2011 Year In Review Part Three: Wrap-Up And Top Ten Supergirl Moments

The new year is just around the corner and that means that 'Best of' lists for 2011 are everywhere. And, as I have done the last three years, I will join in the fun by looking back at the year and picking the Top Ten Supergirl moments that happened over 2011. Now I know I am long-winded usually ... and I am reviewing a year ... so bear with me. This is a long post!

2011 was a crazy year for comics in general and it was no different for Supergirl. It was something of a wild ride.But one thing I have to say, she remained in the spotlight of the DCU, not only in comics but outside of comics as well. I haven't always been able to say that so any year I can, it has to be a good thing.

Supergirl remained an active topic in the merchandise world with no less than 4 statues solicited by DC Direct. While the Michael Turner mini-statue was in some ways a re-solicit, we also got a full size Adam Hughes Women of DC statue, an Amanda Conner based Women of DC bust, and a Supergirl portion of a Superman Family multi-statue. We even had a Polly Pocket Supergirl as well and Heroclix of Supergirl, Superwoman, and BizarroGirl. Obviously, she must be a pretty popular character to warrant such merchandising.

And in terms of other media, we learned that she will be part of the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network. She will be part of the Super Best Friends shorts, produced by Lauren Faust of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fame. That is a great way for the character to branch out to a new audience. Love the costume too.

But this post is about Supergirl in comics. In 2011, the 'old' Supergirl title had two major arcs. The first, by writer James Peaty and artist Bernard Chang, seemed to pick up right where Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle's run left off, with Supergirl still sort of reeling and regrouping from New Krypton, wondering about her place in the world. While the villain's motives were murky, the characterization of Kara was spot on making this a big success in my mind. The next arc by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist ChrisCross had a lighter feel to it, a bit more of a  fun and rollicking story. But in the end that feeling and the story's conclusion was perfect for it to be a capstone for that incarnation of Supergirl. And James Robinson and Paul Cornell had her play major parts in the adventures of the Justice League and the Reign of Doomsday.

And then the relaunch happened and we had another Kara crash land on Earth, feeling lost and alone and confused. Early publicity material made her sound unlikeable but so far so good as this Kara tip toes her way into the DCnU.

So with all that going on it was tough to pick my top ten moments. I had plenty of them. But here they are:

#10 - "She's Magnificent" - Superman/Batman Annual #5, James Robinson and Miguel Sepulveda

As blog friend John Feer often says 'there is nothing like some Kara-tharsis!' And the Reign of Doomsday was a perfect storyline for that sort of unbridled action where Supergirl got to cut loose. In this scene, after having just shaken off the anguish of Dark Supergirl (more on that later), Supergirl just lays the hammer down on Doomsday coming within a cat's whisker of defeating him. This was just great. And Miguel Sepulveda's art (aside from the high heeled boots which I really dislike) captures the moment perfectly.

But what really kicked this into the top ten over any other moment of strength is Batman's response when he sees Supergirl on the offensive. Grayson can only say 'She's magnificent' as he watches her batter Doomsday. I have to concur. She is. And I think James Robinson really loved her as a character as well.

#9 - "Super Intuition" - Supergirl #65, Kelly Sue DeConnick and ChrisCross

Kelly Sue DeConnick's short arc was a fun, up-beat story filled with laugh and love. It really was something of a breather after the somewhat heavier arcs that preceded it. This was Kara hanging out at college, meeting friends, and meeting a guy she was attracted to.

But DeConnick also put some Supergirl history into her story, sort of nods to the past. Stanhope was the school that Supergirl was visiting. And here we have a mention of super-intuition! Super-intuition was one of Kara's goofier and less defined powers of the Silver Age. So to see it again, even as a bit of a snark by Supergirl, was greatly fun. I appreciate any time creators recognize Supergirl's history and translate it to the current continuity.

