Supergirl Episode 3 - Fight Or Flight

"Fight or Flight", the third episode of Supergirl show, aired earlier this week and was easily the best episode to date.

From the very beginning, even before the show was released, we had heard about themes that would be running through this program. We were going to see a young Supergirl, grasping her destiny of being a hero, but learning along the way. This was going to be an empowering story about a young woman, supported by mother and sister. She was going to strive to be her own person, not defined by Superman. And there was going to be some love interests and comedy.

This episode hit everyone of these themes. It was fantastic. Now I will say, the dreaded love triangle between 'Win who loves Kara who likes James' is the one part of the show that seems a bit unnecessary. But the rest of it was perfect.

And I haven't even mentioned that it also starred Reactron!

The episode starts where the last one ends with Cat Grant interviewing Supergirl.

The scene is great with Supergirl standing up to Cat's questions. Elements of Supergirl's origin might be similar to Superman's but this is 'her story!'. Supergirl says she takes her job as hero seriously; it's why she didn't appear earlier.

But best of all, when Cat asks her about wanting to start a family, Supergirl lashes out saying that no one asks her cousin those types of questions. How true is that? How often do we hear about professional women asked in interviews about make-up, babies, and boyfriends? Those topics are never brought up with men in similar positions. It was a much more subtle and therefore much more powerful comment than the 'is it because I'm a girl' ones we saw in the earlier airings.

Back at CatCo, Cat is giddy with her scoop that Supergirl is Superman's cousin. Cat even says 'The Daily Planet can suck it!'.

Not everyone is happy that Supergirl revealed her relationship to Superman.

Hank Henshaw thinks it was foolish, comparing it to being part of a reality show 'Keeping up with the Kryptonians'. (Hilarious.) Win isn't sure if it was smart.

And Reactron, scarred and obviously ill, sees an opportunity. Superman will pay ... and Supergirl is the cost.

At the DEO, Supergirl hears of a pile up on the interstate. Even as Henshaw tries to stall her, as this is a non-alien emergency, Supergirl flies off. She doesn't delay in desire to help people.

Flying on scene, Supergirl saves someone trapped in an overturned bus. I love that we are seeing these more simple heroics, building up good will for Kara. Even the Firefighter calls her Supergirl and tells her how she can help, recognizing her as an ally.

Reactron arrives and there is a huge brawl in the street. The Reactron power bolts look just  as they did when Jamal Igle drew them. In my favorite moment, Supergirl pulls a car door off, uses it as a shield, and then slams Reactron with it. Just wonderful!

His armor sparking and damaged, Reactron flees.

Supergirl learns that Reactron (she thinks it is a stupid name, love it!) fought Superman to a standstill a number of times. And Reactron has kidnapped science mogul Maxwell Lord to help repair his armor.

Win, meanwhile, has set up a mini-headquarters in an abandoned office in Catco. Win has figured out a way to find Reactron. Jimmy doesn't think she should face him because Clark almost died the last time they fought.

And just like that, Jimmy has outed Clark's secret identity to Win. Just insanity.

Supergirl isn't listening to Jimmy though.Kara states that she is trying to figure out what being Supergirl means, and she needs to be defined by her victories and defeats. She can't call Superman in to save the day. Given how leaving Superman's shadow and becoming her own person is a huge part of Supergirl's mythos, I loved that as well.

The Super Friends are joined by Alex and they are able to figure out that Reactron is Ben Krull, a nuclear physicist who was thought dead when his reactor melted down. Superman minimized the damage and saved the day for the most part. But Krull and his wife were thought dead. Krull must have survived and blames Superman for the death of his wife.

I don't know if I needed a sympathetic backstory for Reactron. In the comics he is always just a sadistic bastard. I did like that this origin leads to Kara thinking she can try to talk to Krull first. She will try to plea to someone who is hurting before resorting to 'punching him real hard until he falls down.'

That last statement is the sort of mix of optimism and fierceness that I like seeing in Supergirl.

Supergirl flies and is able to rescue Lord. But Reactron gets the upper hand in battle and is almost about to kill her when a familiar shape arrives to save the day. Confronted by Superman, Reactron once again flees.

