Review: Supergirl Next Door

DC's Supergirl Next Door Valentine's Day anthology came out this week, a smorgasbord of quick romance stories starring an interesting if unaffiliated group of characters. Much like the Ma Hunkel Christmas Special, the talent on the book are mostly people I haven't heard of with a smattering of a people I know from a few books. 

I used to love these holiday books when growing up. These days they are mostly 'hit or miss' without much to remember afterwards. But they had me at calling it Supergirl Next Door. 

One thing that is tough about these books is that they are outside of continuity so trying to figure out the whens and the wheres are tough especially in this book where things seem far afield for most of these characters. And for a hefty $9.99 I would love for there to be one story, maybe a lead story, from a big name talent team. 

I do love the Amy Reeder cover even if it isn't related to the Supergirl story inside.

Let's jump into the Supergirl story.

Review: Action Comics #1079 Superman Story

Action Comics #1079 continued the rapid fire story by Mark Waid with his updating the Phantom Zone and Mon-El. This has been a weekly release comic and Waid has mirrored the rapid fire distribution. The story has bounced from the Phantom Zone to the past to a threatened Earth with villains as large as Aethyr and Kryptonian criminals but as small as Science Council bureaucrats. I have loved every pulse-pounding step as it careens its way to the finale.

Last issue ended with the Phantom Zone villains escaping into the sun via Aethyr's matter manipulator. This issue shows us what a planet overrun with Superman-level beings would be like. All in one issue. As usual, kudos to Mark Waid for keeping this zipping along and fun while also injecting some heartfelt moments and some DC lore. Waid just gets Supergirl and we see that in this issue. (We have seen him understand Kara every issue of this story.) We end with another cliffhanger, building on the story told here. 

Michael Shelfer is on art the entire issue which allows him some space to give us high action and brawls. I like his manga-esque style especially in an issue like this with an anime level of action. We also see is take on a lot of DC heroes given the threat level and they all look sharp. It would be great to see him on a young hero title and bring this energy there. 

Get ready to rumble!

Review: Action Comics #1078 Superman Story

Action Comics #1078 came out last week, continuing the weekly story by Mark Waid with art by Clayton Henry and Michael Shelfer. With our side trip to Krypton's past over and Aethyr defeated, it is time to pick up the pieces.

The cover sums up the biggest plot point. Aethyr has a device draining the sun of its energy while simultaneously ripping the Zone apart. But things are even more complicated. Saving the Earth will doom the Zone completely. How can the heroes save everyone? And what about Mon-El? Leaving the Zone dooms him.

I have enjoyed this story a lot. Waid has a great grasp of the super-family and their dynamics. He has a wonderful reverence for DCU and shows it by continuing to tweak some classic DC history to update but not eradicate. This whole issue shows just what a team our heroes are as they work together to save as many people as they can.

The art is once again split between Clayton Henry and Michael Shelfer. With the Kenan/Conner subplot over, Shelfer gets to help tell the main story and gets some good Supergirl moments. His style is a bit more stylized than Henry's, more energetic and manga-like. But the two shine here. 

On to the story!

Review: Action Comics #1077 Superman Story

Action Comics #1077 came out last week, another weekly chapter by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, and Michael Shelfer. The side-trip to Krypton is over so we are back in the Phantom Zone trying to stop Aethyr from torturing the Kryptonians stranded there. 

I have been very pleased with this story so far. Waid is doing his usual polish on a number of people and events in classic DC history, bringing them into the modern age. Jor-El didn't want to use the Zone for a prison and perhaps was a bit daffier than his usual stolid depiction. Zor-El is climate denier and a hot head. Aethyr is a powerful being trying to do good in the worst way. Mon-El has had to do some dark deeds to maintain some sanity.  Somehow these small changes have all worked, although some of them have worked for me more than others. (Poor Zor-El!)

But we are heading to the end of this story so we need to push the plot forward and back on Earth. The events that seemingly get us there are a bit fast and sort of out of the blue. But there are still two more chapters in the arc so maybe more is yet to come.

