Review: Action Comics #282

We are two issues into the new Supergirl comic run and Lesla Lar has been a big part of this opening arc. I have been reviewing the Lar's initial storyline which was in a long arc, especially for the Silver Age, leading up to Supergirl's being revealed to the world in Action Comics #285. 

Action Comics #282 brings Lar's initial story arc to a close in a rather abrupt fashion. Like every chapter in this storyline, this was one is crazy with a futuristic adventure, a villain's plot foiled by insomnia, and the inclusion of a certain 5th dimensional magic imp. But there is definitely this feeling that DC wanted Supergirl to sort of turn the corner in her stories. She has a new hair cut. She meets an old friend again. And, of course, she is introduced to the world changing everything in her life in a few months.

Writer Jerry Siegel brings some wild action to the proceedings. What I really love is how Siegel inserts a quick snippet of a story of a fascist group being overthrown by a rebel group which embraces knowledge. Given Superman's early political leanings by Siegel as well as his upbringing, seeing Supergirl bring down a fascist regime was great. (Of course, it's the Silver Age and therefore is done in 2 plus pages.) And when this issue ends, Supergirl is stronger than Superman as well!

I can continue to talk about how Jim Mooney is the perfect artist for the Supergirl of this time. A legend. But I have to say, I think he is putting in some extra energy whenever he draws Lesla Lar who is just dripping with pettiness and anger.

On to the book!

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #283

Last week I reviewed Action Comics #303, a Silver Age classic with a healthy dose of Red Kryptonite fun. I got a lot of great feedback for that review and I feel that I have been so busy with current reviews that the Silver Age stuff has been missing a bit from here. I also try to have my back issue reviews somehow relate to current storylines and with Superman dealing with a Red K injection in Joshua Williamson's Superman book, I thought I would look back again to one of the wackier Supergirl/Red K stories from 1961. (For transparency, these scans are from my Supergirl Archives Vol 2 book.)

'The Six Red K Perils of Supergirl' was the back up story in Action Comics #283. Written by Jerry Siegel with art by Jim Mooney, we get to see Supergirl dealing with a new period in her life and struggling with a major Red K exposure. 

I really feel like this period of Supergirl's stories are a major turning point for the character and worth a look at. There is a long, multi-issue story where we meet one of Supergirl's arch-enemies, Lesla Lar. She loses her powers. She regains her powers from an odd source. And then it all culminates two issues from this story in Action Comics #285 in which Superman reveals Supergirl's existence to the world. That issue is one of the most key issues in Supergirl's history. 

But we are here, now, in Action Comics #283 so settle in for Silver Age goodness. From character progression to zany Red K transformations to detailed super-brief side plots, this issue is a hearty meal. And guess what? It is only part one.

Settle in!

Back Issue Box: Supergirl #5

 Last week I reviewed DC Superhero Girls #SuperWho, an animated short in which Supergirl (and Superman) fight Chemo.

With that in my mind, I thought I would review Supergirl #5 from the Peter David run in which, you guessed it, Supergirl fights Chemo. Although, as you'l see, it isn't so much a physical fight as an existential crisis.

One thing that David did brilliantly in this run is walk a fine line between superheroics and metaphysical. This was the Matrix Supergirl, trying to figure who she was in this new universe she was in. She had questions about herself. Was she 'alive'? Was she a creature? Was she real?

And when she merged with the sinful Linda Danvers, there were even bigger questions. What was redemption? Did she have a soul? What was she?

In the end, we find out that this merging of Matrix and Linda makes her something even more than the sum of the parts. She is an Earth Angel. But here, early in the book, we don't know that. And Supergirl herself is pretty unsure of who or what she is. She is figuring out what powers she still has. She is trying to figure out whose life she should be living. And she is still asking those deep questions. Is she truly alive?

Who would ever expect Chemo to be a mirror for her to look into?

Gary Frank and Cam Smith are on art and the book is absolutely gorgeous. This is before Frank started to draw everyone gaunt with extra cross-hatching. The art is smooth, glossy, stunning. It was this book and its look that made me a lifelong Frank fan. Just brilliant.

On to the book.

Review: Supergirl #44

Tonight on the CW, the Supergirl show will air an episode titled 'The Faithful' about a cult of people in National City who begin to worship Supergirl as a deity.

