Review: Superboy #20

Superboy #20 came out this week, the first of what feels like many books sporting someone new in the creator column. Less than two years in, Superboy has his third writer. Welcome Justin Jordan.

There is a lot for Jordan to wrap his head around. Over these 2 years, Superboy as a title has felt uneven to me. His origin certainly isn't easy to recite. And last issue's knuckleball of a genetic reveal hasn't helped, at least for me. On top of that, I am still trying to understand just who Kon is. Is he a hero? An anti-hero? A brainwashed dupe? A player, sitting in his plush apartment surrounded by cash? What are his motivations?

If I have one hope of Jordan, it is that he solidifies what Kon thinks of himself and why he does what he does. After reading this issue, I think we are off to a good start. And the injection of humor in the form of Dr. Psycho is completely appreciated given the dour feel of this book so far.

The art on the issue is split in thirds between usual artists RB Silva and Rob Lean, Kenneth Rocafort, and Chris Cross. The art is well done, but their styles are very different and very distinctive, so the changes did distract from the story a bit.

And I don't quite know what the cover has to do with the story on the inside. Again, this feels like a feint by DC. This cover makes Superboy seem like a dark character, grim and gritty. And maybe that is how DC wants to market him. But the story doesn't bare that out.

I have had my issues with the book and I certainly haven't been quiet about them. One of my biggest problems with Superboy was the bank-robbing issue. It is hard to root for a thief who thinks he is above the law and flaunts it.

One of the rare positive things which seemed to come out of H'El on Earth was a realignment in priorities in Kon. Suddenly he seemed more heroic and more interested in doing what was right. A couple of issues ago he tried to return the bulk of the money he stole.

Jordan starts the book out with Superboy preparing to turn himself in to the police for the portion of the money he spent. It is a nice showing of how Superboy has grown. Hurrah!

But before Kon can do that, Dr. Psycho approaches him and tells him to wait. To Psycho it doesn't seem fair that Kon is doing this. More importantly, he can help Kon. He knows where Superboy really comes from.

It is true that Psycho was in Kon's mind. So how much does he know? Does he know about N.O.W.H.E.R.E.? Does he know about Clark/Lois/Jon? Does he know about the layer upon layer upon layer of subliminals we know Kon has been subjected to?

Now Kon's origin is something of a sore point for him. And to have a stranger come up like this must be irritating. He lashes out.

Before Superboy can question him more, the two are attacked by a Dreadnaught, something Psycho recognizes. This things is here to retrieve Psycho and return him to H.I.V.E.

The Dreadnaught calls Psycho a drone which is intriguing. I wonder just how many Psychos we will see when we eventually get to H.I.V.E.

What is refreshing is Psycho's matter-of-fact style of speaking. There is a nice little twinge of sarcasm in him. He has some great lines here, lines that made me chuckle. As I said ... refreshing.

Kenneth Rocafort takes over on art here. I like how young Rocafort makes Superboy look.

Psycho knows that Dreadnaughts are paired with Psiphons, psionic vampires who drain energy from people and gives that power to the Dreadnaught. He goes off to find the power source.

Psycho also lets Superboy know about the existence of H.I.V.E. for the first time. I love the line about Psycho punctuating the word H.I.V.E. telepathically. These acronyms are becoming somewhat ludicrous. I chuckled out loud with that line.

As physically unimposing as Psycho is, the Psiphon is even weaker. Weak to the point that Psycho decides to engage in fisticuffs. This is a character that we have seen cringing behind trash bags and trying to talk his way out of any physical confrontation.

At first I thought this felt a bit off. But then I thought it must mean Psycho is absolutely sure he can overpower this thing. I also think it shows just how desperate Psycho is not to be brought back.

And the ending of the fight is just as amusing. The give-and-take in Superboy and Psycho's dialogue works well throughout the book. It is snappy without feeling forced. And if Psycho can beat up Psiphon, a simple finger flick by Superboy can do the job.

And here is the bold new direction of the book, the underlying story that will carry the book moving forward.

HIVE is a group that deals with psionics and beings with psionic powers. HIVE now knows that Superboy so they will probably be gunning for him as much as they are Psycho. Psycho thinks an alliance to bring them down makes sense.

