Friday, January 29, 2010

Review: Supergirl #49


When Supergirl #49 was first solicited and trumpeted the death of Lana Lang, I think it shocked most people. Lana is a pillar of the Superman mythos. She became Supergirl's mentor here on Earth ... a story barely scratched in this title. She couldn't really die, could she?

After that initial gasp, I think we all began trying to figure out what the loophole would be. As a group of Supergirl fans, I think we did a good job of figuring this thing out. In this week's brief poll, 20 of 34 voters guessed the Insect Queen angle. And even some of the 'other' votes were versions of the Insect Queen theory.

One thing that I have enjoyed about Sterling Gates' run on Supergirl is how he is able to imbue small moments with gravitas. We definitely see that in this issue, especially in the hospital scenes.

There are a couple of small editorial things about this issue which I think took a little away from an overall emotionally charged issue. But otherwise, I thought this was another good issue.


I have to give myself a little pat on the back. This is what I said back in December 15th when these pages were first previewed on The Source.

Lana must be running to catch a cab when her condition finally reaches that critical point and she drops. The shocked look on the doorman has to be followed by a splash page of Lana on the sidewalk hemorrhaging.

Okay, so it's not the sidewalk, it's the lobby.

Anyways, this is a pretty disturbing image, with Lana covered in blood. I also think, the blood aside, this is a scary and all too real moment - that moment when someone nearby has a sudden medical emergency.

What I didn't like was the conversation before she drops where it is clear that Perry White is questioning Lana's love for her job. Of course, Lana has been hiding her condition from everyone so he can't know why she is missing work. But, at least from Lana's side of the conversation, it sounds like Perry is really laying into her and that seemed just a little off.

But we already get a little hint of her affliction as we see an insect crawling over the phone.


Meanwhile, 'Super-Banshee' remains in battle with the Silver Banshee.

I really like Supergirl's internal monologue early on here. It gives us a peek inside so we can understand her feelings better. First off, she says how she is upset that she has been pulled away from Lana to help Inspector Henderson. It let's us know how much she cares about Lana.

But the best part is this final part of the monologue. She seems almost matter-of-fact as she talks about how her body has been taken over by the McDougal clan. I can imagine her sighing or rolling her eyes as she says 'I'm Supergirl. This is my life.' Nothing seems easy for her.


The clan spirits that have possessed Supergirl are upset with the Silver Banshee and they seem more powerful as a group than Siobhan is as a person. They silence the Silver Banshee with magical chains and berate her for not having found the artifacts before. How could Inspector Henderson find more than she has?

There is a great panel where Super-Banshee rips the artifact Siobhan has inside her from her abdomen. It seems the clan will now hide the gathered artifacts again, forcing the Banshee to begin her quest anew.

Here is one of those editorial things that bugged me. Why is this red dotted line surrounding this page. I don't think it is an artistic choice. I think it is a misprint.


Supergirl has been trying to wrest control of her body from the clan throughout the fight.

Henderson realizes that the McDougal spirits are tied to those artifacts. If the artifacts are linked to the clan, they can be used to attack them.

He skewers the coin embedded in his hand with the McDougal clan knife. That is enough to let Supergirl break free of Banshee control. It is a nice panel of her literally shrugging off the clan's control.

Matt Camp's art is strong in this scene especially Supergirl's facial expressions.


And Silver Banshee then eliminates the disembodied clan spirits by screaming their name. She has dispelled them and now has control of the five artifacts that Henderson has obtained.

And then this interesting little nugget. The Silver Banshee owes Henderson a favor. Someday he'll hear her true song.

For some reason I love that. What is her true song? Is it lovely? Haunting? Deadly?

With that, the Banshee disappears. It isn't exactly a win for Supergirl, but it certainly isn't a loss.

What follows is a quiet rooftop moment between Henderson and Supergirl where the Inspector talks about the importance of family, how it should always be first, rank before the job. It is ironic as in the midst of that talk, Supergirl hears the doctors discussing Lana's case in the hospital. Kara flies off.


Lana is in the midst of being coded by the physicians. Unfortunately the staff is unable to resuscitate her. The code is called and she is pronounced just as Linda Lang comes crashing through the door.

I could nitpick about the medicine here (improper placement of defibrillator pads, use of defibrillation in asystole) but I understand the constraints of comics.

I talked about powerful small moments in this comic and how much I love them. And, as always, when art and words mesh, I love comics.

So it's great that Supergirl is on her knees here, powerless to stop what has happened to Lana. And then I absolutely love how she simply is so overwhelmed by the moment that she tunes out the physician trying to explain things to her. She says it plainly - she doesn't hear anything. Her mind is reeling, too busy trying to grasp the immensity of this moment to listen. The slow fading out of the doctor's words conveys that so much.

I have to say personally I have been on both sides of this conversation. That blank defeated look on Linda's face is spot on.

In an issue of very good moments, this was my favorite.