This isn't the first time that Supers being viewed as new Gods has happened. From Countdown to the DCEU to innumerable other examples, superheroes being looked upon as the holy is well trod ground. And, in fact, it has happened in the past for Supergirl.

Peter David's Supergirl run (in Supergirl volume 4) had faith and religion and sin and redemption as major themes running through the book. Frankly, those concepts made up the bulk of the first 50 issues, a long form run on comics that I hold up there with the best comics can offer. Now much of that had to do with the redemption of Linda Danvers, the angelic nature of this new Supergirl being, her own hubris leading to a downfall, and then her ultimate self-forgiveness.

But given the fact that this Supergirl said she was an angel, it wasn't surprising that a Supergirl religion would arise. In fact, this faith impacted her greatly, making her wonder about who she was and what her place was in the world. It turns out, it impacted her negatively, another way to try to break her spirit.

I have praised this run throughout this blog's lifecycle, but Supergirl #44, Shadows of a Doubt, is definitely a strong issue with powerful moments. David, and long time art team of Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs, bring all the power to bear, giving us character moments, soulful moments, and even a super-powered brawl.

But it all revolves around this Supergirl cult, perfectly captured on that cover with a deified statue of Supergirl being praised by the congregation.

On to the book.

Back Issue Review: Supergirl #9

My copy, autographed by Peter David

 The news broke recently that Supergirl is going to become a Red Lantern, a decision about the character that I don't agree with. Supergirl becoming an avatar of rage makes little sense to me. We are 2 plus years into the New 52 and I am still waiting for a glimmer of hope in the character.

Believe it or not, there was some defense for the idea and some actually tried to equate the move with Peter David's Supergirl comic in which a pure but soulless Matrix merges with the flawed and evil Linda Danvers. Isn't Supergirl merging with a satanic murdering cultist just as bad? And don't I and many Supergirl fans love that run?

I found it ironic that this defense was brought up because when the Red Lantern announcement was made, I immediately thought of Supergirl #9, the ending of the first arc in David's Supergirl with beautiful art by Gary Frank. Because despite Linda being a 'bad girl', there was always hope in this comic, there was always Supergirl striving to do what's right. And the brightest glimmer of that ... and (for me) one of the most powerful panels in comics ... occurs right here in issue 9, an issue where hope and good overpowers rage and angst leading to redemption. Issue 9!

We are two years into the current Supergirl and we haven't seen any hope like this.

Yes, merging Supergirl with someone as flawed as Linda was a bold move. And I can only imagine the backlash if this was done in this age of social media. The name Linda Danvers alone is a sacred one for Supergirl fans. And we always want a optimistic, heroic, and inspirational Supergirl. The early issues of this run we learn some pretty awful things about Linda.

But ... and this is key ... throughout this early time, despite the grimier details of Linda's life being revealed, Supergirl strives to rise above. And nowhere is that better seen than in this issue. This is one of my favorite issues of this run ... and maybe overall ... so if you haven't read it, you are in for a treat. And you are about to see hope overpowering evil.

The issue opens with a bang in the shattered Danvers' house.

On the left is Buzz, the agent of Chaos who led Linda down the path of evil and then tried to sacrifice her to a higher demon Lord Chakat. He is there as a 'blind date' set up by Mrs. Danvers.

On the right is Linda, now merged with the Matrix Supergirl, trying to discover who (or what) she is on this world, dealing with the foibles of humanity, and trying to understand Linda's heinous past and redeem herself from it.

And there in the middle is Tempus Fugit, Linda's boyfriend Dick Malverne possessed by an evil spirit and working for Buzz.

Linda spent all of last issue trying to play it cool with Buzz in her house, trying to protect her family, only to see it all go awry. She's angry at herself for not taking matters into her own hand.

And this is so key. For this beginning arc, Buzz is trying constantly to have Supergirl lower herself, lose herself. He is taunting her, trying to goad her into evil. Hurting her parents is a good start.

Before we go further, I just have to say that this is my high water mark for Gary Frank. His art here is just beautiful, smooth and powerful. Knowing the intensity of this issue, he gives us several splash pages and near splash pages, big moments given big art. Even here, we have agents of evil and good (Buzz and Linda) with an anti-Christ-like crucifixion posed Fugit in the background.

Fugit and Buzz take off and Linda tries to follow, hoping to battle them as Supergirl. Luckily, both Fred and Sylvia Danvers are alive.

