Comics Interview #26: Crisis On Infinite Earths Interview

I have been doing this blog for over sixteen years, covering Supergirl in all her incarnations.

One topic that I keep coming back to is Crisis on Infinite Earths. Every time I think I have covered all of it, and in particular Supergirl's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, I find something new to cover.

Now I have said before that I have made my peace with Supergirl's death in Crisis. It was an incredibly heroic moment. She saved Superman and basically the multiverse. The cover of COIE #7 is the image of the series. Everyone remembers her role.

That said, it still stings a little to know that DC thought so little of the character that they felt she could ... and should ... be killed and erased from history. 

All this is preamble to the fact that at a visit to a local comic store I ran across Comics Interview #26 which included an interview with Marv Wolfman and Robert Greenberger about the Crisis. It is a very interesting article.

First off, it hit the stands before Crisis was finished, right after COIE #9 was released. So Wolfman and Greenberger have to be a bit coy about the overall ending. But the deaths of Supergirl and the Flash were pretty fresh. The concept of rebuilding the DCU into one universe hadn't happened and was basically an unknown. And these ideas are touched on by interviewer Patrick O'Neill.

So let's dive in.

Review: Action Comics #1069

Action Comics #1069 came out this week, the last part of writer Gail Simone and artist Eddy Barrows' three part story. This one was a winner for sure, both the issue and the arc. 

I have always been a fan of Superman and one of the reasons why I love the character is that he is an inspiration. I can think of all the ways that someone with Superman's powers would work in this jaded world. Many of them would be selfish or unsavory. But he is a hero. He fights for what's right. He believes in truth, justice, and the American way. And when he is at his best, he inspires people to do what's right as well.

Simone and Barrows leans into that in this story. That is basically what this is about. Superman fighting for us, fighting for what's right. Superman fighting even when he could stop, when he is battered, when he is exhausted.  But instead he keeps at it. It is a simple concept ... Superman as inspiration. But it works. We have seen this story type before. But it still works. Whether it is Tom King's Up in the Sky, or Phillip Kennedy Johnson's Warworld or even All-Star Superman, Superman as inspiration works. 

Barrows is one of those artists who can't stay long on a book. So a three parter is perfect for him. He shines here, giving us a beautiful book. 

But wait, there's more. We get the conclusion of the Rainbow Rowell and Cian Tormey story focusing on the journalistic integrity of Clark working as a reporter for the Planet. This was another winner.  I really liked this story too.

Tack on a variant cover by Nicola Scott focusing on Supergirl and you get a big winner. I love this cover. DC should make a poster or a t-shirt out of it.

DC Solicits - December 2024

The DC Comics solicits for December 2024 were released last week and I have to say, for me it feels like things are looking up for DC and I am saying that with almost no interest in the Absolute Universe. Here is a link to read everything: https://www.gamesradar.com/comics/dc-comics/dc-comics-december-2024-solicitations-covers/

DC has some stuff that I talked about last month (New Gods, an Alex Segura Question comic) that sounds very interesting. And the super-comics seem to be picking up some momentum.

This month is another month of Action Comics being weekly so there is a lot to cover. Mark Waid is doing a Phantom Zone story with Clayton Henry with Mariko Tamaki and Skylar Patridge doing a Supergirl back-up. Incredibly, the Tamaki story solicits sound like there will be action and not just moping. We will see. 

Moreover, Supergirl is all over the Action Comics covers, especially Action Comics #1078 where she is on all the variants. 

So let's dive in! 

Action Comics #1078
Written by MARK WAID and MARIKO TAMAKI
Art by CLAYTON HENRY, MICHAEL SHELFER, and SKYLAR PATRIDGE
Cover by CLAYTON HENRY
Variant covers by SWEENEY BOO and MIKEL JANÍN
1:25 variant cover by A.L. KAPLAN
Artist Spotlight variant cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA

Two worlds in peril; only one can be saved. Teaming with his fellow Justice Leaguer, Mr. Terrific, to defend against Aethyr’s deadly machinations, the Man of Steel is left on the defensive and out of options. Superman must choose which realm to save: Earth or the Phantom Zone!

Plus, Supergirl falls under the spell of Koncept!

I have talked about my love of Aethyr. I like that there seems to be some sort of universal threat. The family falling from the sky on the cover makes me wonder if somehow the yellow sun is impacted by the shenanigans. 

