Sales Review: November 2014

Comic sales for November 2014 were released earlier this week and the numbers are somewhat interesting to review. As always, my go-to site for sales is ICv2. Here is the link:http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/30454.html

For me, it was interesting to see Spiderman and the Spider-verse comics dominating the top of the sales chart. Outside of the Spider-Gwen origin issue, I haven't bought any of those books. I can't remember the last time I bought a Spiderman comic monthly. I think the Jenkins/Ramos Spectacular book a dozen years ago?

And given the possible Marvel reboot I am hearing about as well as the released DC purging of titles (reviewed later this week), these sales are interesting.

On to the focused sales review.

Supergirl #36 was released last month, the first issue of the 'bold new direction' by K. Perkins and Mike Johnson. DC certainly did a great job of pushing the new team with interviews of the creators on all the usual sites.

More importantly for me, the book built on what Charles Soule and Tony Bedard had done to the character. It wasn't so much bold and new, although heading to Crucible is a wrinkle. The heroic Kara, embracing Earth is the norm now. And this issue cemented that, even having Kara talking sternly to Clark about his duties.

I don't know if I should be surprised but this issue sold more than the last. Supergirl #35 sold 26,371. Supergirl #36 sold 28,373. Is that because stores anticipated more sales because of the new team? Did more people tell their stores they were going to pick up the title? Was a Lego variant responsible for the uptick in sales? Who knows?

But the fact that sales are up is always a very good thing.

I usually use this space to discuss a book which isn't selling well in hopes of spreading the word. But DC seems to be cancelling all their lower titles ... especially the ones I collect!

So instead I thought I would trumpet a book selling moderately well that should be higher on the charts.

I have loved the Justice League United book, its approach to stories with a mix of modern angst and Silver Age themes. Supergirl, while a bit 'bull-headed' is clearly the muscle of the book. And now we have a Legion worth reading!

This book is selling very well for the current market, selling over 34K.

But this is a Justice League book. DC is probably expecting huge sales. I worry that this book isn't meeting expectations.

Tell everyone to read this book!

Anyways, congrats to K. Perkins, Mike Johnson, and Emanuela Lupacchino for their work on the book and the increased sales!

Review: Supergirl #36

Let's see ... over three years, Supergirl has had the following writers.

First Michael Green and Mike Johnson.
Then Mike Johnson.
Then Frank Hannah.
Then Michael Alan Nelson.
Then  Scott Lobdell, Justin Jordan, and Nelson.
Then Tony Bedard.

Over that time, this book and the New 52 Supergirl has had her ups and down. There were times in the first two years ... a time when she was 'angry, disaffected, a loner' ... a time when she was 'Hell on Wheels, as likely to fight her friends as her enemies', someone with no love of Earth ... that a glimmer of heroism shone through. Then H'el on Earth made her bitter and willing to sacrifice billions of people to get home a story where she fell in love too soon and was dupe. Then she was actually killed and disintegrated by her father. And then she reverted to being chilly and angry in Krypton Returns. And then, in the biggest shock, she was made a Red Lantern of rage and had her character actually rehabilitated and redeemed by Charles Soule and Tony Bedard.

I give all of this primer on the DCnU Supergirl to show just how tumultuous the life of our poor Kara has been. And here we begin yet another 'bold new direction' under the writing of K. Perkins and Mike Johnson.

When first announced, I was dismayed that things were changing yet again, especially when Tony Bedard had actually made Supergirl a likable hero once more, bringing her closer to the 'classic' Supergirl, a hero looking to help and learning on the way. How could DC derail this title yet again??

Then I began reading the publicity, listening to interviews, and hearing the plans the new writers had. And things seemed better. It felt like both Perkins and Johnson understood who Supergirl was. They were building on what came before, not blowing things up yet again. And there wasn't a mention of 'angry' or 'loner' or 'bitter' or 'Hell on Wheels'. Suddenly, I was optimistic!

Well, this week, Supergirl #36, written by Perkins and Johnson with art by Emanuela Lupacchino came out.