It hits Linda that she is now truly alone on Earth and sheds a few tears. I usually rant against Supergirl crying but this was totally appropriate and perfect. It again shows the growth of the character over the last couple of years. Early in the title all Supergirl wanted was to be alone. Now she knows the strength of family.

But after some time, Linda is able to think straight. What studies did the doctors perform during the code? Did they run blood tests? Most importantly, can Linda see the body?

Unfortunately as great as these moments are, I was taken aback by the lack of glasses on Linda Lang. This really stuck out as gaffe for me. We haven't seen Linda that much here but the glasses are a big part of that persona. Otherwise, isn't this just Supergirl in civilian clothes? More importantly, where was the editor reviewing these pages. Would pages of Clark without glasses go unnoticed? No way. This just bothered me.


Before Linda can continue her conversation, her hearing picks up noises from the morgue. She rushes to investigate and discovers this ... a chrysalis.

That's right, Lana's condition is somehow the result of her time with the Insect Queen! I love it!

Does this mean Lana is the new Insect Queen? Is this really Lana or some sort of sleeper clone? Is Lana ... gone?

Again, I love the small things in comics - like the hexagonal floor tiles. I wonder if Matt Camp purposefully made the morgue floor look like honeycomb.

Overall I liked this issue. I thought the emotional moments of the second half of the issue were better than the action of the Silver Banshee piece. The dialogue in those 'small moments' was spot on. The Insect Queen reveal was brilliant.

Matt Camp's art was really slick. I really hope that DC gives him some more work soon.

If only there were glasses on Linda!

Next month is Supergirl #50. Here was the solicit:
Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle reunite to tell an epic, oversized battle royale between the Girl of Steel and a mysterious, diabolical new foe!

I guess the diabolical new foe is the Insect Queen.

Overall grade: B+

19 comments:

Nikki said...

I did guess it would end on a crysalis in this very blog! Although I thought that they would hide it away for later on considering the legion story is on the horizon and that kara would find an empty table

Gene said...

Anj wrote:
"Unfortunately as great as these moments are, I was taken aback by the lack of glasses on Linda Lang. This really stuck out as gaffe for me. We haven't seen Linda that much here but the glasses are a big part of that persona. Otherwise, isn't this just Supergirl in civilian clothes?"

I'm going to chalk that up to Kara being caught up in the emotion of the moment. Still, it wouldn't make sense if the doctor doesn't pause later on and say "Wait a minute..."

Kara on her knees in the hospital reminded me a little of Christopher Reeve after he pulled Margot Kidder out of the dirt filled car.

I'm just glad that Lana did not die outright.

Yota said...

I have to agree with Gene on the glasses issue; I wear glasses, but my vision isn't too terrible, so if I'm in a hurry, I can easily forget them, at least until I get to the car and then have to spend the day in sunglasses and getting odd looks. So Kara, who doesn't need them at all and was certainly in a much bigger hurry than that of needing to get to class on time, could certainly dismiss them as unimportant relative to getting to Lana as quickly as super-humanly possible.

Further, glasses aside, if anything clues that doctor in to Kara's secret identity, it's going to be the fact that she super-sped away from him to get to the morgue. He'll probably still be there scratching his head come next issue.

Jason said...

Yeah I have to agree with Anj on the glasses issue. Without them, she really is just Supergirl in civilian clothes, which the public of Metropolis has seen before. She would be recognizable. I agree we wouldn't see Clark appear in civies without the glasses. With that said, I do also agree with Gene and Yota that people who wear glasses in the real world can probably easily forget to put them on in a rush. While that is certainly valid, again, we all know editorial still wouldn't let that kind of thing fly with Clark. Linda without the glasses defeats the whole purpose of the new secret identity, especially since up to the start of Gates's and Ingle's run we saw Supergirl parade out in public in regular clothes on numerous occasions, which would mean people would/should recognize her in civilian clothes if she doesn't have her glasses on.

Adam Smasher said...

I loved this issue - and didn't have an issue with the glasses (I don’t identify Linda with glasses as I do Clark, that and I got a clearer look at her eyes, which was a boon in this instence). I also had the opposite reaction with the Lana/Perry conversation... I actually found that to be one of my favorite moments. The juxtaposition between the mundane and the tragic…. Reminds me of something Kurosawa did in “High and Low” with the businessmen in a heated debate about women’s shoes and handbags (moments later there will be a kidnapping) – it highlights what’s really important in life.

Aside from that I loved Matt’s art and the art in general. The line work in the clothing, body language and facial expressions – coupled to the magnificent use of color. There were times when I stopped my reading and simply stared in awe at the art.

Big time “A” from me and I can’t wait for issue 50

mur said...

glasses what the hell, make her hair color brown or have a wig on to disguise her looks at least, I hate how the glasses look on her bring back the ol wig duds so she can appear as her own identity. the cocoon wow who knew oh you guys did i just knew that something had to do with the insect virus taking over her bod and coating her to transform her into a new nemesis for Linda Lang/Kara zorel would be neat to see how she would fight her aunt.

TalOs said...