Jimmy had called Superman with a signal watch. Jimmy was worried. But Kara is angry. She needs to fight her own battles.

Reactron crashes a media party celebrating the Tribune's Supergirl exclusive forcing Supergirl to engage him again. From DEO headquarters, Alex and Henshaw (clearly a Cyborg, sensing Alex is in the DEO HQ)  have figured out that Supergirl can defeat Reactron by ripping his mini-reactor out of his chest plate. But it needs to be encased in lead or it'll explode, nuking the city. Meanwhile, Jimmy lures Reactron away from Supergirl by saying that killing Superman's Pal would be more emotionally damaging than Reactron killing his cousin.

Kara melts a lead piece of art in the party venue, coating her hand. In a brawl in an open lot, moves in, hoists Reactron up, and rips out the nuclear device with her leaded fist.

It is a great fight with great effects. So good.

I have left out a lot of 'love triangle' bits. Kara dances with Win until Jimmy cuts in. Alex can tell Kara is crushing on Jimmy. But the triangle becomes a rhombus when Lucy Lane, Jimmy's ex, arrives.

A bit distraught, Kara is thrilled to get some IM's from Clark. Clark says he thinks she is doing great, defeating Reactron when he couldn't, and that it was a job for Supergirl. The look of happiness and pride on Kara's face is incredible. For me, this was the best moment of the show. Not the action, not the nuclear bolts, not the romance. This scene, where Superman acknowledges Supergirl's worth, was just powerful.

The writers and producers needed to do this. Superman was the elephant in the room, the shadow Supergirl has always needed to step out from under. So we 'saw him', he knows she can handle herself, he is proud of her, he doesn't need to come back. Hurrah!

I also liked that Alex was a great sister and friend here. There wasn't the 'don't be a hero/be a hero' turn this episode. She gives a nice speech about how this is the beginning of Supergirl's career. I guess it was James' turn to doubt Supergirl.

I know that ratings are down. But this show is just getting better and better. The way Supergirl is determined to be a hero, her own hero is empowering. The way she leaps into situations to help people is admirable. The fights are fierce. It all seems to be working. I only hope the word of mouth continues to spread so that the buzz doesn't fade.

Waiting For Doom Podcast: Supergirl and Doom Patrol

While Supergirl is my favorite character, there are plenty of other areas of comics that I absolutely love. The Legion of Super-Heroes has been a part of my comic collecting for almost my entire reading life. A

But another team I adore is the Doom Patrol. I have been dabbling in the Patrol in almost all their incarnations (sorry, no Byrne Patrol for me).

As a fan, I love the Waiting For Doom podcast, a show hosted by Paul and Mike and covering all of the Patrol, from the original Drake/Premiani stuff to the present. It is a show that I look forward to listening to each week. You should listen to it too! Here is the link: http://waitingfordoom.podbean.com/e/episode-39-waiting-for-supergirl-with-dr-anj/

This week, I was a guest on the show! The hosts asked me to come on to talk about the times Supergirl and the Doom Patrol teamed up and I was more than happy to join them. Hope you guys like the discussion.

I figured I would post some panels and briefly bullet review the stories for those who can't listen to the show.

It is an odd team-up. Maybe a team-up in name only. Because even though the story runs in three issues of Superman Family, 191-193, Supergirl and the Patrol only meet up in the last pages of the last issue.

The story starts with Supergirl investigating the odd death of a scientist in Florida, where she resided at the time.

Meanwhile, the Patrol happens to be vacationing in London when gravity goes haywire there, with earthquakes and tremors shaking the town apart.

In an almost scripted call to action, the Patrol sheds their civilian clothes to help the citizens.

Meanwhile, the scientist from Florida, someone name Clement seemed to had died in an experiment at his house, emerges as an enraged villain calling himself The Graviton Man!  When Supergirl arrives he attacks and gravity suddenly goes insane with everyone and everything floating into space.

Clement keeps talking about someone named Tain, someone he needs to get revenge on.

In the next issue, Clement takes off to Europe to find Tain. Meanwhile, Supergirl has to anchor everyone in Florida to the ground.