Is it a little fast for Superboy to trust someone this much? To uproot his life to take on an organization he hardly knows? Maybe. But I also get the sense that Kon is looking for something in his life, some reason to be. So maybe he is a bit more willing to jump in with both feet.

To be honest, I had forgotten that Jocelyn Lure, the SciPo officer from the future, was still in this book.

The book ends with here in her headquarters, tinkering with her devices when suddenly some of them start to fade away. Clearly this is some time travel paradox. Something has changed in the future such that these things either weren't invented or weren't packed or something else. Time travel paradoxes give me a headache. If she never packed them, how could she know they have disappeared?

Anyways, beyond that, I don't know why she immediately jumps to questioning what Superboy did to cause this.

So overall, this is a good first issue that has something of a different feel for this book. I have to say, there was a lighter feel to this issue, especially after last month's morose and disappointing origin story. I like the chemistry we have seen between Psycho and Superboy already. This felt like a more classic Conner story, a brash young hero and a story infused with some humor.

I do hope that the art on the book stabilizes.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Smallville #7

Smallville #7 came out in print this last week and I was yet another entertaining issue in this title.

I have said it before. Smallville is the place where people looking for the 'old' Superman fans to go when they need a fix. If the DCnU Superman, the floating guy distanced from humanity and kissing Wonder Woman seems off to you ... if you want a smiling, heroic Superman who is in love with Lois ... look no further.

But on top of those continuity issues, Smallville also has the tone that I feel has been missing for the most part in the dour DCnU. This is a book with some drama and some dark moments. But it also has some light moments, some humor, some romance and love. It is a mix of emotions that frankly mirrors real life.

And since those lighter moments are scarce right now in the main DCU, they mean so much more here.

I really have to give Bryan Q. Miller a lot of credit for finding just that right mix of tones for the book. No one emotion dominates the story. And that just works.

Chris Cross does the art on this issue and I think it is some of his best work. There are some stellar panels here ... as you will see.

Another thing that I love about Smallville is Lois. She is a bit more of a hothead than the classic comic Lois. But that passion and intensity for truth, for justice, for her family and friends is refreshing.

Here I love the panel makeup as she confronts the Toyman about how his tech has been used by The Prankster. The Toyman in Smallville is a bit of a nut but he has his own ethics. He doesn't like that his tech is being used without his permission. Lois points out the obvious ... Toyman is in jail.

That zoom in for personal moment, zoom out to put the Toyman's life in perspective works wonderfully. Toyman is a little person in a box. He is insignificant and therefore can't intercede in the outside world.

And the Prankster and Mr. Freeze are gunning for Joe Chill since he has turned evidence into the government. Prankster is not usually a hit man but he says he needs to impress Intergang to get back in their good graces.

This is a confident Superman, maybe one who hasn't been challenged in a while. He tells Batman to leave so he can mop up the villains. Interesting ... I haven't seen a Superman step up to the plate like this recently.

Turns out the villains aren't that easy to defeat.

The Prankster has some tracer bullets locked on to Chill. I don't know why I love this so much. Reminds me a bit of Darkseid Omega beams, or Robotech missiles.

And ..... he also has Kryptonite bullets! Maybe that wasn't confidence before, maybe it was over-confidence.

But this is such a great panel and just shows why I am loving this interpretation of Superman and Clark. Realizing he might actually die here, his last word is a quiet Lois.

I have said it before when reviewing this comic. If DC doesn't think "Lois and Clark" works, they should read this book. They might see the light.

Another thing I like about this book is how seamlessly the heroes work together. Chloe and Oliver want to help Clark and decide to hack into Luthor's computers to grab the tracer intel he has on Clark.

In the course of that conversation, designed to give Chloe time to hack in via the phone, Ollie talks about the late night emails he has been getting from Lex. Luthor is finally able to put 2 and 2 together. Tess is still kicking around inside him and has exerted some control.

This is the plot on the back burner I am most enjoying. I like Tess a lot and glad she is still around, even in this wraith-mode.

I talked about panel composition before. This is my favorite sequence of the book. Mr. Freeze catches up and puts Chill on ice, killing him. I don't exactly know what this Batman was going to do with Chill. But now we will never know.

