San Diego Swag Bag

I have been running this Supergirl site for over nine years now. I feel blessed to have met and interacted with so many Supergirl fans. And I am humbled by how generous so many people have been to me over the course of the years.

The latest example is from blog friend Firebird.

I met Firebird back in 2015 at the Boston Comic Con. He had traveled to the con and gave me the CW Supergirl swag bag from San Diego Comicon from that year. I also got the opportunity to see all of his incredible Supergirl commissions.

Firebird also went to this year's San Diego Comic Con and was lucky enough to snag an extra Supergirl swag bag which he sent my way.

It is a gorgeous and relatively huge bag and came with a Supergirl pin.

I can't thank Firebird enough for giving me this great gift. I am truly appreciative and grateful. I doubt I'll ever get to San Diego Comic Con so getting some memorabilia from there is just fantastic.

On top of that, inside the bag was a bunch of programs and con TV Guides. This was definitely a great little bonus. Just to thumb through the program and guides was just brilliant, giving me the best sense of the scope of this event. That Kirby-covered guide is about as thick as a local phone book!

So thanks again to Firebird for this wonderful gift. I can't thank you enough!

Terrificon Recap

Last weekend I spent three glorious days at TerrifiCon in Uncasville Connecticut. Earlier this year, my buddy and I decided that this would be our 'big con' for the season and this con was well worth the time spent.

The con itself was in the convention center at the Mohegan Sun Casino. This meant a spacious main hall for the comic creators and exhibitors, a second floor for panel rooms and cosplayers, and a large entrance way area where the celebrities had tables set up to meet the fans. As a result, the place never felt cramped or claustrophobic. Also, being in the casino meant a couple of perks ... free parking and ample food choices from fancy restaurants to food courts.

But let's face it, we go to these cons for the creators and to shop. And this con, unlike many, was definitely comic-centric. And that made me very happy. The guest list was a nice mix of current stars (Snyder, Capullo, Booth, Rapmund) and more legendary folks (Thomas, Wolfman, Giffen, Pasko, Englehart, Chaykin, Kupperberg, etc.). So for an old-timer like me, this was perfect.

I wasn't sure who I would be getting a commission from beforehand. But once inside, I quickly made the wise decision to finally get a Barry Kitson piece. Kitson has been a favorite of mine since his work on Azrael. And he drew Supergirl during the Threeboot Legion run.

I gave him source material for the Matrix full shirt/red skirt costume as well as the 70s hot pants version and said he could draw whichever one he was more interested in doing. Later that afternoon, I picked up this great full color 3/4 body commission. This is just a stunning piece. From the body position to the determined expression to the background, it all just crackles.

I have been very lucky with my commission purchases recently.

Kitson himself is just the nicest guy.

But here is a little inside information. I asked him if this was the first time he had drawn Supergirl in this costume and he said as a commission, yes. But he then said he is doing a cover of Supergirl in all her costumes and this was one of them. When I asked what the cover was for, Kitson's handler at the table said 'don't say anything.'

Hmm ... maybe a 'Greatest Supergirl Stories' trade in the future?

All the guests I chatted with were approachable and easy to talk to. As I said, it was meeting the writers of my youth that really made me this the con for me to be at.

On Saturday, Robert Greenberger moderated a great Supergirl panel with Paul Kupperberg, Peter David, and Marty Pasko. They talked about the character, the 'need' for a Supergirl, her character development over the years, and touched on the show.

One nugget here was that Greenberger talked about how rigid DC was in the post-Crisis world in regards to characters that could/could not be used or even mentioned ... Supergirl being one of them. Paul Levitz was adamant about it. When I brought up how Sensor Girl was rumored to be Supergirl, Greenberger said (and I am paraphrasing) 'Levitz was in charge. If he wanted Sensor Girl to be Supergirl, she would have been.' Hmmm ...

There was also this ad hoc 'panel' at Marty Pasko's table where I heard Keith Giffen, Paul Kupperberg, and Marty Pasko discuss story-telling, current writing styles in comics, and their approach to characters. Brilliant.

I talked to these three creators the most over the days. In particular, I had a lot of thoughts and questions to ask Giffen (given my utter love of the Legion). You can read more about that here. Suffice it to say, it was great meeting

I got a ton of issues signed by folks, many of whom did not charge instead having a Heroes Initiative donation jar. So plenty of books signed by all, especially Giffen.