But that is just the beginning. Atmosphere will be ripped away from the world as well.

Meanwhile in Europe, the man named Tain has emerged and he also is in gravity powered armor.

We then get a long long monologue by Tain where he explains that Tain and Clement are related. But their family split in Colonial times. Clement stayed in American and flourished. Tain stayed in England and lost everything. However, oddly enough, now both of the surviving relatives happened to work in gravity experimentation. Now they can kill each other.

This seemed like an overly detailed history for two guys you know would never be heard from again.

Supergirl arrives to Europe and the two dueling cousins decide to eliminate Supergirl together before finishing their fight. Over the ocean they do foolish things like throwing the Titanic and a shark at the Maid of Might.

Eventually, they do get the upper hand, hammering Kara with the gravity energy directly.

Meanwhile, the Patrol, still in London, have discovered Tain's lab. They can shut down Tain's power from there. But they see on a giant monitor that Supergirl is getting crushed. Cliff sends Val and Joshua to aid Supergirl while he and Celsius shut down the gravity power there.

Over the ocean, Josh blasts Clement's armor to bits eliminating his threat.

Just like that, everything is normal.

I suppose there is some unseen introductions. But basically the team up of the whole Patrol and Supergirl is this last panel where Supergirl says goodbye.

I find it odd that the gravity villains are marched through town naked. Weird.

And yes, that blob of energy was pulling the strings all along. We know that blob is eventually revealed to be Lesla Lar!

The Daring New Adventures issues 8 and 9 are also covered on the show. This was a more classic crossover and also was the first appearance of Reactron!

I have covered those issues here and here.

Please listen to the show and give it some feedback. I love the Patrol and this show is the place for Doom Patrol fans to go!

New Supergirl Trailer

Last night was the beginning of the new CBS season with the airing of several premieres including Big Bang Theory and Scorpion. But for me, the big CBS news was the release during Scorpion of a new 'sizzler' reel for Supergirl! And boy, was I floored. Here is the link, you may as well bookmark it as you are going to be watching it a ton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQASIzTNHHw

But there is a lot to review about this preview. And here are a 'few' of my thoughts. We start of with Melissa Benoist in costume, walking to the screen and looking up hopefully.

Next we learn that Fort Rozz, a space prison for the worst criminals has crash landed on Earth. The person walking away is Vartox (we know that from the prior footage released). So we have an explanation for the 'villain of the week' premise as well as why these disparate characters are all on Earth at the same time.

Of course, Fort Rozz in the comics was a Kryptonian military base that at one point was in the Phantom Zone. So I wonder if somehow Kara (whose rocket we know languished in the Phantom Zone in the show) coming to Earth dragged the prison to Earth.

And then we get the villains.

Check out the absolutely frightening Hellgrammite, who sports a rather Predator-y grin!

And then Reactron!

I mean .... how awesome is this shot. The nuclear powered villain! There is a great shot here of Supergirl holding back a beam with her hand that looks straight out of the comics!

I can't believe what I am seeing!

That is a live action Reactron!!!

Fantastic!!

But we also see Supergirl fighting a flying female.

We know that Livewire is going to be on the show. But this doesn't look like Livewire. No lightning effects. So who could this be? Black Flame??

Any thoughts??

We also see the whole gamut of Kryptonian powers.

We see heat vision. We see super breath. And here, I think we see super-hearing, Kara listening and tuning into something before streaking off to the rescue.

I also loved that we got to see a lot of the supporting cast. We see Cat Grant with Maxwell Lord. We see Adam Grant.

I loved this brief scene where we see Alex training Kara, tossing her around an octagon style fighting arena. This Kara has hidden her powers all this time. She has lived as a gopher for Cat. She shouldn't know how to fight. So I thought this made perfect sense. And I love it is Alex doing the training. It shows the sister relationship.

The preview ends with Jimmy and Win learning that both know Kara's secret.

I love the shock on both of their faces.

Throughout the preview, Benoist just radiates. She smiles. She seems hopeful. She grits her teeth in determination. She tosses punches and kicks. Benoist *is* Supergirl in these shots.

