Review: Superman #22

My Red K detour has delayed my current comic reviews on the site. And at some point I'll need to cover all the 'Summer of Superman' books we have heard about with some interesting creative teams.

But for now, allow me to review Superman #22 by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora. 

I really think that Williamson has hit his stride on the book for a while now and this latest Doomsday story is really solid. I have been pretty tired of Doomsday but bringing in a Time Trapper version into the mix is a great idea, injecting something new into an older character, a change that actually makes sense. 

Now Williamson does a great thing and leans into Superman's history, going all the way back to Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey, a mini-series over 30 years old. But if you are telling a Doomsday story, why not utilize the continuity? I mean, I haven't read the mini in at least 25 years. (Should I cover it here?)

Should Superman give Doomsday over to the Aftermath (the remnants of races decimated by Doomsday)? Or does he think Doomsday deserves to be watched over on Earth? It is an interesting question. And Williamson injects a little mystery and a little new wrinkle to things that made me want to hear the debate more.

I'd be remiss if I didn't say that there are some small Supergirl moments in this issue that really let her shine. Williamson really seems to have taken a shine to her.

As always, Dan Mora's art is just spectacular. He makes Supergirl's jacket outfit look good. He gives The Radiant a shiny, slick look. He has a tremendous two page spread showing a great battle. Mora is a gold mine.

On to the book.

Amazing Heroes #136 And Jerry Ordway

Earlier this month, I reviewed Amazing Heroes #136, including some interesting comments from Jerry Ordway and Mike Carlin about the (then) upcoming Supergirl Saga, the ideas around the new Supergirl character and the Pocket Universe from where she came.

I had a few questions percolating in my brain, especially knowing how that whole storyline ultimately played out, with John Byrne leaving, Matrix going mad and eventually becoming Supergirl, and the utter destruction of the the Pocket Universe.

I reached out to Jerry Ordway who was kind enough to answer most of my questions and provide his recollections on things. 

As a long time fan, the peek into the creative process is always appreciated. So I can't thank Mr. Ordway enough for sharing! Here is the brief interview.

Anj: How far did this 'Power Girl' idea go? A mention? A deep discussion? Matrix IS found in the Arctic. Was that piece of your pitch kept? Or just coincidence?

Jerry Ordway: The Power Girl idea was likely only a brief paragraph I wrote out, to pitch as a story.
My Power Girl idea became Supergirl being found in the arctic. 

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #284

Last week I reviewed Action Comics #283, the first part of a crazy Red Kryptonite story where Kara exposes herself to 6 Red K meteors and therefore must undergo 6 transformations. 

Today I wrap up the story with Action Comics #284, which turns out to be a relatively important story for Supergirl’s history. ‘The Strange Bodies of Supergirl’ is written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel with art by classic artist Jim Mooney. We’ll get through three crazy transformations for sure. But we’ll see some continuity from Superman’s history. We’ll get a character from Supergirl’s supporting cast re-appear. And we get an announcement from Superman at the end of the story which changes the direction of this ongoing back-up moving forward.

Mooney continues to shine giving us a perfect young Supergirl as well as a touch of horror, a pinch of Sci-Fi, and a wonderful happy ending.

So if you are looking for some Silver Age insanity and some Kara history, you are in the right place.

I’ll add that the front end of the issue has a Superman story where he also is affected with Red K, turning into a toddler. What I love about that story is that he does it on purpose, exposing himself to a ‘youth restoring’ Red K from a prior Supergirl story. So there is some continuity in that showing how Supergirl’s life can impact Superman.

On to the book.

Review: Action Comics #1082

Action Comics #1082 came out last week, the next writer in the 'Superman Superstars' run on the book. With Mark Waid's weekly arc behind us, we enter a monthly schedule again. 

Waid's fun story was about the Phantom Zone, was about Mon-El, with a time travel trip to Krypton to boot. It went at a brisk pace and really was fun. It would be hard to follow that.

Writer John Ridley and artist Inaki Miranda come on board for 'Force Majeure' a title I will come back to at the end of this review. 

The short version is that Major Disaster, a villain turned hero, reverts to his villainous ways. And Superman, who helped reform Disaster, gets both upset and depressed about the whole thing. So vexed, that he begins asking around about why it happened. 