And I have to applaud it for being a great first issue, setting up the new direction of the book while acknowledging and respecting what came before. In that way it is akin to the setup for Daring New Adventures of Supergirl that we saw in Superman #376 and saw in Supergirl #34 by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. That is high praise.

It starts out with a great majestic picture of Supergirl flying in the sunlight, determined look on her face, cape billowing. It is a beautiful panel.

But the words are as important. "The past is the hardest thing to escape from." From the first line, we know that this team isn't going to ignore the troubling past of this incarnation of Supergirl. She can't escape what has happened before in her continuity.

Like I did with Sterling Gates, I applaud the team for acknowledging that there are some skeletons in the closet here. We'll be dealing with the history of this Supergirl, warts and all.

But then things get even better. This image is Kara lost in thought. That 'let go' is Kara's boss at a coffeehouse yelling at her to let go of the cappuchino steamer. We are brought back to reality where Kara is a flustered and pestered barista! And just like that we know that Kara has finally embraced Earth as her home. I mean, she is getting yelled at while working a blue collar job ... and accepting it! This is a far cry from the girl who wanted to be alone in her Sanctuary at the bottom of the ocean!

In one page I got two things that were important to me. One, we acknowledge the past. This was no hard reboot. And two, we are moving away from the rough earlier characterization and are building on Tony Bedard's foundation.

Now my absolute favorite part of this issue is a scene where Kara and Clark have a heart-to-heart conversation, talking about both the past and the future. It is, by no means, warm and fuzzy. But it feels like the way family sometimes talk to each other. And it amazes me that Kara comes off as the more mature one here, trying to shake Superman from the post-Doomed doldrums.

And Kara standing up to Superman for trying to get her to not act or use her powers is fantastic. I love how she throws Super-Doom up to him when he comments on her turn as a Red Lantern. He did way more damage than Kara did in Red Daughter. In fact, she was her most heroic in that arc.

There was also a whiff of Silver Age here when Kal tried to hold Supergirl back until she 'learned her powers'. This isn't the 50s. She isn't going to tolerate that.

And it is so awesome that Kal is the one who no longer wants to act while Kara is the one who wants to protect people and live among the people!

This thin panel, with those piercing eyes is perfect. How could Superman forget that it is a NEVER-ENDING battle??

And to hear Kara say she wants to embrace a 'normal life' on Earth. Hurrah! Bedard set this up. But this is cementing it!

And the ending of this scene really reminded me of Superman #376. Sure, she is part of the Super-family. But Supergirl has to live her own life, make her own decisions, and not blindly listen to Kal, especially when he is trying to make her take steps backwards.

Sure, they aren't hugging. But there is respect and I would say some love between them, even if they don't agree.

As I have said before, even within this review, one of the things I was looking for in this new direction was for it to build on the plots that have gone before, both the good and the bad.

So I had to show this panel where Kara hears (from across the city) Siobhan playing a song. Siobhan was one of the best parts of this book. To see Kara recognize that she has wronged Siobhan by pushing her away, is wonderful. The Banshee needs to be part of this book. But I hope it is as a friend and not an enemy.

The quiet walk home ends abruptly when Supergirl is transported away, to alien worlds and environments, where she has to battle opponents to prove how 'worthy' she is.

These are pretty straightforward action sequences where Supergirl prevails over all. I had to showcase this fight just because the new Maxima looks great.  Kara also defeats a cat-man named Tsavo and Captain Comet.

These 'fights' were recruiting battles to see if Kara was worthy of Crucible. We knew all about this before the issue given the publicity. But it is great to finally hear about it from the characters.

This does sound a bit like the Warrior school on Okaara in a prior DC Universe. Supergirl will learn to better her skills to better defend her world.

I do wonder if Superman's sudden lack of interest in heroing as well as Supergirl deciding to have a life on Earth and protect people might be the impetus for Kara to agree to come here. Maybe she feels that she needs to insert herself into Superman's role if he continues this 'retirement'.

As if that wasn't enough, Perkins and Johnson throw in a delicious wrinkle.

Shay Veritas was a student at Crucible!

Now that is a great little hook. Maybe we will learn more about Shay, her origins, and what she did here.

