Review: Superman #42

Superman #42, the penultimate chapter of the Kingdom of Zod crossover, came out this week and brought us closer to an ending. But I don't know if it brought me closer to liking this event. So many questions. So many magical answers. So much I don't understand. 

Joshua Williamson does a solid job on this from a character viewpoint. There are good character bits for Prime and Superman. There is a wonderful moment for the cousins. And there is some intersesting interaction between Superman and this young Zod. There is even a nod to some Krypton history that might make me crack open old books to remind myself.

But the big parts of this story - the Kryptonite meteor, Zod's plot, the removal of the expanding Green K- have been inscrutable. Why would Zod want to invade Earth and thought the best way was to shower it with variant Green K? How did he get it? How did he coat it in inertron? Why did it grow? How did Superman deactivate it? All stuff I have to roll with and since all those are key points to the story, it feels like too much. In this issue we get a preview for what will for sure be the deus ex machina for the finale.

So will I be a bit happy to see this wrap up next week? Yes. It is too much of a headache to think about.

The art is a nice split between Eddy Barrows, who continues to shine and Eduardo Pansica, an old friend around these parts. Their styles are sort of similar so the issue flows fine. There are a couple of very well done big art moments that added some punch here. And I love love love the Takara variant cover above.

But on to the book.

Review: Action Comics #1102

Action Comics #1102 came out last week, the next issue in the Kingdom Of Zod event, and the second chapter focusing on a time travel jaunt to Krypton before it exploded. I have struggled with the main plot of a Kryptonite plague happening on Earth. But chapters 5 and 6 of this event have been an interesting diversion, taking us back to Krypton and focusing on the two characters who would have the most interesting take on being on the planet again - Kara and young Clark.

Mark Waid has been doing a great job on the current Superboy stories in Action Comics, letting us see him at the earliest stages, learning his powers, and growing as a hero. But he barely knows about Krypton as a concept. So seeing him on Krypton, experiencing it for the first time, and knowing that perhaps he could change things and have it survive is all interesting. Waid clearly knows young Clark's voice and he makes these stories compelling. 

And Waid also loves Supergirl and she continues to shine in this Krypton arc, weighing her love of the planet and her need to keep the timeline and Superman's legacy intact. Supergirl might actually be the star of this issue.

The action is also great with Kara and Clark trying to escape a Krypton prison, get Ursa to stop talking, and get back to the time bubble. 

Montos is on art and his fine pencil style works well here. His fight scenes really shine as you see the effort and anger on the combatants.

On to the book.

Review: Supergirl #17

Supergirl #17 came out this week, the 5th chapter in the Kingdom Of Zod event, and the first on this side plot of a time trip back to Krypton. I have had a bit of a hard time understanding what Zod was hoping to accomplish with his 'growing Kryptonite' plot. But things changed last issue with Zod being killed by Ursa. Then Ursa, Kara, and young Clark all hopped a time bubble to try and stop Krypton from exploding. That is one left turn.

And with so much time spent on Krypton, the Earth story of the growing K is a bit in the background and I didn't mind that!

Sophie Campbell makes a meal out of the side trip showing us how Kara is approaching the whole thing. I like the maturity Supergirl shows, recognizing that despite her love for her world she cannot interfere with the timeline. In fact, that worry about changing things seems to overwhelm her thoughts. How can she stop Ursa, interact on the planet, and not change things. We get a lot of Kara this issue which doesn't always happen in this series and the full cast. I was glad to get this deep dive into our title hero's psyche.

Of course, this being a time travel story you have to think hard or not think at all. If this trip is now in the timeline, maybe anything they did IS the timeline and not disrupting it. Hmmm ...

The art is mix of Joe Quinones and Bruno Frenda. Both give us wonderful renditions of Supergirl, leaning into the emotions she is feeling being back on Krypton. There is one moment that could have used a bit more poignancy but things move pretty fast here.

On to the issue.

Review: Superman #41

Superman #41 came out this week, the next chapter in the Kingdom of Zod crossover. This is a 9-parter and this is chapter 4 so we are basically at the halfway mark. And this is quite an issue as it takes a hard ... and I mean HARD ... left turn taking this story to two places I was not expecting.

I will say that this whole arc is building off of the  Kneel Before Zod mini-series from 2 years ago. (All those issues are reviewed here at that link so feel free to dive in!) I will remind you that mini-series was supposed to be 12 issues but was cut by DC to 9, so I wonder if some of this plot was supposed to be touched on or even begun there. Also, as pointed out by friend Mart Gray, the opening pages which fill in what happened in that mini are direct lifts from that book. (Hope writer Joe Casey and artist Dan McDaid are getting some compensation.) In that book, I was surprised by how beaten down Zod was initially and how domineering Ursa was. Suffice it to say, we see that play out here.

I will also say that one of my biggest peeves about this whole story is the 'Kryptonite everywhere' aspect when it seems to have little or no impact on the action. Our Kryptonian heroes seem more irritated by being surrounded by Green K than in agony. So I decided to read this issue ignoring the Green K conundrum and I found that it reads better that way. But it seems odd that I can ignore the driving plot element. And I wonder if we will ever learn how Zod got that massive Green K meteor, altered it, covered it in intertron, and sent it on its way.

But enough backstory, Joshua Williamson and Eddy Barrows give us the best chapter of this arc. We get decent action. We get some plot progression. We get to see Superman in action. And we get two ... no three ... major developments and plot twists. I don't know if those new threads will pay off but I am more interested in them than the growing Green K stuff. 

On to the details.

