way Supergirl is drawn in this latest round of DCAU movies. I liked how her character grew in the Legion of Super-Heroes movie. I hope she survives this Crisis. But we'll see!

Catch out the official trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx2srhhtB_c

This one shows much more of the set-up including the presumed destruction of Earth-3. There isn't as much a spotlight on Kara in this one. I think this is Supergirl given she is talking to the Brainiac 5 from the Legion movie. (The costume is a little dark for Supergirl so this could be Black Canary.)

I completely don't like the look of Harbinger here though. This seems like a needless redesign. 

Still, I'll be gearing up to buy this as soon as it is available.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 Fallout: Superman #414

Last week, I reviewed the Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 sections of the George Perez Tribute issue of Back Issue. It reminded me of just how in depth my coverage of COIE #7 has been on this site over the last 15 years. By now, I thought I might have covered almost everything. I even have a subset of posts called Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 Fallout, deeper looks at books reflecting closely on the events of that famous book.

So I was shocked, truly, to realize that over the time of this site I have never covered Superman #414, a Crisis crossover issue in the immediate aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. This issue came out in September of 1985, 2 months after Supergirl's death in the Crisis.  In many ways, it is an epilogue to Supergirl's life although it takes a long time to get there.

Writer Elliot S! Maggin clearly had a tale to tell, of Superman mourning Kara's death and returning her body to Rokyn, New Krypton and her family. But to get there, he needs to tell a very padded tale of the Superman Revenge Squad causing some havoc. There are a lot of needless splash pages, aerial fights over Rokyn, and home scenes of Van-Zee. In fact, if you removed the Revenge Squad story you could have a tight 8 pager showing the aftermath of Kara's death with a bit more dignity. I get that you need action in comics, especially then, but I would have preferred a 22 pager showing that aftermath. While I am glad we got this epilogue, it still feels like Kara got short shrift here.

To make things maybe a touch worse, the art is a bit muddy. Curt Swan's usual magnificence is rendered crudely by co-artist (inker?) Al Williamson. Even the lettering by Ed King feels a bit wonky. I do like the cover by Eduardo Barreto. Barreto drew the back end of the 1980's Supergirl title. So seeing his take on the iconic COIE #7 cover is a nice touch here. 

On to some details.

Crisis On Infinite Earths Statue

Sometimes I feel lucky!

The statue commemorating Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 has been a sort of bucket list item for me. When this was issued in 1999,  I wasn't collecting things like this and the $125 price tag would have been extremely hefty for my resident salary. Still, there is no doubt this is a lovely statue by Tim Bruckner, capturing the famous George Perez cover.

But since I am a little older and have a Supergirl shrine, I have had my eye out for this in the wild.

I rarely see it at cons. And when I do, it usually is selling for more than twice the original price. So I usually defer buying. And then, as I leave the con with spending money in my pocket, I regret not splurging.

So imagine my surprise when I walked into my comic store and saw this statue, mint in box, with a price sticker for just the original $125!

And then imagine my even bigger shock when I saw a 'on sale 50% off' post it on the box.

That's right, this statue was on sale for $62.50. 

So naturally, it became mine!

Countdown #44 - Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 Moment

There are some times my life as a comic blogger takes me down odd rabbit holes.

First of all, I was shocked to discover that for some reason, I still have all 52 issues of Countdown in my collection. I thought for sure they were purged.

Then, as part of my #LeviathanTheory I decided to head into Countdown to look at Monarch. Just scanning covers, I decided to open up Countdown #44.

In the back of that issue (and in preceding issues) was a backup strip written and drawn by Dan Jurgens reviewing the multiverse.

This included a pretty detailed look back at all the prior JLA/JSA annual team-ups with flash back and homage panels done with usual Jurgens love.

But if this is a story reviewing the multiverse, it has to go to Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Amazing Heroes #91: Supergirl Anniversary

It has been 34 years since Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Thirty-four years!