And then, if all this great characterization wasn't enough, we get a killer cliffhanger.

Kon-El didn't sacrifice himself in Krypton Returns. He is trying to lead a quiet life until he figures things out. He is living as a monk! Phenomenal. Remember, I had problems with the narcissistic bank-robbing Kon. And I didn't like the angry weapon Kon. This is a big step forward for the character. One that makes sense.

In case you didn't get the vibe, I thought this was a great issue. Sure there was some great action of a powerful Supergirl. And yes, the art is just stunning. But it is the characterization of Kara that I loved the most. She is on Earth and accepting it. She is working a job. We see her food shopping and washing clothes. This is her home. And she is suddenly an eager hero, willing to stand up to Superman and tell him he needs to do what's right. Wonderful ...

This issue is 2 days old and I already want to read more. So congratulations to this new creative team. Thanks for accepting the past, making Supergirl great and heroic, and moving things forward!  I couldn't ask for more from a 'bold new direction'.

Overall grade: A

DC All Access With K. Perkins

We are only a couple of days away from the release of Supergirl #36, the first issue by new writing team of K. Perkins and Mike Johnson. And DC has been doing its part by drumming up the publicity. That included a live interview between DC All Access host Tiffany Smith and Perkins herself. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9yA81miMI4&feature=youtu.be

For me, this was similar to prior interviews as we learn about Crucible and hear that Kara has finally embraced Earth as her home. But there were a couple of things I loved here.

One, I loved that Supergirl's 'Humanity' class is her time on Earth. It is sort of like on the job training. As someone who went to a liberal arts college and was immersed in the 'Humanities', I loved this statement.

And to hear Crucible described as the child of Galactica and Hogwarts made me smile. That is an odd and sort of explosive conglomeration.

On top of those tidbits, we also get a couple of new images from the issue.

That includes this picture of Maxima ...

And this picture of Maxima!

Wow! She looks fantastic. Between these images and the pictures of Kara in the coffee shop, I think that artist Emanuela Lupacchino has really kicked up her game a notch. Unbelievably beautiful!

2 more days!

Mike Johnson On Newsarama

Last week we got to hear from K. Perkins, one half of the new writing team on Supergirl. This week, the other half, veteran Supergirl writer Mike Johnson also was interviewed on Newsarama. And I have to say, after reading the two interviews, I feel like some of my concerns have been answered. Here is the link to the interview: http://www.newsarama.com/22587-supergirl-goes-to-sci-fi-hogwarts-that-s-what-co-writer-says.html

As always, I advise reading the interview in its entirety on the site. Here are some of the questions that grabbed me though.

Nrama: How is Supergirl different since last time you were writing the character?
Johnson: She's had to deal with a lot since I last "saw" her, especially her experiences as a Red Lantern. She's more comfortable with her powers, but she's not a veteran yet. She's still finding her way in our world, and figuring out how to fit in going forward.

Nrama: I remember you and Michael saying, when you launched the comic, that Kara didn't even know if she was on the side of the people of Earth. Is she now?
Johnson: I think she's definitely willing to fight for humans who can't fight for themselves, but as we see in the first issue of our arc, she's not entirely sure that her help is always welcome.

It is amazing just how much of a soft reboot the Red Daughter story arc and the subsequent Tony Bedard issues were. I think back to those issues where Kara might not be 'on the side of the people of Earth' and cringe at that characterization. The New 52 universe is a place where Superman's help isn't always welcomed, so I'm not surprised Kara is running into that.

But I like that she is finding her way. As I always say, one of the things I love about Kara is that she is on the hero's journey. 

Nrama: Your first storyline begins in November. How many issues is the story? And are you on the book past the first storyline, or do you know yet?
Johnson: Currently the "Crucible" story will be five issues, and there have been discussions about where to take the book after this story concludes. We're introducing characters that we hope to follow beyond the end of this arc.

Nrama: Where does the story take place? What's the setting of Crucible like?
Johnson: The story will take place both on Earth and at Crucible. We don't want to say too much about Crucible lest we give away the surprises in store for the readers. Suffice it to say it's a unique place within the DC Universe.