As for Supergirl, she fights someone named Koncept. We met Konfusion in Superman #18.  Now Koncept? It sounds like maybe Conner has been re-cloned and made evil? 

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #31

World's Finest #31 came out last week, beginning a new arc with our heroes fighting Eclipso. I have sung the praises of this title since it's inception. But I have to admit, this was the most muddled issue of the book for me. It was difficult for me to follow exactly what was happening here.

If you told me that Waid was going to give me a satellite era story involving a classic JLA (goateed GA! Red Tornado!) fighting Eclipso, I'd say that this was going to be gold. But the plot traveled fast, with key points being a bit quick or quirky so that the whole thing unfolds almost too quickly. 

This was one of those issues I read a couple of times to make sure that I wasn't missing something!

Dan Mora gives us his usual tremendous art on the cover. Adrian Gutierrez brings tremendous energy to the story. Gutierrez has big shoes to fill on this book. Mora is a marvel. I really liked the work here, crisp and kinetic.

But this book fell a little short.

On to details.

Review: Superman #18

Superman #18 came out this week, another Absolute Power tie-in and a decent issue from the creative team of writer Joshua Williamson and artist Jamal Campbell.

I very much enjoyed the last issue as it had enough solid character moments from all the title's players. I am not reading Absolute Power, so that issue was in the story but also was a showing for the supporting cast. 

This issue, Williamson again has some solid character moments but not as many and not as memorable as last issue. Also, the actual story that is in this issue felt like an unnecessary detour. Did anything really happen here? Do we get a good Lois/Superman moment? We also get a Zatanna moment that didn't ring true. And the introduction of a character that seems like an afterthought or the genesis of a toy. 

Campbell continues to shine with an elaborate art style. He shines a bit on the pages where Superman and Zatanna are traveling magical pathways. And his super-hero action in the Hall of Heroes was also eye-catching.

But I feel like this was a pause in things more than an addition. I wonder if this needed to happen to keep the title in synch with Absolute Power. After all, Doomsday is back next month.

On to the book.

Xum's Who Volume II : Sand Superman

I have been a fan of The Fire And Water Podcast Network since its inception. This includes but isn't limited to their excellent Who's Who review show. I have really enjoyed the in-depth analysis of every Who's Who pages from the original through the updates and then the loose leaf series.

I also enjoyed and was impressed by the work of the departed Xum Yukinori. Xum was a true artist - excellent at illustration but also writing, voice acting, and editing sound and podcasts.

As I said, Xum was a tremendous artist and a knowledgeable comic fan. He had created Who's Who pages for characters that he thought should have been in the original series, the overlooked ones. And his son and friends continued his good work creating a second volume.

And so I bring you the Sand Superman page from the Xum's Who volume II. I thought Sand Superman should have had a page in the original so I am glad that the character is honored here. 

Isamu did a great job here writing up the history and powers of this character, most famous for the oft-reprinted Kryptonite Nevermore storyline as well as the Superman Vs. Shazam trade, But the character has been recreated by Walt Simonson and Sholly Fisch in more recent years. 

So soak up the tremendous page and then read ahead for some more fun.

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #510

People who frequent this site know that I look to themes in current comics to help me decide older comics to review. I never wanted this to be an index review site for Supergirl comics. I wanted it to be dynamic and related to current books.

So which current plot to take a look back at? I was torn between two and may end up doing both. One is Lex Luthor turning over a new leaf and trying to become a force for good. Joshua Williamson has been doing that over in Superman since he took over. The other was a look at Amazo given the android being both part of Absolute Power and My Adventures With Superman. 

Somehow I landed on the Lex plot. (But the Amazo story I have in mind is too fun so keep your eyes peeled.)

Action Comics #510 starts a three part story where Lex decides to stop trying to kill Superman. Instead he will become a good man. And the reason for this new lot in life? Well, it's hard to believe! It is the surprise ending so I don't want to spoil it here.

The cover by Ross Andru is certainly eye-catching but doesn't have much to do with the story on the inside. Superman letting Lex be killed would be an interesting plot ... but that isn't here.

On to the book.

Terrificon Recap 3: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Mark Waid, And More

I've done 2 recap posts about Terrificon and what a time I had at the convention. From the site to the focus on comics, the show is incredible. The first two posts  showcased the commissions I bought (June Brigman and Greg Larocque) and some of the signatures I was able to obtain. 