I haven't read much by Ridley but I did like his The Other Side of the DC Universe. It is hard to know in this first issue why he thinks Disaster regressed. Almost everyone Superman talks to feels it was inevitable. But the result is a sort of morose or highly agitated Superman. It doesn't feel quite right.  

Inaki Miranda's art is solid if standard. The opening disaster movie has a nice energy to it. But much of the remainder of the issue is Clark Kent interviewing people or sulking with Lois. Hard to make a meal out of that.

On to the story.

Supergirl And Streaky Statue

Last week, I showcased my Supergirl shrine in all its glory on a set of new shelves.

New shelves mean more space. And lucky for me, because Iron Studios is coming out with a fantastic Supergirl and Streaky statue in the second quarter of 2025. You can take a closer look here: https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/289507?o=4

This one is just beautiful and therefore will probably find its way into my collection despite the high price.

For one, it has Streaky. How could I say no.

Second, the costume is a version of my most favorite: red skirt, blue shirt. Heck even the sleeves are oversized, akin to the pointed end version I like best.

But the most important thing is the vibe you get from this. Supergirl happily sitting on a tower top, smiling and happy, enjoying some fun with her kitty cat. Wonderful.

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #283

Last week I reviewed Action Comics #303, a Silver Age classic with a healthy dose of Red Kryptonite fun. I got a lot of great feedback for that review and I feel that I have been so busy with current reviews that the Silver Age stuff has been missing a bit from here. I also try to have my back issue reviews somehow relate to current storylines and with Superman dealing with a Red K injection in Joshua Williamson's Superman book, I thought I would look back again to one of the wackier Supergirl/Red K stories from 1961. (For transparency, these scans are from my Supergirl Archives Vol 2 book.)

'The Six Red K Perils of Supergirl' was the back up story in Action Comics #283. Written by Jerry Siegel with art by Jim Mooney, we get to see Supergirl dealing with a new period in her life and struggling with a major Red K exposure. 

I really feel like this period of Supergirl's stories are a major turning point for the character and worth a look at. There is a long, multi-issue story where we meet one of Supergirl's arch-enemies, Lesla Lar. She loses her powers. She regains her powers from an odd source. And then it all culminates two issues from this story in Action Comics #285 in which Superman reveals Supergirl's existence to the world. That issue is one of the most key issues in Supergirl's history. 

But we are here, now, in Action Comics #283 so settle in for Silver Age goodness. From character progression to zany Red K transformations to detailed super-brief side plots, this issue is a hearty meal. And guess what? It is only part one.

Settle in!

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #35

Batman/Superman #35 came out this week, the beginning of a new arc bringing our title heroes into an adventure with Aquaman. Writer Mark Waid and artist Adrian Gutierrez are back on as our creative team. 

The charm of this comic is how it hits the sweet spot of Bronze Age fun with modern sensibilities. But that 'elsewhen' aspect lets Waid sort of put a classic stamp onto our heroes. We have seen scrappy young Robin, less-moody Batman, and friendly Superman throughout the three years of this book. But we also have seen Waid look at Metamorpho, Red Tornado, Supergirl, and others. 

This arc lets Waid and Gutierrez put their stamp on Aquaman, Mera, and the twin cities of Atlantis. Seeing Aquaman as a sort of 'man of two worlds' is interesting given the more recent runs which have been Atlantis-centric with politics and factions. But it is the inclusion of Lori Lemaris and her sullen husband Ronal was  really the cherry on the cake. 

I thought this opening arc is a nice primer on the old-school Atlantis. At the same time, this is a decent look back to why Aquaman's recent tales have focused more underwater than on terra firma.

Gutierrez continues to grow on this book. There is a sort of recurring artistic panache of repeated words or sound effects in the art. His take on the world of Atlantis and their fashion and looks is nice. But it is his take on a classic villain (seen on the last page) that really grabbed me.

On to this book.

Supergirl Shrine Revamped

It has been too long since I last showcased my Supergirl collection here on the site.

There are a few reasons for this. The old shelves I had for the collection were too small to accommodate the collection so it seemed overly cluttered and unappealing. I also moved a bit ago and with the lack of adequate shelf space, I left some things unpacked.

Just before the holidays, I was lucky enough to obtain some new bookshelves. This one big enough to showcase the whole thing!

Turns out I have a lot of Supergirl stuff, the efforts of decades of collecting. This is a 'first go' at the arrangement and I think it works out well but let me know your thoughts. 