Interesting that Crucible is five issues. My sense is that it was going to be longer, almost a permanent setting. Who knows, if readers like it and sales improve maybe it will be. And certainly Maxima, Comet, and the others sound interesting enough to keep around longer than one arc.

But I am thrilled that it also takes place on Earth. After all the progress made in Red Daughter and beyond, I want Kara to think of Earth as home, to be based on Earth. Heck, I wouldn't mind her fighting a super-villain at some point. And maybe this means some of the other characters we have met ... Michael, Siobhan ... will be part of this mix eventually too.

Now what I done want is for DC to give us another team after 'Crucible'. Let's get a stable team!


Nrama: We've been told that the issue also guest stars Superboy, whom we haven't seen in regular continuity since he came "back" from allegedly dying. Does that part of his history play into the comic at all?
Johnson: Without spoiling things too much, that's definitely something that can't be ignored when it comes to Kon.

Nrama: What's the relationship between Supergirl and Superboy like now?
Johnson: It's certainly better than it was early in the New 52, when Kara's suspicion of clones meant she was unlikely to consider Kon an ally. After what they've been through, both separately and together, their relationship has changed for the better. How much better is still to be seen.

I will admit I am kind of Kon'd out. I soured on the New 52 Superboy a while ago. So I am hoping that maybe Perkins and Johnson can rehabilitate/resuscitate him.

Glad Supergirl isn't going to look down on him with disgust and try to kill him.

Nrama: That's good to hear. Then to finish up, Mike, is there anything else you want to tell fans about what's coming up for Supergirl?
Johnson: Just that we hope anyone who hasn't read Kara's adventures before will join us for this new arc, and that current and past readers enjoy this new direction. Most of all, we're blessed to be working with our brilliant artist Emanuela Lupacchino, who is a rising superstar. She makes the writers look good.

I love Lupacchino's art and glad she is still on the book. Her art is really shining here.
And these interviews have made me much more interested and optimistic of the arc.

New Costume In Supergirl #38?

DC's January solicits included this cover for Supergirl #38 and immediately I wondered if the new creative team was going to change Supergirl's costume. Goggles? Pants? No red crotch shield?

I have issues with the lower portion of Supergirl's new 52 costume and would welcome a change.

But is this a new costume or something else?

Initially I wondered if it could be some form of school uniform. But I am assuming the cat-creatures in the foreground are also students and they aren't wearing anything.

And then someone, and I wish I remember who, said this costume reminded them of something else.

I was reminded that Kara wore traditional Kryptonian battle armor back in Supergirl #10. Of course this was a fever dream of the Black Banshee.

 

Here is a close-up of that battle armor, including wild yellow goggle/face shield. It isn't exact. But it is pretty similar.

And with Crucible Academy being a 'super-school' where future heroes and champions go to learn and train, I suppose this being some sort of Kryptonian combat gear for class might also be a possibility.

 

Comic Book Resources recently gave a sneak peek of 2 pages of Supergirl #36, the first issue of the new creative team. And one of those pages is another look at the gear from the cover. Here is the link:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=56644 

 Here are a couple of panels from their exclusive look.

Here is that costume again. It definitely has a more battle armor feel to it in this panel. And boy, that is one voluminous cape!

Could this just be for Crucible exercises? I hope so. As much as I dislike the red crotch shield, I don't think I want Kara in battle armor all the time.

Still ... fascinating.

I had to include some panels from the other page CBR showed. Kara meets the returned and bearded Kal.

But the bigger thing is that it looks like she is working the register of a coffee shop! Nothing says 'embracing Earth as home' as a first job! Look at that frustrated face in the first panel.

If Kara is bringing home the bacon, she must think of Earth as her home now. So it is sort of a shame we may not be seeing more of that if the book goes completely off planet.

And it is just beautiful art by Emanuela Lupacchino!