Review: Kneel Before Zod #3

Kneel Before Zod #3 came out last week and was a bit of a slowdown of the pace of this book. The first issue laid out about 5 plotlines. The second issue showed us that Zod was going through some sort of emotional turmoil, exhausted with where his life has taken him and perhaps not as bloodthirsty. Suddenly it was Ursa who was the more dominant, more proactive, more violent Kryptonian on the New Kandor. 

This issue is mostly a display of how violent Zod and Ursa are. The Khunds decide to invade and that doesn't go too well. But, no spoilers needed since Bleeding Cool already did a while ago, Ursa dies at the end of the issue. Writer Joe Casey really kind of slow rolls the whole issue. One thing happens this issue - Ursa dying. The rest is just bloodshed.

Dan McDaid does a great job with the gore. Things are played out cinematically, with panels and angles swirling through the carnage. It is a slightly rough style but it meshes well with the story.

Still, it feels like this was 20 pages of gore to just get to the cliffhanger. The story doesn't really move forward outside of that shocking ending. 

On to the story.

Review: Kneel Before Zod #2

 When Kneel Before Zod was announced as a mini-series, I didn't know what to expect. For a while Zod was everywhere. Then he was nowhere. Now he was going to headline a book? And from creators who I didn't really know.

Kneel Before Zod #1 came out last month and was a solid first issue, laying out a number of plot threads. One of the more interesting ones was seeing the beginning of a rift between Ursa and Zod. For the last couple of decades, the two have been a team. Zod was the more calculating leader. Ursa the blood thirsty assassin, the tip of his sadistic spear. 

Last week Kneel Before Zod #2 came out and focused mostly on their interactions. Joe Casey shows us how things are unraveling. After years of seeing Zod portrayed as the ultimate alpha predator, looking to amass power and destroy his enemies, this issue showed us some cracks in his psyche. Last issue we saw him hallucinating Jor-El. This issue we see a weary leader who is a bit lost in machinations. His bloodlust seems dimmed. And Ursa is there, ready to seize control of their situation. Again, interesting. More than I thought the book might be. 

It is, for sure, an about face for everything we have read of Zod recently. While it seemed shocking, and maybe a bit out of character, I had to remind myself that it has been a while since we have seen him. Time has passed so there maybe things we don't know that has led him here. I am a giant fan of John Boorman's Excalibur. In that movie, Uther Pendragon, after years of marauding, wants to settle back and raise a child. He grew weary of battle. This issue reminded me of that.

All this leads to the dramatic cliffhanger of Ursa seizing control. Unfortunately, all thoughts about where this might go were spoiled by Bleeding Cool here. Read at your own risk.

Dan McDaid's art is bold and has a sort of blunt beauty to it. His Ursa is wonderfully mad. 

As an aside, seeing Ursa dominate Zod might rankle some people. But this is completely in her character. It made some sense to me that if she saw weakness, she would take control.

On to the book. 

Review: Kneel Before Zod #1

Every so often I am surprised by a book being green-lit. Who would think that DC would consider publishing a General Zod maxi-series? But here we are.

Kneel Before Zod #1 came out last week, the first issue in this title written by Joe Casey with art by Dan McDaid. About 2 years ago, I was likely to complain that Zod was being over-used. But I think this is going to be the first major current story for Zod since Batman/Superman #8 from 2020! That was pre-Covid. But I did have to revisit that story to remember how we got here. 

Zod is on a planet named New Kandor. He has half the bottled city of Kandor's citizens in his possession. He is present with his wife and son. And based on a recent back up in Action Comics #1060, he is performing some forced evolution on the natives of this planet to create a super-army. The United Planets are working with Zod but keeping a close eye on him.

With that backstory in place, we get this premiere issue. Kelly is showing us a typical Zod, hellbent on achieving his goals and ready to rule. But we also are seeing how addled he is, seeing visions of past enemies. We see how he is adherent to old customs of a dead world. And he is looking more and more alone with threats all around him.

As compelling of seeing a mentally and physically vulnerable Zod is, Casey also gives us an interesting take on Ursa and Lor-Zod. Ursa seems like a loving mother and a composed ruler. That is intriguing and a far cry from the knife wielding sadist I am used to. And Lor seems like a carbon copy of his dad, always incensed and ready to lash out.

Will all that keep my interest on a long series? I'm not sure yet. 

The art by Dan McDaid is economical, bringing a classic feel to the book. I also like the cover by Jason Shawn Alexander, a sort of warped view of the more loving All-Star Superman #10.

On to the book.

Best of 2010 - Honorable Mentions

Happy New Year's to everyone! I hope everyone had a fun and healthy holiday season.

The beginning of the new year means 'best of' retrospectives everywhere, a tradition I am happy to be part of here at Comic Box Commentary.

I'll be posting my end of the year review and top ten Supergirl comic book moments of 2010 on Monday. It is one of my favorite posts to do, looking back at the entire year and picking the scenes that stuck with me.

But 2010 was a banner year for Supergirl. This truly felt like a golden time to be a Supergirl fan. It was hard to pick just 10 moments. While I usually have a couple of honorable mentions, this year I had 6 ... too many to include in the main 'Best of' post. So I figured I would whet the appetite by separating my honorable mentions, giving them a post of their own.

Remember, these are the best moments from the books and as such won't include other places Supergirl appeared in 2010.

On to the Honorable Mentions!

#6 - 'Bat-Bra' - Batgirl #14 - Bryan Q Miller and Lee Garbett

The original Supergirl and Batgirl were great friends so I love the fact that the current incarnations are buddied too. I am pretty amazed at how effortless it has seemed to have the two young heroes become fast pals.