And despite having picked over that series with a fine tooth comb for all things Supergirl related, including a seriously deep dive into it during its 30 year anniversary here on the site, I keep running across new things.

Back in April, I did several posts based on articles in the special post-Crisis issue of Amazing Heroes. This was a true treasure for a historian like me, especially one who lived through the Crisis.

So here we are on Sunday, July 28, 2019.

What happened 34 years ago today?

Amazing Heroes #91: Supergirl's Obituary

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon Amazing Heroes #91, a special post-Crisis issue of the premier comic magazine of the time.

The book is a treasure trove for a Crisis fan like me and I have been a mining it for retrospective looks at Supergirl's death and the review of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.

Another thing I liked about the book was that the had an obituary section for all the heroes and villains who died in the series. What could be better than one last eulogy for Kid Psycho and the original Dove. Let's face it, they probably weren't mourned enough when they died. There wasn't time.

But that obituary section included all the big names as well.

And that included Supergirl.

One thing about these obituaries are that they are a little bit comic history and a little bit 'Who's Who' style history.

It is funny to read this detailed history in one setting as it highlights just how bonkers the last 15 years of Supergirl's continuity was. That said, the article doesn't poke fun or ridicule the history. It just reports it. After all, Supergirl had been around for nearly 30 years. She was bound to have a few wrinkles in her storylines.

Enjoy the article written by Mark Waid, Supergirl fan extraordinaire.

Amazing Heroes #91 - Special Post-Crisis Issue Part 2 - Crisis #7 Review

About a month ago I stumbled across Amazing Heroes #91, a treasure trove of information about Crisis on Infinite Earths in retrospect. I already covered the look at Supergirl's death scene as being something most everyone - creators and reviewers alike - looked at as having been done well.

Now historically, Amazing Heroes wasn't exactly sympathetic to Supergirl's character so I was interested to look more at some of the Supergirl specific commentary in this book.

One thing that caught my eye was reviewer R. A. Jones look back at the series in total. Jones does a great job here looking at each issue individually and then summing up his thoughts about that particular section of the tale.

For the most part I can remember Jones reviews as being pretty fair and a bit more in-depth than many.

And as a fan of Crisis on Infinite Earths, I dove right in.

So what did he have to say about Crisis on Infinite Earths #7?

Amazing Heroes #91 - Special Post-Crisis Issue Part 1 - A Death Done Well

Almost 4 years ago I did an in-depth 30th anniversary review of Crisis on Infinite Earths, focusing in on Supergirl's role, her death, some of the decisions which led to her death, and ultimately her legacy after Crisis.

I thought it was about as thorough as I could get.

Turns out I was wrong.

About a month ago I went to the North East Comic Con and there I stumbled upon Amazing Heroes #91, a special post-Crisis issue with an insane amount of goodness in it for a Crisis historian like myself. For a Crisis fan, this is a treasure trove. For a Supergirl fan, it is an interesting time capsule, once again looking back at what the reaction to Supergirl's death was on the comic scene.

I knew Amazing Heroes had done a lot of Crisis commentary back in the day, and it wasn't all kind to Supergirl in the aftermath of her death.With news of her impending death already out,  Amazing Heroes #74 had a requiem that was really more a diatribe about how pathetic Supergirl was as a character. And Amazing Heroes #78 had a review of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 as it was on the stand by noted reviewed R.A. Jones. Jones was clearly a Supergirl fan and this review is more sympathetic (if not downright angry).

And then less than a year after Crisis ended, Amazing Heroes #91 came out and we were diving back into the pool again.

I bought this from a $5 and issue, 5 for $20 box. It might be the best $4 I have spent.

Back Issue Box: Infinite Crisis Secret Files And Origins

One of my greatest joys in comics is scouring the bargain bins for hidden gems. Dollar boxes are abundant here and whenever I thumb through, I feel like some old miner, panning for gold and hoping to strike it rich.

Now usually I am looking for things from the 70s and 80s in those bins but more recently, I have discovered a new passion. I like finding books from the 90s and 00s which maybe I should have bought but didn't. And any over-sized or Prestige format book found there is most likely going to get bought.