K. Perkins On Newsarama

Since the announcement of the new creative team on Supergirl and the 'bold new direction' of the book, I have been waiting for an interview or some publicity. And ... at last ... it has happened. Newsarama has a very intriguing interview with Supergirl writer K. Perkins and here is the link:
http://www.newsarama.com/22518-meet-supergirl-s-new-female-writer-and-kara-s-new-scoobiegang.html

Now I highly recommend heading over there and reading the interview in its entirety. It is very interesting and lays a nice foundation of what Perkins thinks of Supergirl as well as giving some hints about the new setting. I was pretty impressed by her answers although one word made me nervous.

Here are the pieces of the interview that really grabbed me and my thoughts.


Newsarama: Kate, how did you get interesting in writing for DC?
K. Perkins: Call me Perkins. We're friends now.
I've always been a fan of DC and comics in general. I love the medium and am thrilled this is my next step in writing. I gravitate toward characters that have oceans of complexity underneath powerful exteriors, so DC is a pretty natural place to end up, isn't it?

Nrama: Yep! What interests you about writing Supergirl?
Perkins: I really love Kara. There's nothing more exciting to me than writing for a character who is smart, tough, strong-willed, and curious, but is also deeply flawed (and often unapologetic about it).
Also, who doesn't love a girl who kicks a little ass?

Now I just posted about the various non-comic interpretations of Supergirl and how each one seemed to concentrate on one of her many facets: her innocence, her fierceness, her thirst for justice, her heroic journey. So to hear Perkins recognize how complex she is was refreshing. How can you be bright and optimistic and fierce and strong and also new to the hero business but growing. It isn't easy. And trying to make all of those aspects seem legitimate and feel real isn't easy. I suppose Sterling Gates is the most recent writer to capture all that. But sounds like Perkins understands it.

She follows it up by calling Kara smart, tough, strong-willed, curious, and deeply flawed. And that all sounds great ... except the word 'deeply'. Look, this Kara has been through a ton. I understand she isn't perfect and I don't want her to be. But that 'deeply' makes it sound like something pervasive, something dominant.

Some of my response may be the PTSD from all the bad publicity I have read about Supergirl over the years. The lonely, isolated, bull-headed, dark, disaffected, 'Hell on Wheels', 'just as likely to fight her friends as her enemies', angry, alien. I am thrilled that Perkins didn't use any of those words!

Nrama: True, but Supergirl has gone through a pretty big evolution since she first landed on Earth when the New 52 started. How would you describe Supergirl right now? What's she like?
Perkins: Like in everyone's personal journey, Kara's on a quest to discover who she is. She has been for awhile. Where Mike and I pick up the story, Kara's just come off her tour with the Red Lanterns (that didn't work out so well), people close to her are suddenly gone or unavailable, and she has a "Now what?" moment.
I would say she's really embracing that moment of flux and is moving forward on a self-started path of discovery.

Nrama: Why did you think this challenge in particular made sense for Supergirl at this point?
Perkins: From my point of view, Kara was kind of grabbing at straws before Crucible Academy. She was trying to find out who she is and where she fits in the universe through other characters. I think she's back at a new kind of zero now.
She fully realizes her life on Krypton is gone and understands that mourning won't do her any good any longer. So, she starts anew on Earth by her own choice. Making that step is an incredibly hard thing to do for anyone, especially for someone who has to count largely on herself.
And though she make strides on Earth, she chooses to remain at Crucible because she sees the value of being there.

Remember, Tony Bedard had just brought Supergirl to a place that I was happy with. Heading off into space and not calling Earth home is a little concerning to me. I don't know if I would put a negative spin on her time with the Reds. And it does sound ominous that no one is around for her. What about Superman? Siobhan? Michael?

I almost wish the impetus for staying at Crucible was one more born out of a sense of duty than because she again felt abandoned or alone on Earth.

All that said, this sounds like Kara's choice. Her journey. I liked hearing that the mourning is a little behind her, that she would start anew on Earth if not for this opportunity. And, for me, Supergirl being on this journey is the best part of her character. She is inspired to be a hero like Superman but she isn't there. She's learning. What better place than at a school?

Still, I really really really (that's 3 reallys) want Superman to be a part of her life.