We are a short 34 days away. I can't wait.

Reactron Cast!

I had been busy with my con prep and the convention itself so didn't comment on the casting of Reactron announced last week.

Here is Entertainment Weekly's article: http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/29/supergirl-reactron-chris-browning

And here is a blurb that I found interesting!

Unfortunately, being the cousin of the Man of Steel comes with its drawbacks. Since Krull has never been able to defeat his rival, he’ll venture to National City to get revenge on Superman by trying to kill Supergirl.

I don't know much about Chris Browning despite having seen a number of movies he has been in. Maybe they were smaller roles? He looks to have a rugged enough look to be Reactron.

But the big news is that he is a Superman villain on the show and is looking to get revenge. I love the fact that Superman will be something of a presence (even if physically absent) on the show. And how great will it be when Supergirl defeats him, again having her grow as a hero and maybe stepping out a bit from Superman's shadow by defeating one of his villains.

And you already know how much I love Reactron. I am really happy that he is appearing here because he is truly a Supergirl villain, one of her few pure rogues.

Five Supergirl Villains I'd Like To See On The Show

I have been reporting on the Supergirl show, covering the news about casting, leaked plots, etc.

But I haven't really done too many posts about what I am hoping to see in the show. My plan was to do that as the show neared.

Blog friend Count Drunkula recently asked me to post about the top 5 villains I would like to see on the show. I was struck my the muse.

So here are the 5 villains I would like to see appear on the upcoming Supergirl show. I will put a caveat to this post. I wanted to post about Supergirl specific villains that I want to see. I could, for example, say I would want to see Poison Ivy. But Ivy isn't a Supergirl villain. I also wanted to include villains that have had an impact on the character as well, appearing in different incarnations of Supergirl if possible. And I also wanted the villain to have the power to stand up against a Kryptonian.

First off, a tip of the cap to the also-rans who didn't make it to the top 5: Lesla Lar, Black Flame, Nasty Luthor, and Brainiac.

We'll go in reverse order, leading up to the villain I want to see the most.

Number 5: The Gang

Okay, the Gang is a little known villain group from the earliest issues of Daring New Adventures. These were humans who somehow gained powers. Brains has her intelligence. Ms. Mesmer can hypnotize. Bulldozer can run into people and bowl them over. And Kong is super-strong.

Outside of the Daring New issues, we only saw them in 2 panels in Sterling Gates run.

However, they are often the butt of jokes for Supergirl-haters. So I would love to see them on the show to get a little respect. Also, I think one of the things that could hamper a Kryptonian is numbers. A true Gang of super-humans would have more of a chance against Supergirl.

Number 4: Blackstarr

Blackstar also was first seen in the Daring New Adventures run and had the pure power to stand up to Supergirl. Blackstarr had solved the universal equation of physics and as a result seemed to have some command over matter and energy. She fought Supergirl to a standstill a couple of time. As a result she is a proper villain who could challenge Kara.

And the idea of Blackstarr survived. In the panel on the left, from Action Comics #850, Supergirl fights Blackstar (in a possible future). She also was seen in the background of a panel in Sterling Gates' run as well.

Number 3: Satan Girl

Now we are getting into the cream of the crop of recurring Supergirl villains.

Satan Girl has appeared in three different incarnations of Supergirl's history. She has, albeit in different forms and identities, fought the Silver Age Supergirl, Peter David's Earth Angel Supergirl, and even the Sterling Gates' Supergirl.

While the name is a little wonky for television, you could definitely figure out how to put her in the show. The latter two incarnations are magic-based villains. A magic-based villain could definitely stand up to Supergirl and battle her.

Since she has been around in different incarnations, I would love to see her on the show.

Number 2: Reactron

Reactron is another villain who started out in Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (boy, Paul Kupperberg put his stamp on the character). A nuclear based powerhouse, he was able to hold his own against Supergirl and even the Doom Patrol back then.

In the Sterling Gates' run and during the World of New Krypton mega-arc, Reactron returned as a gold-kryptonite powered assassin. He played a huge role in the super-books throughout that storyline. In particular, he became a nemesis for Supergirl, killing her father Zor-El, and hounding Kara for years.

