The solicits for DC Comics March are up and there are some interesting things coming that month. Here is a link to the official listing over on Newsarama:https://www.newsarama.com/48253-dc-comics-march-2020-solicitations.html
Robin is getting an 80 year anniversary book. The Strange Adventures book by Tom King and the art tandem of Mitch Gerads and Doc Shaner comes out. I'll probably give the Strange book a shot. I liked Vision and loved Mister Miracle. But I did not like Heroes In Crisis. And I worry King is trying to mine the same land too much. And I am soooo ready for Amy Reeder's Amethyst!
But onto the super books.
SUPERGIRL #40
written by JODY HOUSER
art by RACHAEL STOTT
cover by JOE BENNETT
card stock variant cover by DERRICK CHEW
Supergirl is out of control! Having fully succumbed to the Batman Who Laughs’ deadly infection, she has left her boundaries behind and is flexing her power to the world. Is even Wonder Woman a match for a Kryptonian fully unleashed? The hope is that the true Kara Zor-El is still inside this rampaging monster, and that she’ll come to her senses. But even if she does, will she ever be the same? The consequences of the Dark Multiverse infection could change Supergirl forever…and not for the better! Don’t miss this do-or-die conclusion to the “The Infected”!
I had some optimism after reading the first issue of this arc. But hearing she 'fully gives in' means she doesn't fight off the infection which is what I was hoping.
And the dreaded 'will she ever be the same' line? What does that mean. That she'll be scarred by her actions?
Hmm ...
ACTION COMICS #1021
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. and KLAUS JANSON
variant cover by LUCIO PARRILLO
Metropolis down! The blockbuster supervillain team-up of the century continues. Leviathan! The invisible mafia! The Legion of Doom! All have descended on the city of Metropolis to challenge Superman at his most vulnerable moment. With the truth about the Man of Steel’s secret identity out in the open, all the rules of engagement have changed—and no one is safe! Guest-starring the Justice League and Young Justice.
I like the idea of a sort of dog pile on Superman at the moment of The Truth. And I like the other heroes pitching in. Gives this a sort of big story feel like (and I am showing my age) 'Panic in the Sky' or 'Reign of the Supermen'.
One thing I don't like is not hearing or seeing Supergirl among the heroes. Would be good if the cousins got together when one was in crisis.
SUPERMAN #21
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
variant cover by BRYAN HITCH
It’s Mongul versus Superman in the battle for the survival of the United Planets! The Man of Steel must confront Mongul in front of all the powers of the galaxy, or peace will never be achieved. During one of the most private moments in Superman’s existence comes one of his biggest challenges. If Superman fails, the whole of the United Planets falls!
I am a fan of old school Superman vs. Mongul slugfests. (Burn!)
And maybe, just maybe, that cover is an homage.
LOIS LANE #9
written by GREG RUCKA
art and cover by MIKE PERKINS
variant cover by BILQUIS EVELY
In the wake of a second attempt on her life, Lois takes the unprecedented step of…telling Superman to back off. As the Kiss of Death circles for another try, Lois’s search for answers takes her back into the political spotlight, while Renee uses a Gotham connection in an attempt to undo the damage she’s done and find answers to another set of questions entirely.
I am a huge huge fan of Bilquis Evely so I was thrilled she is doing a variant cover and love this. The image is so cool, a sort of peek into Lois' mind putting together the clues.
As for the solicit, we are into the home stretch of this book. Where will we be with the big storylines here? No info really to be gleaned.
SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #9
written by MATT FRACTION
art and cover by STEVE LIEBER
variant cover by BEN OLIVER
Jimmy and Jix are on the run, pursued by an intergalactic death force that wants to break up their marriage by any means necessary. If they succeed in offing Jimmy, their prince regent plans to marry Jix and unite their warring empires…but Jimmy Olsen’s still busy trying to solve his own murder! (Or rather, his decoy corpse’s murder.) It’s a typical day for Superman’s pal…
This sounds pure Silver Age ... Jimmy marrying a space princess. I can't wait.
And who did murder Jimmy?