Batgirl #14 was a fun issue as Supergirl and Steph battle some vampires. It is that breezy feeling that permeates the title that has made me add it to my pull list. In one of my favorite moments in that issue, Kara springs to action, ripping off her civilian clothes to reveal her Supergirl uniform. When she asks Steph to do the same, Steph responds she'd be in her bra, and no it doesn't have bats on it. I love Steph's exasperated look!

Laugh out loud funny. We haven't seen the last of this issue in my look back at 2010.

#5 - 'Is that Supergirl?' - DCU Legacies #5 - George Perez

It has always irked me that Supergirl saved the universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths but no character remembers her sacrifice.

So imagine my surprise to see the original Supergirl, headband and all, in a couple of panels of DCU Legacies look back at the Crisis. Even if it is in the fevered memories of the narrator, the fact that some people in the DCU remember what that Kara did was fantastic.

And how great to see Perez version of the headband uniform again!

#4 - 'Ursa Showdown' - War of the Supermen #3 - James Robinson, Sterling Gates, and Cafu

One of my favorite parts of the New Krypton storyline was Ursa. A malicious and crazed sadist, Ursa was more like a force of nature. I mean, she wielded a Kryptonite knife despite the pain it caused her just to be able to kill other Kryptonians. She dominated every scene she was in.

So I was thrilled to see Supergirl and Ursa face off in War of the Supermen. It showed me just how much of a hero Kara was, squaring off against a such a skilled combatant as Ursa, someone with no morals or battle honor. Cafu's art really sizzled in the book.

This scene would have made the top ten if Supergirl won the fight. But it made more sense for Ursa to win.

#3 - Posing like Superman - Supergirl #54 - Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle

Not so much a scene as a pose, I loved this splash page from Supergirl #54. Finally shaken from her post-New Krypton catatonia, Kara dons the Supergirl uniform and goes out to face BizarroGirl.

It is clear that this pose mirrors the iconic Superman pose from the cover of Superman #1. As an amateur comic historian, I love small homages like this. It shows how much of a fan Gates and Igle are, and how much respect they have for the character. Perfect!

#2 - Damien crushing on Supergirl - Superman/Batman #77 - Joshua Williamson and Ale Garza

No character has grown more in my eyes in 2010 then Damien Wayne. At first I couldn't stand him, so much I didn't collect Grant Morrison's Batman run (and I love Morrison). But he has become more complex and nuanced especially in Batman and Robin.

Superman/Batman #77 teamed him up with Supergirl in another adventure that had its share of lighthearted moments. But the best moment was the end when Dick Grayson realizes that Damien has a crush on Supergirl. It was as if a puzzle piece in the character fell into place. He can't always be a hardened assassin boy wonder. And Supergirl has stood up to him in the past (more on that later). So of course he would be smitten with her. This stands out as a 'best of Supergirl' moment with no Supergirl!

#1 - I don't scare easily - Supergirl #50 - Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle

There is always one honorable mention that comes verrrryyy close to making the top ten. This moment was on and off the list so much it should be labeled #11 on the 'best of' list.

Fighting the Insect Queen, Supergirl stands defiantly and says 'I am Kara Zor-El ... and I don't scare easily', a line lifted from the Supergirl movie.

Again, it is one of those moments that let me know that Gates and Igle are true fans of the character, slipping in signature dialogue from the movie into the comic book. Much like the Superman pose above, it is that recognition and appreciation of the character's history that made this run so special. Even the pose Igle puts her in is reminiscent of Helen Slater's when she says that line. How can you not like a Supergirl movie line being said by the Supergirl comic character?

Okay, those are my honorable mentions, the last scenes that fell to the cutting room floor. The main list will be up in a couple of days!

Review: War Of The Supermen #4

It all came down to this.

War of the Supermen #4, out this week, was the big finale, the wrap-up of nearly two years worth of stories, the final chapter.

As I have said throughout this mini-series, this couldn't have been an easy task for writers Sterling Gates and James Robinson. They had to be walking a fine line between keeping the plot moving, touching on all the storylines, and having them reach their conclusion and doing so in a very compressed format. Which scenes can happen off screen? Which happen on screen? If on screen, how much space do they deserve? 2 panels ... 4 ... 6 ... 2 pages?

I am sure that there are scenes that the writers wish they had the space to play out in a much more in depth way. There are some scenes I wish were longer.

In many ways, this I felt like this series was trying to be a sort of giant reset button, removing most of the New Krypton arc so that the new directions of Superman can be started with a clean slate. But I think that is wrong. The events of this long arc should be long-standing. This should be something that effects the characters for some time, something they should be reflecting on.

As with most 'big issues', this review is long.

I had to show the Aaron Lopresti variant cover before getting to the story. Sure, the main focus is Superman, sporting the scars of battle.

But I love the two inset panels too. That is one angry Supergirl throttling General Lane, eyes glowing. I also love that Donna Troy and Congorilla somehow made the cut to show that the war is effecting all the DCU.

I wouldn't mind if Lopresti drew the Supergirl 75th variant cover. I really hope that he ends up on some DC monthly title soon.

But on to the story.

The issue starts out scanning the globe, showing the various battlefronts on Earth.

Zod is facing off against Superman in Metropolis. As blocks of the city get leveled, Zod gloats that every one on the planet will suffer. There is a nice shot of Zod spiking a battleship onto a city street, a very nice demostration of just how crazy this war would be.

On a separate front, Project 7734 soldiers are ordered by General Lane to slaughter Kryptonian soldiers that have been captured and are helpless. This is a war with no prisoners, even the helpless will be amongst the casualties.

