New Creative Team/New Look For Supergirl Announced

In what has to be deemed tremendous news, we learned yesterday that the Supergirl title has not been cancelled and will be back on the shelves this summer! Supergirl #21 ... not even a renumbering! Hooray! ... will be out in August!

Over on Syfy.com, it was announced that Marc Andreyko and Kevin Maguire will be the new creative team. Andreyko then does an brief interview about the book. Here is a link:
http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/exclusive-supergirl-returns-with-new-creative-team-and-brand-new-costume

Now first off, I definitely like Andreyko as a writer, especially his work on Manhunter. So I really feel like Kara is in good hands there. And I have gushed about Kevin Maguire on this blog many many times. I can't wait to see him drawing Kara monthly. So I am grateful for that announcement.

We also get Terry Dodson on the cover of the first issue of the new direction. And in the story, Kara will sport at least four new outfits as designed by Jorge Jimenez. So more artists I love are attached to the title. This is great news. While my beloved red skirt is gone on the more classic outfit, at least the long point sleeves remain. And I like the wide gold belt. Nice touch. Okay, onto the article itself.

I'll say again, I am thrilled the book is staying around. My thoughts on specifics coming up.
The new Eisner Award-winning creative team of writer Marc Andreyko and artist Kevin Maguire is taking over the title and taking Kara in an entirely new direction.The new designs will be part of the current storyline introduced with issue #21, which will send Supergirl on a cosmic quest to learn more about Rogol Zaar.

For Andreyko, Supergirl is a character that holds a special place in his heart. “It’s really exciting for me to get to write Kara,” he said. “Some of my favorite Supergirl stories were obviously things like Crisis On Infinite Earths, the first comic to make me cry as a kid. There was also the great stories that Paul Levitz did with artists Keith Giffen and Steve Lightle back in Legion of Super-Heroes back in the 80s. To get to play with that characters is such a treat"

Okay, I get that linking Supergirl up to the Bendis storyline makes sense for the DCU. And any time you talk Supergirl and Cosmic Adventures, I'll probably smile. But one thing I am taking with a grain of salt is her heading off world.

I have been craving Supergirl stories where she embraces Earth as her new home. It hasn't always been that way in the New 52. We finally had a Kara recently (in the Perkins run and the Orlando run) that was a hero for Earth. She was happy. This was her world. She had friends, famil, a significant other. She was the hero of National City. She was smiling. As readers we saw that she was finally accepting who she was and accepting Earth as home. So I am hoping this isn't a 3 year plan of her being in space. I like seeing her interact with people, heroes, and her family. 

Having Levitz' Legion be his foundation makes me think he gets her character.  

The solicitation blurb for your debut issue, #21, says Kara goes off into space to learn more about Rogol Zaar. Safe to say we’re getting a big cosmic Supergirl story?

The baseline story is very big. She’s trying to learn why he does what he does, where he comes from, and if there’s anyone else involved with him. It’s a detective story in space. She’s looking for answers to the questions that have been raised by Rogol Zaar. There will be familiar faces, some new faces, all sorts of challenges facing her, and also some potentially new supporting characters who will hopefully be well-received and stick around for awhile.

First off, I love Terry Dodson's art and that is a gorgeous cover. Don't know if like Kara carrying a battle axe. I hope it isn't a long term weapon accessory.It looks like Rogol Zaar’s so maybe it has plot significance.

Another worry I have when characters go off into space on a personal mission is if the book can have a true supporting cast. I could see this being a 'planet of the month' adventure. At least we hear that the plan is a supporting cast. Of course this means no Danvers, no Ben Ruben, no Belinda Zee, no Lar-On and Cameron Chase. Just like before that we lost Maxima, Michael, and Siobhan. I suppose we could run into some of Perkin's Crucible folks in space again. But it is a shame we are losing the whole atmosphere of Rebirth.

What is it about Supergirl as a character that interests you as a writer, and made you want to tackle her in an ongoing?

She’s a fascinating character because technically, she’s older than Clark. He was a baby when he came to Earth. She was already a teenager when Krypton got destroyed. Unlike Clark, who grew up around humans, she lost everyone she knew and loved. For her to come to Earth and take on the mantle of Supergirl as a way of qualifying herself as Superman’s cousin, there’s a lot of interesting mental and emotional ground to explore with Kara and finding her place in the universe. She’s dealing with a lot of stuff that she buried and was stirred up by Rogol Zaar’s appearance. The external journey of her going on this quest through space mimicks her internal, emotional journey in finding out who she is and where she fits in. Your characters always have to have an emotional journey. 

Here is another of Jimenez's outfits. This one look like the stealth mission version complete with dark colors and cloak. Kind of hits me in the Nightwing/Flamebird vein.

And, of course, Kara finding her place after the tragedy is core to the character. But she's still a young hero. I suppose the Orlando run had her find her place in the world so that now she could move on to the universe. And frankly, we have seen it all too often with this character. From the end of Gates run to the Bedard run to the Johnson/Perkins run to now Orlando, this Kara has dealt with pain and accepted Earth at least 4 times In the last 10 years. Now we’ll do it in space? I hope she finds her way back to Earth at some point. 

Who are some of these familiar faces we'll see? Green Lantern is one of them, correct? 

That ventures into really big spoiler territory so I will say that there are some classic space DC characters that we haven’t seen in awhile. But that’s as specific as I’m going to get for fear of alarming the DC Spoiler Police across the hall from me (laughs).  

Okay, this is the next costume. I like this one as the 'hanging out on the ship' outfit. It has the sweats and a hoodie feel of a Saturday afternoon.

Folks I'd like to see guest star? Vril Dox. Maxima. Lobo. And Hyathis.

Let's talk about the new costumes Kara will be wearing. Jorge Jimenez designed them. What's the inspiration and reasoning behind the new looks?


The primary one that’s on the cover to issue #21, that glorious Terry Dodson cover, is not a permanent new costume. She’s traveling in space, so there’s a lot of technical stuff she has to adapt to and be concerned about. Having a costume that can adapt to different environments and planets that might not have access to a yellow sun is important. It’s part of her arsenal now, but it’s not a permanent costume change. It’s a ‘what suit is most effective for where she is and what she has to do’ costume. It’s a practical costume, and the details around it will be revealed in the first few issues.

One thing I like about multiple costumes is that it harkens back to the Adventure Comics days when she was in something new all the time.

That said, I hope the classic blue skirt outfit is her 'default'.

Okay.

So hooray the book isn't being cancelled.
Hooray for the creative team. And double hooray for a monthly dose of Kevin Maguire Kara.
I’ll go in with an open mind even though this seems like another new beginning for a character who had seemed to find herself at the end of the Orlando run. Another soul search? I'll be hoping this space story meshes nicely with the character. I hope she eventually ends up back on Earth. And please ... no axe.

What do you all think??