Part of Linda's troubled past is her prickly relationship with her parents. With Supergirl in the persona, that rift has been slowly healing. Her parents seems doubtful of her 'transformation' but are happy.

I loved this scene where Linda's father finally embraces his new daughter as someone who is good. He tells her he loves her and she tells her father the same. Our flashbacks of their relationship show this relationship strained to the point of impending violence. So to see that hug, that shock softened to loving expression, is a giant moment.

Remember though, Buzz and Fugit are piling on, hoping to make Supergirl so angry she forgets herself and does something evil. Immediately after that hug scene, Fugit levels the Danvers' house, most likely killing them.

Whoever is pulling Buzz's strings takes control of Fugit and says that Buzz was supposed to deliver a 'fallen angel'. Buzz, who has always been a cool character, loses control and shows emotions here. It turns out that Buzz might be just as conflicted as Linda.

The 'Angel' term had been bantered about in this book, the religious overtones infused in the story. But this is months before the emergence of flame wings and meeting the other Schechina. The ultimate ending of this story appears in Supergirl #50, which means David had a 4+ year plan for the book! I can't imagine that sort of patience by DC these days!

As I said, not only are we given splash pages, we are given hints of the future, and we are shown the struggle that Supergirl is having internally, how easy it would be to stray from the light.

Here, high above the city, we begin to see some licks of flame, the beginning of her life as the Angel of Fire, of Judgment. At the time, I thought it was residual flame from the Danvers' house. But now I know.

Listen to her thoughts though as she veers close to crossing a line. Linda was evil and knows that evil must be punished. Evil only understands death.

Bringing the fight to Fugit, Supergirl's mind is opened up to the 'horror' of the world. Everyone she knows appears before her as someone evil, monstrous - the Danvers, the Kents, Superman.

And that assault on her senses, again brings a warped understanding of the world. Internally she now believes Supergirl is the being that died when they merged; it was Linda who lived. Linda ... who was evil. The universe is a sick joke, we need to face it on its own twisted and depraved level. "Heroes" and God are laughing at us.

Maybe not in those words but isn't this a similar attitude that the current Supergirl has, that nothing is right in the universe, that the cosmos is laughing at her and her tragedy.

And then we get this ...

That top panel gives me chills. It gave me chills the first time I read it and it gives me chills now.

The bruised and battered psyche of Linda shows up. She says that Supergirl is wrong to believe that, that she was wrong to believe that. Supergirl sees the world through different eyes, seeing what humanity can aspire to be. If anyone is human ... it's Supergirl.

Man, those piercing eyes of Linda, her body and soul injured, is so powerful. She has changed her mind, asking for absolution. She now realizes that Supergirl's way - of optimism and light - is the right way. And look at how she dominates the panel, the sheer size of her in contrast to the horrific visions in the prior splash, as if her view if bigger, more important.

But Supergirl isn't quite ready to hear it. Bleeding from her eyes, aflame, claiming she will leave bodies in the ruins without mercy.

As I said, Frank is simply at the top of his game. David does not shy away from religious iconography.

Now we see Supergirl in that Christ-like pose, complete with the stigmata suffered in battle.

And now Fugit is crying for mercy.

Will Supergirl give in to that desire for revenge? Will she be not only judge but executioner?

And just as she is about to land the killing blow, sealing the deal, having her 'fall' completely, it is Buzz who asks her the important question.

Does she want to live life Linda's way? Or her way? What does she want to be in this world.

And just like that she stops.

She isn't going to complete her journey by turning to evil and darkness. Evil isn't relative. Evil is evil.

She stops and decides to embrace goodness. She decides that adopting the ways of evil to fight evil isn't right.

Battle not monsters lest ye become a monster.

Good triumphs over evil. This is the first big step onto the path of redemption for Linda/Matrix. And it is wonderful.

And so different than the current Supergirl, who joins the Red Lanterns - a group Charles Soule says is a group trying to do overall good by doing evil. The exact opposite of the lesson of this issue.

That does mean that Buzz helped, showing the conflicts he has in his own soul (or lack thereof). You might not have all the answers. Some things need you to have faith.

When she doesn't kill Fugit, the endgame of all this, reality swirls around them. Buzz is taken away. The Danvers are alive, their house in one piece, Dick Malverne returned to normal and recovering in Linda's apartment.

