Supergirl Show 505: Dangerous Liaisons

I continue my catch up reviews on the Supergirl show with my post-Thanksgiving look at episode 505, title Dangerous Liaisons. Of course, there is the famous book by the same name which looked at the treacherous and secret-filled relationships in French courts. But this episode looks at the relationships within this show and points out where there is some peril. Many of these relationships aren't amicable. Many are damaged. It is an interesting title to showcase that.

As I have said in prior reviews, this season has really done a good job in pushing plot lines forward. We aren't slow burning many of these. Every episode seems to have us take a good step forward. That makes me happy.

But there are a couple of character things which haven't sat well with me. First off, the good. This season we have seen a lot of Kara Danvers. We have seen her as an investigative reporter on the job. That was a big complaint from last season. But while Kara has been very visible in season 5, Supergirl really hasn't been. The time in costume feels limited. And more importantly, we haven't really seen Supergirl win much. Another thing which has stood out is how Dreamer and her powers are really a sort of Deus Ex Machina. If the plot needs some quick resolution or a way to progress, Dreamer can somehow do it. So just two things I have been noticing and will be looking out for.

And finally we have the reappearance of Leviathan! As many know, I immersed myself in the comic mystery surrounding Leviathan. Now I get to mull over the puzzle again, this time in live action.

The bottom line is I have been very pleased with this season so far, but what I wouldn't give for the end of an episode to be Supergirl standing triumphantly over a villain.

On to the details.

We start out with Andrea Rojas starring in a commercial for the Obsidian Tech VR contact lenses which are being released within the week. The ad is a Rojas walking through a field where she suddenly sees people throwing rainbows, dancing, and doing other things only possible in a dream world. The slogan is 'Make your imagination your reality, today.'

It works well as an ad, showing everyone gloriously happy in paradise.

Andrea then tasks the CatCo workers to basically use CatCo as an ad agency for the lenses. She wants stories about the launch event. She wants numbers of subscribers touted. It all seems unscrupulous for a news agency to become a shill.

While in CatCo, we learn that Kara hasn't told Nia that William Dey is undercover, investigating Rojas himself. In fact, Kara lies to Nia, giving some excuses for Dey's behaviors last episode. You would think these characters would know by now how secrets can divide.

There is a small subplot where Kelly is planning a Date-versary party for Alex. She asks Kara for some gift ideas and it is cute that Kara knows exactly what make,model, and size of a motorcycle helmet Alex would want.

But this Kelly/Alex relationship seems oddly intense for something which we have just learning about. More on this later.

Kara approaches Dey about his mission to dig up dirt on Rojas. She wants to help even if he thinks it will put her life in danger.

Kara tells him that there is someone they could interrogate, Breathtaker, the wind powered villain from last episode. But she then basically tells him all about the DEO ... you know the secret (but is it) government agency? Seems weird to just tell him, a reporter, about the whole set up. Maybe they'll be his next story.

But then again, I thought the DEO was more in the open now.

What I did like is Kara saying she wasn't helping for a share of the byline. She was doing it for justice.

Meanwhile, Lena and Hope/Eve begin their study of Malefic.

They first give him a human illusion (I know it is to save special effects money but I guess it is easier to explain a human than a Martian should someone stumble in.)

What I did like was the casting. Phil LaMarr! Jon Stewart from the Justice League animated show! That's fantastic.

 At the DEO, Dey watches Alex question the Breathtaker. In a nice bit of continuity, they have strapped a Truth Seeker onto the villain. We saw those last season. So that was a nice callback.

But the interrogation is pretty fruitless, even when Dey tries to take over with pointed questions. Breathtaker doesn't know who hires her. She just takes the money.

She does reveal a couple of assassins she has worked with in the past, including one called Riproar, a sort of Robocop meets Doctor Octopus mashup.

It turns out Riproar killed Dey's best friend Russell Rogers.