While I doubt that Gold Kryptonite would make it onto the show, you certainly could make him science based or nuclear powered. He could be a decent enough threat to make him interesting.

And my number one hope to appear on the show ...

Number 1: Silver Banshee

Banshee is a magic-based death demon and as such can be a true danger to Supergirl. We have seen the Banshee encounter Supergirl in Peter David's run, the Sterling Gates' era Kara, and even the New 52 Supergirl. She has been a sympathetic, a friend, even a frenemy. You could play up any or all of those characteristics.

She is visually stunning.

But most of all, she has a power set that would make her dangerous.

And so that's my top 5 villains I would like to see appear in the Supergirl show.

Who would you like to see?

Tuesday Musings

Okay, I will pause from Supergirl show news for a day to get back to comics.

It was something of a slow comic week for me with only 2 issues in my pull file. With a few extra bucks in my hand, I decided to make a couple of impulse buys. And, as is often the case, luck was with me as many had a Supergirl moment for me to ponder. So I figured I would share my musings.

First up is Scooby Doo Team Up #9, a fun little issue where the Scooby Gang have to foil the plans of the Prankster while trying to rein in a Red Kryptonite enraged Superman.

Writer Sholly Fisch and artist Dario Brizuela already gave us a great issue teaming up the Mystery Machine and the Superfriend in Team Up #6 in a story that included 'Rupergirl'!  So I figured I should grab the issue and have some fun and then play it forward to a younger reader.

We don't get Supergirl in this issue but at least she is name-dropped.

The Scooby Gang uses Jimmy's signal watch to try to bring Supergirl to Metropolis. But she doesn't respond. Instead Krypto arrives.

Things get even crazier as they try to stop both the monstrous Superman and the Prankster. At one point, Shaggy drinks the Elastic Lad serum and Scooby gets powers.

While there weren't many new books for me to buy, the dollar box was plentiful. I was in the midst of a 'nearly only Vertigo' period in my comic collecting so I wasn't getting Superman on a monthly basis. So this issue, Superman #20, was missed. There is was in the dollar box!

As I have said, I liked Byrne's reboot if only because it breathed new life into the mythos, a way to reimagine and meet these characters again. Plus, there is the Doom Patrol!

But then I got this treat! The Matrix Supergirl!!

We first met her back in Superman #16, buried under the ice.

Here she is in Smallville, living with Lana. We knew almost nothing about her at this time. She was sort of a blank slate. But here she is, in that red skirt costume I love, hoisting a tractor.

The sight of Ma and Pa Kent is shocking to her. She says they are dead. She talks about Lex. And then she goes catatonic.

Next issue began the incredible important Supergirl Saga, redefining Supergirl and having Superman execute the Phantom Zone villains of the pocket universe. That story sets up Superman's exile into space and opened up a whole other year's worth of stories.

I am sooo happy I bought this. I love Byrne's art in this time period and Matrix is perfect!

This is my favorite version of Supergirl's costume ... similar to the upcoming show's costume!

Now this issue I know I did own at one point but it had become lost!

So I was so happy to find another copy of Secret Origins Annual #1, another John Byrne/Doom Patrol issue!

In case you can't tell, I love the Patrol. So this issue, the prequel to the rebooted comic by Paul Kupperberg and Steve Lightle, is a great primer on the team.

So what is the Supergirl connection here?

Well, this was only 18 months after the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The history of the DC universe was still in flux. What was in? What was out? How do you rewrite things when key characters ... like Supergirl ... no longer existed. Ever.

Well, it means that the prior Supergirl/Doom Patrol crossover, the adventure when they fight Reactron together, is now a Power Girl/Doom Patrol crossover. This was just months after Power Girl's origin was rewritten as Arion's descendant.

But this just reminds me that there was a time when Supergirl simply didn't exist. Her adventures were recast or erased. And that seems so foreign now in a world where she has had hit books and a television show in production.

Anyways ... those are my Tuesday musings.