But I am very happy with these new shelves!

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #303

Back in Action Comics #1081, Phantom Zone villain Ras-Krom summoned Zanchyroia dragons.

I'll be honest, I thought for a second they were an updating of the Kryptonian kaiju from Action Comics #303. Turns out, I was wrong. This creature is a Kryptonian Drang. 

Then in Superman #21, we learned that Superman's Red emotional storms are the result of a Red K injection from Pharm and Graft. I remembered Action Comics #303 again for its Red-K centric main story.

Between a flying Kryptonian dragon and the Red K connection, I thought it would be fun to formally review this story here. As a plus, Supergirl has a small role in the story. Besides, it has been a while since I have gone back to the Silver Age for something completely silly and fun. 

'The Monster from Krypton' was written by Edmond Hamilton with art by Curt Swan. It sports a pretty eye-grabbing cover of Supergirl riding the one-horned monster while the US military fire Kryptonite bullets at it. But perhaps the most interesting thing about the cover is that it gives away the twists. The monster IS Superman, changed by Red Kryptonite!

Well, settle in for a silly ride! Here's some Kryptonian Kaiju and Red K hijinks!

Review: Absolute Superman #3

Absolute Superman #3 came out last week, a flashback issue looking at young Kal's life on Krypton as it approached destruction. It is a pretty heavy-handed issue as we see Jor-El and Lara dealing with a completely corrupt Kryptonian hierarchy by rebelling with violence.

Now look, this is the Absolute Universe, the one tainted by Darkseid energy, and so the whole thing is going to be murky. A Kryptonian Science Council allowing genocide to happen as long as they escape? Sounds like a Darkseid place. Lara donning attack armor and wielding a lava gun as she mows down innocent police officers? Sounds like a Darkseid place. 

We have seen this Kal on Earth, fighting the system by helping people. He seems to be an upstanding hero, only retaliating when attacked by the cronies of Earth's own corruption. Writer Jason Aaron is walking a fine line here. Superman as a populist hero fighting an inherently evil world? Sounds okay. But where does it end? When does fighting the system become fighting innocent people also stuck in the system? When does this become too ham-fisted?

This issue comes close to that. It veers to the preachy. But I do think it is important for us to see the experiences of young (not baby) Kal on Krypton to inform who he is on Earth.

Now there are some things that seem convenient for the story. And some things that seem nonsensical given the story. So of the three issues of this series so far, I feel this one is the weakest from a writing view.

Interesingly enough, I think this might be the strongest issue from an art view. Rafa Sandoval is just crushing it on this book. Here we see Krypton with its death pangs. We see Lara in action. We see high tech and lush alien landscapes. Sandoval is inching towards Dan Mora as my favorite DC artist.

On to the book. 

Amazing Heroes #136 - Superman at 50 and 'The Supergirl Saga'

One of the holiday presents I got this year was a copy of Amazing Heroes #136, a Superman-centric issue celebrating the Man of Steel's 50th birthday. 

I am a big fan of Amazing Heroes and definitely have been looking in back issue bins for ones that cover interesting topics for me so this was a gold mine. The issue includes a section where comic professionals give brief reflections on why they love Superman. There is a 'gallery' section of Superman pics from up-and-comers including one from a some guy named Adam Hughes who is about to break on the scene.

But for me, the article I found most interesting was an interview with Superman editor Mike Carlin and Superman creator Jerry Ordway about the state of Superman in the DCU and some upcoming storylines. The biggest one on the horizon at that point? The Supergirl Saga.

Remember, we were only about 2 years into the Byrne reboot so things were still a bit fresh. The Superman line was still settling in. Hearing Carlin and Ordway's thoughts, especially knowing where things end up going, was interesting. 

But far and away, the look back at the origin of the 'Supergirl Saga', the publicity for it, and how it seemed a bit still in flux is fascinating for this Supergirl fan. 

On to the details.

Review: Superman #21

With the weekly schedule of Action Comics done and the holidays and year reviews behind me, I am finally getting to Superman #21 to review. (I have to say that the last few months have been busy here on the site with the two-fer Action Comics reviews but it also assured content. I might miss that.)

