Maxima!

It's been a couple of months since the announcement of K. Perkins and Mike Johnson taking over the Supergirl book in November. That solicit included Supergirl joining the Crucible Academy, a school for those destined to be heroes.

At the time I thought that the idea of a school would be good because it would mean instant supporting cast of friends, enemies, professors, and frenemies.

And somewhere along the way I wondered if it would be like the 'school' on Okaara in the Wolfman/Perez Titans, a school where students were taught battle skills as well, a school where people could and would get injured.

Well this week's back material in DC's books gave us a couple of nuggets to mull over.

So there we have it.

First off, the Crucible Academy is a school where survival is not guaranteed. So maybe it is a bit like Okaara. Or maybe it is an attempt to grab onto the zeitgeist of Hunger Games and Maze Runner.

I do have to say, I was all ready for Supergirl to be established on Earth as a hero and to have some straight up super-hero stories without the anger, angst, isolation we saw before Red Daughter. Tony Bedard and Greg Pak have shown us glimpses of that Supergirl.

So sending her to a dark school in space where students can die reads like a step backwards. I can only hope that things don't once again veer to the darkness with this book. How many swipes at a 'Dark Supergirl' will DC make before they give it up as a failed concept.

As I have said before, I look forward to this new direction and remain hopeful that they will build on Bedard's work rather than raze it.

But the bigger news for me was the reveal that Maxima will be one of the other students there. I guess we get a sneak peek of her on the cover, the half face in the circle above Kara.

As not everyone may remember Maxima, I figured I'd include her 90's 'loose leaf' Who's Who page.

Historically, Maxima has always been a Superman 'villain'. Initially, she wanted to mate with Superman, feeling he was one of the few who was worthy of being her consort. Superstrong with psionic blasts, she could back up those claims.

She went through the usual arc for many villains. She started out as a villain for Superman. Then, when Brainiac destroyed her homeworld, she joined Superman to battle the Coluan. Afterwards, she joined the Justice League. Unfortunately, after again being spurned by Superman, she turned rogue again. Her final act was one of heroism, sacrificing herself to save Earth from Brainiac yet again.

I liked Maxima as a rogue for Superman, feeling she could hold her own. I actually thought her turning hero after the destruction of Almerac had some nice symmetry to Superman's origins ... maybe moreso Supergirl's origins.

Her first appearances have her dripping with feelings of superiority and power with a sort of petulant entitlement vibe. So I can see her being the 'villain' or bully of Crucible. She would be the type to try to goad Kara into a fight, trying to claim the 'alpha student' label, and wanting to prove herself better than a Kryptonian.

And I wouldn't mind seeing the enemies eventually become best friends route with these two.

Anyways, two very interesting tidbits in that piece. See you in November.