Who's Who: Reactron

Folks who come to this blog enough have probably heard me talk about the Fire and Water Podcast a weekly comics podcast run by Rob Kelly of the http://www.aquamanshrine.net/ and the Irredeemable Shag of http://firestormfan.com/

As you can tell by the name and their blogs, the podcast is Aquaman and Firestorm centric although they often cover DC comics in general and other trending news. It is must listening for me on Monday mornings. The two also, as an adjunct, have a Who's Who podcast where they have been reviewing the 1985 DC Who's Who page by page, character by character. It is my favorite of their family of podcasts and are definitely worth listening to. I have promoted it before but I don't mind talking it up again.

And what better reason to do it than on this day when they are reviewing Who's Who The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Volume XIX which includes one of my favorite Supergirl rogues ... Reactron

Now don't ask me why Reactron is spooning with the Reverse Flash on this Ernie Colon cover. That looks like a invasion of personal space although Reactron's smile makes me think he's okay with it.

And here is Reactron's Who's Who entry, a half sheet just above Red Bee.

It is the standard Carmine Infantino pose for most of his Who's Who pages. But the surprint is a nice action shot of Reactron blasting Supergirl. The origin is brief recapping Ben 'Reactron' Krullen obtaining powers after radiation  exposure in Vietnam and then gaining control when he teamed up with The Council. It does ignore his connection to Tempest of the New Doom Patrol. Josh Clay served with Krullen.

Reactron is one of the true Supergirl rogues who has had some longevity. After Supergirl was erased from continuity in the Crisis, his history was linked to Power Girl. He then had numerous interactions in the Doom Patrol comic that emerged post-Crisis. Of course, he was then recreated by Sterling Gates around the time of New Krypton, playing a significant role in Supergirl's life ... killing both her parents! You can read my prior posts on Reactron here: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/search/label/Reactron

I have not covered Reactron's Doom Patrol appearances. We just finished Psi-sightings. Should we do a run of Reactron Reactions?

Carmine Infantino 1925-2013

I was working late last evening when I learned that Carmine Infantino passed away.

While best known for his work on the Flash, he was a prolific artist and touched just about every DC book there was, either as a penciler or as an editor. Many of the posts about his work talk about his Flash, his Batman, his Batgirl, and even his Star Wars books for Marvel. But for me, he is best known for his work on the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, having drawn every issue of the title.

When I first collected Daring, I thought Infantino's are was pretty lousy. But as with many of the greats who I originally belittled in my youth (names like Ditko and Kirby come to mind), I rediscovered Infantino later in life and understood and appreciated his work better. The Supergirl in this book had come into her own, was confident in her skills, and used her powers to the maximum. There was a certain sort of strength and joy in how Infantino drew her in the book, something which is obvious to me now. I mean, look at that Kara in the panel above. She is pretty happy and comfortable with who she is.

I recently stumbled onto that picture in the 1983 DC Sampler, a free book with 2 page layouts publicizing some of the ongoing title DC was putting out at the time. The book was released on 6/20/83 (per Mike's Amazing World of Comics )  and had spreads for many of the DC books that were coming out or popular at the time, including Infantino's Supergirl.

Here is the complete Supergirl promo piece, a 2 page recap of recent issues by creative team writer Paul Kupperberg and Infantino.

"Echoes of Times Gone By" is light on content as it basically reviews Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #'s 8-12. I miss this Supergirl. She was an established character with her own personality. She was confident and strong and talked to Superman like a colleague ... not like he was a mentor and she was a sidekick.

The biggest thing here is that first page showcasing the new Supergirl costume complete with red skirt and shoulders and fancy yellow trimmed boots. This is the costume that this Supergirl wore for the remainder of her story right up to Crisis on Infinite Earths.Given the solicit date, this was probably the first place that this new costume was seen!

But Infantino adds a lot more to the pages than just that opening splash. From the first panel of the flashbacks with Kara's profile to the action scene with Reactron, everything flows nicely. His Flash was a very fluid blur running across the pages. I have a better grasp of his genius now.

I had the honor of meeting Carmine Infantino a couple of years ago at the Boston Comic Con and got to thank him for his time on Supergirl and his work in the field.

