Sales Review: September 2019

The sales number for September sales have come out and as usual, ICv2 is a great place to go for a breakdown. Here is a link: https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/44317/top-500-comics-september-2019

It was an interesting month overall. Spawn #300 came out and broke the 250K number. Spider-Man #1 came out and broke 150K. The Hickman X-titles all came close to 140K. Those are healthy numbers. And Doomsday Clock #11 finally hit the stands and cracked 115K. For comics, which always seem to be fading, that is a solid top 10.

As for Supergirl, it was a rare calendar month where 2 issues hit the stands. Due to some delays to recolor and redraw some Legionnaires, Supergirl #33 was put on pause until the pages were fixed.
And it was an interesting month storywise for the Girl of Steel. Supergirl #33 was the end of the Rogol Zaar epic and tied in closely to the Unity Saga. Supergirl #34 had Supergirl return to Earth and be suddenly thrust into the Event Leviathan and Year of the Villain arcs. Suddenly Kara was plugged into the main DCU again.

Since both issues were tied into bigger events, I wondered if sales would show a bump. Both issues also had 'card stock' covers.

Let's look.

Bullet Review: Batman/Superman #3

Batman/Superman #3 came out last week.

Given the Supergirl angle of this storyline of the 'Secret Six', the heroes infected by The Batman Who Laughs evil, I have felt a bit compelled to read. But this series is just the sort of dark take on the DCU that doesn't grab me.

This issue has Superman trying to fool the Batman Who Laughs into revealing his plans and his agents. But this plan involves something which seems a little silly to me, more on that later. It also seems like DC is doubling down on having the best of the best succumb to the darkness. I suppose that is considered even more shocking. But to me it means that the best can't fight off evil. And I don't like that.

Writer Josh Williamson has a good handle on Batman's voice. But the plot seems a bit off for me.

David Marquez's art is just luscious, bringing this book up a notch in my mind. It really is beautiful to look at.

That said, the wonky font in red on top of black word balloons makes the dialogue of the Batman Who Laughs nearly unreadable. It is just painful.

On to the book.

Review: Action Comics #1016

Action Comics #1016 came out this week, wrapping up the quick visit to Metropolis by Naomi while ratcheting up the Invisible Mafia storyline. As has been the norm with this book, there were great moments and snappy dialogue. This also, like last issue, showcased the difference in Superman and Batman regarding new heroes and advice. In many ways, this was just a sort of primer on Naomi for all those who have missed out on her solo comic.

The growth in the character of the Red Cloud and the subsequent fallout with the Invisible Mafia is the main push in this issue regarding the ongoing plots in the DCU. Leviathan is barely mentioned. There isn't any 'Legion of Doom' sigils. But what I did find interesting is how this issue shows the citizens of Metropolis and how they respond to super-fights and destruction.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis does a great job capturing the voices of all the characters. In particular, I love his Metropolis denizens and how they all seem to be behind their hero even if destruction occasionally happens.

Artist Szymon Kudranski has to kick it up a notch with his action sequences as it looks like a block is leveled in this fight. But there are plenty of dialogue scenes and close-ups which are rendered well.

Another fine issue. On to the details!

Supergirl Show 501: Event Horizon

As I have said elsewhere on social media, my life is in a bit of a whirlwind these days and I am doing my best to keep my head above water.

So apologies for the lateness of this post, a review of the Supergirl Season 4 premiere titled 'Event Horizon. You are all two weeks ahead of me, so you definitely know more on where some of the plots in this series have gone.

For me, I was definitely impressed with this episode as it totally builds off of the events of the last. There isn't some feeling of a pause here. There isn't the sense that characters are starting from a clean slate. The events of last season are having a strong impact on everyone.

Alex is in charge of the DEO but in a relationship with Kelly.
Brainy is still dealing with the emotional fallout of his brief evil/cold turn last season.
Nia is trying to grow the romantic relationship she has with Brainy.
Kara is being celebrated for her article which took down Lex but is still dealing with not telling Lena her secret.

And Lena? She is harboring a lot of ill will after learning Kara is Supergirl. And Luthors hold grudges.

We'll add to that mix a bunch of new characters and plotlines. A new CatCo CEO. A new CatCo reporter. A new AI whispering in Lena's ears. Ma'alefa'ak returning to fight his brother. And oh yeah ... a Crisis on the horizon.