The side plot of Kenan and Conner also comes to an abrupt conclusion after being a fun diversion all along. Still solid stuff there as well.

The art remains very good throughout with Clayton Henry on the main story and Michael Shelfer on the subplot. I swear Clayton Henry was aping Gene Colan on some Aethyr shots. On to the book.

Review: Action Comics #1076 Superman Story

Action Comics #1076 came out last week and Mark Waid and Clayton Henry continue to weave an interesting story, rewriting the continuity around the Phantom Zone and its Kryptonian origins.

Waid has been clicking on all cylinders with this story, giving us a new look at Mon-El, Aethyr, and Jor-El. But these new looks are more like updated takes on classic continuity. Mon-El is back to a Daxamite Clark met as a kid. But his time in the Zone has made him tougher. Jor-El discovered the Phantom Zone but didn't want it to be used as a prison recognizing how maddening it would be.

In this issue, we see Clark on Krypton trying his best to not upend the timestream by revealing to people their future. But he also needs to get his solar gauntlets charged to get back home. I like how Waid has Clark on the razor's edge of not leaking too much info.

Sadly, I was hoping that Waid my do a redemption take on Zor-El. Poor Zor was morally gray in the New 52 and then turned into the Cyborg Superman in Rebirth. In Venditti's World of Krypton, he was an obsessed neurotic, desperate to save Kara. Could Waid just bring him back to another caring father and scientific genius? We'll see.

Clayton Henry continues to bring this smooth look to the proceedings. I like the Krypton sequences. Michael Shelfer continues to bring some levity and action to the side plot.

On to the book!

Review: Action Comics #1075 Superman Story

Action Comics #1075 was released last week, a milestone issue according to the trade dress. 

It is also the halfway mark of this weekly run on Action Comics with the main story being told by the creative team of writer Mark Waid and artist Clayton Henry. 

This has been an impressive story showcasing just why I love Mark Waid as a writer. Superman is investigating the ever changing nature of the Phantom Zone. He runs into an immensely powerful being called Aethyr. He interacts with Mon-El. He ends up being thrown back in time to Krypton where he meets his father, a scientific genius who discovered the Phantom Zone. .

That all sounds very classic and Bronze Age. This has elements which are true to longstanding continuity. As such for someone like me, this reads as 'true'.

At the same time, Waid is polishing that Bronze to a more modern sheen. Aethyr is a vindictive god. Mon-El is has had a more troubled time in the Zone than normal, perhaps resorting to murder. Jor-El understood that the Phantom Zone was a troubling option for imprisonment. Jor-El has a temper, not suffering fools. And Lara is clever. 

Classic and new and most importantly, entertaining. It is what Waid has been doing since he returned to DC. Add to that a fun side mission with Kenan and Conner. Throw in more nods to DC history and you have a win.

The art continues to be very strong. Clayton Henry does very well with the Krypton scenes which are mostly verbal sparring, not fight sequences. His work on Jor-El and Lara, showing their anger and indignation, is strong. I love the 'milestone' cover showcasing some famous moments. Michael Shelfer brings a different energy, more electric, to the side story.

There is also an extra Perry White story by Joshua Williamson and Jon Bogdanove which ties up a bubbling Superman subplot.

All in all, a great issue. On to details. 

Review: Action Comics #1074 Superman Story

Action Comics #1074 came out last week. We are approaching the mid-point of this Mark Waid story of Superman exploring the Phantom Zone and now heading back to Krypton. 

I have been a comic reader for many years. I have seen Superman visit Krypton. I have seen stories of Jor-El and Lara. I have seen a variety of different takes. Some have been good. Some crazy. Some bad. 

Maybe, I am old-fashioned. But I think the continuity in this main DCU that Krypton should be a place of science and progress. I think Jor-El should be a good man who tried to save everyone. And Mark Waid gives us these back. 

I don't need Jor-El to be Mr. Oz.

But as he is able to often do, Mark Waid not only gives us a classic take but throws in a modern wrinkle. Not an upheaval. Not a rejection of the classic continuity. A modernizing. 

