October 2010 Solicits

How many times over the last couple of years have I said 'it is a good time to be a Supergirl fan?'

October 2010 is a reminder that it IS a good time. There is so much goodness in October that I fear I am going to break the piggy bank.

The total DC comics solicits are available now at Newsarama here. Some good stuff there. Here are the super family entries.


SUPERGIRL #57 Written by STERLING GATES Art by JAMAL IGLE & JON SIBAL Cover by AMY REEDER & RICHARD FRIEND Showdown at Bizarro World! How can the Girl of Steel defeat a threat that has already taken down an entire planet of Bizarros? And what about BizarroGirl - can Supergirl trust her twisted mirror self to help out? Well, if Bizarros are opposites, and Supergirl is noble, brave and heroic... uh ... good luck defeating the monstrous intergalactic foe by yourself, Kara!

First off, fantastic cover by Amy Reeder. I love the very stylized appearance of the hair and cape here.

I do like that Supergirl and BizarroGirl are still slugging it out 4 issues from now. Makes me think this is going to be a huge story arc. But who is that 'monstrous intergalactic foe'? Someone here (sorry I forget) guessed Lord Xenon from the 'Many Happy Returns' Peter David story. Great thought!

This just has the feeling of being a classic!



SUPERGIRL ANNUAL #2 Written by STERLING GATES Art by MATT CAMP Cover by AMY REEDER & RICHARD FRIEND In a special story that has direct ties to the regular monthly SUPERGIRL series, the Girl of Steel visits The Legion of Super-Heroes on Halloween in the 30th century! But Halloween proves to be just as spooky a holiday a thousand years from now as it is today, because a horrible new threat has awoken thanks to Supergirl's arrival. And that horrible new threat's name is - Satan Girl! Brainiac 5 has a plan, but it may come at the cost of shattering his potential romance with Supergirl!

At last, the solicit for Supergirl Annual #2. This is the first time Brainy meets Supergirl (although not the first time Supergirl has met him ... I love time travel paradoxes). So it is great to see these two together again for the first time. We can only hope romance is in the air.

But wait ... Satan Girl is the villain! Fantastic! Long time Supergirl fans remember the Silver Age Satan Girl and don't worry, I'll review that issue soon. I can't wait to see how Gates reimagines that character!

And Supergirl pinch hitter extraordinaire Matt Camp is on art duties. I love Camp's stuff so I am glad to see him rendering Kara again.




JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #50 Written by JAMES ROBINSON Art by MARK BAGLEY with POW RODRIX & ROB HUNTER & NORM RAPMUND Gatefold cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER 1:75 “DC 75th Anniversary” Variant cover by JIM LEE 1:10 Variant cover by MARK BAGLEY Jade is plagued by the remanants of the Black Lantern, and Dr. Impossible and his group’s machinations unleash the Crime Syndicate upon the JLA’s Earth as BRIGHTEST DAY continues shining! What are their true plans? And can the World’s Greatest Heroes handle these evil incarnations – or is the entire Multiverse doomed?

I wasn't sure whether or not I'd be happy with the Robinson/Bagley Justice League but I have little to complain about. The stories and art have been good.

Now we get this little tease ... Supergirl fighting Ultraman, as drawn by Ethan Van Sciver. Wow!

I really really really hope that we get to see Supergirl mop the floor with him. I mean it. I want to see her give him a beat down. I'll be pretty disappointed if she loses this fight.

Still, it is great to see Supergirl on the big league team.



SUPERMAN/BATMAN #77 Written by JOSH WILLIAMSON Art and cover by ALE GARZA Something evil is haunting Supergirl! But whatever's causing the disturbance is nothing compared to what she's about to run into in Gotham City when she seeks help from the new Robin, Damian. Can these two get along long enough to stop the nightmares plaguing Metropolis? Find out in this special Halloween issue!

One of the 'next World's Finest' possibilities was Supergirl/Damian. It didn't seem like an easy team up as they have differing styles. But that very 'oil and water' nature could make for some interesting stories.

So what a surprise to see this Halloween issue and that team up in Superman/Batman. I don't know Josh Williamson so I don't know what to expect. It will be nice to see Ale Garza's interpretation of Supergirl again.