I love these panels. Chill frozen. Then that similar pose but frozen in time, as he killed Bruce's parents (great red background). And then a similar pose in Batman, angry at being denied whatever his closure was going to be. That is just solid solid work. Impressive.

Their job done, the Prankster and Mr. Freeze flee the scene, victorious. That alone is interesting.

But now the police are arriving, Superman has Kryptonite bullets embedded in his abdomen, and he doesn't look good.

Despite their differences, and despite Nightwing tell him to bail, Batman decides he cannot leave Superman. He cannot have people learn of his weakness.

It is true that this wouldn't look good for Batman if there are so many bodies around as he leaves. He throws Superman into the Batmobile and takes off.

In another nice touch, Superman reveals his name is Clark to Batman. It shows the trust side of Superman. He knows Batman isn't a bad guy.

But it is the Lois portions of the book I absolutely love.

First off, she refuses to simply let Batman drive off with an injured Superman in tow. That's her husband. In classic Lois style, she grabs a police motorcycle and follows along.

Now that is Lois!

But she isn't all spit and vinegar.

She knows that Clark might be dying in that car. And when a line is opened up between Lois, Chloe, Nightwing, and Batman, she breaks down a little.

Look at that tear-soaked expression in the opening panel as she struggles to get and give information.

It won't be easy to pull out those bullets with half the police force bearing down on him. There is a nice little chase scene and Batmobile tumbling in the subsequent pages. Luckily, not only does Batman remove the K-slugs, he also gives Supes a jump start of yellow sunlight from his Bat-suit (which previously was dishing out red sun rays).

I have never been too keen about the Green Arrow of Smallville. But he does have a nice spot in this book. He joined the chase for Clark, catching up earlier with Lois.

And he stops a Metropolis police copter from unleashing an EMP which would have disabled the Batmobile and brought the rescue to a halt. I am sure that was a hard choice. Fighting cops ... who wants to do that.

Of course, that is also interfering with police business and a crime itself.. The last we see of Ollie he is in cuffs. Nice wrinkle to this story.

And the book ends with a nice cliffhanger.

The K bullets had built in tracers. The Prankster now knows where Batman and Superman are hiding out.

Boy, a lot of people can trace Superman these days.

So another wonderful issue of this book. While I am enjoying this Batman plot, I actually find myself wanting more of the Tess plotline and the Crisis plotline as well. And after a fantastic Steph  Babs issue last time, I was sort of bummed to see so little of her here.

But there is no doubt that the best stuff for me this issue was the Clark/Lois relationship even though they are never together! It is so easy to see why Superman would love a woman like her.

Add to that some great Chris Cross art, in all facets ... expressions, actions, panel and page layouts ... and this was satisfying. The Lois crying panel and the Chill/Chill/Batman panel progression were perfect!

Overall grade: B+

Review: Action Comics #6 Back-Up

Grant Morrison is doing the heavy lifting in Action Comics, laying out the Man of Steel's first super-hero adventure. In the back-up feature, Sholly Fisch is giving us wonderful glimpses into the events that made Clark who he is. Last month's look at the Kent's trials and tribulations around conceiving was sweet and beautiful.

Action Comics #6 back-up takes a much closer look at Clark's childhood, focusing on the day he is leaving Smallville and heading to Metropolis. Much like what Morrison is doing in the main story, Fisch is really giving us glimpses into Clark's past, giving us some but not all information, and building a complete story through these captured moments. Sure, we see enough of Lana Lang and Pete Ross here to get a feel for their friendship with Clark. But things are implied, not shown. It leaves the door open for more.

And as this is Smallville, we really get sun-dappled art by Chris Cross. His sometimes heavy lines are gone here, and the coloring by Jose Villarrubia really adds to the story. There is a feeling of country sunshine here, brightness, but also the hint of sunset ... reminding us Clark is moving on.

So we see Clark give the Kent farm to the Fry family, a neighbor whose farm was foreclosed. With Clark moving on, the farm needs to be tended. Why not give it to someone who has been oppressed?

This really has a Golden/Silver Age feel to it. There isn't a Kent homestead for Clark to retreat to, no chance to pick Ma and Pa's brains for wisdom like in the Byrne era. This chapter in his life is closed.