When Kara says they will continue to look for ways to take down Rojas, Dey practically breaks down. He calls the whole story an emotional abyss. Hmm ...

On cue, we cut to Riproar stealing something from the Luthor cache in Fort Summit.

Afterwards we get a very nice scene between J'onn and Kara. She asks him for help in the Riproar piece of the puzzle but also talks about how she is reeling. Everything seems unreal these days. He gives her some words of reassurance. It is always good to see space dad in action.

It turns out that Riproar stole a rifle Lex called the Marathon Laser because it was accurate up to 26.2 miles away. It is an assassin's dream. But luckily it has a power source that can be traced.

Supergirl is convinced this is somehow related to the Obsidian go-live of the VR lenses and that Rojas must be behind Riproar's actions. But it was hard for me to figure out the angle. What could Rojas want with a single assassination.

I will admit that the 'fall of Lena' is my favorite subplot so far this season.

Malefic offers a quid pro quo. He will work for her, allowing her to study his powers so she can figure out the frequency for his mind control powers. In return, she has to remove the mental block which stops him from attacking J'onn.

She seems to take the high road saying all her work is to stop people from hurting each other. Why would she allow him to kill J'onn. But then she acquiesces.

It is fascinating to see that murder is a line in the sand for Lena even though most everything else she has done has been villainous. Yes, her goals are noble. But the means to get there? Not so much.

Since Breathtaker didn't pan out, Brainy says they should question the other assassin they have in custody, the sentient tattoos from earlier this season. He can have the tattoos put on him while shutting down his mainframe so they cannot control him.

This questioning doesn't get us far either. Just a lot of blather.

But it does give Jesse Rath the opportunity to completely chew the scenery. He really goes all out pretending to be the vicious personality of the tattoos. Kudos to him for basically losing it on screen. Delicious.

Thinking they don't have much to go on, Supergirl says she is basically going to confront Rojas.

But Alex stops her. Rojas is Kelly's boss. Accusing Andrea could make Kelly feel wronged or interfere with Kelly's work. And Alex doesn't want that to happen this early in their relationship which is going so well.

This is the same Alex who quickly sanctioned the Martian death ray last episode to protect Kelly, sort of the reverse pace for this request.

It all seems fast and very personal with Alex here, weirdly so. Like she is putting her feelings for Kelly above her job and mission. I wonder if this is a subplot we'll see progress ... maybe Alex makes a mistake in her job because of her feelings and has to reconsider things.

At long last, the Leviathan Lady from last season's finale shows up.

She tells Riproar to change the world!

Back at LexCorp, Lena says that she will hone down to the frequency of Malefic's brain waves by having him incept three of the more ornery critters (my words) in the universe - a Daxamite scorpion, a Terran Oceanic Devil, and a Maaldorian Dendroasp.

Malefic is oddly poetic. He calls his incept power his cross to bear and is amazed it is basically a frequency. Isn't cross to bear an odd saying for a Martian living in the Phantom Zone for centuries? Did they have crucifixions on Mars? Did he eavesdrop on Earth?

It just struck me.

Back in CatCo, Kara and Dey break into Rojas' office to look for some sort of evidence connecting Andrea to Riproar. While there, Kara finds a picture of Andrea looking chummy with Dey's friend Russell Rogers.

In a flashback we see Dey heading into Russell's apartment only to find Riproar there. While they never found Russell's body, it seems clear that Riproar killed him.

So now a conncetion between Russell and Rojas.

All that said, it was pretty obvious that Russell and Riproar were the same person even halfway through this episode. No mistaking that chin and beard.

The Marathon Laser signal is detected in New Mexico and Supergirl flies in to fight. There is brief fight with a decent left hook by Kara that sends the Doc Ock lookalike flying, tentacles all crazy.

But then he shoots her with the laser rifle which was tricked out with whatever he stole from this lab. It floors Kara, stopping her in her tracks and allowing him to escape.