But the real draw for me this year were two writers in attendance: Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Mark Waid. Both are favorites of mine lately. 

Johnson did a superb run on Action Comics, including the Warworld Saga. He treated Supergirl with such respect. I couldn't wait to meet him and thank him. I've been a fan of Waid for decades. But he has been writing World's Finest, the best book on the racks. And he has been doing other great work for DC. I hadn't seen him at a con for about a decade so I was pumped to see him again too. 

I waited until the last day to approach Johnson. He was the nicest guy. He asked me to sit at his table and we were able to talk at length about his run on Superman. 

I thanked him for writing Kara as confident and strong and often the smartest person in the world. He said he wrote her that way. He called her the matriarch of Kryptonian culture as she had experienced it. I talked to him about how I loved when she would call Superman out on things she thought he was doing wrong. 

We talked about the inclusion of the super-twins in the family. He said in the earliest drafts one of the twins were killed on the battlefield of Warworld by Mongul. Ultimately he felt it was too bloody for a Superman book so opted to keep both alive. He knew all along that the spirit of Orglun would enter one of the twins, the survivor. 

He pulled out his laptop and opened up his scripts to show me how detailed they are to help people like Riccardo Federici draw his vision of the rusty environment of Warworld. I specifically asked to see his description of the field of crucified Phaelosians Superman sees when he first gets on the world with the Authority. It was very cool of him to share.

But then he asked about me and my love of Supergirl. So I got to tell him why I love Kara so much.

I basically sat behind his table for a while and every so often he stopped to talk to fans coming to his table and sign some books. He really is a super-nice guy, talking with folks at length about comics. 

He hinted, strongly, that he may be writing a super-book soon. So keep your eyes peeled. And it was hard to pick which books to get signed but I picked Kara-specific covers and the end of the Warworld saga.

Killing one of the twins! Crazy!

The Passing of John Cassaday

This last Monday the news came out that artist John Cassaday had died at the young age of 52. 

Cassaday was a pure comic talent with a smooth artistic style that stood out on the rack. You knew a Cassaday book when you saw it. You didn't need to look for the signature, the mirror image of the J and C. 

He was lauded for The Authority (which I didn't read) and Astonishing X-Men, which I did read. I don't have a lot of X-Men in my collection. I can say it was his art that kept me on that book as long as I was. 

He was a superstar. And I was a fan.

Which brings me to why I am writing this post.

Because he was also one of the nicest creators I have met at conventions. He was a superstar. But he really was approachable, personable, and relatable to this fan.

When I met him at Terrificon, he had a huge line at his end table. People were bringing him X-Men books and the Authority and a lot of the licensed stuff he had done. Here I was bringing him the Superman books he did the covers for, from the Grounded arc of all things. It would have been easy to just sign the books and have me move on. But he paused and thanked me for bringing them to him. I had questions to ask him about this tiny little corner of his career and he was kind to answer them.

The first book I put in front of him was Superman #713, the only time that I know that he drew Supergirl. He told me he liked his time on the book. But didn't really have much to say about Supergirl other than he was glad he got to draw her.

Review: My Adventures With Superman #4

My Adventures With Superman #4 came out last week and continued to be a fun, heart-warming, and surprisingly action-packed book. This also pushed the Amazo storyline forward in an interesting way. You know I love mysteries and now we have one. 

Writer Josie Campbell continues to walk that tightrope of whimsy and serious, character moments and action moments, progressive plots mixed with nostalgic callbacks. I seriously don't know how she does it. This book opens with the Kents talking at length about family, unconditional love, parents teaching and learning, and the power of Christmas. The book ends with a brawl between Superman and Amazo, Checkmate, and Task Force X. In between that there is humor, romance, and at least two callbacks. 

Artist Pablo Collar continues to walk his own fine line between the anime style and more standard comic style. I like his take on Amazo. I love his Checkmate armor. But it is the early portion with the Kents and Lois that I think he really shines, bring warmth to everything.

Add a decent cliffhanger and you have a winner.

On to the book. 

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #597

In the current Action Comics book, Rainbow Rowell and Cian Tormey are bringing us an interesting story looking at the Clark/Superman dichotomy and journalistic integrity. Can Clark fairly write about Superman? Or is the inherent conflict of interest going to stop him from giving the public the truth? I am really enjoying it. 