Again, these scenes show nicely that this war has happened because two madmen have had control of their planets armed forces. Neither want a simple victory. They will only be satisfied if the enemy is completely annihilated. Their really isn't a 'right side' of this war.

But the scene I was waiting for was the Supergirl/Ursa brawl. Well, after getting a shot in, Supergirl is defeated and about to be executed by Ursa. Ursa feels that Supergirl is a traitor for fighting the Kryptonian army. It is only the timely arrival of the Superman family that saves Kara.

I don't think that Superman and Supergirl have really picked sides here. I think they are trying to limit the death and destruction. They want both sides to stand down and let the truth come out. They want the people responsible for this to face justice. So I don't think Kara is a traitor to her race.

As for her losing the battle, I don't mind Supergirl being defeated here. Ursa is a grizzled war veteran who is in full battle frenzy mode. I think Superman might lose a fight with her right now. If anything, I think it was fantastic that Supergirl stood up to Ursa knowing she was probably outmatched.


With Ursa captured, the Superman family regroups. It was a bit of serendipity that they even were there to save Supergirl. They were all headed to the Project 7734 headquarters when they saw her.

Conner realizes that the Phantom Zone has returned and that is probably the best place to deposit Ursa for the time being. He sends Krypto off to the Fortress to grab the Phantom Zone projector.

One thing that has made me cringe throughout this long arc is how relatively easy it has become to harm a Kryptonian. Magic satellites, Black Lightning wielding 'red sun lightning', sonic screamers, white dwarf grenades, red sun rifles, red sun shackles, green K machine guns, green Kryptonite Metal Men armies ... we have seen them all. Know we see synthetic Gold K handcuffs? My guess is that all this ordnance will 'disappear' from the DCU once the threat of the Kryptonian threat is gone. If not, couldn't almost anybody defeat or kill Superman and Supergirl? I understand how the creative teams needed to for the Earth forces to be able to mount a threat or there would be no conflict. But it seems like it was almost too easy to hurt a Kryptonian throughout this arc. Will that ease remain once we are back to 2 Kryptonians?

At last though, we see Superman and Zod face off and trade blows.

I talked about the writers walking a fine line in this series. Another place I see that is with the characterization of General Zod. Let's face it, while both sides have done wrong, Earth has been the aggressor here. Zod could almost be a sympathetic character. His planet destroyed, his people decimated by Lane's villainy ... I can see why Zod would be filled with righteous fury. That said, we know that Zod hasn't been an angel here.

So I was glad that Gates and Robinson included the line above. Sure Zod is angry at Earth. But he is really angry at the House of El. That line sort of casts Zod into a different light. He isn't defending his people. He is out for revenge. It's personal. Zod even asks for his men to find Lois. Just like Lane, Zod doesn't want to simple win the war, he wants to erase humanity from the face of the planet. Once you cross that line, there is no justification.


While Superman deals with Zod, Superboy begins a whirlwind tour of the Earth, zapping as many Kryptonians as he can into the Phantom Zone. Conner is able to stop Non from murdering the JLA.

This is another one of those things that I had to ruminate over for a bit. Could one hero with one Phantom Zone projector really scrub the Earth of all the Kryptonian soldiers? Wouldn't the Kryptonian army swarm Superboy so he couldn't capture all of them? Wouldn't one of them destroy it long range with heat vision? Wasn't this too easy?

Anyways, the remainder of the Superman Family takes the fight to Lane on his home turf.

This is one of those scenes which I wish was given more space. While I am thrilled ... thrilled ... to see an angry Supergirl towering over Superwoman, I would have loved to see how that happened. And Steel is able to defeat Atlas. And The Guardian is able to exact some justice and defeats Agent Assassin. The thing is, Superwoman and (in particular) Atlas have been formidable foes. Atlas was able to stand toe-to-toe with Superman and has thrashed Steel in the past. It felt, just a little, like this was too easy. Maybe seeing more of the battle would have explained the victories a bit more.

With the troops taken out, Supergirl faces her mother's killer ... her world's destroyer. She is barely able to contain her rage when Lois talks her down. Supergirl isn't a murderer. She shouldn't sink to Lane's level.

It is simplistic ... and maybe a bit hackneyed ... but it works here. Unlike Superman, Supergirl is still on her journey. In the past ... heck even in the recent past ... she may have immolated Lane. So I was glad to see her struggle a bit, to come close to crossing the line but in the end do the right thing.

Lois vows to tell the world the truth about her father. He will face an international court for his crime.

But to Lane, this is a war without prisoners.

He ends his life.

I don't know about this. It didn't seem exactly right here. I think Lane is deluded about what happened. I don't know if he would fear a courtroom. He doesn't think he has done anything wrong. So for him to commit suicide so quickly, seemed off. Maybe if this scene was longer showing Lane realize that the evidence against him was so damning that he had no other choice.

Meanwhile, Superboy arrives in time to help Superman fight General Zod.

In this battle, Zod claims that he destroyed the Phantom Zone. Maybe I am forgetting something, this seemed to come out of nowhere with no explanation. This is another one of those things about New Krypton that won't have a satisfactory explanation and I need to move on from.

During the fight, Krypto takes a Kryptonite knife meant for Superboy. Is there any better way to make Zod a villain by having him hurt a dog? Luckily it looks like Krypto will survive.

With the remaining Kryptonians besides Zod in the Zone, Superman decides to end the war. With Zod in his clutches, Superman sets the Phantom Zone projector to self-destruct, sending the two of them into the Zone and sealing it off from the inside.


Inside the Zone, Nightwing arrives to settle things once and for all.

