Friday, March 27, 2020

Supergirl Blogging In The Time Of COVID-19


Well, things sure are different in the world as I write this on the morning of March 27th 2020.

We are in the midst of a global pandemic with COVID-19.

The United States seems to be catching up to the rest of the world in terms of advocating social distancing, establishing a 'lockdown' on nonessential services, and promoting safety and sanity to the people. The shelves of grocery stores are barren in some places. Good luck finding bread, meat, orange juice. or toilet paper. For me, I was surprised to see that cooking oil is also a hot commodity.

And, oh by the way, the comic book market has basically dried up with Diamond Distributors stopping the shipment of new books indefinitely. My own LCS has closed their doors given my state's proclamation about nonessential markets. I was able to get this week's books. But that is going to be it for a while.

Will new books continue to be released digitally? Will the print copies all come out in a glut when the trucks start rolling? Or will the whole industry just hit the pause button?

And, oh yes, my 'real' job hasn't necessarily slowed down. In fact, it may have ramped up a bit.

Which leads me to this site ... and what I should do ...

I currently have the following books I will need to review: Supergirl #40, Action Comics #1021, Legion of Super-Heroes #5, Batman/Superman #8, and Amethyst #2. I also will probably do a quick peek at the Event Leviathan hardcover collection.

In a cursory look back, it looks like reviews of new books makes up about 40% of my material here!

Also, it is hard to know if any news about comic books will be coming out until the companies decide what they are doing.

I still have the new episodes of the show I can review. I have plenty of old stories I can review. And I probably can put together some think pieces. I also have a grandiose idea of reaching out to some creators but I am sure they are just as busy and stressed as the rest of us.

But the reality is that this site may slow down a bit during this pandemic and moratorium on comics. This site is many things but most of all it is a creative outlet for me and a way to stay in touch with friends and Supergirl fans. So I am not shutting the doors. But it may slow down to a 2x a week place for a bit.

Anyways, the hope is some time in the near future, things return to normal and I'll be firing on all cylinders.

In the meantime, let's all truly take the mantra of Supergirl to heart and bring 'hope, help, and compassion for all' into this wonky world!


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello from a french fan of Supergirl,

I read somowhere than the final episode of Supergirl Tv is reported ... they have 21 of 22 episodes.

I suposse that the movie Supergirl is reported ? the second movie of Wonder Woman is moved in August 2020.

I have a suggestion, why not make the first meeting between Supergirl and Batgirl, Wonder Woman, etc... ?

Bostondreams said...

Obviously there are other priorities right now, but I would love to see a retrospective on your favorite Supergirl art for the past few years. Some pretty interesting pieces have been popping up over on the DC Comics reddit. And those ArtGerm covers are always just amazing to me.

Just a thought! Thanks for your blog! :)

Anonymous said...

Take of yourself and stay safe, Anj.

I fully understand you may need slow down. Don't worry. Health and safety come first, and you've always done a great job.

"I suposse that the movie Supergirl is reported?"

Who knows if it will ever come out.

"I have a suggestion, why not make the first meeting between Supergirl and Batgirl, Wonder Woman, etc... ?"

Anj already reviewed Kara and Babs' first meeting ("World's Finest" #169). But to my knowledge, he hadn't reviewed Kara and Diana's ("The Brave and the Bold" Vol 1 #63) as of yet.

By the way, Anj, you haven't reviewed Mike Maihack's last Supergirl & Batgirl comic yet:

https://www.deviantart.com/mikemaihack/art/Love-is-Sharing-Candy-830437745

If I'm allowed to make some few review suggestions:

- Action Comics 252: Time for a return to the origins?

- "The Unknown Supergirl" storyline

- Elseworld's Finest: A while ago, Anj made a brief post. Maybe it's time for a full review?

- Superman vs Aliens: Let's examine Kara of Odiline. What if would she have become a mainstay? Maybe PAD's Supergirl wouldn't have been created. Maybe Kara would have been retconned to Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El eventually.

- "Superman/Batman: The Supergirl from Krypton" Maybe it's time for a restrospective? When did you find out Kara was "coming back"? How did you hope her "return" play out? What did you think of that story back then, regardless how the character was mishandled afterwards?

Anj said...

Thanks for comments!

Much of this is trying to figure out what to post on when the new stuff is dried up so certainly I like the suggestions so far.

I never truly reviewed the Loeb/Turner arc so looking at it now would be interesting.
I have promised Elseworlds Finest forever.
And Superman Aliens is another great idea.

I'll do my best to stay present. God knows we all need a little diversion and respite.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Anj, if you need to slow down because of the pressures of your job, by all means. Take care of yourself! Everyone is in awe of, and grateful to, people like you on the front lines of this crisis.

It would be great to read any interviews you can grab. If you want to review an "old" story, what about the current run of Young Justice? It fits the theme here - there's a Superboy in it. (And Amethyst too.)

Whatever you decide to do, most important of all -- stay well.

T.N.

Anonymous said...

Yeah Anj first and foremost, keep yourself safe & sane as much as you can at least.
Maybe its also time to some of the Supergirl chapter books that're out there...or track down a copy of the Supergirl "Which Way" book that came out around the time of the 1984 movie.

As for a new movie, I'll believe it when I hear a director is attached to the project...

JF

William Ashley Vaughan said...

Do what you have to in order to get through this time. Even if you have to slow things down. We'll all be here when things settle down. As for comics, From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1 came out this week with a new '70s era Legion of Super-Heroes story written and drawn by Dan Jurgens. Its a terrific nod to the Legion's glorious past.

There are also new Green Lantern and Kamandi stories and two classic reprints from DC Comics Presents and Brave and the Bold. David Michelinie and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Bob Haney and Jim Aparo are the creators on the reprints. Your LCS might have a copy when they reopen or you might be able to order one from Amazon or Ebay.

Anonymous said...

Anj, I already brought up Mike Maihack's Batgirl&Supergirl Saint Valentine's comic which came out one month ago:

https://www.deviantart.com/mikemaihack/art/Love-is-Sharing-Candy-830437745

It isn't anymore his latest B&S comic. Mike has just uploaded another:

https://www.deviantart.com/mikemaihack/art/Self-Isolation-835377632

Two B&S strips before Christmas? We've been blesssed.

I'd love reading your thoughts on them (whenever you have the time and the motivation, of course)

Anonymous said...

Hello from a french fan of Supergirl,

Health first, the rest is important.

I will rereard the blog during my technical unemployement.

An i have seen a good story between John Kent and Damian Wayne in Robin 80th anniversery.

Martin Gray said...

Slowing down the posts makes some sense, but there’s news today that DC at least hopes to get comics to shops... or who knows, they might be able to use their current Target and Walmart connections.

https://bleedingcool.com/2020/03/28/dc-comics-distribution-methods-comics/

I agree with my fellow posters, though, Anj, your first duty is to look after yourself.