Nrama: Are we going to see Captain Comet again in Supergirl's life. And what new or returning DC characters will show up in Supergirl?
Perkins: We have a great mix of new and returning characters (as you can probably tell from issue #36's cover by the brilliant and talented Emanuela Lupacchino).
Captain Comet — now just Comet — is back, as well as Maxima (both, of course, slightly reimagined). They're part of our galactic version of Kara's scoobiegang at Crucible.
A new character in Kara's scoobies is Tsavo, an impassioned, driven super-werecat with his own agenda (maybe a nod to a certain meow in Kara's past?). He and Kara form a special relationship over the similar ways they see the world/universe.
Also introduced is Crucible's staff — Lys Amata, a shifter, Preceptor of Crucible Academy, and overall badass woman, and Korstus, Crucible's Vice Preceptor and voice of reason and morality.
It's a fun, complex cast to write for as no one is who they appear to be.

This was easily my favorite part of the interview as we finally hear a little bit about the direction.

We had heard about Maxima already.
Captain Comet being there is brilliant, especially given his role as love interest in Bedard's Futures End issue. And the fact he is called Comet is doubly brilliant, tapping into Supergirl's history.
And then Tsavo? Is he some sort of Streaky riff?

Any time a creator taps into Supergirl's history, it makes a fan like me very happy.

Add to that the staff descriptions and it sounds like Buffy The Vampire Slayer at Hogwart's. And that sounds like fun.

You can feel the energy and enthusiasm and passion in this interview. It all sounds fast-paced, exciting and introspective.

Refreshingly, there isn't anything overtly negative. No one talks about how dark the book is ... how dark Supergirl is ... how horrific her life is. Thank you for that K. Perkins!

Nrama: Anything else you want to tell fans about what's coming up for Supergirl?
Perkins: Mike and I are having a blast writing this arc. We are challenging a lot of things and are pushing Kara (and the whole cast!) to make bold choices. Also, we just really want to go to super school ourselves. Pick up issue #36 in November and let us know what you think!

I'll be there!

Maxima!

It's been a couple of months since the announcement of K. Perkins and Mike Johnson taking over the Supergirl book in November. That solicit included Supergirl joining the Crucible Academy, a school for those destined to be heroes.

At the time I thought that the idea of a school would be good because it would mean instant supporting cast of friends, enemies, professors, and frenemies.

And somewhere along the way I wondered if it would be like the 'school' on Okaara in the Wolfman/Perez Titans, a school where students were taught battle skills as well, a school where people could and would get injured.

Well this week's back material in DC's books gave us a couple of nuggets to mull over.

So there we have it.

First off, the Crucible Academy is a school where survival is not guaranteed. So maybe it is a bit like Okaara. Or maybe it is an attempt to grab onto the zeitgeist of Hunger Games and Maze Runner.

I do have to say, I was all ready for Supergirl to be established on Earth as a hero and to have some straight up super-hero stories without the anger, angst, isolation we saw before Red Daughter. Tony Bedard and Greg Pak have shown us glimpses of that Supergirl.

So sending her to a dark school in space where students can die reads like a step backwards. I can only hope that things don't once again veer to the darkness with this book. How many swipes at a 'Dark Supergirl' will DC make before they give it up as a failed concept.

As I have said before, I look forward to this new direction and remain hopeful that they will build on Bedard's work rather than raze it.

But the bigger news for me was the reveal that Maxima will be one of the other students there. I guess we get a sneak peek of her on the cover, the half face in the circle above Kara.

As not everyone may remember Maxima, I figured I'd include her 90's 'loose leaf' Who's Who page.

Historically, Maxima has always been a Superman 'villain'. Initially, she wanted to mate with Superman, feeling he was one of the few who was worthy of being her consort. Superstrong with psionic blasts, she could back up those claims.

She went through the usual arc for many villains. She started out as a villain for Superman. Then, when Brainiac destroyed her homeworld, she joined Superman to battle the Coluan. Afterwards, she joined the Justice League. Unfortunately, after again being spurned by Superman, she turned rogue again. Her final act was one of heroism, sacrificing herself to save Earth from Brainiac yet again.