The Kryptonian demi-god will seal the Zone permanently. But it has granted his human host one last wish. He is able to send Superman home to Earth.

I do like how the Nightwing dragon grabs the Zod wraith and flies off with him. It is a nice image, like a demon taking a fallen soul to hell.

Cast from the Zone, Superman returns to Earth. With the Kryptonian threat removed, it is time for everyone to heal.


Supergirl mourns the loss of her people, setting up this memorial in deep space.

The capstone reads "Hail the Lost Souls of New Krypton. May Rao Guide You Into His Embrace". Before translating, I thought this would have been a grave site for Alura. It is interesting that the marker is for everyone rather than just her. Of everyone, Supergirl lost the most here ... her father, her mother, her best friend. I don't think Supergirl is going to be able to just move on from this.

And the other stories wrap up as well. The Guardian quits the Science Police to raise his 'daughter'. His niece Billi reveals she is pregnant with Mon-El's child.

In the zone, Chris has reverted to his child form and he and Mon-El set out to explore the Zone.

And Superman and Lois?

They begin the slow process of grieving and healing.

Despite the evidence stripped from Natasha Irons' mind, General Lane is viewed as a hero. Lois says she will continue to tell the truth about her father.

Clark admits that some Kryptonians may have escaped Conner's sweep.

But no matter what, both worlds lost.


The last words are from Lois.

This was a war that was born from ignorance and prejudice. She hopes that eventually everyone can live together in peace.

Whew ...

I know that this review may have read that I was disappointed by this issue. The truth is I'm not. What I am disappointed in is the fact that it felt so rushed. What I wouldn't give to have had this be a 6 issue miniseries, with some space to flesh out some of these scenes, allowing the plot lines to be wrapped up more organically. I think it is a compliment to everyone involved that I am left wanting more stories. Part of that disappointment is that the buildup to this miniseries was over a year of stories ... issues which sometimes seemed to be treading water rather than moving forward. It's like the New Krypton arc was a cross country skiing marathon ... slow and plodding in places but with a sprint at the end.

Given the lack of space to wrap up all those storylines, I don't think Gates and Robinson could have done any better. I applaud them for their efforts here, expanding and contracting scenes effectively.

And I guess this is more evidence that Eddy Barrows can never truly be a monthly artist. Once again, the art chores are split. Barrows art is slick and I really like it. But couldn't he finish this issue? Instead, we have three artists finishing the issue. Not exactly as smooth a ride as I am sure DC would hope. That said, I guess it could have been worse. The fill-in pages are beautiful. Cafu's pages really shine here. And Eddie Pansica has some of the more dramatic pages ... the climax in General Lane's lair. Still, the change in art from page to page is something I never like seeing.

I am still amazed how tight this mini-series was given it's mission to wrap up all of New Krypton in 4 issues. And I am elated that Supergirl was such a big part of this mini-series. Kara was really a star here.

So the New Krypton chapter in the super-books is over. And we have new directions coming up. To be honest I can't wait. I am especially looking forward to the Supergirl title and some stand alone Kara issues.

Overall grade (issue): B+
Overall grade (mini): B+/B
Overall grade (all of the New Krypton arc): B-/C+

Review: Superman: War Of The Supermen #3

War of the Supermen #3 is the penultimate chapter of the mini-series and the story continues to rumble along at breakneck speed. What a daunting task the creators set up for themselves! Two years worth of plot needed to be settled in 4 issues. That can't be easy. As a result of the sheer volume of story needed to be covered in fairly limited pages, some of the scenes have felt a little short ... some of the action has happened 'off-screen'.

But I give James Robinson and Sterling Gates a lot of credit for pulling it off so far. This has been a wild ride. More importantly, despite the story moving quickly in this issue, for me it didn't have that rushed feeling that War of the Supermen #2 did.

Add to that some seriously beautiful art by Cafu, and this was a great issue. I have been eager to see just how fantastic Cafu would draw Supergirl and trust me, he did not disappoint. This whole book is just beautiful.

But a lot got settled in this issue. So let's get to it!

While General Lane gloats over his red sun missile attack and the subsequent deaths of countless Kryptonian soldiers, the Superman Family is busy breaking down his back door. The super-squad breaks into Project 7734's Mount Rushmore headquarters and successfully rescue Natasha Irons. Irons has information that can take down General Lane, showing him as the insane war monger he is. The heroes overrun the Human Defense Corps. We barely see any of this fight. This is one of those off-screen scenes.

This one didn't bother me much as the Irons subplot was one that really is background story. It's not like I was sitting on the edge of my seat wondering about Natasha's fate.

With Irons free, Jimmy 'downloads' her brain of it's incriminating General Lane information and turns it into streaming information. Olsen then hacks the whole internet, sending Irons' evidence to all the major on-line news outlets. It seems the revolution will be televised.

While this device seemed as 'out of the blue' as Luthor's red sun missile, I didn't mind it much. Maybe it is because I really want to see General Lane get his comeuppance. Or maybe it is because no exposition is necessary for something like this. Or maybe, and most likely, it is because I got a big kick out of Jimmy's group of hackers being called the Newsboy Legion, a nice tip of the cap to Jack Kirby's group of the same name. I like small touches like that.

But there is no time for the super-team to rest on their laurels.

Somehow Thara/Flamebird "senses a disturbance in the force". She suddenyl gets flooded with visions of Luthor's Rao-missile and the Kryptonians dying in space. Hmmm ... shouldn't they have noticed that the sun is now red and they are powerless?

