One of my favorite parts about Supergirl:Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade is the rather reverential look backwards that Landry Walker and Eric Jones are giving us old time fans.Each issue seems filled with small homages and out right re-imaginations of portions of Supergirl's history. Everything from the name Stanhope to the inclusion of characters Lena Thorul and Streaky ... they all are part of the history of Supergirl and it is great to see them again in the 21st century.
While I feel like I know a lot about Supergirl, even I have holes in my knowledge base. I do my best to point out the ones I see but my guess is I miss some too.
So my thanks to Landry Walker who pointed out that the 'secret chamber' seen in Cosmic Adventures #4 has been seen before ... way back in Action Comics #277.
Above we see Lena reading the beginning of a sign 'Headquarters of the Interplanetary Multidimensional ...'
And the above panel from Action Comics #277 (scanned again from the Showcase:Supergirl collection) where we see the same sign completely: Headquarters of the Interplanetary Multidimensional Practical Jokers Club.
And their leader is Mr. Mxyzptlk. Guess that means I might be right about Principal Picklemeyer.
As for Action Comics #277's plot, Supergirl takes Krypto and Streaky to a small planetoid to have a friendly competition but things start going crazy. They discover that many of the odd happenings are practical jokes from that odd creature.Thanks again to Landry Walker for sharing the info and for creating (with Eric Jones) such a fun book.
And to everyone else, feel free to point out things I might be missing too!
For example, my thanks to frequent poster Nikki for pointing out the similarities between the 'Moon Supergirl' panel where she is immune to Kryptonite and ....
this cover of Action Comics #262 where Supergirl thinks she has cured herself of her weakness to Kryptonite by slowly exposing herself to the radiation in small doses.
The panel design is close with Superman weakened and Kara's arm out at 90 degrees. Maybe we are looking into things too closely but I doubt any of these things are random.
Maybe we are looking into things too closely but I doubt any of these things are random.
ReplyDeleteNor I.
I believe Landry is really trying to gives us some real nostalgic Supergirl mythos Easter eggs in all of these issues with some purpose in mind. ;)
P.S. Oh, and while speaking off all things Supermythos wise will you be reviewing Superman: World of New Krypton #1 since it's involving Alura as well as a surprise debut appearance that Alura basically hand said surprise over to Superman while on New Krypton.
I believe Landry is really trying to gives us some real nostalgic Supergirl mythos Easter eggs in all of these issues with some purpose in mind. ;)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Oh, and while speaking off all things Supermythos wise will you be reviewing Superman: World of New Krypton #1 since it's involving Alura as well as a surprise debut appearance that Alura basically hand said surprise over to Superman while on New Krypton.
Thanks for the post.
I will be reviewing New Krypton. Probably that post will go up Monday.
"Maybe we are looking into things too closely..."
ReplyDeleteI know that cover was specifically in my mind when I wrote the scene. I don't remember if Eric used it for reference or not. Probably.
Supergirl experimenting with the Kryptonite (in both Cosmic Adventures #4 and Action Comics #262) illustrates another aspect of Supergirl's persona that I find appealing: her intelligence, and how she uses that to help others.
ReplyDeleteOne could argue that Supergirl is intellectually smarter than Superman since she was exposed to Kryptonian science, technology, and philosophy from birth to her arrival on Earth. Superman on the other hand had to play catch up (when he was older than Kara) by viewing the material his father included in his rocketship, and by his travels throughout space. Superman does have an edge by knowing more about Earth's customs, but that won't last as Kara adapts to her new home.
I know that cover was specifically in my mind when I wrote the scene. I don't remember if Eric used it for reference or not. Probably.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the post.
Do you get a kick out of it when these references are picked up on by the readers?
"Do you get a kick out of it when these references are picked up on by the readers?"
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay. In the last few days I have had a rather vicious computer meltdown. Fun!
Anyway, the answer is 100% Yes. The degree of audience participation is a significant amount of the fun in working in comics. I try hard to make the book easy to read for new readers, and to keep all the references neutral. But if you have the history to interpret the nods, than hopefully you get an extra level of enjoyment.
Anyway, the answer is 100% Yes. The degree of audience participation is a significant amount of the fun in working in comics. I try hard to make the book easy to read for new readers, and to keep all the references neutral. But if you have the history to interpret the nods, than hopefully you get an extra level of enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the post.
Well as someone with history who is reading the comic to my kids (who don't have that much history), I can tell you it is enjoyed equally by both.
I can't believe there are only 2 more issues!
Hiya, did you get my comment on this entry? Love the blog.
ReplyDeleteHiya, did you get my comment on this entry? Love the blog.
ReplyDeleteI didn't ...
Glad you like the blog and thanks for posting!