#8 - "Grounded Facepalm" - Superman #713, Chris Roberson and Eddy Barrows

So I could probably write books about the problems that I had with Grounded as a storyline. In particular, J. Michael Straczynski's early issues were cringe-worthy, making Superman act like an elitist jerk more than a hero.

Handed the reins, Chris Roberson did his best to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Roberson's issues had Superman reconnecting with his friends and family and getting a better understanding of his role on Earth. That said, Roberson could have had Supergirl and Superboy play a bigger role in that psychological healing. Instead, we only have this brief moment from Superman #713 before a complete stranger helps Superman (lost opportunity there for Kara to help her cousin in my mind).

Still, I love this moment because it actually summed up my feelings for this arc. After several issues where Superman seems to be on the road to recovery he suddenly decides to stop being Superman out in the open. Kara's response is perfect ... the face palm. That is exactly how I felt that moment. I just wanted this arc to end, I wanted Superman to act like Superman again. And to have him take a step back had me rolling my eyes.

So plant that face in your palm Supergirl! I was right there with you!

#7 - "Bizarro Girl Action Comics #252 Redux" - Tiny Titans #42, Art Baltazar and Franco

I have gushed about Supergirl in Tiny Titans too many places to count. And this year was no different with Supergirl having several great moments in the book.

This panel stood out as the best of the best. Here BizarroGirl arrives on Earth. But this panel is clearly an homage to Supergirl's first appearance in Action Comics #252. Even the dialogue is a riff on that classic picture. As I said before, creator acknowledgments of Supergirl's history are greatly appreciated. I feel as if the creators recognize her and her history as meaningful when it is done. So this was wonderful.

But add to that that it is BizarroGirl arriving here just added another layer of awesome. She is a great character. And she is a new rogue for Kara and a remnant of the Gates/Igle run. I am glad that there is some permanence to the character.

It is sad to see this comic ending.

#6 - "Outsmarted" - Supergirl #64, James Peaty and Bernard Chang

In 'Good Looking Corpse', James Peaty had Supergirl facing off against Alex, the petulant, smarmy, and overconfident clone of Dubbilex. Alex dripped superiority, laughing in the face of pathetic humanity as he plotted.

So this was just a fantastic comeuppance by a Supergirl who had, over the course of the arc, realized that she is a leader, a worthy eventual successor of Superman, and finally in the big leagues. It is a different sort of Kara-tharsis, more subtle but almost more devastating. That is a powerful looking Supergirl, towering over the fallen Alex, almost gloating, as she says 'this must be a new experience for you .. exposed, powerless, outsmarted'. It is the most cutting insult she could give him. And it was Supergirl who did the outsmarting, beating him at his own game ... and maybe rubbing it in just a bit.

Now that is a great Supergirl moment.

#5 - "Big Brother" - Justice League #60, James Robinson and Daniel Sampere

The relaunch of the DCU meant the dissolution of James Robinson's Justice League. One thing I loved about that run was the relationship that Robinson set up between the Dick Grayson Batman and Supergirl. From the beginning Robinson said that they would have a big brother/little sister relationship, not a tawdry one.

Throughout the run it was great to see Dick take Kara under his wing, trying to get her to open up a bit, to befriend him, to trust him. And it was fun to see Supergirl become so protective of him, rushing to his defense a number of times while shouting 'Grayson'. It just seemed natural that Dick, who grew up in the shadow of a legend, tried to find his own way, and inherited a legacy would be the perfect confidante for Supergirl, someone who constantly compares herself to her cousin and finds herself lacking.

This hug, as the team is disbanding, was a quiet moment showcasing that familial love the two had. They'll always be there for each other. Hmmm, this would also be a good World's Finest comic too.

#4 - "Forgive Yourself" - Superman/Batman Annual #5, James Robinson and Miguel Sepulveda

One of the most compelling parts of Sterling Gates' run was the psychological fallout Kara suffered in the aftermath of New Krypton. She went missing. She cut her hair. She swore off being Supergirl. She was grieving on the inside, suffering survivor's guilt, and trying to figure out the best way she could shield herself from more pain as well as make sure she didn't cause anymore harm.