I liked Maxima as a rogue for Superman, feeling she could hold her own. I actually thought her turning hero after the destruction of Almerac had some nice symmetry to Superman's origins ... maybe moreso Supergirl's origins.

Her first appearances have her dripping with feelings of superiority and power with a sort of petulant entitlement vibe. So I can see her being the 'villain' or bully of Crucible. She would be the type to try to goad Kara into a fight, trying to claim the 'alpha student' label, and wanting to prove herself better than a Kryptonian.

And I wouldn't mind seeing the enemies eventually become best friends route with these two.

Anyways, two very interesting tidbits in that piece. See you in November.

November Solicits Part 1:Another New Supergirl Creative Direction

The November solicits for DC Comics came out earlier this week and had major implications for the Supergirl book.  Because in November, Supergirl has new writers ... again.

In fact, that news is so big that I am splitting the solicits post into two. There will be this one covering just the Supergirl solicit and one later this week covering the other books. To look at all the solicits, here is a link to Newsarama's coverage: http://www.newsarama.com/21907-dc-comics-full-november-2014-solicitations.html

So here is the solicit for November's Supergirl #36 including the news of a new writing team.

SUPERGIRL #36
Written by MIKE JOHNSON and KATE PERKINS
Art and cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO

The new writing team of Mike Johnson and Kate Perkins enroll Supergirl in the Crucible Academy! Against her own will, Kara has been selected to join the mysterious academy, which promises to train her and other beings of cosmic importance to serve the forces of good in the universe. But who’s pulling the strings behind the academy? And what are Kara’s chances of survival if she decides to drop out? Guest-starring Superboy!

Where to begin.


Let's start with the new team:


Kate Perkins is a name I don't know from comics and has no list of prior works on comicbookdb.com. There is a very brief blurb about her on CBR which describes her as a New York playwright breaking into comics. I am glad that DC is bringing a woman onto the book. And on her website, she does have an interesting CV. While these works can't be read or viewed directly from there, the blurbs about them sound interesting.


Mike Johnson should be a familiar name to everyone as he returns to this book after a being away for a  year and a half. I really felt like Johnson was turning the corner with the character, making her more heroic and more likable on his own before that vision was completely derailed by Scott Lobdell and H'el On Earth. I have to say I'm happy to see him back.


I wonder if Perkins is the main driver on this team with Johnson bringing some experience in comic writing to keep things moving along.


Now on to the solicit itself:

Kara is now joining a cosmic super-school called Crucible Academy. Certainly, putting Kara in a school solves one major problem the book has suffered from - lack of a supporting cast. I am sure we are going to meet friends, enemies, frenemies, and all sorts of professors. And the concept of a school training heroes is an interesting one. 


Now I have hoped beyond hope that the New 52 Supergirl would one day embrace Earth and become a hero on the planet. I somehow don't think that a cosmic super-school will be located on Earth-0 which means Supergirl is going to be off-planet again. While making Supergirl a more intergalactic hero is a fresh take on the character ... even expanding her horizons, I still prefer the idea of Kara as a young hero, growing into the role on Earth. I don't know if we will ever get there.

Still, it is completely different. I will go in open-minded and optimistic.

Lastly, I just have to wonder if this completely new direction is somehow coming off the overwhelmingly positive buzz on the new 'Batgirl of Burnside' direction over on that book. I can imagine the conversation sounded something like this:

DC editor 1: Wow, everyone is talking about Batgirl and Gotham Academy. How can we cash in even more on this topic immediately making it less fresh and unique?


DC Editor 2: Well, Supergirl is a young female protagonist. Why don't we send her to school?


DC Editor 1: I know! Let's make it a school .... wait for it .... IN SPPPAAACCEEE!


DC Editor 2: And if it doesn't work, we can always make her angry, angsty, pissed off, and disaffected again!


Maybe I am wrong. But it seems weird to suddenly take on yet another completely different take on the title, another creative direction, just as the last one was finally moving forward. And it seems so spur of the moment, like when Charles Soule said 'let's make her a Red Lantern' at a meeting and it suddenly changed everything Tony Bedard was hoping to do initially.