The new rifle was modified with a particle amplifier which makes it a fusion cannon with the heat of the center of the sun. And it can no longer be tracked. So now Riproar is even deadlier.

In Lexcorp, meanwhile., Malefic calms all the aliens allowing Lena to calculate his q-wave frequency. She knows now how to manipulate the q-waves for inception.

Once Brainy figures out what the rifle does, he goes back to see that the trip of assassins all killed a member of an Icelandic crew around Lake Vostok. If the laser was shot into the ice cap there it would flood the Earth.

I do like how Brainy says it is what he would do if he were a super-villain. At least in the comics, he has come close a couple of times.


J'onn and Kara race to the lake but it's too late. Riproar blasts the ice shelf.

And Riproar is no help once captured. He can only say he does what 'they tell him to do'.

Creepy.

It is clear that J'onn and Kara will need to create a reverse vortex to stop the flow of water and then have Kara freeze it with her superbreath. But J'onn warns her that if she is sucked into the vortex, Kara could suffocate.

So I guess, especially after last episode, that Supergirl does indeed need to breathe air this season.


While the two heroes fly around the geyser, someone has to stop the tidal wave about to sink National city.

People are stumbling around, oblivious to their surroundings while their new VR lenses are on. Seems like an odd thing to be using in public. But the DEO runs interference, shepherding people to the high ground. Alex is there and almost dies as wreckage falls.

And here is the Dreamer Ex Machina move of the episode. She basically goes all Goku and whips up a  Kamehameha blast of dream energy, dissipating the tsunami.

Okay, that's a stretch.

There is nothing left but the wrap-up.

Riproar is in DEO custody but is basically a blank slate. Even J'onn can't get a telepathic read. His armor is adhered to him. And yes, he is Russell Rogers. So that is a weird coincidence.

Second, the tidal wave would have wiped out Obsidian's manufacturing hub so it probably wasn't planned by Rojas.

Kelly witnessed Alex almost getting flattened during the tsunami and is completely stressed. It triggers her PTSD from her time in Afghanistan. Luckily, Nia is there as a friend to help.

And it turns out that the Leviathan lady has some connection to Andrea Rojas, slipping into Andrea's limo for a chat.

But the biggest ending scene was Lena sporting lenses that can incept. She brainwashes Malefic that he likes being imprisoned. She won't erase the martian mind block and instead will have him stay there.

Lena can incept now.

Chilling.

She really has gone dark.

So everything has been pushed forward nicely again.

Things I'll keep my eye on moving forward. The Alex/Kelly relationship becoming so encompassing that they interfere with each other's lives. Dreamer becoming a cure-all. Supergirl and how much she accomplishes in her super-suit. And, of course, Lena's descent.

I'm close to being caught up!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate!

I'll be heading to 2 family events, one for the turkey dinner, one for the pie and coffee.

But I figured I should take this day to give thanks to something in comics.

There was a recent solicit for a Superman 100 Page Giant and the breakdown of the contents were showcased over on Bleeding Cool here:
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/11/21/robert-venditti-paul-pelletier-andrew-hennessy-new-superman-giant-1/

One thing that stood out was the reprint of 'Looking Glass' from Supergirl #54, from the eternally beloved Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle. This was an important chapter in that Kara's life. Reeling from the New Krypton war, the death of her mother, and the arrival of Bizarro Girl, Supergirl was trying to sort out the emotions of her life.

Here is a link to my review of that issue from nearly 10 years ago:
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-supergirl-54.html 

Supergirl Show 504: In Plain Sight

I continue my 'better late than never' review of Supergirl episodes, today covering Supergirl Episode 504: In Plain Sight.

One thing that is clear about this season, at least for the episodes that I have watched is that plots move pretty quickly now. Secrets and plots that would linger forever in prior seasons are now being moved forward, and in some instances wrapped up, already. It has made these episodes very enjoyable so far. Things are moving at a good clip. I'm happy.