That story reminded me of Action Comics #597 in which Lois again wonders about Clark's biases and abilities to be an honest journalist. This is year's before the identity was revealed. We are only 16 months into John Byrne's revision of Superman. And this issue brings into continuity one of the wonkiest aspects of Byrne's take on the character, that the Kents raised both Clark and Superman. I like Byrne's work on the character. But that, for me, is one of the weirdest and weakest additions.

This was also a time where Action Comics was a team-up book. So seeing this be a Lois and Lana issue also grabbed my attention. This is in the immediate post-Millennium DCU. Lana had just been deprogrammed from the Manhunters. Superman was still a relative newbie. This is the first time in the post-Crisis DCU that Lois and Lana have any sort of meaningful interaction. I like that part of the book as well.

As for Byrne, he loved to riff off of old Superman stories (the Lori Lemaris and Mxyzptlk re-introductions stand out) so seeing him do this Schaffenberger-esque cover of Lana and Lois fighting over the Man of Steel was a hoot for me. I especially like the cover text that this doesn't happen. We aren't in the Silver Age any more.

The art on the book is done by Byrne but also Leonard Starr and Keith Williams. It does give a softer, sort of older feel to the book which works well with the topic.

So let's dust off this back issue and dive in!

Terrificon Recap 2: Greg Larocque And More Stories

Last week I gave my first recap of 2024's Terrificon including my June Brigman commission.

Brigman was my primary target for a commission from the show. But my second was Greg Larocque.

Most people who frequent this site know that the Legion is my second favorite DC IP. In fact, I reviewed multiple runs of the Legion over on the Legion of Super-Bloggers. In fact, I think my reviews of the first 60 issues of the 5YL Legion is my high water mark as a blogger. 

Larocque was the artist on a large part of the Baxter run of LSH, so I have always been a big fan. 

But I had a particular interest in getting a sketch from him. He was the last artist to draw the pre-Crisis Supergirl in continuity. 

You see, the DCU was re-written in Crisis On Infinite Earths #12, a book which hit the stands on 12/19/1985. After that, Supergirl was a word that couldn't even be uttered in DC Comics.

But then in Legion of Super-Heroes #31 , drawn by Larocque, we saw a statue of Supergirl in Legion's hall of heroes. 

Seven months later, in the classic Legion of Super-Heroes #38 we once again saw the Supergirl statue. Once again it was Larocque on art. Legion #38 was released on 6/9/1987, a full 18 months after the Crisis ended! A year and a half after Supergirl was 'erased' from continuity.

With all that history, I thought Larocque doing a commission sketch of the Supergirl statue for my book was a pretty cool idea. And I think he nailed it. For a Supergirl fan and a Legion fan, this was a winner.

Review: Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special

When you get to be as old a comic fan as I am, major comic events from the past become history and begin to celebrate pretty big anniversaries. 

I was already in my 20s when Zero Hour first hit the stands, DC's valiant effort to tidy up some of the timeline conundrums that spun out of the Crisis On Infinite Earths. So trust me, I felt pretty old when I saw the Zero Hour 30th Anniversary issue hit the stands. 

I wasn't sure how the story would play out. Would this be some side adventure within Zero Hour? Some untold tale? Or something Zero Hour adjacent, adding to the story.

Turns out it is the latter. Writer Ron Marz and Dan Jurgens bring us a Kyle Rayner story, set in an offshoot universe which is both familiar to the DC world of the 90s but also quite different. Do you want a world where Superman stayed dead, Batman stayed paralyzed, and Wonder Woman is missing? A world where Matrix, Donna Troy, and Barbara Gordon are the Trinity? Then this book is for you! Do you want to see Hal as Parallax? Jack Knight as Starman? A classic Fatal Five and Legion? Waverider? Then this book is for you. 

And I suppose for someone like me, this book is for me. It brought me back to that time, let me enjoy seeing these characters (in a way) again, and have some fun.

Add to that the incredible bevy of veteran artists on the book. Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Paul Pelletier, Kelley Jones, Darryl Banks, Howard Porter, and Tom Grummett all are here. I got to see Grummett's Matrix Supergirl again. Ordway on Infinity Inc characters. Kelley Jones haunting Gotham, and Jurgens drawing a version of the JLA again. 

On to the book! Get ready for some Parallax-ction!