Saturday, June 25, 2011

Some More Bullet Points

Just some quick observations and links in this heavy week of reviews.


I have added upcoming Supergirl artist Mahmud Asrar's blog in my blog roll. Here is a recent post of the cover to Supergirl #1: http://www.mahmudasrar.com/2011/06/supergirl-1-cover-bw.html

And here is what he had to say about it:
Here's the cover image to Supergirl #1 without the colours. This is my first official marker cover. The whole book will be rendered with this style.

I don't know if that means his art will be pencil and markers rather than more classic pencil/ink.  I still don't know about the boots. But visuals are the least of my concerns here.


This is a sort of old interview on the great Comic Vine website (I love that place). Here are their questions with DC executives Bob Harras and Eddie Berganza:
http://www.comicvine.com/news/bob-harras-eddie-berganza-reveal-the-reason-for-dcs-revamped-titles/143212/

And this question which interested me:

CV: Part of the revamp is giving characters new identities. I know that in the solicit for the upcoming Supergirl series, she seems like a completely different character...

Eddie: Well she's still the same character, we're just going down to her core. Looking at the characters at their core, looking at them in these new situations that we're creating and seeing how they would react to other characters. We're taking everything back to 'who is this character, how would he or she react to certain situations,' and that's really how we developed some of these new directions.

Bob: We've also been very conscious of making this reality for the real world. Like, what would the reaction be of people coming from outer space with these powers? It's not all gonna be welcomed. So that's the challenge these heroes are faced with and the fact that they continue to be here is the story we're striving to tell.

So, according to these people, Supergirl's core is of an unpredictable teen with no affection for humanity?? That is what they think the core of the Supergirl is?? Have they read any of her stories from 1959 until now?

Outside of the first 19 issues of this current title, Supergirl has always been a hero, striving to do good. Now could she be unpredictable ... yes. Did she fail sometimes ... yes. That was part of the appeal of her, that she was still on the journey. But lacking affection for people and the warning to not 'piss her off' is not the Supergirl anyone knows. Thanks to interviewer Sara 'Babs' Lima for actually asking the question that we all have asked ... why does this solicit for Supergirl not sound like Supergirl??


In all of this DC Relaunch stuff,  here is some non-comic Supergirl news. MTV caught up with Laura Vandervoort and asked her about the Smallville finale. Here is the link to the video clip:
http://splashpage.mtv.com/2011/06/20/smallville-finale-supergirl/

And here is her quote:
"I'm a little upset that Kara did not get to say goodbye to Clark personally. She just kind of watched from afar. But overall, 'Smallville' is fantastic and they did such a great job."

The more I read and see of Vandervoort, the more I get the sense that she loved her time as Supergirl and that she had an understanding of Supergirl's motivations. Much like a Cosmic 9th Grade series, I can only hope that the CW considers doing to Supergirl and the Legion pilot or movie.



Finally, I continue my look at some of the DC 1970s fantasy books over on the DC Bloodlines blog. This week's review is of the entirely insane Beowulf Dragon Slayer #2. Here is the link:
http://dcbloodlines.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-beowulf-2.html

9 comments:

  1. Everyone is going to have their own take on this new Supergirl.

    I loved the most recent issue and, for the first time in a long time, I am looking forward to next issue. I also really enjoyed Peter David's series and the character in the 80's.

    Besides Palmiotti's issue, issue 20, and the Kandor arc, I loved the first 20 issues. The character had more depth, her own personality, and was separated from Superman-- something often sorely needed.

    From issue #20 (I'm sorry I exist, tee-hee) all the way through the Gates run, I did not enjoy this character at all. Nor could I enjoy anything like Kara in the 50's and 60's if it were put out today.

    I think if the writers give her depth, her own voice, and allow her to adjust to earth and learn to care for humans and if this whole things is done well, it could give us some really good Supergirl stories.

    Considering what Supergirl went through before coming to earth and what she has to get used to on earth, writing her as a simplistic goody goody with who giggles and cries without a single complex thought in her head would never work. I hope we all give this a chance rather than obey the marching orders to resist this change. I don't know how many more fan base splitting wars this character can take.

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  2. Considering what Supergirl went through before coming to earth and what she has to get used to on earth, writing her as a simplistic goody goody with who giggles and cries without a single complex thought in her head would never work.

