Supergirl #49 comes out tomorrow and we'll finally get an answer as to what is ailing Lana Lang. I have been looking forward to this issue by Sterling Gates and Matt Camp since the solicit. I really am hoping that Lana doesn't actually die here. The Linda/Lana relationship has barely been explored.
But what is Lana suffering from? Time to poll the audience.
I probably should have done this poll much earlier than the day before the issue is released. As a result of my tardiness, the poll will only be open for 48 hours.
Somewhere along the way, Sterling Gates said in an interview that whatever Lana is suffering from is something long term fans would appreciate. So what could it be?
1) CancerIt is the simplest answer. But the truth is, we went through the 'Saving Thomas' storyline within the last couple of years, so it seems early to retread that topic. Plus, just last issue, Lana told us it was more of an immune deficiency problem. Certainly, some types of cancers can make you more prone to infection - but that is usually more an issue while enduring chemo.
I don't think it's cancer.
2) The Kents' exotic illness If long time readers will find the revelation cool, why not make it the 'exotic tropical illness' that the Kents succumbed to in the Silver Age. Remember that Superboy couldn't find a cure for this unique illness and as a result the Kent's died.
If Argo City is back in continuity, why not the Kents' tropical fever?
I would vote for this but I doubt that is where we are going.
3) Insect mutagen exposure Lana was the Insect Queen back in the Silver Age as well. A few years back, Kurt Busiek updated that part of the character. In Superman671-3, an extraterrestrial Insect Queen comes to Earth and uses Lana's DNA as a template to create a suitable body for her conquest.
It is at least implied that Lana got something out of the deal as she feels 'oddly strong' and is able to take out some insect warriors with her fists. Could this manipulation of her DNA be behind her slow deterioration?
I think this is the favored theory.
4) Other
It really could be anything. Radiation poisoning from Kryptonite? Toxic exposure while working at LexCorp? Slowly becoming a Bizarro? Lycanthropy?
If you guess 'other' on the poll, I would love to hear your ideas.
Lana going into a hidden crysalis would be my best guess
ReplyDeletei think its going to be the return of the insect queen. of course, i do hope the real lana is still around. perhaps the current lana is an infected clone, or something...
ReplyDeleteI'm going way out on a limb (contrary to my prior comment) and say it has something to do with matrix left-over’s if that is even possible with the various continuities and reboots that I don't follow as well as some.
ReplyDeleteThe purple stuff in her blood stream and the comments about long time fans made me start to wonder.
There was also a Supergirl issue ages ago where a truck took away a "sample" of matrix purple "stuff" left on the street after a fight of some sort in a container with biohazard suit guys protecting it. I always wondered what happened to it.
As really quite awesome as the Matrix idea would be, I highly doubt it; I remember reading somewhere, although Linda Danvers hadn't been retconned out, Matrix has been. Plus the left-over Matrix protoplasm was used in a later storyline in Peter David's Supergirl run to merge with an help heal and restore Blithe, one of the other Earthborn Angels.
ReplyDeleteIt would be pretty awesome, but whenever creators say that long-time fans will be excited about something, it almost always turns out to be something from the Silver Age, and it makes us 80s and 90s kids feel that much less appreciated in the fanbase of the DCU.
insect queen return, I think maybe its getting rid of the old body to have it killed off then have it renew by being encased in a cocoon or even be reborn as a insect that would developed over time as a new Lana or the clone took over Lana life as the original was taken away as a prisoner while this Lana clone deteriorates then dies comes back as insect queen
ReplyDeleteLAna will die and return as the new Superwoman supplanting Lucy "Daddy's little Chump" Lane. LIkely this will involve some sort of Matrix style transformation.
ReplyDeleteJohn Feer
I was leaning towards the Insect Queen theory, but now I'm thinking that it might be a slow acting Lexcorp poison in revenge for Lana using Lex Corp resources to help Superman. It would be nice to see Supergirl directly take on Luthor in response to that.
ReplyDeleteinsect queen all the way!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, all I care about is that Supergirl and Batgirl aren't jobbed out to Mister Freeze and the freakin' Toyman in a bid to bump up the Superman-Batman team come World's Finest #4 today.
ReplyDeleteFor that fact "Cry for Justice" had better make room to display her smackdown skills.
:D
John Feer
Well, we have an answer.
ReplyDeleteLet's see if the ballot box gets stuffed!
she's a bug!Are you kidding me? Why does this remind me of that storyline from Marvel Comics Spider man called "The Other" Where Spider man kinda goes thur the same thing Lana went thur.Whatever!
ReplyDeleteWell,I for one, don't think she's a bug. Maybe she has some sort of cancerous virus that affects her at a molecular level. Maybe it affects her DNA.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's my guess at least.
The only thing that bugged me about the Matrix thing is that we still don't know how Linda got her abilities back. Maybe Twilight died in some sort of story arc i missed.
-ealperin
Ha, looks like we all got it right (OK, I missed posting in this batch, but I went for the same thing earlier, honest!). Big credit to Nikki and everyone who shared her guess.
ReplyDelete0_0 Insect Queen VER 2.0? Ho-kay. Wonder how Supergirl will deal with this? :/
ReplyDeleteTalOs wrote:
ReplyDelete"0_0 Insect Queen VER 2.0? Ho-kay. Wonder how Supergirl will deal with this? :/"
Kara grabs a can of Raid...