Wow.

There are 41 more issues to this story. And throughout it, Supergirl is tested, seeing if she will succumb, seeing if she will give in to hubris, will she turn to evil? Or will she ultimately be redeemed? But this was that first step.

Was this title going to wallow in angst, perseverate about the inequities in life, and be an anti-hero? Or are you going to turn the corner and simply do what's right even if sometimes that is hard? The answer for Supergirl should always be the latter.

Supergirl should be the optimist, the one who sees the best in things, a warrior for justice.

Will we see something like this just 9 issues into Soule's idea? Will we see something like this in the THIRD year of this character? Or are we going to have to suffer through the darkness for longer?

The Supergirl in this issue wasn't Kara Zor-El. She wasn't Kryptonian. But she was far and away more Supergirl than the current incarnation.

And that Linda panel is what comics is all about.

Overall grade: A+

The Fate Of Dick Malverne

Earlier this week, I interviewed Paul Kupperberg, writer of Daring New Adventures of Supergirl. I asked him about the cliffhanger ending of the last issue of that volume of Supergirl, the re-arrival of Dick Malverne! This is what Kupperberg had to say.

Anj: The last issue of the title ends with the return of Dick Malverne and a romantic kiss. Do you remember what your plans were for that storyline? 

Kupperberg: Not really, although Linda was definitely going to reject Dick. At the time I wrote Supergirl #23, we thought the character was going to continue in a new title, DC Double Comics, which she was going to share with a revamp of Superboy. I wrote the first issue (which got as far as being penciled by Eduardo Barreto, and lettered), which has a scene between Linda and Dick; he confesses his lifelong love for her, but she doesn’t want any part of it. After that, Linda took off for what was planned as a six month space adventure on New Krypton, but I don’t remember what we had planned for Dick. 

Well, Mr. Kupperberg has sent me 4 unpublished pages from DC Double Comics (a Superboy/Supergirl split comic that was never published) that at least shows the initial response that Linda has to Malverne's return. Here are beautiful pages by the late Eduardo Barreto .. comments to follow.

Kupperberg always wrote Supergirl as strong and confident. So it it totally within her character to respond the way she did. Dick is living in a fantasy world. He hadn't been part of the last three phases of her life, years in San Francisco, New Athens, and New York City. So he was in love with an idealized fantasy not a real woman.

Still, you can also understand the pain she is feeling as he basically makes her feel awful for spurning her first love.

But I am glad she didn't simply fall into his arms and swoon. That would not be consistent with the Supergirl she had become.

Thanks once again to Paul Kupperberg for sharing this slice of 'what might have been' with the Supergirl fans here! Just great stuff to share!

Interview With Paul Kupperberg

Paul Kupperberg was the writer on the entire 23 issues of The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, as well as her last stories in Superman Family. Kupperberg's Supergirl was always confident and strong and those stories are loved by fans of Kara. Elements of those stories still resonate to this day with Reactron and Blackstarr still around.


I recently had the opportunity to interview Kupperberg about his time on Daring as well as other Supergirl stories he was involved in. As a long time Supergirl fan, it was an absolute thrill to ask him some questions that have been on my mind for a while! 


A hat tip to blog friend John Feer, who recently wondered what Kupperberg's plans with Dick Malverne were. It was that question that spurred me to seek out Mr. Kupperberg. And, of course, many many thanks again to Mr. Kupperberg for taking the time to chat with me about Supergirl. Off we go ...

Anj: Were you a fan of Supergirl before you were named writer for Daring New Adventures? What do you think of her as a character; what are the key aspects or appeal of her?

Paull Kupperberg: I was a Supergirl fan long before I ever thought of working in comics. She was one of earliest comic book crushes, after Wonder Woman, which when I started reading was deep in the throes of its really ridiculous “fairy tale” run under Bob Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito...I guess it was Bob’s idea of writing a “girls comic,” with genies and dragons and the introduction of Wonder Girl and Wonder Tot. Anyway, I was five or six years old when I discovered Wonder Woman in the early 1960s, and a couple of years later I started following the Supergirl back-up in Action Comics. 

I’m not sure exactly what it was that I liked about Supergirl. I loved all things Superman, but if I had to choose between Supergirl and Superboy, I’d have gone with Supergirl every time. It never bothered me that she was a girl, and there was something way more real to me about her than Superboy. Maybe it was that subtle undercurrent of sadness about the strip...you know, with Linda being an orphan, kind of sacrificing her childhood happiness to serve as Superman’s “secret weapon.”

