Landry Walker Interview & Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow

You know what I can never get enough of? Supergirl Cosmic Adventures by writer Landry Walker and artist Eric Jones. It is hard to believe that the Eighth Grade mini-series came out 3 years ago. Despite that time lag and that this was a all ages mini-series, the series continues to get publicity. It makes me wonder why DC never gave the green light to a sequel.

The latest love lavished was in the War Rocket Ajax podcast over on Comics Alliance. Writer Landry Walker was interviewed by Chris Sims and talked for a fair amount about Cosmic Adventure before even getting to Danger Club. Here is the link to the interview, well well worth listening to if you were a fan of Cosmic: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/07/30/war-rocket-ajax-123-landry-walker-talks-danger-club-and-sup/

Walker shows up around 35 minutes in. On Alliance, there is this one blurb about how in Cosmic Adventures in the11th Grade we were going to get a reverse point of view of the Fortress scene in Alan Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Here is that transcript:

WALKER: We were hoping to do Supergirl's Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, then 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, and then after that is Crisis on Infinite Earths. So it's sad then.

SIMS: So you were building to her death?!

WALKER: It's in there! Read issue 6. We mention it, Lena actually says "the red skies are coming!" I don't think we were going to actually get to that, but one of the scenes I had planned for 11th Grade, you know the scene that takes place in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, where Supergirl visits Superman after her death? We were going to redo that scene from Supergirl's perspective, because she was going to spend that 11th grade year in the 30th Century. I usually don't like to tell this stuff, but we're not going to get to do it, so...

I think I have gushed enough about Walker and Jones approach to Supergirl here. But I will reiterate that I loved that they acknowledged Supergirl's history in so many ways during Cosmic. To know that this scene was being planned and will never be seen just adds frustration. Why hasn't there been more?

Anyways, here is the scene Walker was going to recreate. This was the last pre-Byrne Superman story and Alan Moore was allowed to pull out all the stops. At this point, Superman has gone to the mattresses, using the Fortress of Solitude as a bunker, hunkering down with his friends while super-villains amass outside. While in the Fortress, the Legion shows up ... with Supergirl in tow. Remember in this continuity Supergirl has died in the Crisis.

Superman is, of course, shocked to see his cousin again. And this is a very young Kara, in her original blue skirt uniform, wondering if she has grown up to be pretty.

Stammering a bit, Superman leads Supergirl away from her memorial statue so she doesn't see her fate.

Superman chastises Brainiac 5 for bringing Kara. It is more than distressing; it is unnerving.

Brainy hints that there is more here than meets the eye. Superman equates it with the Legion paying their respects, one final visit.

Moore does a great job conveying Supergirl's youth and innocence, showing her immediately going to play with Krypto.

Of course, the rules of time travel (at that time in the DCU) is that two versions of the same person couldn't exist at the same time. So the young Supergirl wonders how it was that she was able to materialize. Of course, that is because there is no other Supergirl at this time; she has passed.

Look at how easily the master Curt Swan is able to convey Brainy's quiet grief. Wonderful.

Quickly Superman says that the current Supergirl is 'in the past', not a lie but not exactly the truth.

There is something about the first panel there with Supergirl's face completely hidden that is unnerving. It almost feels like we are too late to catch her, to stop her from her fate. She is beyond us and we are only seeing her from behind. I can't put it into words easily ... but somehow not being able to see Kara's face there made this scene that much sadder. Their message (and a hint of escape in the form of a statuette) given, the Legion leaves. Look at the blank faces and teary eyes on the Legionnaires.

This was such a fantastic story and this was such a wonderful scene for Supergirl fans, one last look at her. I can only imagine the magic that Walker and Jones would have done with this scene in a Cosmic book.

It is too bad DC simply can't hear the clamor for more.