NYCC Aftermath Part 2: Eric Jones Commission And A Mystery Cosmic Easter Egg

You may recall that I had given my friend who was attending the NYCC this year two missions. One was to meet Supergirl creative team Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle.

The other was to seek out the Supergirl:Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade creative team Landry Walker and Eric Jones.

My friend found Walker and Jones at the DC booth surrounded by throngs of kids. That is great news. More than anything, I think comics need the current generation of fans to extend a hand to the next generation. I was pretty happy to hear that the young fans were at the convention.

My buddy was able to talk to Landry Walker about the comic for a bit and it really sounds like the creative team has a great understanding of the Supergirl character. Walker talked about how fans (like ones on this blog!!) have a grasp of the history of the character and he is trying to honor that. And he was able to get me the great commission seen above already hung on 'The Wall of Fame' at home.



Imagine my surprise when earlier this week, Landry Walker sent me the above pic. He explained that there was a slight coloring error in this month's Cosmic Adventures #3. The time-travelling Supergirl should have been wearing red tights as an homage to the predominant variant costume seen in the 1970's Adventure Comics run (seen above). To be honest, I probably should have picked up on it given the red gloves and the way the cape hangs.

Walker is unclear if the gaffe will be fixed for the trade. Of course, that means it sounds like this is already in line to be collected in trade format! That's great!

But how great is it that Walker and Jones are respectful of Supergirl's past and are re-introducing it to a whole new group of Kara fans!! DC better get this team to do another mini-series or name this an ongoing.


For completeness sake, I attached this pic I scanned earlier showing just a smidge of the blue tights as they appeared in the issue.

Thanks again to Landry Walker for sending me the information!

Newsarama Preview Of Supergirl #38

We have been drooling over Josh Middleton's cover of Supergirl #38 since it was released a couple of months ago.

Newsarama has given us a sneak peek of the first few pages of the issue (http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=26031); now we only need to wait 24 hours to read the whole issue.

Based on what I have seen, Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle are treating us to a night at the fights. So get your popcorn ready.

Page 1: Cocked fist.

Page 2-3: Great splash page of a left haymaker by Superwoman.

Page 4: Feint and cocked fist.

Page 5: Left haymaker by Supergirl.

I love the 'psych' line. And the art is unreal! You can feel the punches here just by the positions of those on the receiving end.

But tell me this ... both combatants with blue eyes, both with an opening move of a left haymaker?I have been telling you this all along. Superwoman is an evil clone or at least some warped version of Kara!

Lastly, can you believe this is another issue of Supergirl spotlighted on Newsarama! To think that 6 months ago I was worried about this title being cancelled. What a great turn around!

Review: R.E.B.E.L.S. #1

I will admit that I did not collect L.E.G.I.O.N. for more than a few issues back in the late eighties and early nineties. As a result, I would not typically be interested in the recently solicited R.E.B.E.L.S. book.

But then I heard Tony Bedard would be writing it. And I saw some samples of Andy Clarke's art. And, of course, it was revealed that Supergirl would play a part in the formation of the team and would guest star in the first 2 issues. With those hooks out there, I decided to buy R.E.B.E.L.S. #1. I was pleasantly surprised.

The book opens with Vril Dox (Brainiac 2) crash landing on Earth and asking where the nearest rest room is. It is an odd request no doubt but it is funny and made me wonder why he would be asking that. After all, bathroom trips are really the final frontier of comics, aren't they?

One thing Bedard made clear in interviews is that Dox is still quite a fascist in mindset. I can remember that from those early L.E.G.I.O.N. days. He thinks he knows best, feels he should be in charge, and will do what he needs to do to get control of a situation. Certainly his uniform design is screaming that to us. Does anything say fascist more than epaulets, jodhpur pants, and arm bands?

In many ways, Dox presents an odd 'hero' because of this. His uniform (and probably his philosophy) is close to General Zod, a terrible villain. And yet, here we are with a totalitarian protagonist. It is similar to the movie 'Starship Troopers' where I felt odd rooting for people dressed up like Nazi SS officers.

That viewpoint gives the book something of a fresh perspective and that always will make me want to read more.

It turns out the Vril is on the run from several bad guys aiming to kill him. One of the things that got me to try the original L.E.G.I.O.N. comic was the idea of Legion equivalents in current time. That initial team had Brainiac 2, a Durlan, and a Blok equivalent.

Here we see the villains look like twisted versions of some 31st century bad guys.

There is Tribulus, a Validus-like creature. While it has a Giger-like Alien head, it has overwhelming rage, mental lightning, 2 digits, and enough power for its colleagues to think it could handle a Kryptonian. Sounds like Validus. Is the 'Validus is Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl's child twisted by Darkseid' story still in continuity?