Hmm, as much as I loved this issue (and I did) I like others apparently just couldn't find myself getting pass the fact that Kara in 'Linda' mode is seen without either glasses or her hair in a pony tail (as to try to insure her secret id cover isn't fully blown) yet allows everyone in the hospital to get a real good view of apparently Supergirl in civilian attire making a commotion over her supposed 'aunt' Lana Lang as well as how Yota pointed out deciding to actually Super-speed right in front of the doc she's talking to in order to hit the morgue to find out what the sounds coming from it exactly were too. o_O

Hell, I could only imagine onlookers possibly scrambling to take snap shots with their phones/i-Pods upon surprisingly seeing/hearing an non costumed Supergirl suddenly bursting in to the joint demanding to know what's happened to her 'aunt Lana' then one of 'em possibly phoning 911 to inform them of there being an unauthorized Kryptonian in their midst. (Remember, the "no Kryptonians" band has as of yet to be lifted.) Forget the onlookers, it's Cat Grant who's going to have a field day with this HUGE slip up instead if it was caught on hospital surveillance cams regardless of what the outcome of a possible Supergirl Vs. Insect Queen battle will be.

mur said...

i think this series is getting exciting i want to know more any hints on the next issue?
maybe kara will rethink her identity in the future since she expose her identity to the doctors or anyone who saw her.
whats with the green glow on lana cocoon think kryptonite has something to do with it the changing?

Anj said...

I did guess it would end on a crysalis in this very blog!

You were the only one who hit it on the head!

Congrats!

Anj said...

I have to agree with Gene on the glasses issue; I wear glasses, but my vision isn't too terrible, so if I'm in a hurry, I can easily forget them, at least until I get to the car and then have to spend the day in sunglasses and getting odd looks.

I suppose it is a decent rationalization so I can let it go.

Still as someone excited about Linda Lang, I was disappointed not to see the whole package.

Anj said...

Linda without the glasses defeats the whole purpose of the new secret identity, especially since up to the start of Gates's and Ingle's run we saw Supergirl parade out in public in regular clothes on numerous occasions, which would mean people would/should recognize her in civilian clothes if she doesn't have her glasses on.

Good point.

I didn't even think about the 'figuring out her secret identity' piece.

Anj said...

I also had the opposite reaction with the Lana/Perry conversation... I actually found that to be one of my favorite moments. The juxtaposition between the mundane and the tragic…. Reminds me of something Kurosawa did in “High and Low”

Good point. That adds to the 'real life' feel too.

And any time Kurosawa is referenced, I'm a happy camper! Thanks!

Anj said...

deciding to actually Super-speed right in front of the doc she's talking to in order to hit the morgue to find out what the sounds coming from it exactly were too

I guess she is still learning to be Linda ...

I am going to just chalk it up to inexperience rather than editorial error.

Shoria Blackheart said...

Did you noticed that the outfit that Linda was wearing when Lana had died was the exact outfit they had her wearing in Origins and Omens? I thought that was a really nice touch on the part of the artist and writer, fusing two story lines together. And if you look at that same picture and think about what's coming, the bottom half of the picture shows the Future.
Alura with Zod and his gang, along with Superwoman in the foreground. Now we know that Superwoman is alive and is going to have a future confrontation with Supergirl. But what about the kiss? With Brainiac and The Legion of Superheroes just around the corner I am sticking with what I originally thought it meant; a Supergirl/Brainiac Five kiss.
Lets just hope that the Supergirl VS the Insect Queen fight goes well for Lana, but I don't see much hope.

Anonymous said...

The Silver Banshee sequence and Insp. Henderson's involvement therein felt contrived and held a definite whiff of anti-climax. Just once couldn't Supergirl just hit someone hard and be done with it?
I do enjoy Kara's adolescent lament "I'm Supergirl, this is my life"...

The Lana scene seems to hold more promise, the Former First Lady of the USA is a insectoid meta-human? Could only happen in DC comics.

John Feer

Anj said...

Did you noticed that the outfit that Linda was wearing when Lana had died was the exact outfit they had her wearing in Origins and Omens? I thought that was a really nice touch on the part of the artist and writer, fusing two story lines together.

I didn't until you pointed it out. Thanks so much!

I love flourishes like that which show that the writer and artist care to have a meticulous approach.

Anj said...

The Silver Banshee sequence and Insp. Henderson's involvement therein felt contrived and held a definite whiff of anti-climax. Just once couldn't Supergirl just hit someone hard and be done with it?
I do enjoy Kara's adolescent lament "I'm Supergirl, this is my life"...


I agree the Banshee piece was wrapped up quickly. But with another major cross-over a couple of months away, Gates probably didn't have the luxury of time/space.

The 'this is my life' comment was great.

Anonymous said...

Woah... Didn't expect that...

It's nice to know that DC takes hints from previous eras and takes them into a new direction.

I just hope Kara can get out of this sticky situation. Pun intended.
-ealperin

Generic Cialis said...

This couple of issues have to go down in history as one of the best, the whole story the illness of Lana, Banshee, Supergirl's monologue. Simply superb