So we see that while Krypton is advanced and progressive, it has it's authoritarian side. Jor-El is a good man, a man of science, but also creative and a little weird. He isn't some ramrod, stodgy good guy. He has a temper. Still smart ... still good ... but more human. 

We also get some progress on the Zone story and the sidebar Conner/Kenan story. So this was a very fun issue.

Clayton Henry does a good job guiding us through Krypton and the Zone. He has this very smooth, organic style that I have always found slick. Michael Shelfer again gives us a great chapter with the Superboy/New Super-Man.

So overall another fun chapter. On to the details.

Review: Action Comics #1073 Superman Story

Action Comics #1073 came out last week, the end of the first month of the weekly distribution and officially one third through Mark Waid and Clayton Henry's Phantom Zone story. For some reason I forgot this was a 12-parter! (Alas, so is the Supergirl story.)

The story takes a pretty big turn at the end of this issue which gives us a sort of act break. We have laid the foundation so why not explore a new thread and come back to this.

Still, Waid takes advantage of the space to push this story forward as we learn more about Mon-El, Xa-Du, Aethyr, and the Zone itself. I do like this deeper dive into Mon-El as we see how the Zone has both hardened him but also elevated him. There are a couple of plot points I sort of need to accept. In particular, why Aethyr has taken such an interest in the Zone remains a bit of a mystery, as is its grudge with Superman/Jor-El. But story progress is progress.  I also like the seemingly unattached side plot with Kenan and Conner. 

Clayton Henry brings a very clean style to the proceedings, interesting choice given the chaos of the zone. He shine with the character beats, specifically the Mon-El  beats. Michael Shelfer continues to sparkle in the Kenan/Conner side adventure bringing some energy there.

So far so good with this arc. On to specifics.

Review: Action Comics #1072 Superman Story

Action Comics #1072 came out last week, continuing the 'Phantoms' arc by writer Mark Waid. 

Waid has been really firing on all cylinders with this arc so far and this chapter is no different. He had me at 'Superman battling Aethyr in the Phantom Zone'. But throw in Professor Xa-Du, Mon-El, and a crackling fun subplot with Kenan and Conner, and this book just sizzles.

This is a new Phantom Zone with pockets of solidity, crazy monsters, and new tortures present. He is giving us a Mon-El with a bit of an edge. So Waid is giving us something new. But, per usual, he is also leaning into DC history. Aethyr alone is a deep pull. But when I saw a quick retelling of Mon-El's origin and it is close to classic, I was thrilled. It is that perfect tightrope walk of old and new.  

And the story, of a benevolent Aethyr turned by the vileness of the prisoners, is also interesting.

Clayton Henry is on art for the bulk of the story. His smooth style somehow works given the chaotic environment of the Zone. There is a very organic sort of fullness to everyone. But I am really taken by Michael Shelfer's work on the Kenan/Conner subplot. There is a dynamism therw.

On to the book.

Review: Action Comics #1071 Superman Story

Still catching up on reviews after vacation which means I am finishing my review of last week's books now. So on to the main story in last week's Action Comics #1071, written by Mark Waid with art by Clayton Henry and Michael Shelfer.

Unlike the Supergirl back-up in this issue, writer Mark Waid pushes the story forward in a very entertaining way. There are mysteries here. This is a 'new' Phantom Zone, part physical, filled with odd monsters. That is a mystery. There is a heck of a cliffhanger, with a known enemy turning out to be a long lost friend. So there is a lot still to be known like any good tale early in the telling. But it isn't stagnant. We even get a fun little subplot with Kenan and Conner.

Waid, being the sort of fan he is, also is able to weave in a bunch of DC history. We get a quick primer on the Zone itself. We get some classic villains. It works very well. 

Clayton Henry remains solid on art. This is a story with lots of varying landscapes, monsters, villains, and action. It unfolds wonderfully. The action in particular works well, especially in the context of the barren landscape and crazy spider monsters. Michael Shelfer, someone new to me, is on art for the subplot pages and brings a zany energy which is perfect.

On to the story.