And there are a lot of plots right now. J'onn and Malefic. Lena, villain, and mind control. William Dey and Catco. Brainy and Nia. Alex and Kelly. And while Supergirl is involved in all of them, the only one she seems inextricably linked to is the Lena one.

But I am sort of burying the lede here. We had heard that Mehcad Brooks was wrapping up his time on the show and this episode closes his story for now. It is a satisfying ending for the character and really brings him back to his roots. I feel like the show never really knew what to do with James, so while I will miss Brooks, I think this was the right choice.

On to the show!

Review: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #5

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #5 came out this week and while it nudged along one of the main subplots of this maxi-series, it was mostly Jimmy and Batman punking each other.

I don't know if I have ever laughed as long or as hard about a comic as I did with this one.

For me, the idea of an infallible and ultra-prepared Batman is semi-ridiculous. The fact that he has stood toe-to-toe with Darkseid, single handedly defeated the Justice League, and always has the right tool in his belt, stretches even my suspension of disbelief, and I will tolerate heat vision and sorcery!

So to see someone poke fun at Batman the way writer Matt Fraction does here is just perfect, a needed deep cleansing breath. And he also shows that maybe Batman has a sense of humor as well, a needed bit of humanity in the otherwise incessantly dour Dark Knight we get.

Artist Steve Lieber continues to bring solid art to the book, ranging from moonlit dinners to action sequences. But it all starts with the brilliance of this cover. Jimmy clearly can't handle the Batmobile. But even better is the fast food flying everywhere. I doubt Batman goes through the drive thru.

On to the book!

Review: Batman/Superman #4

Batman/Superman #4 came out this week continuing the story of the Batman Who Laughs infecting heroes close to the titular pair in some major evil plot. I have been following along because Supergirl is (unfortunately) heavily involved in this arc.

An interesting wrinkle about this issue is that it gives us a bit of a repeat of events from Supergirl #36. We see Kara again infected, this time with art by David Marquez.I like seeing scenes from different perspectives.

Writer Joshua Williamson brings a good pace to the proceedings here, especially the battle scenes. But he makes one slight gaffe in my mind when it comes to the Secret Six. We'll get there in the review, promise.

The art by Davis Marquez continues to shine. His work is clean, even when dealing with the Goth-like villains. And the action is smooth and palpable.

But seeing once again Kara succumb? Well, I have seen it enough to last a lifetime.

On to the book.

Review: Supergirl #36

Supergirl #36 came out this week and seemed to hit all the notes I worried it would hit. This is the Year of the Villain, Supergirl is one of the 'Infected' and readers get yet another turn at a dark Supergirl. You would think DC would not want to keep drinking from this well and yet, here we are.

This also represents writer Marc Andreyko's last issue as writer on the book. You may recall that Andreyko already put Kara through a grim turn, having her abandon Earth, wield Rogol Zaar's axe, and come thiisssss close to using it to kill. When that arc was over, Kara seemed to move past her rage. Now, infected by the Batman Who Laughs, we get an more vicious turn than the 'Mistress of the Axe'. Now perhaps Andreyko had little to do with this current turn. Perhaps it was DC leadership who deemed Supergirl one of the Secret Six. But it seems to me that back to back 'Dark Kara' arcs, especially after she seemed to learn from the first one, seems pretty silly.

The art by Eddie Pansica remains spot on beautiful. Pansica has really grown on this title. And I have come to look forward to his monthly double page spreads of Supergirl doing something spectacular. This issue Pansica is given multiple splash pages to work with and he really brings it to the table. Alas, this also seems to be his last issue on the title.

Derek Chew provides this variant cover with a classic shirt rip.

Perhaps it was the tilt of the figure, but I couldn't help but be reminded of the famous Jamal Igle cover from Supergirl #53.

But let's get into the issue.