I am going to guess his older brother.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #8
written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
art and cover by NICK DERINGTON
card stock variant cover by ANDY KUBERT
General Zod is on a mission to resurrect the Bottle City of Kandor, and he’s ready to obliterate anyone in his path! Deep within the ruins of an ancient temple, Ra’s al Ghul’s bid to save his Lazarus Pits from Kryptonian chaos has brought the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel into a brawl neither expected—or was prepared for! What can Batman and Superman possibly do to stop an army of Kandorian zombies? Find out in the conclusion of the epic “Kandor Compromise”!
Kandorian zombies? Looks like Zod is successful in dumping the dead of Kandor into a Lazarus pit.
I suppose the unsteady truce between Zod and the Els was bound to be short lived.
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #5
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS art and cover by RYAN SOOK
card stock variant cover by ALEX GARNER
DC’s far-flung future is happening right now! With the secret of Jon Kent revealed, the Legion of Super-Heroes is united to save New Earth from those who would destroy it. Will Aquaman’s lost trident be the key to New Earth’s demise? Plus, Mon-El comes clean about his connection to Jon, and Cosmic Boy and Ferro Lad find out they both have a crush on the same Legionnaire.
I love hearing Mon-El is there and has some connection to Jon. Perhaps he meets a future Jon in the past?
And a Ferro Lad name drop! Any guesses who he and Cos have a crush on? I don't think we can take an orientation as a given! So start dropping your guesses!
Anyways, I am looking forward to this month, if only because it is the finale of this Supergirl story. Enough 'Insane Clown Posse' wear for Kara!
"And the dreaded 'will she ever be the same' line? What does that mean. That she'll be scarred by her actions?"
ReplyDeleteThat's one possibility. At least it would mean the post-infected heroes are actually going to have to face the consequences of their monstrous behavior, instead of dismissing it as water under the bridge (which usually tends to happen in the aftermath of this kind of story).
The OTHER possibility is that Kara will become an "anti-villain" in the vein of Jason Todd. Still given to savage impulses, but no longer under the influence of the Batman Who Laughs. Depending on the writer, this can be a good or bad thing. Thankfully, the way she characterized Evil Kara in #37 gave me a lot of confidence in Jody Houser. Allowing Krypto to tag along with Kara could also provide some welcome Silver Age silliness & warmth to counterbalance her darker personality.
Or DC will botch 'will she ever be the same again" thing, the character will lose her core aud and the book will be cancelled on grounds that "Supergirl isn't popular". In the midst of the Greatest Supergirl Centric Multimedia Drive of All Time, this is the sh*t we have to put up with. I guess this means they are dumping her all but vanished supporting cast, boy thats a surprise (snort!).
ReplyDeleteThe problem can't be solved by a new creative team, even one that likes the character, the problem is with DC itself, they don't know how to pander and they have this sadistic commitment to "experimenting" with characters they regard as superfluous outliers...aka "Kara Zor El".
Sorry if I rant but I know a DC Screw Job when I see one, I've got some experience in this area.
JF
Ugh. Three issues more of this nonsense?
ReplyDeleteI hate this "The 90's Never Died!" Anti-Hero Supergirl. It's even worse than spike-wearing Matrix or Grodd-controlled Matrix.
Don't worry too much about the "'will she ever be the same'" line, Anj. You know how it goes. After issue #40 we'll return to kind-hearted, cheerful Supergirl, and after one dozen of issues, someone will decide it isn't working and we need Dark Supergirl.
Sigh. At this point, I'd settle for this book reaching the fifty issues mark.
I really really don't want this arc to linger, with "will she ever be the same."
ReplyDeleteKara: "Hey let's have a painful flashback to that time when DC experimented with turning me into a bondage clown."
Everyone: "No... no let's not... please for the love of God never mention it again. Those of us who didn't cancel because we were completionists still struggle with self-loathing after sponsoring that arc."
Jimmy Olsen has been great so far, I’ve been enjoying it a lot. If they could make this a regular monthly book and keep the quality as good as it’s been I’d certainly keep buying.
ReplyDeleteLois Lane has been an enjoyable read too, and it’s made it onto my monthly pull list as well.
Legion has been good so far, but being a Bendis book I’m still a bit worried. I’ll keep reading it as long as it keeps entertaining though.
This batch of solicits was a reminder that I’m not reading any of the books with Superman or Supergirl. The constant event/crossover stuff drove me away, and I don’t know what the heck they’re trying to do with Supergirl. The only attraction I can see for this book right now is people who collect alternate covers, are reading all of the Year Of The Villain tie-ins, or completists for the title.
