Monday, May 14, 2018

Supergirl Quick Hits


 Hey all, just a couple of unexpected Kara moments cropped up this week at the comic store which I thought were worth mentioning here. One is current. One is pure Bronze Age joy.

We'll start off in Wonder Woman #46. 

I must admit, I haven't been too impressed with James Robinson's run as it seems like Wonder Woman is a supporting character in her own book. I will openly admit that I am floored by the tremendous Jenny Frison variant covers that have been on the book.

This issue has Diana battling the Cheetah. Cheetah keeps ranting how the god Urzkartaga, who cursed her with her bestial form, is dead. Dark gods are coming. And this theistic upheaval is enough to enrage and madden the Cheetah who goes on a killing spree.

In fact this seems to be hitting home normal people too. They are questioning their faiths and rioting.

Maybe you can see where this is going given the Supergirl focus of this site.



 That's right.

Supergirl questions her faith in Rao, believing the sun god is dead. And like Cheetah, Kara decides it is time to lash out. And Diana is her target.

So a decent cliffhanger if you like heroes fighting heroes. Of course, Diana fighting Kara should be a mega-throwdown. We saw it last back in the early days of the New 52 in the midst of the H'El on Earth arc (brrrrrr). Here is a link to that review of  New 52 Supergirl #17 .

I wonder if these 'Dark Gods' are the Omega Titans of No Justice or something else? Probably something else. I also can guess that Jason, Diana's brother who has powers from the Greek Gods, is going to go mad next month.

I have always thought that Diana and Kara should have a sister-like relationship. And I liked how Robinson wrote the pre-New 52 Supergirl. So we'll see how this all turns out.

I do like Stephen Segovia's take on Supergirl. Reminds me a little of Drew Johnson's take.



As is almost always the case, I also thumbed through the cheap bins at the comic shop and grabbed some Bronze Age goodness.

Action Comics #489 is the first part of a three part story. I read the first part, Action Comics #491, in 1978 as part of a Whitman three pack! So I knew the ending but not the beginning.

In this story, the flash of Krypton's destruction finally reaches Earth.  Brainiac forces Superman to witness it and that energy floods into Superman, making him prone to fits of super-rage.


This moment, when the energy reaches Earth, is being held up as a Day of Remembrance in Kandor, to honor the day that Krypton died. Superman considers Earth his home and so doesn't join the living Kryptonians in their ceremony. (It turns out he can't head there because of some threats by Brainiac, things he cannot tell anyone.)

I include this scene where we see Kara in Kandor taking part in the Day with her family.

She sports a black headband that Kryptonians wear to show they are grieving. Historically, I think males wore headbands on Krypton, which is what made Kara adding that to her super-hero costume such a bold step.But that headband addition occurs in 1984. This is from 1978.

So I think this might be the first time we see Supergirl wearing a headband!

This was just a pleasant little surprise in my back issue joy making it extra joyful! I needed to share!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd be more happy with this Supergirl sighting if I wasn't SO sick of heroes fighting heroes. It was a novel, fresh concept in 1961 when the Fantastic Four spent one third of every issue bickering with each other. Nowadays, it's tiresome.

And since this is Wonder Woman's comic, I figure the Maid of Might will be jobbed to the Amazing Amazon. I hope Robinson proves me wrong and Diana merely ties Supergirl up to undo her mind-control and both girls proceed to team up and kick butts in most glorious fashion.

Heh. The last time Kara had a crisis of faith she also had a throw-down with another female hero.

"I have always thought that Diana and Kara should have a sister-like relationship."

They should! Diana was a mother figure to Diana pre-New 52. Jeph Loeb's run was very flawed, but Kara/Diana's relationship was one of the things he did right.

"So I think this might be the first time we see Supergirl wearing a headband!"

Curt Swan drawing Kara is always a delight. Kara making an appearance in AC and being treated as a member of the Super-Family is always nice.

However... Kara wearing a black headband in a day of mourning? Talking about harsher in hindsight.

Martin Gray said...

I do like that the big, scray thing that's meant to bring the reader back next time is Supergirl - she's being treated as a Big Deal.

Anonymous said...

Wonder Woman didn't only train Supergirl in the early Jeff Loeb period of Supergirl (2004). In the first Sterling Gates issue (#34), Supergirl goes to Wonder Woman, among others, seeking advice on how to create a secret identity. Before she asks, she helps Wonder Woman subdue some menace.