Of course, Thara is also powered by the Flamebird entity. The use of even a false Rao as part of a weapon must be particularly egregious for someone as devout as Thara. There is something sacrilegious about a god-bomb.

While it may have made better sense for the 'all-seeing' Nightwing to have had these visions, we have seen Thara have visions before as well. And the response to the red sun threat is better suited for Flamebird.


Flamebird and Nightwing take off into space (presumably with the demi-god based powers since under the red sun they are devoid of their genetic Kryptonian power) and dive into the sun, determined to save their people and be together to the end. I have really come to enjoy these 'star-crossed lovers' and their attempts to maintain this doomed relationship.

Before either can do much of anything, the Nightwing entity takes Chris away, saying that his final fate lies elsewhere. Since the original Nightwing spirit became the Phantom Zone, my guess is Chris somehow 'becomes' the zone. And since I think Zod and his flunkies are going to end up back in the zone, Chris will become Zod's jailer and tormentor. That would be ironic.

Now alone, although secure in Chris' love for her, Thara pushes her body to the limit, destroying the Rao-bomb, returning the sun to yellow, but immolating herself in the process. And there is no doubt about it ... we see what is left of her body.

If Thara needed to be killed, I liked that she went out heroically like this. Also, as this Rao was made by Jax-Ur/Vohc and Thara/Flamebird's role was to destroy all Vohc created, there was some internal Kryptonian mythology logic here.

But I have to say I am saddened by Thara's death. I had really come to like her character quite a bit. She seemed tortured in many ways. Her life was tumultuous and horrifying and yet she kept her faith and eventually found love. I was hoping she would somehow survive this war. Her death also is another blow to Kara's psyche. She had finally reconciled her friendship with Thara and now she is gone too.

With the sun now yellow, the Kryptonians in deep-space regain their powers. Some thankfully survive ... including Superman and Supergirl. I wonder if those Kryptonians who have absorbed more yellow sun energy were able to hold out for a longer period of time. Since the cousins have been absorbing energy for years, they should survive for a short period of time.

Unfortunately, many Kryptonians die. Included in that is Superman's Red Shard friend Lieutenant Asha Del-Nar (I assume this is her). While I am sure that all the deaths bother Superman, this one is a little personal and right in front of him (unlike Alura). He is both saddened and angry. He takes off for Earth.

Again, I really feel for Supergirl and hope that we see her dealing with the horrors of war. After watching her mother disintegrate in front of her eyes, she now has to soak hundreds ... thousands ... of dead Kryptonians floating around her. I know that sight would bother me.


The Kryptonian race, which had been 100,000 strong at the beginning of the day, is down suddenly to a mere 7,000 people. You would think that Zod would consider ... at least for a second ... a tactical retreat. But that isn't Zod's way. And besides, 7000 Kryptonians can do a lot of damage ... and we see it.

This is what I expected to see in this war. Page after page, we see Kryptonians laying waste to the Earth. Chief among them is Ursa who seems to be everywhere at once. Here we see her destroying London (reminiscent of Miracleman #15?).

We also see the Kryptonian army over-running Earth's heroes, slaughtering armies, and causing major property damage to famous landmarks throughout.

Interesting enough, Lane's men seem to be the only group holding their own. Here Metallo is leading some Project 7734 troops.

I am sure that just as Zod thought this would be a bloodless war, Lane probably thought this would be an easier war to win as well. Did he really think that there wouldn't be this much devastation? Lane is a madman.

As I have mentioned before, I have some sort of twisted admiration for Ursa. I know ... it isn't right. But it was great to see her cut loose ... destroying London, smashing the Sphinx, killing Argentinian leaders, and here hold the next dead Agent Liberty as she looks for the President.

This assassination won't be easy. A determined Supergirl is there to stop here. Wonderful!

I think most Supergirl fans have been spoiling for this fight for some time. The two fly towards each other. We'll have to wait a week to see the outcome.

I hope Kara wipes the floor with her.

I also have to say how much I love Cafu's take on Supergirl. It reminded me of Gary Frank's early Supergirl issues with Peter David with a healthy hit of Kevin Nowlan. And I love that the S-shield is so huge. It should always be that big.

Thanks to the Gates and Robinson for making Supergirl such a big part of this major mini-series.


While Ursa and Kara duke it out in Washington D.C., Zod mobilizes a large group of his remaining troops and heads towards Metropolis for a showdown with Superman. Yet another nice cliffhanger.

Wow.

I am glad we finally got to see the war hit Earth. I think we all knew that any amount of Kryptonians was going to mean carnage and tremendous collateral damage. It was great to see just how massive the destruction was. While there were a number of those pages, I thought as readers we needed to see the devastation the Kryptonians are capable off. You needed to see that both up close in personal combat and written large on city landscapes. Personally, I loved seeing Ursa in so many pages wreaking havoc. She is like a wild animal that is loosed from a cage.

And, it may sound peculiar, but I felt more for the loss of Thara than I did from the death of Alura. Maybe that is because the Alura death was so fast with little time to wring out my emotions whereas Thara has several pages to be ripped from Chris and then sacrifice herself. It may also be that I like Thara as a character.

As I mentioned, the art throughout here was top-notch. Cafu can certainly handle action scenes both big and small. And his Supergirl is really slick.

So was there a downside here? Just one. Where was Superman in this issue? We see him mourn Asha. And we see him in Metropolis. That's it. He doesn't even have any dialogue here. In fact, throughout this series, Superman has been sort of a bystander. Outside of his discussion with Supergirl in last issue, he hasn't had much to say or do. In many ways, this is a Superman Family series. But it also is a Superman series, closing off the last year of his stories and setting him up to be back in his main titles.