Anj: What was it like to work with industry legend Carmine Infantino on the book? Was he involved in the creative process with you?

PK: Carmine is a legend and I grew up loving his work on The Flash, Adam Strange, and Batman, and any time he drew one of my scripts it was a thrill. But we didn’t exactly work together, at least not in a side-by-side collaborative sense. We really did things like a factory, everybody creating their individual part and sending it down the conveyor belt to the next guy so he could do his. I plotted Supergirl with my editor, Julie Schwartz, and wrote it as a full script that he sent it along to Carmine. Usually the next time I saw the story was when it was in print, and I almost never had any contact with Carmine himself. After he was fired from DC in the mid-70s, he never came up to the offices again, so he didn’t have any input into the storyline. I doubt he would have been interested in being part of the process even if he’d been offered the chance.

Anj: There are so many things about Daring that I am interested in learning about, many of them dealing with your characterization of Supergirl. I think your Supergirl was the most confident version of the character to date. Was that change in her character part of your pitch for the title?

PK: Absolutely. By the time I started writing her in Superman Family, she had been around quite a while and would have known, as far as I was concerned, what she was doing by then. Besides, she’s SUPERgirl, with all the powers and abilities of Superman. What the hell did she have to be insecure about? I don’t think I could have written her as anything but as strong and confident. Nothing else made any sense to me.

Anj: That confidence was seen even before the title was released, in the preview story in Superman #376 where Supergirl literally steps out of Superman’s shadow and shows she is her own person. Did you feel you needed to break her away from Kal a bit, not having her look over her shoulders as she had in the past?

PK: Definitely. Kara had been standing in Superman’s shadows for about 25 years by the time I started writing her. It was past time she found her own path and started following it, even aside from the fact that any character who can move planets really wouldn’t have too many confidence issues.

Anj: You also sort of de-aged Kara, making her grad student age after years as a news reporter, guidance counselor, and soap opera actress. Can you talk about that decision?

PK: “Sort of de-aged” her is right. We never specified her age or denied any of her previous jobs, just sent her back to graduate school, which anybody can attend at any age, and never mentioned any of the earlier continuities after that. We could still get away with casual reboots like that in those days.

Anj: The Daring run coincided with the release of the Supergirl movie and the unveiling of the headband costume. Was there a buzz around DC at that time about how the character might be breaking out a bit? Did the movie’s release effect any of the comic storylines in any way?

PK: There was some hope for Supergirl breaking out, but no real expectations, especially after we saw the movie, which was pretty bad. But aside from the costume changes, we mostly ignored the movie...I think everyone was just happy the film didn’t damage Supergirl’s reputation as much as it did Helen Slater’s.

Anj:  The last issue of the title ends with the return of Dick Malverne and a romantic kiss. Do you remember what your plans were for that storyline?

PK: Not really, although Linda was definitely going to reject Dick. At the time I wrote Supergirl #23, we thought the character was going to continue in a new title, DC Double Comics, which she was going to share with a revamp of Superboy. I wrote the first issue (which got as far as being penciled by Eduardo Barreto, and lettered), which has a scene between Linda and Dick; he confesses his lifelong love for her, but she doesn’t want any part of it. After that, Linda took off for what was planned as a six month space adventure on New Krypton, but I don’t remember what we had planned for Dick.

Anj: You also wrote DC Comics Presents #86, the last Supergirl story before her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths. What was it like writing that script, knowing it was Supergirl’s last?

PK: After about three years working on the character, I was glad to have a chance to say good-bye to Supergirl, but I wasn’t happy with the decision to retcon her (and Superboy) out of the continuity.

Anj: You also wrote a bunch of my favorite books growing up including the Doom Patrol Showcase issues and series and Arion Lord of Atlantis. These books featured strong women like Celsius and Lady Chian. Do you think you have an affinity for writing female protagonists?

PK: I guess so. I’m by nature and politics a feminist, and I’ve known plenty of strong women in my life. It never made sense to me that someone’s sex would limit them in what they’re capable of doing. It used to bug the hell out of me when Wonder Woman was treated like a second class citizen and when I took over as editor of the title, the first thing I did was institute what I called the Superman-Batman Rule. That says that if you wouldn’t put the top male superheroes in a situation, you can’t do it to Diana either.