February 2020 solicits

The February solicits for DC Comics have been released and there are a couple of surprises worth mentioning. Overall, we still seemed a bit mired in The Year of the Villain. And the Superman books take a turn that I don't know that I agree with. And hey ... I become a comic book character.

So overall it looks like 2020 might be coming in hot!

To see all of the DC solicits, here is a link to Newsarama's coverage:
https://www.newsarama.com/47882-dc-comics-february-2020-solicitations.html

Onto the books.

SUPERGIRL #39
written by JODY HOUSER
art by RACHAEL STOTT
cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
card stock variant cover by DERRICK CHEW

After the Lasso of Truth reveals something unexpected about Supergirl’s infection, Wonder Woman is quickly running out of ways to try to bring Kara back peacefully. Making matters worse, the government has sent robotic military backup to Smallville to deal with the possible atomic threat of Infected Supergirl—and neither Wonder Woman nor Supergirl is prepared for the innocent casualties this could mean for the town.

What do you think the unexpected truth is?

I'd bet good money that Kara 'wasn't really corrupted, she always felt that way' or some such Dark Supergirl nonsense. Hopefully I am wrong.

I am interested to see what Jody Houser will do with the character once this crossover stuff ends. I liked the Orlando/Houser back end of the pre-Andreyko run. So I actually have high hopes.

October 2019 Sales Review

The October Sales figures have come out and ICv2 does their usual excellent job covering all the nooks and crannies. Here is a link to the story:
https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/44482/top-500-comics-october-2019


DC really doesn't show up high on the charts and even then it is Joker one-shots and the like. I am amazed Spawn somehow is near the top. Sherman, set the WABAC machine.

 So how did Supergirl fare?

Supergirl #35 was another good issue re-establishing Supergirl on Earth. It had a strong tie in to Event Leviathan. And it actually felt like Kara was returning to form.

While this issue had a variant, it did not have a card stock variant. So the number you see is the total sales.

So how did it do?

Review: Superman #17

Superman #17 came out last week, a sort of epilogue to the Unity Saga and a prologue to the upcoming Truth arc. Writer Brian Michael Bendis is joined by artist Kevin Maguire to bring this sort of transition issue.

This ends up being a character issue as we see Superman's response to all the recent events in his life by reaching out to his support system. It humanizes Superman a bit as we see just how much he has been affected by recent events in his life.

Not to say there isn't some plot progression. This is the year of the villain after all. And someone I have been suspicious of I am even more suspicious of.

But I might be burying the lede. The highlight of this issue is Maguire's art. We all know that Maguire is a master of expressive art. But this issue stands out even among his own work. The emotional weight of the scenes are played out on the characters' faces. Erase the words and you still get the perfect sense of what the characters are feeling. Just brilliant stuff.

Now I don't know if I am on board with The Truth arc, yet another look at Superman revealing his secret identity to the world. But I liked this prologue.

Review: Event Leviathan #6

Event Leviathan #6 came out this week, the end of one of the better crafted comic mysteries in the recent past. 'Who is Leviathan' was a question which plagued me, nay consumed me. This blog could have been called Leviathan Theory Comic Box Commentary these last few months as there seemed to be a weekly post looking at clues.

And I have to sadly say that this time I was wrong. My carefully crafted theory that Leviathan was Ted Kord turned out to be wrong. While a backup theory turned out to be right, it was hardly a mystery by that point.

Here is the thing about great mysteries. Sometimes the reveal is a let down. And while the ultimate identity of who Leviathan is makes total sense, some of the details behind it remain a little bit troublesome. And everything wraps up so unbelievable quickly that we are basically left with a 'to be continued'.

Still, this issue is something of a marvel, told in flashback, with truly spectacular art and colors by Alex Maleev. Leviathan is set up as a big villain for the future. And, I suppose, it all makes some sort of sense.

I have to give kudos for Brian Michael Bendis for giving us this treat over the back half of the comic year. At a time where personally I needed something fun to think about, this mystery was perfect.