Now I may be getting ahead of myself. Maybe the last issue is almost exclusively a Superman book and he gets the big action in the finale. I hope so. We need Superman to again rise above it all and be the ultimate super-hero.

All that said, don't get me wrong. I love how much face time Supergirl is getting here. She has been a major player here.

One more week to go. Hard to believe!

Overall grade: A-

Review: Superman Secret Files 2009

Superman:Secret Files 2009 came out this week and sported a new red-colored triangle and numbered zero. Codename:Patriot is clearly being marketed by DC as a jumping-on point for the super-titles.

With plotlines weaving through 4 titles, Secret Files tried to tee things up for a new reader by mixing in Who's Who style pages, maps, and short stories to try to not only catch the new reader up to date but add something for the hard core reader.

I think the latter is a bit trickier for the creators. I don't necessarily need a Who's Who page to tell me who General Zod is. But a map of Metropolis and a Kara/Thara story might grab me.



Here is the Who's Who page for Supergirl. Her origin is reviewed with much of the text dedicated to the post New Krypton events. Remember, this is supposed to help out any new readers. One thing I did note was the fact that her 'Kryptonite poisoning' wasn't mentioned. I really think that we are looking at a new age for Supergirl. The early issues of the title have been acknowledged, dealt with, and probably won't need to be mentioned again.

I also wonder how an artist comes up with 'THE' pose for a character on one of these pages. You want the art to reflect who the character is at their core. Here it looks like Jamal Igle chose 'graceful' as the central feeling. Supergirl also looks happy, something else I like to see. That is really beautiful art.

But he easily could have chosen a more action-y pose, fists clenched, eyes glowing.

Similar pages are throughout the book including ones for the Science Police, Daily Planet staff, and Nightwing & Flamebird.



The main story for me in the book was the Kara/Thara Fire Falls story that was mentioned in the last issue of Supergirl. 'Blood Sisters' was written by Sterling Gates and Greg Rucka with art supplied by Fernando Dagnino.

It is something of a flashback story, taking place right after Zor-El's death. Remember, at that time Thara was head of Kandorian Security and therefore in charge of protecting Zor-El and Alura.

Clearly, Kara's would be an emotional wreck in that initial mourning period. She loved her father, thought he was dead, got reunited with him suddenly, only to have him die in her arms. I know I would be distraught and probably angry.

As a result, this initial lashing out at Thara makes some sense. Of course Kara would be looking to blame someone for her father's death and Thara is an easy target. Unfortunately, Thara can't explain why she wasn't right there to save Zor-El. I think she was on scene. Could she have been elsewhere in the guise of Flamebird and as a result not next to Zor?

While Supergirl storms off, Thara remembers a day from their past.



There are a lot of small flourishes in this story that I really liked.

For one, while I haven't been floored by Fernando Dagnino's art in the past, I thought this was his strongest effort. I especially liked how he was able to draw the younger versions of Kara and Thara while having them still resemble their older versions. I bet that is tougher that it seems. This isn't a generic kid; this is clearly a young Kara.

Second, I like how the future Guilds that each chose is foreshadowed in their actions here. I always assumed that Kara would pick the Artist's Guild. But in this story, Kara is clearly a scientist. We see her crack open her robot nanny and reprogram it, allowing the girls to slip off unsupervised to the Fire Falls.



And we have heard all along how devout Thara is as a person. She was part of the Religious Guild for a while and obviously is a holy enough vessel to house the Flamebird force. So it made sense to see her want to pray at the Fire Falls rather than immediately go exploring like Kara wants to.
Kara is overwhelmed by the geography and local fauna. Thara is overwhelmed by the grandeur.

I really liked how we are shown these early seeds and how they have blossomed in each young woman. Small touches like this really make for a satisfying product.



While Thara is meditating though, Kara gets into some trouble as she nearly gets eaten by a native giant bird. Luckily Thara is able to help rescue Kara. Thara douses the bird in some blood bloom juice, a known flammable liquid. Kara then ignites the bird while Thara lifts her to safety.

Hmmmm ... a flaming bird ... a Flamebird? Is there some importance to that for Thara's history? Or is it simply foreshadowing?

Safe at last, the two girls become literal blood sisters, holding their cut hands together and holding onto half of a blood crystal as a memento, a symbol of their friendship.

A friendship that appears over when Supergirl storms away from Thara after Zor-El's funeral.

I know that we have a couple of upcoming issues where Supergirl and Flamebird fight. I know that is coming. But I hope that there is more to their feud than just this rift. In the immediate aftermath of Zor-El's death I can understand Kara lashing out at everyone and everything. I would hope that with time that she would calm a bit, realizing that it really isn't Thara's fault.

Overall though, I thought this was a very good background story for both characters.

Just because I am an Ursa fan, I thought I would show some of her story written by Greg Rucka and pencilled by Pere Perez.

The story shows the Black Zero unit in their fight against Brainiac during the Kandor incident. There is a brutal two page spread showing the bloodshed and battle raging.

The story shows how that loss clearly that effected Ursa mentally. How that battle scarred her psychologically and made her lose her sense of self. With no internal compass she latched onto General Zod, defining herself through him. And with Zod near dead, Ursa wonders who she would be without him.

I don't know if I need all my villains to have some tragic background that made them the way they are. I actually don't mind having villains be villains simply because they are evil. But I thought this story helped soften some of the edges of Ursa just enough to make me feel a bit for her.

I went into this issue with no expectations. So I was pretty pleased with it, getting more out of it than I expected. The maps alone are worth perusing.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Action Comics #877

After last month's brutal fight between Ursa and Nightwing & Flamebird, Action Comics #877 was like a calm spring day. While there was some action, it was no where near the intensity of the last month's brawl.