In particular, I have found a new love for the DC Secret Files and Origins series. These books usually have a couple of stories. They exist to fill in readers to a current character's history and ongoing stories. And they always have some version of 'Who's Who' style pages. It has reached a point that, if in the $1 box, even for characters or arcs I don't like, I'll probably get the Secret Files and Origins.

Which brings me to Infinite Crisis Secret Files and Origins 2006. To be frank, I don't really remember this Crisis too well. I remember Alexander Luthor and Superboy Prime escaping paradise and doling out 'reality punches' to shake up the universe. I think Luthor even makes 'tuning forks' like the Monitor. And, of course, Superman from Earth-2, the first hero and the ultimate hero in Crisis on Infinite Earths, was made a patsy.

I also remember a hodge-podge of artists filling in pages in the latter issues.

But the ending? I don't recall.

So this falls into one of those 'don't like the arc but maybe I'll like this Secret Files' sort of issue. And, as usual, I did. A few key moments will be shared!

That Crisis Moment In Wonder Woman #53

You would think that 32 years after it hit the stands that the impact of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 would lessen in me.

After all, while Supergirl did die and was subsequently erased from the DCU, she has come back in multiple incarnations. She has tremendous runs with amazing creators since COIE. She is at the peek of her popularity.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 has become a touchpoint in comic history. It gave *that* Supergirl an incredibly heroic death, one of sacrifice to save the many.

I have come to respect Crisis for what it has meant for Supergirl fandom, her character, and her mythology.

So I am not surprised when I still see that issue get referenced. Usually it takes the form of an homage of the famous cover.

But this week, in Wonder Woman #53, I saw my first COIE #7 dialogue homage. No surprise, it comes from Supergirl scribe and fan Steve Orlando.

DC July 2018 Solicits

Well the July solicits for DC Comics have been out for a bit so sorry it has taken me a bit of time to finally cover them, albeit it briefly. Here is a link:
https://www.newsarama.com/39527-dc-comics-july-2018-solicitations.html

We all knew this was coming. But it strikes me as a bit crazy that there are only two Superman family books on the shelves in July. No Supergirl. No Super Sons. No Superwoman. And now, no New Super-Man.

We knew it was coming. It just seems stark now that it is actually happening. Of course, it took DC a long time to get a Supergirl Rebirth book on the shelves despite the show's success. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised to not get a reboot so soon.

On to the book.

ACTION COMICS #1,001
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON
Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Variant cover by DAVID MACK

Acclaimed writer Brian Michael Bendis’ new chapter for the Man of Steel and the world of tomorrow begins here! The devastating repercussions from the Man of Steel miniseries still reverberate as Metropolis enters a new age! The Daily Planet teeters on the brink of disaster! A new criminal element has made its way onto the streets of Superman’s hometown! The longest- running superhero comic of all time explodes off the page with art by fan favorite Patrick Gleason.

Metropolis enters a new age? The Daily Planet in danger?

We have been wondering about all this stuff about a change in the dynamic of the family. No mention of Lois at all here.

A David Mack variant sounds interesting. I loved his variants on the Robinson Justice League of America.

Amazing Heroes #78: Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 Review

I said it just last week ...
Every time I think I am done with covering Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, I get pulled back in.

Blog friend Greg Araujo (@garaujo1on Twitter) recently got a mess of old Amazing Heroes magazines and in that block was Amazing Heroes #78 from September 1985. No big surprise, based on the cover date, the book reviews the issues of Crisis on Infinite Earths which were still on the spinner racks at the time.

My how time flies.

Reviewer R.A. Jones takes a look at Crisis on Infinite Earths #7-9, discussing the major events. And these were the issues where people started to really sit up and take notice. It is one thing for Kid Psycho and the Crime Syndicate to die. It is another thing all together for Supergirl and The Flash to die. The stakes were suddenly real. World would live and die. And some characters would stay dead ... at least for a while.