Anj:  I can’t thank you enough for this interview. Where can fans of yours find your work now?

PK: I currently write Life With Archie: The Married Life for Archie Comics, which was just nominated for a 2011 Eisner Award in the category of Best Publication for Young Adults, and I’m working on getting some new creator-owned properties off the ground. Anyone who wants to find out what else I’m up to can check out Paulkupperberg.com or friend me on Facebook.

Anj: Thanks again!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

On this day for romance, I thought I would share this page of 'Supergirl's Boyfriends' from Superman Family #177. Now certainly there have been a lot more men vying for Supergirl's heart throughout her history. Even in this issue, an alien named Ranar feels that Supergirl has been destined to be his mate.

Still, these guys have seemed to stand the test of time.

Brainiac 5 will always have a connection to Supergirl, most recently rekindled by Sterling Gates during the War of the Supermen and Supergirl Annual #2. I think there is a strong contingent of fans who would love to see these two together.

Dick Malverne was around through the Silver Age and into the Bronze. His story was wrapped up in the Tim Sale Solo issue. Peter David then brought back a new Dick Malverne in his run on Supergirl. His story ended tragically as well.

The romance of Biron/Comet in the Silver Age was a bit offbeat to say the least. Still, he did try his best to court her when in his human form. Comet was also brought back in Peter David's Supergirl, this time as a woman, Ande Jones.

I hope everyone out there can find such long lasting love on Valentine's Day!

These early issues of Superman Family (which took over the numbering of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen) were mostly reprinted material. But there was new stories done in a rotating manner. You could tell who had the new material by however was on top of the column of characters on the left (and whoever had the 'big' picture on the cover).

In the Supergirl issues, they always included some page like the boyfriend one, sort of reviewing Supergirl's history. Other pages include reviews of Lena Thorul's history and a list of Kara's rogues.

Supergirl In DK2

A friend of mine recently had the opportunity to buy DK2 #1 for one dollar. He shied away because he remembered how much I had disliked the series. Apparently when the book was released back in 2001,  I said that it was so bad, 'it might change how you look at the first series'.

Now I think those are overly dramatic words by me back then. Dark Knight Returns is and will always be a fantastic book no matter how bad the sequel is. In the same way, The Matrix will always be a great movie even if the two sequels were horrible.

That said, I had to admit that I hadn't read the series since it was released. Could 10 years and more life experience by me change what I thought of DK2. Could I have 'missed something' the first time around? I hadn't thought about DK2 in years. I figured it was time to look at it again.

Guess what ... it was as bad as I remember, if not worse. My overall thoughts are at the bottom. But I was stunned when I saw that Supergirl was in the book briefly. I had completely forgotten that.

In the series, Lex Luthor and Brainiac basically run everything on Earth behind the scenes. They have either eliminated, captured, ostracized, or control all the super-heroes on the planet (outside of Batman of course). This includes Superman.

Brainiac has somehow got his hands on the bottle city of Kandor and has his robot troops patrolling the city. Should Superman disobey, Brainiac selects a Kryptonian family within the city and murders them. With the future of the Kryptonian culture and people at stake, Superman kowtows.

Within Kandor, the leader of the Kryptonian rebels trying to overthrow Brainiac's troops is none other than Kara. Unfortunately she is captive and helpless. In a bit of melodrama, Kara cries out biblically to Kal 'Why have you forsaken us?' That is Kara's one panel in the book.

Here is Superman being taunted by Luthor and Brainiac about the Kandor predicament (it is a hologram, explaining the perspective).

Boy, Brainiac looks like Xerxes from 300.

There are a couple more Supergirl-specific moments in DK2 I thought I would share. The heroes, once back together and working against Luthor, run an assault mission against Midvale Orphanage. The orphanage is a 'secret' government facility ... as secret as you can be with guards, cannons, and electric fences.

It turns out the orphanage is a Cadmus-like genetics lab run by Dick Wilson. Dick Wilson, in the Silver Age, tormented Kara in the orphanage. He 'became' Dick Malverne when he was adopted.

Of course, there is a 'Supergirl' in DK2. Superman and Wonder Woman's daughter Lara plays a very active role in the second half of the book, rebelling against her passive father and acting as an angry pro-active hero.