On to the book.

Supergirl Show 503: Blurred Lines

I continue my 'late to the game' reviews of Supergirl season five. I have now reached the third episode, Blurred Lines.

Taking a step back as I think about the episode, it does a good job of moving the underlying plots along, almost at a breakneck speed in comparison to prior seasons. Things are moving quickly for Brainy and J'onn and Kelly and Jimmy.

There are some slower burns. In particular Lena and her relationship with her AI Hope is one that is still simmering although maybe a couple of bubbles are starting to hit the surface.

But ultimately, this show is called Supergirl and frankly our hero didn't get a lot of heroic moments here. She is taken out by the villain. Other characters fare better. She gets semi-duped by Lena. She doesn't get the big moments. It is still something of an ongoing theme of the show that the supporting characters sometimes outshine our star.

Still, overall, this feels like one of the stronger starts of a Supergirl season.

Leviathan Theory - One Last Post

I have had my Leviathan Theory.

I have had my Leviathan back-up theories.

I have had odds and I have had changes to odds.

I have puzzled and puzzled.

I have looked for clues and I have looked at things thinking they were clues but wondering if I was reaching.

All of this means that this has been a great story with a great hook. Kudos to Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev for crafting this story.

And today, four hours from now, I'll know if I was right ... on any level.

So let's just take a look back at something which I hope will bear out as being important in the mystery.

The Watchmen Overtones.

Bullet Review: Harley Quinn #67

I was on board for Harley Quinn since way back when Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti reinvigorated her character.

I have been doubly on board since Sam Humphries took over the title. His book has been a perfect mix of comic insanity, fourth wall foolishness, and a modicum of emotional heft.

But in the end, it really is a humor book. And monthly I laugh ... out loud. In this world of dark vicious comics, I could use a few laughs.

In Harley Quinn #67, Harley, reeling from the death of her mother, is trying to get her family together for a Thanksgiving dinner. But she can't get them together. Meanwhile, she continues to struggle with the Year of the Villain and how Luthor promised to cure her mother if Harley drifted back into evil. An offer she turned down.

Basically, with all that happening, Harley decides to fight against crossovers. She can't deal with them any more.

Throw in a Supergirl cameo and I felt I needed to talk up this issue and this book here.

So where does that take us?

Review: Legion of Super-Heroes #1

I have been a Legion of Super-Heroes fan for all of my comic life.

I consider Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #211 to be my first comic.

I reviewed Legion books here and over on the Legion of Super-Bloggers.

I am very protective of the property of the Legion. I want them done right. I also have been craving a Legion book on the shelf. It has been too long.

So when Brian Michael Bendis decided to bring the Legion back, I was thrilled. I have liked what Bendis has been doing on Superman and Young Justice and Naomi. And I trusted his reverence of the past to treat them right.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 came out this week. I will admit I read it with trembling hands. I love the Legion. I was hopeful.

To get to the point, I very much liked this issue. There are familiar names and familiar faces. There are some familiar places and a possible homage. But it also feels very very new. This is a new team. This is a new Earth. It felt nostalgic and innovative at the same time. That is a thin tight rope to walk.

On top of that, Ryan Sook is on art and makes the book so beautiful I wanted to eat it. Everything just crackles here. It is luscious book to look at. And, as a premiere, Sook is given plenty of splashes and double splashes to work with!

On to the book!

Review: Lois Lane #5

Lois Lane #5 came out this week and was an interesting issue. The major plots of the book were nudged forward just a bit. A subplot that has been nearly forgotten was mentioned again so we know that it is still out there. And there is great Question action.

But for a grizzled comic reader like me, the big joy of this issue was that I learned something. The young Anj used to be able to wow his parents with vocabulary and cultural references that he learned in comics. In fact, that was a big reason why my parents fostered the hobby ... I was reading and learning. In this issue, I learned a lot about journalism. That's a good thing.