My condolences to Mr. Infantino's friends and family. Another legend has passed and he will be missed.

The Sampler is a nice little addition to any Supergirl collection given its scarcity and that it is the first place for the headband costume (oddly without headband) to be seen.

Interview With Mahmud Asrar On Superman Homepage

Over on the Superman Homepage, there is a great interview with Supergirl artist Mahmud Asrar. Here is the link to the interview in its entirety:
http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/interviews/interviews-intro.php?topic=c-interview_asrar1
  
If you are a fan of Asrar, you should definitely head there to read this. It is a great piece going over a variety of topics from his beginnings in the comic world through his current run on Supergirl. I picked out a couple of questions to cover here as the answers were interesting.

Q: You'd previously been hired to work for DC Comics on the "Brightest Day: Atom" oneshot and an Atom back-up feature in "Adventure Comics", how did you get the job of being the artist on the relaunch of "Supergirl"? What was the process behind that?

A: Right after the "Giant-Size Atom" book I started working on "Star Wars: Jedi - The Dark Side". While I was on that DC offered me the chance to do some covers for "Supergirl". This was for the pre-New 52 book. Later I was asked if I'd be interested in doing an ongoing book for them. They were being really vague and after a non-disclosure agreement I was filled in on the details. Turns out I was being offered to be a part of the New 52 with Supergirl. I was pleased as I was looking to do a single character book with a preferably female protagonist.

I can remember when Asrar's covers for the prior Supergirl comic came out, I was pretty impressed by them. In particular I thought this cover really stood out as being fantastic. It has almost a pulp or noir feel to it with Supergirl and the heroes literally being in the palm of the villain's hand (I still feel funny calling that guy Triplexxx).

So I am not surprised that DC approached him to do Supergirl for the new 52.

I am pretty sure this cover was going to be the cover for the Good Looking Corpse trade paperback, a book which ultimately was never released.

Q: There's always a lot of discussion regarding the sexualization of female characters in comic books. Many feel that the design of Kara's costume in the "New 52" is inappropriate for a teenage girl, especially from the waist down. What are you thoughts on this? And what do you like/dislike most about this version of Supergirl's design?

A: Truthfully, I completely disagree on this regarding Kara. Sure, there are obviously sexualized or overtly provocative costumes on some characters out there but I don't think Kara fits that category. Kara's costume and its purpose has been hinted at in the first and sixth issues. It's basically a training outfit. If you take a look at modern sports, you'll see that female athletes dress up pretty lightly. So in that sense, or any other sense, I don't think Kara's outfit is sexualized or provocative at all. Admittedly I try to draw her attractive but I aim to keep it tasteful at all times.

So I don't necessarily think that this costume is overtly sexualized, not in this day when Starfire, Dejah Thoris, and Emma Frost grace comics covers. I do think that the red covering of the 'crotch panel' and the intricate corners around that area do tend to draw the eye. To be honest, I'd be happy with a simply blue unitard with the S-symbol.

But I agree and am very glad that the book remains tasteful. There are no cheesecake poses or awkward anatomically impossible preening or even provocative points of view or panel angles in this book. There is nothing gratuitous or distracting. Instead we get straight up comic book action.

Q: Can you let us in on any upcoming Supergirl storylines you are working on or will soon be working on? What are you most looking forward to?

A: Right now I'm working on the zero issue. I'll be vague here to avoid getting sliced and diced by the DC legal ninjas but expect quite a few answers on Kara and her origins. It'll be a very gratifying issue for long time readers while being an excellent starting off point. Also we've got some surprising new, but maybe familiar, characters appearing in upcoming issues. You'll never guess who.

Hmmm ... another hint that we will see new but familiar characters in the future. I am going to restate my theory that Reactron will once again be a Supergirl rogue ... either as Zor-El's assassin (again) or as the 5th World Killer (although he might be a she in this incarnation).

Either way, echoes of Supergirl's history in this incarnation (as in the last and in Peter David's book) are always appreciated as they acknowledge her mythos.

Thanks again to the Superman Homepage for conducting the interview and letting me repost these questions here.