Part of my research on the topic of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 has always been the fallout. There was no social media then. The decision that Supergirl was unnecessary and unloved seemed absolute back then. *All* the DC higher ups thought so, right?

So reading reactions and reviews from around the time help me get a wider pulse of what it meant to the comic world for Kara to be killed. Here, Jones does a wonderful job of putting the event into context. And Jones is much more sympathetic than his staff mate Dwight Decker, who wrote a 'damning with faint praise' hatchet job four months earlier.

Post-Crisis DC And Supergirl's Death: Mike Gold and Legends

One of my favorite DC mega-crossovers ever was Legends, the first crossover after Crisis on Infinite Earths. The purpose of Crisis was clear; it was designed to redefine DCU, streamline it. Legends was a different story, it was a Crisis of the Soul (I believe one of the first potential titles for the book). But it also was the fertile soil of the new DC, a place from which a ton of highly successful, highly creative titles grew from. The 'bwa-ha-ha' JLA, the Suicide Squad, the Wally West Flash, the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, the George Perez Wonder Woman ... all of them popped up from this book.

And what a murderer's row of creators to be working on the book - John Ostrander, Len Wein, John Byrne, and Karl Kesel! That is an insane amount of talent to be on one book. And each of them went on to have a big part in many of the new titles that followed in the aftermath of Crisis.

I hadn't reread Legends in some time. The promise of it being reviewed on the new DCOCD podcast as well as having store credit at a bookstore after a holiday return, I decided to purchase the 30th anniversary trade.

While I loved the mini, it is important to remember that this was early in the post-Crisis DCU. There was no Supergirl in the universe, not even a memory.

Post-Crisis Reality: Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 fallout, 32 Years Later

32 years ago this month Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 was on the stands. Supergirl was killed saving Superman and ultimately the multiverse. It is a powerful moment, one worthy of her.

Unfortunately, the continuity backlash erased her from existence and memory. Suddenly no one remembered Supergirl. Perhaps even stranger, it seems that even DC creators couldn't name her. You might remember the not too cryptic S*p*rg*rl comment in Secret Origins.

I was once again reminded of this time period when I read the 1988 Power Girl mini-series, written by Paul Kupperberg.

Crisis On Infinite Earths #5 Satellite Scene Redux

Last year, for its 30th anniversary, I did a deep dive into Crisis on Infinite Earths, specifically Supergirl's part in that epic story. Included in those reviews was a look at the famous satellite scene in Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, a tremendous collection of DC characters, brought together on the Monitor's orbiting headquarters. I showcased not only the original scene but also places where it was reshown, crossover issues and one shots. Here is that link:

http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2015/05/30th-anniversary-crisis-on-infinite_23.html

A side project I am working on has recently had me thumbing through long boxes and looking at a diverse group of back issues. That search included All-Star Squadron back issues. Is was surprised to see the Crisis satellite scene show up in #53 and #54. I didn't recall them being there when I did my review last year and felt I should cover them here for completion sake.

Both issues list Roy and Dann Thomas as writers and Mike Clark, Arvell Jones, Tony DeZunuga and Vince Colletta on art.

The Crisis completely  eliminated Earth 2 and changed the early DC history. I don't envy Roy Thomas for being given the job of rewriting and streamlining that part of continuity. I get the sense that Thomas knew this was something of a last hurrah as we see panels dedicated to the earliest incarnations of heroes including the yellow gloved Earth 2 Aquaman as well as notions about to be obsolete like Earth-S.

DC certainly gave Thomas all the space he needed to wrap it up. All-Star Squadron got 7 Crisis crossovers! Infinity Inc. got 8 crossovers!

But let;s get to that satellite scene!

Supergirl Sighting Post-Crisis?

 For those of you who aren't listening to the Secret Origins podcast, you should be. Ryan Daly is reviewing the series issue by issue and it is a great listen.

Okay, I may be biased, having been a guest twice.