And, no surprise, the acting in the episode is solid. In particular, Melissa Benoist has a scene which reminds me just how blessed we are that she is on this show. She is such a force.

But I am invested. This season is off to a great start (or it got off to a great start 3 weeks ago). On to the show.

Leviathan Back Up Theory Revisited: New 52 Superman

I have had a Leviathan Theory which seems to be completely wrong. I thought that Leviathan was Ted Kord. I thought that the Enforcer was Captain Atom. I thought that the woman who confronted Director Bones early on was Nightshade.

That seems to be wrong. More and more things seem to be pointing to a Manhunter.

But I have also had back-up theories. One early guess was that Leviathan is the New 52 Superman, At the time, I thought this was unlikely. In fact, in my own personal odds table, I listed the New 52 Superman as being a 100:1 bet.

So why I am I revisiting? Well, let's revisit two important early clues.

Let's start out with one of the first clues.

Superman finds a note that says that he and Leviathan want the same thing.

So this is someone who thinks like Superman.

And then this comment from the Question.

Wouldn't it be a twist if Leviathan turned out to be Superman?

And wouldn't it be a classic mystery writer trick to tell us the answer before the mystery even really unfolds?

And let's not forget the doubling down of the trick. In Event Leviathan #3 Plastic Man wonders if Superman is Leviathan as well. Two bites at the apple ... how very tricky Mr. Bendis!

Now let's dive into new clues, specifically from Event Leviathan #5 and Supergirl #35.

DC January Solicits

The January solicits for DC comics are now out and the new year is ringing in with a dose of darkness and a recent blighted storyline revisited. Will this be a banner ringing in of 2020? Or will DC look back at this decision and realize they weren't seeing things clearly?

I'll cover the super-specific stuff but if you want to see the total solicits, you can head to Newsarama here: https://www.newsarama.com/47466-dc-comics-january-2020-solicitations.html

But I will say, I don't think I am feeling too excited about much of this.

SUPERGIRL #38
written by JODY HOUSER
art by RACHAEL STOTT
cover by MIKE PERKINS
card stock variant cover by DERRICK CHEW

After Batman and Superman couldn’t stop the Infected Supergirl from trying to thee entire world, they knew they had to call in the only person they trust can bring Kara back...Wonder Woman! Will Diana’s compassion be enough to cure Kara of the infection that’s taken over? If not, what’s a fight between an uninhibited Kryptonian power house against a god like? You’ll find out here!

So this is a solicit with a typo. What was Dark Kara trying to do?

Anyways, you know how much I am sick of Supergirl being tainted and corrupted, so it is going to take something special for me to like this. And ironic that it is Wonder Woman's compassion that is the weapon here. You would think that Supergirl and her 'compassion for all' mantra would mean she wouldn't be darkened by the Batman Who Laughs.

Sigh. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Review: Jimmy Olsen #4

We are in another year of the villain. We have the Batman Who Laughs corrupting the best of all heroes. We have Perpetua and a mutated Lex Luthor leading an entire universe to Doom. It all seems so dark and dreary.

And then there is the wacky, laughy, crazy Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen by writer Matt Fraction and artist Steve Lieber.

Everything seems right again.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #4 came out this week and was another wonderful chapter in this story. Like prior issues, this is a series of vignettes. But unlike the last, these are all in some sort of linear order showing how Mr. Action's life has sort of unraveled. Bound by the framing technique of Jimmy divulging all to Lois in an effort to figure things out, we see how Jimmy has come to the conclusion that Lex Luthor 'killed' him. Brilliant.

Perhaps best of all is the new 'Timmy Olsen' persona, a hit and run, provocative, sort of YouTube personality reporter who basically is causing trouble in Gotham. For someone who wants to keep a low profile, Jimmy ... ahem 'Timmy' ... isn't exactly hiding. All of Timmy's antics made me laugh.

As for art, Steve Lieber is on his A game this issue. We start with the Citizen Kane homage cover. Then we have several interesting panel choices and page layouts which really give a sort of Madman feel to the proceedings. It echoes the addled Jimmy perfectly. Kudos.

Another winner! A wonderful palate cleanser!

On to the book!