Maybe Supergirl will eventually returns to being a book that’s about hope an compassion instead of this Klown-El nonsense. Books about edgy, angry, angsty, snarky types are the most common thing possible. I’d love to go back to buying it again.
Thanks for continuing to review the book Anj.
An anti-hero Supergirl in the vein of Red Hood sounds dire. Just give us shining - but not perfect - Kara, the cool girl next door heroine.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh at that Lois Lane solicitation about her doing something she’s never done before – telling Superman to back off. She’s probably done it at least three times in this series so far.
Well, the second issue of Legion of Super Heroes arrived this week by Brian Bendis, and it was another winner as far as I’m concerned – so I’m not too worried about the quality continuing. I just like to see the back of the Romita pencils in Action, they simply don’t suit the Man of Steel.
I fully expect the Lazarus Pit story to end with lots of Kandorians among the living again understand – great! Bring on Rokyn.
OK Anj, you got me, what is that cover art possibly homaging?
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ReplyDelete"An anti-hero Supergirl in the vein of Red Hood sounds dire. Just give us shining - but not perfect - Kara, the cool girl next door heroine."
ReplyDeleteWell, I DID say the quality of that scenario would depend on the writer, but yeah; DC's track record with Supergirl in recent years doesn't leave me feeling very hopeful.
Regardless, I still think having Krypto by anti-hero Kara's side (assuming they go down that route) could work wonders. Aside from the hilarious sight of Silver Age silliness paired with '90's anti-hero nonsense, he'd be there to remind the wayward Supergirl of who she used to be, and who she should CONTINUE to be, no matter how much of her brain was retooled by a Mouth of Sauron ripoff. The Max to Supergirl's Grinch, basically.
If they want to do an anti-hero Kara they should do an Elseworld mini and not disrupt the normal series. If I want to read anti-hero stories there are other options. I pull Supergirl because it's the hopeful comic. Or at least it was once. Rebirth feels far away right now.
ReplyDeleteI dunno...that sounds a lot like the kind of argument anti-PC Whovians have been presenting ever since they found out the new Doctor on DOCTOR WHO was going to be a woman. "Why do they have to turn the Doctor into a girl?! Why can't they just make a spin-off show about Romana?!" (Probably because nobody would watch it, dipsticks.)
ReplyDeleteLook: I'm not saying the Infected story arc won't suck, because odds are it will. DC's track record just doesn't inspire much in the way of confidence. But I DO feel confident in the individual writer on the comic, Jody Houser. So far, she's been treating the idea of an evil-infected Supergirl with a lot more class than most. I'll see how things are going in #38, and if the story rankles me, I'll just stop buying the comic. At least I won't be financially supporting DC's creative decisions.
Jody Houser is a great writer, but I still don't understand what possessed DC to think that Supergirl fans would want to see her being an asshat for half a year.
ReplyDeleteHouser isn't writing a great Supergirl story. She is writing a great Batman story. Kara might just as well be an Arkham patient that the other heroes are trying to stop. We already have 30 Batman titles per month. We son't need another one masquerading as a Supergirl title.
I fail to see the comparison with Dr Who mentioned. They didn't replace Dr Who with an asshat. A title has a soul, a female Dr Who can replace a male Dr Who and keep the soul of the mantle. An asshat Supergirl is the opposite of the soul of the title.
"I fail to see the comparison with Dr Who mentioned. They didn't replace Dr Who with an asshat. A title has a soul, a female Dr Who can replace a male Dr Who and keep the soul of the mantle."
ReplyDeleteThere's a LOT of angry white men online who are ready to disagree with you, but I digress.
I have to point out again (since it didn't seem to register the first time) that I don't expect the Infected arc to be good, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Houser will turn garbage to gold.
Kara might be acting like a psycho, but thankfully we have Wonder Woman to balance out her craziness for the next three issues. It's obvious that you don't have much faith left in the title. If this was a real "Batman" story, Supergirl would have eaten a batch of kittens in addition to letting a bus full of schoolchildren plunge to their doom. That isn't what Houser is writing here. She's writing a story about what a Supergirl infected with evil would look like, and the challenge of making such a character sympathetic. Maybe it's just morbid curiosity, but I'd like to see if Houser actually produces something worthwhile from this mess. If you can't tolerate the series anymore, quit.