But perhaps the jewel of them all, even more than a handful pf 5YL Legion books being signed, even more than Action Comics #500 being signed, was getting Marty Pasko to sign 1st Issue Special #9. This Dr. Fate story is one of my all-time favorite comic stories. And, having run into creators a bunch at cons over the last year, I now have the trifecta of signatures of Pasko (writer), Simonson (artist), and Joe Kubert (cover artist).

Priceless.

I also met Steve Englehart and got him to sign some of his Detective Comics issues. But I also got him to sign his Mister Miracle issues from the 70s, more books from my formative comic reading years.

Most of my comic purchases were from the dollar box, fleshing out my Sojourn collection as well as the recent Sif run on Journey Into Mystery. I also bought a bunch of kids comics to keep in my office and hand out to kids.

The one big purchase was Giant-Size Creatures #1, the first appearance of Tigra. Early Tigra is a tiny niche pocket of my collection. So it was great to finally check this issue off.

So nothing but praise for the convention. I figure this will be one to hit again next year.

November 2017 Solicits

The DC Comics solicits for November came out this week and included some interesting entries. I have to admit, some of them worry me, some of them intrigue me, some of them turned me off. Here is a link to all the month's solicits on Newsarama: https://www.newsarama.com/36035-dc-comics-november-2017-solicitations.html

To start off, there is no mention of Supergirl in Gotham City Garage. And the cover doesn't grab me at all. So my time on that title might be brief. Second, there are a few new books, like Demon, that might be impulse buys. There is one new title I will definitely be grabbing (shown at the bottom). Lastly, there are no *FINAL ISSUE* notices for any of the super-books and that makes me happy.

On to the actual super-solicits.

SUPERGIRL #15
Written by STEVE ORLANDO and JODY HOUSER
Art and cover by ROBSON ROCHA and DANIEL HENRIQUES
Variant cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU
“PLAIN SIGHT part one!” This public service announcement is brought to you by the Department of Extranormal Operations! You saw how Supergirl hid a murderer underneath National City right before our eyes. What other dangerous secrets is she hiding? She is not human, and therefore, she cannot be trusted. D.E.O. agents will be stationed at every school to ensure their safety! Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Check out that cover! Okay, I have a lot of faith in this title and the approach that Steve Orlando has brought to Kara, giving us a bright, optimistic Supergirl who is trying to bring hope, help, and compassion for all. And I doubt Jody Houser was brought in to give us something grim.

But that cover and that solicit read a little like what could be the beginning of another 'Dark Kara' arc. And, as I have said since the inception of this blog, Dark Kara never works.

Maybe this is how 'overpowered' Kara looks and the villains are turning people against her?

And now the rest of the books:

Artgerm Covers On Supergirl

Earlier this month, Supergirl #12 came out. It was the first to sport an Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau variant cover. Artgerm certainly produces eye-grabbing, truly spectacular art. And I immediately notice a couple of aftershocks.

1) The number of Supergirl issues on the rack of my dramatically less than usual for a Wednesday afternoon and all the Artgerm covers were already sold.

2) My store thankfully pulled both covers off the shelves figuring it would sell out quickly.

3) That cover was up on walls at Terrificon last weekend and was already tagged at $10

4) I already wondered if these covers would somehow drive up orders/sales.  

Well, lo and behold, it looks like that might be true.

Review: Action Comics #986

Action Comics #986 came out this week, the second and final part of the Only Human arc by the fill-in creative team of writer Rob Williams and artist Guillem March. The story is a fine pause on the bigger storylines of the title, examining the new relationship between Lex and Superman and commenting on human nature.

One of the things that has felt new in the Rebirth era of books is Lex actually being something of a super-hero. While more narcissistic and evil attitudes always seem to be bubbling just below the surface, Lex has pretty much been flying the straight and narrow. And Superman has had to reluctantly accept Lex as being the good guy he has been. I don't know, if I were Supes, if I could ever trust Lex. But Superman is also supposed to be optimistic, thinking humanity is inherently good. And that friction is good grist for the mill. This story kind of peels back the curtains a bit, showing who Lex truly is ... and maybe showing how Lex is struggling to be good as well.