Which leads me to my next topic.

The Big Picture and Tony Bedard:

I literally just did a post where Newsarama interviewed Tony Bedard who talked about his long term plans about Supergirl. So this seems to imply that he didn't know that things were changing so soon. Why would he talk about the future after Futures' End issue when he is off the book after that crossover?? I can't help but be reminded of Sterling Gates' piece in Superman #700 where he laid out his plans for the next year (!!) only to have Nick Spencer take over the book shortly thereafter.

Much like Mike Johnson in his first go around, Bedard finally seemed to be bringing the ship around, set on the direction he wanted the book to go, only to have the book taken away from him. The whole Red Daughter story arc seems less important now. Part of that storyline was to rid Supergirl of this unnecessary rage DC saddled her with, to have her finally look at Earth as home, to finally have her patch up her relationship with Superman. It was supposed to be the beginning of a new life. We even had subplots bubbling - Veritas, Siobhan and her roommate, and Blaze.

And now, if this Crucible Academy is in space, none of that seems to matter. Once again she isn't looking at Earth as home. She isn't having a family relationship with Kal. She isn't being a hero on Earth. So Bedard's future stories of a well-adjusted Supergirl being a young hero in Metropolis are now in the 'what might have been' files.

From afar, this completely new direction makes the book look like it is once again on shaky ground despite sales being remarkably stable. Let's look at the 36 issues of this book and the writers: Green/Johnson then Mike Johnson then Frank Hannah then Mike Johnson then Scott Lobdell then Tony Bedard and now Perkins/Johnson. 6 different writers and writing teams in 36 issues! Compare that to the stability of Wonder Woman, Batgirl, the Green Lantern books, Justice League, and Aquaman. There have been one or two writers and directions on those books. DC has let those creators tell their stories. DC seems to know what to do with those characters. And yet, they seem to flail with Kara.

What I want on this book is some stability ... some consistency. I want Supergirl to be likable, heroic, and optimistic. I want her character to be at the center of things, not some crossover which takes the emphasis off her. I want a rogues gallery, a supporting cast, and character growth. And we haven't had that on this book. Unfortunately when there was consistency, it was the angry bitter Kara. Now just as she seems likable and heroic ... finally ... we are going somewhere else. Now maybe ... hopefully ... Johnson and Perkins build on what Bedard did and don't take a step back.

But to put it simply, I just want a Supergirl book that truly is a book about Supergirl.

Now the Perkins/Johnson run may very well be fantastic. In fact, I hope it is going to be fantastic. And if they are reading this, understand this isn't a comment on their story or direction. This semi-rant is a comment on DC and their treatment of this character and this book.  

I am looking forward to reading this story. I am hoping Kara isn't the angsty  angry brat that has weighed her down these three years. 

See you all in November.

Lego Variant Covers

One of the publicity mysteries that I haven't figured out yet has been the lack of variant covers that have graced the covers of Supergirl. Whether it be 'selfies' or 'bombshells' or 'Scribblenauts' or 75th anniversaries, the Supergirl title has been left variant-less. And this is even more perplexing given that the character has graced the covers of other books in their variant form. The bombshell Supergirl appeared on three books' covers ... just not her own.

Now any publicity is good publicity, so putting Kara out there on any book's cover makes me happy. But her own book seems to consistently teeter on mediocre sales and any boost would be cool.

Thankfully, the latest round of variant covers does indeed include a Supergirl variant! I don't know whether to gasp or say 'hooray'.

As you can see above, the variant them is Lego covers and they grace 22 different books. Here Newsarama has gathered all the images (which were parsed out to various websites): http://www.newsarama.com/21821-more-dc-comics-lego-variant-covers-revealed.html

I like the riff on the Supergirl 'zero issue' here, a Lego version of her bursting through the same cover that was on that original cover.

And Lego Supergirl is also on the cover of that month's Justice League United. I also like that this the Legos bursting through the 'zero issue' of JLU. I like consistent themes.

So thank you DC for giving Supergirl a variant! It makes us all happy!