But overall DK2 simply does not work. I think that Miller had no idea what he wanted this book to be. Unlike Dark Knight where an overall plot weaved through the chapters, DK2 is simply all over the place.

First off, it barely has Batman in it. It's more of a JLA story set in the Dark Knight world.

Second, it seems like Miller didn't know what he wanted the story to be. Batman v Superman ideologically? Batman v Luthor who has in essence taken over the world? Batman rallying the world to recognize they are all slaves to nonsensical media? Superman v Brainiac? Batman actually luring the JLAers out of retirement to lead the world again? Batman v a reincarnated Joker (won't ruin the surprise if people want to read this)?

It's all of those and more, but not enough of any of them. It is like an omelette with too many ingredients. The egg (Batman) isn't enough to hold it all together. It reads like a disorganized almost incoherent mess.

Third, Miller just shoves way too much Sin City in the story. Now I like Sin City.  The problem is this isn't Sin City. And unlike Sin City, where the stories are pretty cohesive, here these bits stand out as 'why the heck is this moment here, it doesn't make sense'. Or 'why is he spending so much time on the half-dressed girl rock band; can't I have more Batman in this book?' Those moments are there, I assume, to make the people who bought DK2 because they are Sin City fans happy. But I bet those people hate all the superhero stuff.

As a result, I would once again recommend that people don't read this book.

There are some ... maybe a handful ... of moments that work, unlike pretty much the entirety of Dark Knight Returns which still rocks. 

It Came from the Back Issue Box: Solo #1 - Tim Sale

In 2004, DC comics came out with a series called Solo which lasted 12 issues. Each issue showcased a creator who was allowed to use the pages in any way they wished. Filled with autobiographical stories, super-hero stories 'out of continuity', or simply stories, it was a nice format and allowed fans to get a closer look at some great artists. The first issue showcased superstar Tim Sale.

Within this issue is an 8 page Supergirl story written by Diane Schutz. I don't know much of Schutz. Her bio on http://www.comicbookdb.com/ states she is a senior editor at Dark Horse as well as professor of comic books at Portland Community College. Her resume of Dark Horse editing jobs is impressive including heavyweights like Grendel, Sin City, and American Splendor just to name a few.

As a Supergirl fan, I cannot tell you how great this short story is. It is emotionally powerful. The art perfectly captures the words. It picks up a plot thread left dangling from the pre-Crisis DCU. And it clearly shows a love of the Supergirl character.

The story revolves around Linda (Supergirl) Danvers on again/off again relationship with Dick Malverne. Dick started out as an inquisitive boy at the Midvale orphanage with Linda who was always trying to prove she had super-powers. Later they both get adopted, attend Stanhope University together, and date. In the last issue of Supergirl Vol.2 (1982), the last panels, drawn by legend Carmine Infantino, show Dick re-entering Linda's life suddenly.

The comic was cancelled and a proposed Superboy/Supergirl comic never came to fruition. Supergirl was seen sparingly thereafter and was killed in Crisis #7.

The Schutz/Sale story picks up right where that issue left off.

Similar panels, aren't they. The first couple of pages of this story recap the Malverne/Danvers relationship, replaying actual scenes from Supergirl continuity ... the first time he thought Linda was Supergirl, seeing him for the first time since they were adopted - a chance meeting on a beach, a date at a carnival ... all from prior issues but re-imagined briefly here. It is such a nice homage to what had come before. Clearly, Schutz and Sale have a love of the character. Here is a snippet of the beach scene.

Sadly, Dick confesses that he sought out Linda to tell her that he is dying of cancer. He also tells her that he has always known she was Supergirl. He implores her to be strong ... to find her inner strength. He implores her to be the hero she can be.

He succumbs to the cancer and passes on.

The last panel shows a crest-fallen Linda sipping wine in her bunny slippers, stroking Streaky, as she realizes that despite her invulnerability her heart can still be broken ... that her powers cannot save everyone.

The words here are wonderful.

What's is not to love here? Sale's art is solid throughout. He really does a nice Supergirl.

The writer clearly had a solid understanding and knowledge of Supergirl's history. And we see a growing Supergirl, still with some of the innocence of the Silver Age ... I mean Streaky and bunny slippers! Absolutely perfect! Absolutely spectacular! If you are a Supergirl fan, I highly recommend you find this comic.

Overall grade: A+