There is also a Tyr-equivalent named Hakk complete with robotic weapon arm.

And there also seems to be a Tharok type, although it seems his flesh/machine split is front/back rather than left/right.

Vril has been given a message to contact Supergirl and so he leads the villains into the heart of Metropolis hoping to get her attention. He even says that he will fight his pursuers even if he needs to kill every nearby human. Dox certainly talks like an anti-hero.

Whatever his ethics, his plan works.

While the assasins' blasts bounce off of Vril's force field, the cityscape and innocents are not so protected.

I like what happens when Supergirl shows up. Brainiac 2, knowing the power level of his adversaries, tells Supergirl that they should simply fly away to keep the property damage and casualty count low. Supergirl responds by flying right into battle. I like that mix of confidence and heroism. She isn't going to run away from evil-doers; she is going to confront.

Of course, it might have been a tactical error after all as a bolt of Tribulus' lightning nearly takes her out.

Understanding that retreat is what is best for the city, she scoops up Vril and flies off.

After just a bit of exposition, Brainiac tells Supergirl that he was instructed to hold a DVD up to her and say a certain word ...

"Cephalophore" turns out to be a trigger word for a post-hypnotic suggestion placed by Brainiac 5 during Supergirl's stay in the 31st century. When Supergirl hears the word, she encodes data onto the DVD with heat vision.

Cephalophore isn't a real word. But if you break it into it's roots of 'cephalo' (meaning head) and '-phore' (meaning bearer) we get something like 'knowledge bringer'.

Kara's download of knowledge turns out to be blueprints for a device. He starts to boss Supergirl around who figures out that this Brainiac is from Colu just like Brainiac 5. I like how he immediately distances himself from the 'renegade' who calls himself Brainiac (that is Superman's villain).

But this Brainiac is manipulating. I love how Kara wonders why Dox thinks she will simply listen to him ... only to have her listen to him. Kara has been used by someone who put this data file inside her; it only makes sense she would be interested in getting to the bottom of this.

We then learn more about what may have forced Brainiac to go on the run.

The Omega Men (man I haven't thought about them in looonng time) has discovered that Dox's robot army have taken over all planets they protect. Indeed, Silica (L.E.G.I.O.N.'s living computer) makes an all-channels bulletin that all L.E.G.I.O.N. guarded worlds are now L.E.G.I.O.N. property. The Omega ship is fired upon by L.E.G.I.O.N. ships as interplanetary travel around those worlds has been outlawed.

Someone has taken over Dox's troops. And I am sure that Brainiac 2 aims to find out who did it, how they did it, and why they did it.

Back on Earth, Dox is able to build the device from the plans. It turns out that this device, when activated, hacks into Brainiac 2's mind. This download into his mind makes him catatonic.

The device shows Brainiac 2 a message from Brainiac 5, the Brainy from the Waid reboot, the Brainy Kara interacted with.

But before we get to hear exactly what the message is, Supergirl tells us she hears the earlier assasins' ship approaching. And it looks like they are locked and loaded.

Like most first issues, this one hopes to provide enough intrigue and action to keep readers coming back for more. I have to say, it did just that for me.

I like the idea of someone semi-reprehensible as protagonist. Dox just doesn't seem to be a typical nice guy hero. So an innovative perspective is a nice way to start. Bedard seems comfortable with him and with Kara too.

The inclusion of such new but familiar villains is also a draw. Trilibus alone might have been interesting enough to make me buy the next issue. But who are these guys? And what is with that Tharok-like guy?

Add a nice portrayal of Kara and a known addition soon of a female style Wildfire (Drake being my favorite Legionnaire) and I am in for at least another issue.

For the most part, I found Andy Clarke's work to be really good. The use of small dots instead of solid lines to define contours reminded me a bit of Geof Darrow or even Howard Chaykin's early art in American Flagg! Did anyone else feel that Cameron Diaz was his model for Kara?

So I am definitely in for next issue. The question is am I in for more?

Overall grade: B+

Review: Action Comics #874

Action Comics #874 is the second of a three part story crossing over through the Action and Superman titles. This short arc really appears to be more of a prelude to the next year of stories in all the Super-titles.

We all know Mon-El and Guardian will star in Superman. We know Nightwing and Flamebird will be starring in Action. We know Superman will be on the World of New Krypton. We just have to get there.

This issue picks up right where the last issue of Superman left off. When Superman sees Zod sitting at the head of the Kryptonian military parade, he flies down to confront him. Zod's troops fly in to protect him.

One thing I thought was interesting was that despite Superman's clearly violent intentions, Zod's troops do not pummel him. Instead they merely restrain him.

Zod tries to tell Superman that much has changed since their prior encounters. There is no need for them to attack each other. The new reality is 'Zod on Krypton' not 'Zod on Earth'. Now that Zod is amongst his people, he doesn't care what happens on Superman's adopted planet.