    Thank you for the post and focused comments.

    I think part of my concern with them is that it is implied that the Gates Kara (and subsequently Peaty's and DeConnick's) has *not* had a complex thought, or was a simplistic goody goody, or giggled all the time.

    And frankly that is wrong.

    Gates' Kara was conflicted, had a temper, made mistakes, used her brains, and was a hero. That was evident throughout that run.

    You missed all that because you didn't read those issues.

    I agree that we all need to go into this new incarnation with an open mind.

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  3. Haven't we all seen this version of Supergirl before? It just sounds like DC is weirdly desperate to go back to what didn't work to begin with.

    Oh and Supergirl was hardly a two-dimensional "Goody Goody" caricature back in the 1960's, yes she was in Superman's shadow but so was everyone and everything else in the DCU in those days. His books sold in the millions on a monthly basis so hell yeah his interests came first and foremost.
    A lot of that caricature comes off of the critical base in fan dom that is automatically hostile to "legacy females" (exp, Supergirl, Batgirl, BAtwoman etc). Lupoff's famous essay on the Golden Age Superman in "All in Color For a Dime" derides the silver age's characters & situations and sighing after the "purity" of the 1940's original. This set the stage for a lot of the bias that has dogged Supergirl since 1959.

    An open mind is a good thing to have in this situation, but a sense of what we may be up against is also a useful thing to have as well.


    John Feer

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  4. Every time DC comment on this relaunch they just add to the confusion. From the above I get the impression that they do regard this as the same character but like the rest of the DCu line come september she's in a 'devolved' state. I think their whole ethic is contradictory obviously but if you want to say these are all basically the same characters but with a different spin put on them I think you need some event in their lives to explain why the change, I don't mean a tweaking of reality/time thanks to Flashpoint but rather go the route of 'One Year Later' where we pick up the books with the characters in a very different place than when we last met them.
    Let there be some event in Supergirls life (spinning out of the whole New Krypton arc maybe) that has hardened her view on the world. This allows you to assuage any continuity issues while also 'rebooting' them for this hoped for new audience.

    I think at least if this IS the same Supergirl we've followed I'd have far more of a feeling of confidence in following her journey, I was/am going to give the new book a couple of issues to prove itself to me in these regards but if like (apparently) Superboy it is a total reboot and divorced from the past then I am probobly not going to be well disposed to it... especially if it has an unpleasant lead character as the solicits suggest.

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  5. Man, if I was rich, I sue DC Comics for the nation debt unless they don't do their Re-Imaging....

    Let's hope that this Re-Imaging doesn't pay off for DC Comics! I rather have the Supergirl we have right now then anything else.

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  6. I often wondered if the Smallville producers from season 8 on, felt that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar played a practical joke on them by introducing Kara to the show right before they left the series. You would think the CW would have utilized her popularity with a "Midvale" spinoff. I do like your idea of a Supergirl/Legion movie Anj.

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  7. ANJ, just to start off, I want to thank you for all the work you put in here. Your work is thoughtful, perceptive, and filled with detailed analysis. For me it's an oasis, particularly right now when it feels like DC is getting ready to drive the bus off the cliff. You maintain a sense of calm, and it carries over into the comments. It's greatly appreciated, thanks.

    I agree that we all need to go into this new incarnation with an open mind.

    We do, and I intend to. But I also have one eyebrow raised, wondering if this new "artistic vision" is a step forward or just a change welded onto the character because someone thinks it's going to be cool and hip, today's version of "The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl". Supergirl fans have been burned over and over, and so we're easily spooked. We've heard "wait, what you thought you knew doesn't apply now, here's the new and improved version" too many times. In the Silver and Bronze ages it often was actually a downgrade, each version less enjoyable and sympathetic than the previous one. In the back of my mind I have this fear of the characterization death spiral we went through then.

    But DC, I've got your back. Please don't make me regret it.

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  8. I just hope that they do Supergirl "right" and DC, please don't screw her up. I love David's 90's version and more recently Gates' run along with the other writers on board after him and Igle.

    Treat her with respect, DC, too. -ealperin

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  9. Thanks for all the comments.

    I keep hoping more info will come out about the new creative team's vision for Supergirl. On Twitter, Mick Johnson said a Newsarama interview is coming soon.

    Guess we still have to wait and see ...

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