The tranquility after last issue's storm did allow for a lot of story progression and a couple of very interesting plot points.

First off, this was the first issue with no Eddy Barrows. Sidney Teles, who drew part of Action #876, takes over pencilling here and seems to be trying to channel Barrows' style. While the art was not as stylistically intricate as Barrows' stuff, I did think it was a notch over average. At the very least, the similar styles made the transition from issue to issue smooth.

The issue starts with Ursa freeing herself from the wreckage of the Fortress. With her goggles smashed, she ties a strip of cloth around her eyes to protect herself from the pain of the light. She does not sound happy about the end of the fight when Chris defeated her. As she vows to find 'Lor-Zod' she hears Tor-An, the captured sleeper agent.

In the meantime, Chris has run to the only place he thinks he can run to on Earth, Lois and Clark's apartment.

Lois is at first confused at how much Chris has grown. But she then tells him he knew where to go. He went home. It is a touching little reunion. It is such a different moment than anything we have seen in the action-heavy Action since the 'World Without Superman' stories started.

Figuring that the best way to help heal Thara is to expose her to as much yellow sun energy as possible, Lois calls in Dr. Light. Dr. Light seems intrigued that Lois has her number. I guess she is unaware that Clark is Superman.

They move Thara to the roof. A quick burst of yellow sun photons later and Thara is at least stabilized.

One small complaint I have here is that this seems somewhat risky in terms of Clark's secret identity. Won't people start to question why a Kryptonian went to Lois' apartment? How she knew Dr. Light? Kryptonians in Clark's apartment, Clark is gone, Superman in on another planet .... hmmm. Wouldn't this make your average person ask some questions? Or am I being too silly? I can accept Kryptonians and star-powered people but I can't accept characters not realizing Clark is Superman when things like this are done?

Anyways, it turns out that Project 7734 had a drone tailing Dr. Light as well as other members of the Superman family. I thought this was a nice shot showing panels taken from the other titles and put in here. Boy, General Lane is keeping an eye on everyone these days.

And here is where I need help from you guys. I have no idea who this character, walking around the Project 7734 headquarters, is. Should I know her?

There are a couple of things I am curious about her even outside of her blue and green body/body art. She is clearly not formal military. She is in jeans and a black shirt. She also talks very casually and almost sarcastically to General Lane. I don't think that General Lane takes sass from most people. So she must be very powerful or very important or both.

While Thara recuperates, Chris and Lois continue to catch up. He does his best to explain his growth spurts.

But then he comes out with this piece of information. There is Brainiac tech in the Phantom Zone, tech that Zod was trying to use. And one of these 'machines' did something 'really bad' to Chris' mind. Now that is an interesting piece of the puzzle. I like how Chris' origin and story is slowly being revealed. Regardless, I can only wonder the torture this machine did to him until Thara 'rescued' him.

I do wonder how that Brainiac stuff ended up in the Phantom Zone though.

Thara is left recuperating on the roof allowing one of the Project 7734 drones to capture her on film. And after a little cross-reference, they learn that Flamebird is Thara. Well, there goes the 'we wear the armor to hide our identities' secret. 3 issues in and the government is in on the gag.

Thara is still recovering though and General Lane is not one to lose an advantage. He decides to go after her. And after a small discussion, the mystery woman shows that she does indeed have some powers. She convinces him to let her go after Thara and teleports out.

I wonder just what she means when she says 'she needs to gather (what she needs) herself. That's how it works.' Is that some statement about how her powers work? Does she leech off of others? Or is it just talk about how she likes to be in on the hunt.

If someone knows anything about her, please let me know. Otherwise we have another mystery to solve.

Meanwhile, Chris realizes that if Thara is recovering than Ursa has most likely completely recovered. He flies back to the Fortress and discovers Tor-An dead on the floor from what looks to be a neck wound. Ursa admits to freeing him and killing him because his sleeper status was compromised. Man, I love how crazy and ruthlessly efficient Ursa is. It makes her a very formidable opponent.

In fact Ursa is about to fight Chris when he reminds her that she is out in the open as well. If her presence on Earth is discovered, it will jeopardize her sleepers and her mission. Surprisingly, she sees the logic in his argument and takes off. While she does say the rather cliched 'this isn't over', I still feel she would still probably try to attack and overpower him. It seemed just a tad out oof character that she would listen to reason this time.

And lucky she did or she would have been discovered. The General tracked Chris when he flew from Lois' apartment and had a couple of fighter jets follow him. We have heard from Chris that his physiology makes him a little weaker than the average Kryptonian and here we see some proof. He gets kicked around a little bit by a couple of standard missiles. Even these Project 7734 guys question if he is a Kryptonian because of this.

But weaker than your average Kryptonian doesn't mean weak. He is able to recover and destroy the drone jets following him.

One slight editorial error here is that his clothes have magically repaired themselves after being shredded a bit by the missiles the page before. Of course, his 'tactile telekinesis' may have simply rewoven the threads.

The issue ends with us seeing the two next sleeper agents on the list, a couple of Kryptonian bank robbers with a penchant for murder.

As I said before, we needed a 'plot' issue after last month's 'brawl' issue. This issue put us back on track advancing all the principal characters stories and revealing a few new tidbits. Outside of my concerns for the use of the Kent apartment as a superhero respite home and Ursa's running away, I thought this issue was another solid chapter in Rucka's run.

For a super-title without Superman, I have to say, so far so good.

Overall grade: B/B+