As Clark roams through the house one last time, he is struck by memories.

One is him crying, wondering why he is different.

I liked this one, Pa talking about how Clark needs to stand up to the bullies in life ... the oppressors. Look at how almost washed out the art looks here, like a faded photograph. Just a great mix of words, theme, and art.

This was perhaps my favorite page in the whole book. What a home run by Cross!

But more than that, you get the sense that Lana is in on the secret. She says that Clark has too much to offer to the world than to stay on the farm. And how else did they get up there? What else could Clark mean when he asks her is he should take her down? He leaped up there with her.

And Lana leaning her head on Clark's shoulder. Wonderful. And again, that sort of brightness to the art just works. If I knew it wouldn't be ludicrously expensive, I'd buy this page.

But the time has come for Clark to move on. The Smallville Three Musketeers are breaking up because Clark has bigger things he needs to accomplish.

It is also clear that Pete isn't in on the secret (at least not openly, remember he did know in the Silver Age). But he seems surprised at how heavy Clark's boxes are. If he knew Clark could juggle cars, he woudn't be shocked.

Smiling, Clark leaves his home, heading to the big city.

These quiet moments, these looks back, tell us how and more importantly why Clark is Superman. There is the perfect feel of innocence in this short story, a sort of idyllic setting explaining how Clark became the ethical and helpful person he is. Just great stuff.

In some ways I am envious of Fisch. He gets to puts some bricks in the foundation of this Superman. But rather than having to write the bluster of heat vision and K-Bombs, he gets to write these more personal moments that add depth the the characters here. I would love that gig.

And Cross' art here is the right fit, matching the mood of the story perfectly.

Overall grade: A

Review: Action Comics #5 Kents Back Up

Action Comics #5 included a back-up feature written by Sholly Fisch with art by ChrisCross. Fisch is the official back-up writer and seems charged with the task of filling in the back story of some of the characters being re-introduced in the Superman mythos. Last month's character was Steel. This month we get a look at the Kents.

Fisch does a good job of showing us just how much Martha and Jonathan love each other and want children. Much like the main issue including helicopters investigating the Kal-El crash site immediately, Fisch modernizes the Kent's plight while reinforcing why they would be the perfect couple to raise Superman.

We last saw ChrisCross on the Kelly Sue DeConnick Supergirl issues. The art in those issues was occasionally extreme with the characters wearing wild expressions. Cross scales things back here, telling a very human story with slight touches that adds to the story.

This isn't a snapshot in time but rather an overview of years in Jon and Martha's married life.

It starts off with their wedding where the young couple, clearly smitten with each other, immediately talk about filling their house with children. There is some not so subtle irony in the 'babies falling from the sky' comment, but it works in this innocent early time.

I don't know if the Kent's wedding has ever been covered anywhere before.

But that early optimism is eroded by each failed pregnancy test. I like Jonathan's quiet strength as he reassures Martha that she will be a wonderful mother and that they will continue to try.

Unfortunately, medicine can't fix every problem. He has low motility. She has endometriosis. Hormone injections and in vitro methods can only go so far. This method, despite its costly nature, is unsuccessful.

This is perhaps my favorite scene of the short story.

Despondent after science has failed them, the Kents turn to their minister for some solace. And he is able to provide them some peace by saying there is a plan. They are good people and they need to have faith that something wonderful will happen.

This last panel showing a happy and suddenly reinvigorated Jon and Martha was wonderful. And I can't remember the last time someone of the cloth was shown in such a positive manner. It really worked for me.

With that, the Kents turn to their next option, adoption.

But that isn't much easier than hormone shots. It is a process, sometimes arduous and also costly. There is a sort of 'here we go again' look on the Kents' faces as they realize their dream is about to put on hold again.

But nothing will stop Jonathan. He'll mortgage the farm to get the fund money for the adoption process.

I love how he says he'll open a general store if he has to, an obvious reference to that part of the Kent's Silver Age history. But it is a wonderful scene showing just how much these two love each other, support each other, and are willing to risk it all for each other. Lovely.