SUPERMAN #704 Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI Art by EDDY BARROWS & J.P. MAYER Cover by JOHN CASSADAY 1:10 Variant cover by GEOF DARROW J. Michael Straczynski's "Grounded" storyline, which has made headlines in USA TODAY, THE NEW YORK TIMES and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, continues right here as Superman visits the Chicago area! In this issue, Superman discovers that there is a darkness even more immense than outer space: the darkness of the human heart turned against itself.

So this is what I worried about when the theme of Grounded was revealed. How do you put Superman into a story involving (I am assuming) child abuse. There is no easy out for Superman here. If he dispatches the abusive parent, it is too easy an answer. If he doesn't do anything he isn't a hero. If he convinces someone else to do something and it works, it seems too pat.

I don't know how this is going to read. I'm worried. Of course it has done what DC wanted. They can say that USA Today, the New York Times, and Entertainment Weekly are talking about the character.




ACTION COMICS #894 Written by PAUL CORNELL Co-feature written by NICK SPENCER Art by PETE WOODS Co-feature art by RB SILVA & DENIS FRIETAS Cover by DAVID FINCH & BATT Guest-starring Death from SANDMAN! Yes, you read that right! Death! From SANDMAN! In ACTION COMICS! Lex Luthor finds himself literally at Death's door, which leads to a fascinating look not only into the mind of one of the all-time greatest villains, but also at what Death means in the DC Universe... And in the JIMMY OLSEN co-feature, an alien race has chosen Metropolis to be the host of their millennial celebration! And who better to show them around town than James Bartholomew Olsen? But when the alien princess gets wasted and her brother starts picking bar fights, it's up to Jimmy to get things under control before all of Metropolis is destroyed!

I talked about this before. I am honestly very curious about this issue. How will Cornell mingle the two genres. Finch does a lovely Death here.




SUPERMAN: THE LAST FAMILY OF KRYPTON #3 Written by CARY BATES Art by RENATO ARLEM Cover by FELIPE MASSAFERA It's the awe-inspiring conclusion of the story that brought the entire El Family to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton - and brought legendary creator Cary Bates back to Superman! Have Jor-El, Lara and Kal-El delivered a similar fate to their adopted world? And how do Lex Luthor and Brainiac factor into what might (literally) be the Earth-shattering finale of this Elseworlds adventure?

The more time passes, the more I am looking forward to this book.

It would be a classic Elseworld's ending if Earth is destroyed and Kal-El rockets his son to a red sun planet to live a 'normal life'.




ADVENTURE COMICS #519 Written by PAUL LEVITZ Co-feature written by JEFF LEMIRE Art by KEVIN SHARPE & MARLO ALQUIZA Co-feature art by MAHMUD ASRAR & JOHN DELL Cover by SCOTT CLARK & DAVID BEATY In the latest "Superboy and the Legion: The Early Years," the Legion travels to the 20th century to visit Smallville rather than have Superboy head into the future. But what they find on the Kent farm is something that will haunt not only their own lives, but that of Superboy!

I haven't heard how long 'Early Years' will be running in Adventure. The comics market hasn't really been able to sustain one Legion book ... let alone two. Will this flashback book bring in enough readers to stay afloat?

As a Legion fan, I feel obligated to buy this book.



SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE DVD SUPERGIRL MAQUETTE
SCULPTED BY PHIL RAMIREZ
A mysterious space ship from Planet Krypton crashes on Earth with a beautiful girl inside and everyone wants to meet the new kid. Superman embraces the connection to his past, Batman suspects a traitor, Wonder Woman senses a kindred spirit and Darkseid desires a champion. But this feisty teen has her own ideas, none of which include a secret identity, a cape or heroics. It will take a life or death battle with Darkseid to uncover her true purpose on Earth. A dynamic voice cast – Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Andre Braugher and Summer Glau – highlights this DC Universe Animated Original Movie introducing the world to Supergirl.
This hand-painted, cold-cast in porcelain maquette of Supergirl is based on art from the highly anticipated Warner Home Video made-for-DVD animated original movie, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse!

And, as usual, a nice surprise.

Solicited to be released in 'allocated quantities' on 9/29 (the day after the movie release), this statue based on the Supergirl of the movie "only" costs $99.99.

Man ... it is a good time to be a Supergirl fan. But it's also an expensive time! That is the 4th Supergirl statue solicited for the months between September and January. And I'm not even counting the Ame Comi ones I'm not interested in.

I don't know if I can afford this one. But I'll try. It looks pretty nice.

October looks like another great month. I am really excited for the Annual.