Alura shows up and reminds Superman that history is written by the victors. If Zod had been successful in his attack on the Science Council on Krypton then space arks would have been built and countless Kryptonians would have been saved. Zod would have gone down in time as Krypton's savior rather than it's evil fascist.

Alura, as leader of New Krypton, tells Superman that she pardoned Zod and his men because they had spent at least 200 years in the Phantom Zone, a long enough sentence for justice to be served. And certainly more justice than normally seen on Earth where killers can walk free, for example Zor-El's killers.

We have seen enough of Alura now to know that she has turned the corner a bit. She is clearly in militaristic totalitarian mode. It is so easy for her to validate her reasons for allying herself with a sociopath like Zod.

One thing I really liked about this scene was Superman's asking how Kara is doing. It is one quick question but it shows how close they have become over the last year.

Do you think he would ever ask about Supergirl's welfare when she was in 'kill Kal-El' mode, when she was staying away from him ... in other words when Jeph Loeb or Joe Kelly were writing? Doubtful.

It just feels right for the super-cousins to be close, friendly, a team. I am glad the current super-teams agree with that sentiment.

Alura tells Kal that Kara us doing fine. And Zod tells him that 'Chris' Lor-Zod is of no concern for Kal-El.

Surprisingly, despite earlier proclamations that Superman should stay away from New Krypton, Alura now welcomes him back. She tells him that she hopes he will renounce Earth and rejoin the Kryptonian society. Zod states he also hopes Superman will 'come home'.

I doubt that Superman will renounce Earth but he probably feels responsible for the current Kryptonian society and where it is going. We know his answer is going to be to settle on New Krypton. But I doubt he will be welcomed with open arms.

But the Kryptonians have another mystery to ponder. Brainiac's ship has disappeared. And they have no idea who took it.

We know though. Somehow it is in area 7734 and in Luthor's hands; we saw Brainiac's ship there in Adventure Comics #0. In that issue we learn that Brainiac is more on-line than we have been shown. Most likely Brainiac took control remotely and brought it to Earth.

Given his nature I am surprised that General Lane is not asking Luthor more quetions about how Lex obtained it. Of course, Lane is probably more interested in weaponizing the tech than thinking about it's origins. If Brainiac's science 'made' New Krypton, certainly it has the potential to unmake it.

Earth isn't taking the nearby Kryptonian threat lightly either. The United Nations passed a resolution that bans all Kryptonians except Superman from Earth.

Kara is now no longer welcome on Earth. Hmmm ... maybe the Linda Lang identity is there to hide the fact Supergirl is on Earth. Maybe she will have to hide her existence again so the UN won't come after her.

Could we be looking at another era of 'Superman's Emergency Secret Weapon'? It would sort of jibe with the retro-fitting of Silver Age elements into today's comics. Could be interesting for a short term.

This UN proclamation also grabs to interest of Flamebird and Nightwing (now in Coast City). It looks like they are taking a tour of all the major cities in the DCU. What could they be hunting? Other renegade Kryptonians lingering on Earth?

Conflicted about what to do next, Superman takes Lois to the Fortress of Solitude to hash out his next step. Lois wonders aloud if Zod could have changed but Kal isn't buying it.

He has seen evil in Zod's eyes.

Before they can talk more, Mon-El begins screaming from the Phantom Zone. The Zone is being eaten away from the inside. A void is growing which has killed everyone in the zone except him. I wonder what has destroyed the Phantom Zone. At the very least, I guess that removes the Zone as an easy out for the creators ... a place to stuff the 100K Kryptonians.

Mon-El begs Superman to pull him from the Phantom Zone, preferring to die a man rather than a phantom. Superman acquiesces and pulls him from the portal only to have Mon-El collapse at his feet dying. Nice cliffhanger ...

There was also a 'Origins and Omens' feature about the Guardian which seems to hint the female clone he is raising as his daughter is not long for this world.

Overall this was an okay issue.

I know we need to position these characters so that this year's stories can unfold logically. The thing for me is that most of the storylines we see in this issue we already know the ending to. We know Mon-El lives. We know Superman goes to New Krypton. As a result, this felt like we were just killing time or taking baby steps in plot development.

It also didn't help that I found Pablo Raimondi's art somewhat murky and uneven here. Whoever the guest artists are, they will always be found lacking when compared to Gary Frank. But this was a pretty stark contrast, even to Pete Woods' detailed sharp work.

Still, the plot threads did move forward. And some plots will defiitely impact Supergirl.

Overall grade: B-

Happy Valentine's Day

I am pretty busy today with Mrs. Anj and the three super-girls at home.

I hope everyone has a great and romantic day.