Now, we know that Morrison is going for a Golden Age feel here. So will Martha bring Kal to the local orphanage as a 'found' baby only to adopt later (as in the earliest Action Comics origins?) or will she spirit him away to the Kent farm and come up with another explanation for him? I don't know if the former will hold up to the light of current times. But we'll see.

Still, much like the Steel story, Fisch does a great job letting us learn a lot about these characters in a short page count. And Cross' art amplifies the words.

Overall grade: A

Supergirl: Good Looking Corpse Trade

Remember back in September when this was posted in the DC solicits?

SUPERGIRL: GOOD-LOOKING CORPSE TP
Written by NICK SPENCER and JAMES PEATY
Art by BERNARD CHANG, CHRISCROSS and MARC DEERING
Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
On sale DECEMBER 7 • 176 pg, FC, $17.99 US
Someone is trying to kill the young heroes of the DC Universe in these stories from SUPERGIRL #60-67! Who is this villain, and how can Supergirl stop him? Maybe her friends can help – namely, Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, Static and Robin!

I don't know why Kelly Sue Deconnick wasn't mentioned in the credits (or why Nick Spencer got first billing given his small contribution here). But in the end, it doesn't matter. The trade was cancelled meaning anyone looking for it today at the comic store isn't going to find it.

Was it cancelled because the DC wanted to move away from the old DCU and embrace the DCnU? Did they not want to remind people of this Supergirl? Or did they just think sales wouldn't be strong enough to merit the collection?

Anyways, I was looking forward to rereading these stories in this format and considered this trade as a sort of final goodbye to that version of Kara Zor-El. Too bad.

Sales Review: August 2011

It was the last month of the 'old' DCU and the first day of the 'new' DCU all in the confines of August 2011 and as usual, ICv2 does a great job of breaking down sales. While I haven't looked the list over with a fine tooth comb, it looks as though sales were down outside of Justice League which was the equivalent of a tape measure home run. Here is the link to their site and sales list: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/21030.html

Supergirl #67, the last part of the Kelly Sue DeConnick/ ChrisCross three-parter effectively ended the career of this version of Kara Zor-El, ending their story in a sort of bittersweet way. 

But as I said, sales were down across the board and that included this book.For the first time ... ever ... the book sank below 20000 in sales. It's a shame really. My guess is the ennui about the ending universe had something to do with it.

Too bad. I thought DeConnick's story was a lot of fun. It was definitely a more light-hearted look at Supergirl than the more character driven introspective stories that marked the end of Gates' run and Peaty's story. I thought it was a good change of pace.

Of course, the big news was the simply massive sales of Justice League #1. I have seen even higher numbers listed for sales here.

It will be interesting to see what sales look like for DC 3-4 months down the road. Will this streak of 'sell outs' last? Or is this a transient big bump in sales as the market re-settles and the quality of books is better known.

And so this is the last post reviewing the 'old' Supergirl's title and sales.

I can't think of a better panel to close out this chapter of the character with than this one. I know that I really thought the last three plus years were a golden era for Supergirl. Her own title was so solid. She was a member of the JLA. She starred in an amazing all ages book. She was treated with respect, acted like a hero, and grew so much.

I know I won't forget her.

Sales Review: July 2011

July sales for comics were in general down in comparison to both the prior month as well as to the year before. As always, ICv2 does a great job covering all aspects of the comic market and I highly recommend going to their site to look things over. Here is the link to the list of the top 300 selling comics for July 2011:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/20795.html

There are so many reasons for comic sales to continue to erode. Yes, there is the instability of the print market. And comics represent a niche of that world, sequestered in their private stores, away from casual readers.

But on top of that, there was/is the uncertainty of the American economy. Comics are basically luxury items. Sure people will always pick food over comics. But what about the luxuries in life - internet or comics? Cable television or comics? These are what comics are battling in tight times. And comics will probably lose that battle every time.

And, of course, I think comics sometimes are their own worst enemy. If you flood the market with big 'event' comics and crossovers (like Flashpoint mini-series) which will be essentially meaningless in a couple months, I don't know if people will pay out more money to purchase them. Now I buy comics for entertainment first so stories will always win out. But in tight times, I am probably less likely to purchase new comics especially mini-series for a self-contained story.

Or the reverse might happen. Readers might step away from a monthly to get an event mini-series and then never return to the monthly book.