This is the same issue where she chooses her identity (ultimately with Lana's help) and shows up for the first time as Linda Lang at the Daily Planet.

Then there's the time (how did I dig this up) in Countdown #32 where WW intervenes, parentally, to try to stop Supergirl and Cassie from underage drinking at a party (was it an engagement party or wedding reception? I didn't really follow the issue closely, or anything else in Countdown). I don't think WW entirely succeeds, as Kara and Cassie get sick. Overall, a funny element to the story.

I don't remember how well they interacted during "Amazon Attacks," where everyone was choosing weird sides.

I think they had many mostly positive encounters in that era.

But there were some weird interactions during New 52 where I have some vague recollection Wonder Woman barely seemed to know who she was. Maybe that was during Superman Doomed? Wonder Woman did have an encounter with the Red Lanterns when SG was one of them, but it doesn't look like they spoke at the time, so I'm probably thinking of something else. Anyway, the current Supergirl is the same non-rebooted version of New 52 Kara, so have these two interacted much?

Speaking of Big Deals (or Tiny Deals, as it were), that scene with Supergirl confronting an Omega Titan in the DC Nation #0 preview has been used in all of the back page promos for No Justice. But that images is for the Titan, not for Supergirl, who is too tiny to be recognizable.

Anonymous said...

Kara and Diana first teamed up in "The Brave and the Bold" #66 back in 1966, a campy sexist story in to be sure, even by the standards of the time. As for the above described WW appearance, don't worry this is DC The House of El will get "jobbed out" to Wonder Woman the way they get jobbed by Batman. But I'll take a peak since Supergirl is on a disquieting comic book hiatus.

JF

Anonymous said...

More Post-Crisis meetings (well, kind of):

- Justice League of America Vol. 2: In the first issue, Superman and Batman vote to keep Kara out of the team. Wonder Woman reiterates the young Kryptonian has her vote, regardless whatever they think.

- Way of the World: In the beginning of the story, Kara turns to Diana first when she's looking for ways to save Thomas.

- In Wonder Woman 600, Kara joins the army of female heroes led by Diana

Post-Flashpoint... Well, other than The Idiotic Crossover Which Shall Be Not Mentioned, both women meet in the Batman/Superman Annual, when Diana gives her a sword to fight Warworld's warbands, and in Final Days of Superman. I don't remember more instances.

Pre-Crisis... other that absurd "The Brave and the Bold" story, both women met in some Adventure Comics issues and several JLA story arcs, as well as the "Judgment in Infinity" story arc.

This page is great to find Pre-Crisis appearances:

http://www.superwomenmania.com/supergirltl/

They've fought together or met each other in elseworlds like "Elseworlds' Finest", Bombshells, Gotham City Garage, Super Friends... and in other media like Justice League Cosmic Clash, JL Action, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, DC Super Hero Girls...

Anonymous said...

That's an excellent and list and an impressive memory, or some kind of relational database.

I recently checked out and then decided to pick up all of Gotham City Garage, and liked it much more than I expected, though I'm not a fan of Brian Ching's style. But he shared duties with many other artists.

I admit I choked up at the ending, which took me by surprise.

Professor Feetlebaum said...

Actually, it was in The Brave and the Bold 63 that Kara and Diana first teamed up. THAT and Wonder Woman 177 were Supergirl's only appearances away from Mort Weisinger's control during his tenure. I've read that Weisinger didn't want "his" characters overexposed, which is why Superman made few appearances in early Justice League of America issues.

As for a fight between Wonder Woman and Supergirl, I'm thinking that it won't be long and that Kara and Diana will be working together before the end. I agree with Martin Gray, this is just a way to entice the reader to pick up the next issue: DON'T MISS THE NEXT THRILL PACKED EPISODE IN THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF WONDER WOMAN!!!!

With Supergirl showing up in Wonder Woman, Justice League No Justice and Man of Steel, I'm going to be optimistic and believe that DC is keeping her in the spotlight in anticipation of her own comic starting up again.

Anj said...

Thanks for comments.

I have covered so many of those team-ups that I am embarrassed that I didn't mention them.

As others have said, Kara being so prominent despite her book being shelved is a good sign I suppose.

Anonymous said...

Whilst the superhero vs superhero fights are a tired trope at this point, as a battle boards junkie, I confess that I do like them for comparisons on who could beat who. I doubt this Supergirl vs Wonder Woman fight will match the entertainment value of Power Girl vs WW's fight from Simone's run though, that was an excellent hero vs hero battle both for its action and resolution.

Louis