Superman #21 is a sort of breather issue to catch up on the characters and their private lives. Between Doomsday, Time Trapper Doomsday, Superwoman, and other mysteries, there is a lot of plot happening in this book. I give writer Joshua Williamson some kudos for recognizing that giving the characters a moment to breathe and giving the audience some moments to remind them why they like these characters is a brilliant move.

As always, Superman and Lois and their relationship is the axle this book revolves around. So this 'date night' issue is focused on them. It would be hard enough to stay connected when both are ultra-busy journalists. Now both are super-heroes on top of that. So seeing the two taking time for each other is great. Williamson realizes we are in a superhero comic so this isn't without action. 

Dan Mora continues to shine. His work is just so beautiful, full of energy. I will admit that there are some places in the book that seems a little rough, a little unpolished. Still stellar for sure. But I wonder if Mora is burning the candle a bit too bright given the number of Mora covers I see on the racks.

On to the book.

Supergirl Best Of 2024 Part Three: Top Ten Comic Moments #5 - #1

Well, we are nearing the end of our recap and so far it has been a little bit of a circuitous tour.

Part one was the Supergirl non-comic highlights and some comic moment honorable mentions.

Part two was the beginning of the top ten Supergirl comic moments, #10 - #6, with a bonus honorable mention. 

As always, my hope is that Supergirl will be recognized for the cool character she is and warrant her own ongoing title. It is intriguing to me that the books where she is a supporting character, the writers showcase how great she is. But in the past few solo books, she is angry, drunk, sad, ineffective, or idiotic. Can't we get someone who likes the character to write the book? 

That said, 2024 has had its highlights as you will see. Much of them show how integral she is to the super-family, either emotionally supportive or action ready. 

My favorite moment might seem random but when you are a lifelong Supergirl fan it completely made my year. We'll get there.

So let's settle in as we review the top five moments for Supergirl in the year 2024!

Supergirl Best Of 2024 Part Two: Top Ten Comic Moments #10 - #6

I started my 2024 Supergirl year in review yesterday with a look back at her non-comic appearances, my convention season, and a couple of comic honorable mentions.

As I said, this was a decent year for Supergirl. Not the best but certainly not the worst. We started the year with the very end of Philip Kennedy Johnson's Action Comics run in which Kara was the second in command of the super-family, the smartest person in the room. We saw Joshua Williamson keep her as a that field general, especially in House of Brainiac. And Mark Waid, when he included her in his books, always treated her well. 

That said, it has been nearly 4 years since Supergirl has had a solo book on the shelves. And her recent solo stories have been, in my opinion, pretty lackluster.

So cobbling together a top ten comic moments list means combing the depths for Supergirl moments that stood out for me. Some of them are one panel wonders, a blip into a story. Others powerful moments in arcs she was a main part of. And yes, even Mariko Tamaki's solo story has a moment that was a solid entry.

But I long for the halcyon days of a solid monthly Supergirl book. 

On to the Best Supergirl Comic Moments of 2024!

Supergirl Best Of 2024 Part One: Non-Comic Reviews And Comic Honorable Mentions

Well, we have reached a new year and that means it is a good time to go back and look at 2024 and how it treated Supergirl.

As with most years, this will be a three day review.

Today - non-comic year as well as Honorable Mention 2024 comic moments

Tomorrow - Top ten 2024comic moments, #10 - #6

Friday - Top ten 2024 comic moments, #5 - #1

It has been an interesting year for Supergirl overall.

She was a major player in the Crisis On Infinite Earths trilogy movie which wrapped up that era of the DC Animated universe. She also was a key player in the second season of My Adventures with Superman television show. A Supergirl movie is in the works and she was even casted. That is a lot of exposure for the character which I think is always a good thing. But certainly the concept of the upcoming movie and her portrayal in the two animated series weren't exactly what I look for in Supergirl as a character. 

In comics, it was a bit more piecemeal as you had to sort of look to find Supergirl here and there. I think she had a great presence in the House of Brainiac arc. I think she has been treated well by Mark Waid in his Phantom Zone arc in Action Comics. But I have found her one solo story by Mariko Tamaki to be a bit lacking. 

So overall I think it has been an okay year for the character. Certainly her being visible outside of comics is a good thing. And I'll reiterate that while these takes on her don't work for me, if you love them, I am glad.

As always, I want to thank the people who come to the site and read my ramblings! Appreciate you all!

On to the year in review.