So let's see that how that all would effect the sales of Supergirl #66. Now this has been a fun story by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by ChrisCross. There is a real 'fun' feeling to this arc, one that I have enjoyed.

Supergirl has been selling around 22-23K for a while.So this drop to 20K has been the most precipitous drop on the title in a while. Why?

Well, every Flashpoint mini-series outsold it.Every one. Could some people who would normally have bought Supergirl instead bought a Flashpoint book? Probably.

And this Supergirl is going away in 2 months. Was the relaunch the time that some people decided to jump off rather than jump on? Maybe.

And could people have a few less dollars in their pocket and Supergirl was a fringe title in their collection. Sure.

Will more people come on board for the relaunch? I guess we have to wait and see. 

Sales Review: June 2011

I have to say that I have been spoiled over the last couple of years by ICv2, the site I use every month for my market watch. They do such a great job of breaking down the sales of comics by units sold, ranking titles.

For some reason, the site has not posted that level of breakdown for June making my review less than complete. I was able to find a breakdown of sales on The Comics Beat site, one of my usual haunts, a great resource, and extremely helpful here. Here is the link to their list of the top 300 for June:
http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/07/18/diamond-top-300-periodical-june/

 And here are the sales for Supergirl #65, the first issue of the Kelly Sue DeConnick/ChrisCross three part arc, the last story for this Supergirl pre-DCnU.

So without an issue count, it is hard to fully grasp these sales figures. Supergirl #64, the last Peaty/Chang issue ranked as the 82nd ranked comic in May. Here in June was see that Supergirl #65 is now the 116th best selling title. Was there a freefall in sales? Was there a 'this story doesn't matter' ennui that led to people dumping the title?

Or is this more a matter of there being more comics out there. Every Flashpoint crossover outsold Supergirl. There were a lot of Fear Itself minis above her too. Did people buy these new titles instead of Supergirl? Or as well as Supergirl? A number would be helpful.

Anyways, I hate to see Supergirl ranked so low regardless of a flood of 'event comics'. It also makes me happy that DC remains confident in the character enough to continue some version of Supergirl in the DCnU.
But it would be a shame if prior fans are missing out on this fun story by DeConnick and Cross. If you have left, come back!

Review: Supergirl #66

Amidst all the hue and cry about the DCnU and my waning optimism about Supergirl in the relaunch, Supergirl #66 was released. This was the second part of Kelly Sue DeConnick's three part 'This is not my life' arc, the final story for this Supergirl, a mere 7 years after her introduction.

I will say up front that I thought this was an okay issue, not as great as last issue. I think the thing that detracted from this issue were the somewhat jarring scene transitions. There were a couple of times I had to go back to make sure I didn't accidentally skip a page. That might be more a product of this being the middle chapter of a three issue story. The middle chapter has to fill in almost everything from introduction to conclusion. DeConnick had to stuff a lot of progress into 20 pages. As a result, the lead-in to some scenes might have needed to be truncated.

But there is still a lot of goodness here. As someone who applauded the creation of the Linda Lang  secret identity (here undercover as Linda Lane), I was happy to see Kara acting as Linda. For the most part, prior to this story, the Linda identity has been pushed to the background without much story actually showing Kara being Linda. Sure there was a scene here or there but never this much. It also has been fun to see Linda interacting with non-powered people that are her age. No 'feeling alienated or isolated' here, no 'lack of affection' for humanity. Linda is a girl in college, with friends. Add to that some humor and this works. There was just a hint of 'Daring New Adventures' here, Supergirl as Linda with classmates and friends.

I also thought the best part of this issue was how Lois was handled. Now I know that Supergirl should have the best moment in her book but as a Lois fan, I'll never complain when the reporter is treated well. In fact, between James Peaty and DeConnick, Lois has had her best moments of the last year in Supergirl.

And, unlike many of the stories I read, I actually feel that DeConnick brings the story to a place where an effective ending is possible next issue.

ChrisCross art is solid here. As with last issue, some of his characters' expressions are a bit exaggerated and somewhat odd looking. But the panel perspectives are interesting. And I also liked that his panels seem to be laid out on a template with an S-shield. Novel idea.