Rob Williams makes sure the right character moments are in here, using a pretty insignificant conflict with the Machinist as the scaffolding that this main character thrust of the story is built on. And Guillem March brings a scratchy sort of urgency to the proceedings. And we get a great Mr. Oz moment at the end to bring us back into the main plotline.

Lastly, I am well aware of the comic history of covers being bait that rarely signifies what is on the inside. But I was waiting for a brawl with Titano that simply never happens.

On to the book.

Sales Review: July 2017

July sales are out and there is what seems to be a slow orbital decay for all the ancillary Superman titles that I can only hope is slowed or stops. Otherwise, all these books will stop being printed and they all have been wonderful in recent months. If you are interested in looking at the sales for comics in total, I'll refer you (as I always do) to ICv2. Here is the link:
https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/38210/top-300-comics-actual-july-2017

Supergirl #11 wrapped up the Phantom Zone adventure and Batgirl crossover. For all of those hoping the Batgirl appearance would prop up titles, it didn't happen. And for those (like me) thinking that Aethyr and Psi mentions should make people flock to the book, we were wrong too.

I know, I am not the average DC reader.

So how did it sell?

Supergirl #11 was ranked #104 is sales, surrounded by a number of female led books: Spider-Gwen, Jessica Jones, and Bettie Page! The book sold/was ordered at 21,319 units. This was down about 800 in orders from the month before.

There is room for hope though. The new art team on the book is great. But more importantly, my store sold out of the ArtGerm variant and that book was already selling for $10 at the convention I went to last weekend. Perhaps  ArtGerm variants will lead to increased sales??

Superwoman #12 continued K. Perkins reclamation of the title. It finished up the so-so story of Steel's family members and Skyhook. To be honest, the super-action of that story really took a back seat to the growth in Lana. And that trend really skyrocketed in this month's issue.

The book sold 15,209 which seems to be holding its own spot. There hasn't been a dramatic bottoming out of sales. I really hope Perkins has the time to tell her story and keep readers around. This book is on the upswing for me.

New Super-Man #13 continued the excellent story forming the Justice League of China as they fought Emperor Superman.

This book has been a brilliant mix of humor, action, and character growth. I have loved it since its inception.

But this is the book with the weakest sales. It only sold 12,951units.

I get the sense that the pace in New Super-Man has picked up. Maybe Gene Luen Yang has been told he only has so much more time and want to sprint to the finish?

Anyways, we should support the books we love and talk them up when we can!

Boston Comic Con 2017: Overview & Tom Grummett Commission

<![endif]-->I wasn’t 100% sure if I was going to head to Boston ComicCon this year. I liked the more comic-centric feel this show has had since its inception. I knew that FanExpo had bought it out and that it would probably have a more corporate, more celebrity-fueled feel to it than in the past. Incredibly, the driving force for me to go was the ardent passion of my youngest two daughters have for Steven Universe. When they heard Zach Callison (voice of Steven) was going to be there, it was a foregone conclusion. We were going.

With that now a fait d’accompli I had to decide my mission for the con. There were a number of creators at the con that I definitely wanted to meet. Peter Tomasi, Tom Grummett, Matthew Clark, Jonboy Meyers, Ty Templeton, and Tom King were all new faces for me. And there were other creators who I had met before that I wanted to run into again, most notably Tana Ford and Joelle Jones. And I grabbed any commission sketches while there that would be gravy. I decided to go Friday by myself to get my stuff out of the way. This way Saturday was a family day.

First things first. The venue, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was massive. It was big enough that people could line up inside and wait in the air conditioning as opposed to outside in the baking sun (like at the old venue). There was a lot of space so the con didn't feel claustrophobic (although the comic area did feel somewhat cramped). And there was a food court inside the building which made lunch easy.

The pass I got allowed me to enter the con space at 2pm as opposed to official opening of 4p. Amazingly many of the comic creators also filed in early. As a result I got much of the 'heavy lifting' out of the way.


I was also able to get a sketch book into the hands Tom Grummett. He signed issues for free. And a full body commission was very affordable. Despite being that early I was already something like 6 on his list so he told me to check in on Saturday afternoon.

Sure enough, the following day,  he presented me this fabulous commission. I am thrilled. There is a nice little feeling of mischief behind that innocent look. And she looks young, like the current Supergirl should.

I'll post the other commissions I got on later days. But I thought I would share some of the Supergirl specific issues I got signed.