Reviews for Action Comics #874 and R.E.B.E.L.S. #1 will be up soon.

NYCC Aftermath

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I was not going to be able to attend the NYCC this year. Despite multiple attempts to clear out my work schedule and arrange the short travel, it just wasn't meant to be.

Fortunately, a very good friend was going and was going for all 3 days. He graciously offered to bring some of my stuff to the convention for signatures and to try to grab me some commissions.

I gave my friend 2 big missions. The first was to find Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle, chat with them, get some signatures, and get a commission if possible. The second was to find Landry Walker and Eric Jones and do the same.

Mission accomplished!

Let's review the first mission. Above is the Jamal Igle commission from the NYCC. Fabulous! She looks so happy, striking a heroic pose. This looks more like the 16 year old Kara from the book, albeit in my favorite version of the uniform, the Matrix costume.

Just an absolutely great addition to my commission collection.







Compare it to my other Igle Supergirl commission which shows a more mature sterner Kara.



On top of getting the commission, my friend was able to grab some signatures from and talk to both Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle about the book. He says they sounded completely pumped about the book and are glad Supergirl fans are so excited about the book.

In fact, both said they enjoy checking out this blog! Whoa!

So I can't thank my friend enough. And I can't thank Gates and Igle enough for revitalizing the title and caring about what fans think!

More NYCC aftermath coming soon ....

Supergirl in Final Crisis:Legion of Three Worlds #3

Most people know that I am a pretty big Legion of Super-heroes fan. Legion was one of the first books I collected on a monthly basis and I have followed them through most of their incarnations. (I will admit I did not follow the Legion Lost years).

So Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds is an interesting idea for me. Mark Waid's reboot place in continuity was put into question by Geoff Johns' Legion from last year's Action Comics. And what of the Legion 5yL stories and the Legion Lost stories? Are they in continuity? Out of continuity? In continuity on one of the 52 worlds?

Of course it might have been nice if this mini-series was released during Final Crisis. But I digress. The third issue came out last week and included a nugget about Supergirl.


The plot seems a little muddled to me right now. Superboy-Prime forms an army of the future's biggest super-villains and goes on a reign of terror against the Legion. But he is more of a puppet for the Time Trapper who is plotting something larger.

Of course it is scenes like the one above that makes the comic so fascinating for Legion fans. Three Ultra Boys and three Phantom Girls? Kind of cool.

It is clear that the Johns' team, basically the Levitz/Giffen team (without the 5YL stories), is now *THE* Legion of the future.

There is a 2 page spread where the 3 Brainiac 5's talk about the universes' Legions and how they were formed. One thing is that XS, from the Legion Lost reboot, actually belongs on Earth-0 (the main DCU) but was shunted into a different universe for her protection.

And now the Kara nugget. The Waid Brainiac can't believe that he is not from 'Earth', that is Earth-0. He brings up the fact that his team included Supergirl for a time. The Johns Brainiac explains it away saying that time travel can often include universe-shifting.

So all those Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes issues are most likely in continuity, just occurring in a different universe.



Just a couple of comments about the Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes issues.

This was sort of the 'peanut butter and jelly' combination of my 2 big loves of the DCU ... a perfect blend.

Supergirl joined the Legion at the same time that the sub-par 'Candor' storyline was happening in her main title. 'Candor' was the beginning of a long string of issues where I didn't think Kara was being written very well.

In stark contrast, the Supergirl/Legion issues was much closer to what I was looking for. She was smart, powerful, and good. She often flew right into danger to save people or fight evil. So what if at the beginning of the run she thought she was dreaming everything. She still was a hero.

I picked a few scenes from Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #17 to highlight this.

Here she deactivates a giant robot threat pretty easily.

And here Waid shows his respect for the character. Cosmic Boy explains to the Legion that in her time Supergirl very quickly earned the status of 'living legend' in the 21st century.

Even semi-silly scenes like this, where Kara stops an earthquake by whistling a counter-vibration, really showed that Waid 'got' the character much more than Greg Rucka (briefly) and Joe Kelly did.

Yes it shows some Silver Age innocence but it also showed some ingenuity, quick thinking, and heroism.

On top of that, I really really liked Barry Kitson's rendition of Kara. She was cute, self-assured, and healthy looking.

Now we know that Supergirl gets involved in the new R.E.B.E.L.S. series because her time with the Legion impacts Brainiac 2. How (or even if) the revelation that Kara's Legion is from another universe impacts this new title remains to be seen. Review for that issue should be coming soon.

So in sum:

1) The Johns retro-fitted Legion appears to be the Legion of Earth-0.

2) The Waid/Kitson version of Kara was delightful, especially in contrast to the bitter one running concurrently in her main title. Certainly worth raiding the $1 box at conventions to look for them.