Last issue ended with Henry Flyte's apparent kidnapping, the latest in a run of highly intelligent college students suddenly going missing. It turns out that Henry, charming rogue he is, was merely trying to trick Linda and her roommate into thinking he was grabbed while he slipped into some of the catacombs below Stanhope.

Unfortunately while in those tunnels, he actually is kidnapped. So I chuckled when the guy said 'Henry!'. It reminds me of old Tom and Jerry cartoons when that usually meant a giant muscle-bound rooster was going to pummel Tom for a bit.

But I also liked that Linda is using her super-senses to try to get to the bottom of what was going on secretly.

The Gardner couple seen last issue working with Professor Ivo, kidnapping the best and the brightest, turn out to be on the administration of Stanhope. The woman is the President. The husband is on several of the university's boards. And they discover Lois snooping around their file room.

I loved this scene as we see Lois start off friendly and unassuming then baring her journalistic fangs. It is like watching a snake circling her prey.

So first this opening salvo, putting the Gardner's on the defensive asking them why they should look guilty. Wonderful.

Lois continues by saying she is concerned for her niece Linda's safety given the rash of disappearances recently. She opens up the wonderfully saccharin line that she is there 'for the children'. Cross works well here with Lois having her go from friendly and unassuming to confrontational and bold.

Lois quickly brings up Charlize Yue, the rescued girl from the beginning of last issue. Look at Lois now, brow furrowed, pointing in an accusatory manner while denying she is making an accusation. This is the Lois I know, asking the tough questions. Just a great scene seeing Lois operate.

But it is too much for the Gardner's and Lois is shown the door.

Lois' investigation pushes the Gardner's timetable up. Whatever they are planning with these kids, they need to do it now. Even with Flyte captured (we see him tied up), Ivo needs more children to complete this experiment.

Ivo is sort of a funny character.  Here he is flummoxed by the change in plans wondering how he will get more student material for this plot. Should he wiggle his nose like Bewitched? And then, magically, there is Linda and the crew searching for Henry. Of course, I don't think these other students have the CV that the other kidnapped students have. Is silly Shirley really the cream of the crop?

Ivo sends out a mob of robot rats to surround the group. Thinking quick, Supergirl douses the rats with some nearby water and makes it appear that someone else's dropped flashlight shorted them out, all while she circles at superspeed, frying them with heat vision. Nice double page spread here.

It has been a long long time since I have seen a Linda using her super-powers secretly to stop a disaster while maintaining her secret identity so I liked this.

But it is suspicious to the students who at first didn't even know the rats were robots, let alone wondering how 6 volts of energy from a battery powered flashlight could have enough juice to explode anything.

But as fun as it was to see Supergirl work stealthily, it all ends the next page. She hoists this giant cabinet on her shoulder to block a passageway teeming with more rats.

While I thought it was a bit of a misstep, I did laugh at the internal 'whoops'. With the rats blocked off, Supergirl is able to breakaway and try to save Henry.

Ivo does try to comply with the Gardner's request, tossing Henry into his test tube menagerie. Henry is something of a hoot, singing his Faerie song even in the midst of danger. I know I was never that cool in college.

I still think the goal of this is the create a 'perfect child' or maybe a 'perfect student' for the Gardners. Maybe some Amazo-like college kid to sit on the Stanhope College Bowl team? Or the Gardner's hoping to have a perfect baby from a genetic point of view?

And then a great hook at the end, Supergirl busting into Ivo's lab. This was an all-Linda book except for this last page which I am fine with. But I am ready for some Supergirl action next time. And the panel of her bursting in as well as this one, heroically hovering over the Ivo's robot army are both really great.

So the middle chapter did it's job and we are set up for a Supergirl-style smack down next issue. DeConnick really writes a great Lois so toss her name onto my long list of people I would love to see write a Lois series. And her Supergirl here is smart, wants to do what's right, but isn't perfect, is still learning the job. That's okay with me.

And then, after that issue, this smart, strong, heroic Supergirl, still working towards of her destiny as a hero, will simply go away.

And I'll get to meet (re-meet) a bitter, angry, isolated Kara who either doesn't care or feels above it all.

Can't wait for next issue.

Overall grade: B/B+