The truth is I have been loving going back and rereading these issues. For one, the stories are typically very good. It reminds me of the classic origins of these characters.

But most interesting for me is seeing how this book was helping DC smooth out some of the post-Crisis speed bumps which arose. We have seen the Golden Age Fury replace Wonder Woman. We heard how Power Girl is now Atlantean, not Kryptonian. We saw Power Girl replace Supergirl in a Doom Patrol flashback.

And 2 weeks ago in the above issue, we learned that Barbara Gordon was Jim Gordon's niece. Head to the wordpress account to listen to this great episode: https://secretoriginspodcast.wordpress.com/2015/10/19/secret-origins-20-batgirl-and-dr-mid-nite/

For me, as a Supergirl fan, I enjoy going back to this time to see if, when, and how some Supergirl homages were put into comics. Remember, Supergirl was completely expunged from the DCU.

But we saw her in DC Challenge. We saw a statue of her in the Legion memorial hall. We saw a Kara talk to Deadman in a Christmas special.

In the Batgirl origin, we hear Babs talk about how she felt so alone at time growing up that she made imaginary friends.

Okay, I can't prove that the giant blond woman with the Jim Mooney eyes is Supergirl. But it is hard to deny.

Batgirl and Supergirl were friends in the pre-Crisis universe. So having some vestigial memory of that friendship would be wonderful. And the hair and those pale blue eyes with tiny pupils is so evocative of a Silver Age Kara.

I am sticking with that belief.

We flashback to Babs childhood where she and a friend create a number of make-believe woman superheroes. Like Batgirl!

But also like Supergirl!

That is a direct name-check.

But I wonder if DC and Robert Greenberger didn't want to push things too much. While it is Supergirl drawing, she is absolutely raven-haired and not blond. Too bad! How great would a blond Supergirl as a doodle be!

These little name-checks and homages remind me that not everyone at DC was on board with Supergirl's death.

And it isn't the only time I have seen Supergirl sort of discussed in Secret Origins:
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2014/05/she-who-shall-not-be-named.html

Will there be more moving forward?

Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 Fallout: Legion Of Super-Heroes #38

Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 came out 30 years and two months ago.

In July, I did my best to cover Supergirl's death in that issue, the decision, the issue, and the ramifications of that in the comic world.

I was supposed to put the Crisis behind me but somehow I ended up covering some of the fallout of the issue throughout the rest of the summer.

Today I finally end my coverage of the death of Supergirl from the Crisis by looking at one more nod to her heroism in a universe that was supposed to have forgotten she had existed.

In Legion of Super-Heroes #37 and #38, writer Paul Levitz tried to reconcile Superboy's place in the Legion mythos in the new universe where Superboy never existed. John Byrne wrote the Man of Steel miniseries in the summer of 1986. Shortly thereafter, Byrne created the Time Trapper's 'pocket universe', a place where Superboy existed.

In Legion #38, Superboy turns on the Time Trapper and ends up sacrificing himself to save the world. Despite being a slave of the Trapper, he aids the Legion and dies a hero. It is an interesting story, one of the many somewhat loopy arcs that came out in the immediate aftermath of the Crisis as DC tried to hammer some major continuity issue smooth in the new timeline.

This issue, sporting a wonderfully powerful Bill Sienkiewicz cover, came out in June 1987.

 The inside art was by then-current Legion artist Greg LaRocque. I loved LaRocque's work on this title.

Here is the end scene where Superboy's body is laid to rest and a Superboy statue is placed in the hall of heroes. After all, dupe of the Trapper or not, he was still the team's inspiration and he died to save them all.

But look in the background!

Yep!

That is a statue of Kara in the hall of heroes.

We are two full years away from her death in the Crisis and definitely well into a History of the DC Universe where she didn't exist.

I am sure that this somehow slipped by the DC editors.

But serious kudos to Paul Levitz and Greg LaRocque for slipping her in. She died saving the multiverse. She should be remembered ... honored.

And so ends my 30th anniversary of the Crisis review.