Writer Greg Rucka does a good job of showing just how rigorous true journalism needs to be. He explains different levels of information that can be shared in reporting. And he shows how tenacious Lois is in following a story. He also shows how difficult it is to battle public perceptions of fake news.

Meanwhile artist Mike Perkins shows, once again, that he needs to be on a street level book. Please DC, give the man a Question solo title to draw. His work in unbelievable. But outside that, there is a page here, which I will share which shows the power of the genre, when words and images mesh.

I have really loved this book. So far, so good.

Batwoman/Supergirl World's Finest 100pg Giant Solicit

Back in the December Solicits, DC announced the Batwoman/Supergirl 100pg  Giant. But there wasn't much else there making me wonder what would the content be.

Last week, Bleeding Cool announced the creators and stories in the book. Here is that link:
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/10/30/dc-comics-contents-batwoman-supergirl-worlds-finest-giant-1/

I can understand DC wanting to maybe cash in a little on the CW Sundays which has Batwoman and Supergirl shows on back to back. They aren't a natural team-up in the comic world. But should be interesting. Heck, the Joelle Jones cover alone probably is worth the price.

So what can we look forward to?

“Sister, Sister,” a 16-page Batwoman and Supergirl team-up story written by Margaret Stohl with art by Laura Braga. When a powerful alien weapon falls into the wrong hands, it will take the combined might of Batwoman and Supergirl to save the city from the Religion of Crime!

I loved Braga's take on the Bombshells book so she seems like a natural for this story. I have never read anything by Stohl so I am looking forward to reading this. And an alien weapon and a city cult? Sound like the perfect mashup.

Bullet Review: Wonder Woman Annual #3 - Leviathan Theory

Last week was a dreaded 5th Wednesday of a month which meant books were light.

One surprise in the midst was Wonder Woman Annual #3, written by old friend Steve Orlando with art by V Ken Marion.

Now I am an admitted Steve Orlando fan. I liked his Supergirl. I thought Electric Warriors was fascinating. And his stuff recently on Wonder Woman was really solid. So when I saw Orlando was writing Diana again and it was an Event Leviathan tie-in, I was in.

Turns out the Leviathan piece is at the end and only adds a little to my Leviathan Theory. But the story itself was very solid. This is what an Annual should be, a big stand alone story.

The plot is simple. The main plot takes place five years ago. ARGUS placed an undercover ape agent in Gorilla City to spy on and perhaps undermine current legitimate ruler Gorilla Grodd. Grodd discovers the spy and begins torturing the turncoat. Suddenly ARGUS is on a rescue mission. And Diana isn't happy. What ARGUS did was wrong.

But there is more here. We see how one of the ARGUS agents is a young soldier named Helen Paul, a girl Diana saved from a terrorist attack 12 years earlier. Helen was going to be burned to death in a fire at a Nazi stronghold. But Diana saved her and put her in the care of ARGUS.

So where do we go from there?

Supergirl Show 502: Stranger Beside Me

I continue my 'better late than never' reviews of Supergirl season 5.

First off, nice sort of new opening title card, made from the tiny electronic circuits forming the now famous rainbow-y Supergirl title.

This second episode, titled 'Stranger Beside Me' did a good job at looking at all the characters on the show and demonstrate how relationships aren't always easy or open. J'onn has a brother who is a stranger to him. Alex is in love with Kelly but doesn't really know her. Brainy is trying to be a good significant other to Nia but he is overcompensating, unable to recognize cues from Dreamer. Kara clashes with William Day who has another side to him besides conceited jerk. And Lena creates a stranger when she deals with Eve Tessmacher.

That's a lot of strangers!

But despite that deep character look, the main plots of the season - technology controlling people, fake news dominating the airwaves, and Ma'la'fal'ak wanting revenge all nudged forward.

I have to say, I have been pretty impressed so far! If only I wasn't about to be 3 episodes behind!

On to the show.