Those themes were re-examined by James Robinson when he had Kara again take on the mantle of Dark Supergirl. This wasn't the evil Dark Supergirl that was seen in the earliest Loeb/Churchill issues. This was a bratty and superficial Supergirl, someone trying hard to ignore her feelings but hiding behind a facade of irreverence. But it was clear that wasn't her.

In the Superman/Batman Annual #5, Dark Supergirl is told that she is dying. The only way to be cured is to save herself psychologically. She needs to shake off this phony persona of Dark Supergirl. She needs to accept who she is. And she needs to forgive herself. While many of these themes were seen in the BizarroGirl arc, I feel like emotional catastrophes don't just disappear. They can relapse. I thought Robinson handled those emotional themes well and did it in a novel way. When Supergirl forgives herself, rids herself of that guilt, she dons the classic blue costume and became the Kara we all love again.

#3 - "Respect From Damien" - Supergirl #62, James Peaty and Bernard Chang

I have talked about 'Good Looking Corpse' earlier in this post and in the honorable mentions post. In that arc, Supergirl has to come to the realization that she holds a pretty special place in the DCU, that she is a worthy successor of Superman and in his league. Kara was her own worst critic at times, the sign of a growing hero wondering where she was on the journey.

But another part of that analysis of her place in the DCU came externally in the form of respect from the other young heroes. So when Supergirl comes up with an intricate plan to defeat Alex, when she recruits Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, and Robin, they all fall in line behind her. So we hear how Miss Martian looked up to Supergirl, was in awe of her.

Perhaps the biggest compliment she could get was from Damian Wayne. Damian has always come across as someone who looks down on everybody as an inferior. He is someone whose respect you have to earn. And that doesn't come easy. Here he says that he is following her into battle because he has been watching her and she has 'passed the test'. Outside of Bruce, Dick, and maybe his mother, I don't know if he respects anyone. Add Supergirl to that short list. She is the leader of the next generation of heroes. I loved this scene.

#2 - "Don't You Forget About Me" - Supergirl #67, Kelly Sue DeConnick and ChrisCross

The announced end of the DCU allowed some creators to have a bit of closure with their characters. So whether it was Paul Cornell having Clark and Lois profess their love, or Bryan Q Miller having Steph say 'it's only the end if you want it to be', creators got the chance to have their characters say goodbye.

Kelly Sue DeConnick gave us a great moment of closure to the last incarnation of Supergirl. It isn't Supergirl that says goodbye to us, that asks us to remember her ... it's Linda. While Supergirl survived into the DCnU, it is unclear if Linda Lang did. And from a longevity point of view, Linda Lang is a blip on Supergirl's history, existing only 2+ years out of 50.

And Linda is a decent symbol for that incarnation of Supergirl. Early we saw that this was going to be a troubled Supergirl. She jumped from her rocket naked, she was brainwashed by Darkseid, she beat up other heroes, went Dark, beat up more heroes, complained about being a hero, wanted to rave dance instead of save people, was proud of sneaking into a bar as an underaged girl by wearing a tight shirt, wanted to kill Superman, gunned down her high school with her father, and grew crystal spikes from her body.

That was about as far from who Supergirl is as you could get.

And then Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle came on board, rehabilitated her character, acknowledged the prior bumps in the road but moved past them, set up the Linda Lang identity, and restarted Kara on the hero's journey. And within their run, and James Peaty's, and DeConnick's, Supergirl and Linda learned some hard life lessons but always grew from them, always strived to do what was right. And when she failed she dusted herself off and kept moving forward. These writers seemed to embrace the core of what makes Supergirl Supergirl, that need to do what's right, to help people, to embody hope.

It had been a while since I felt like the creators understood the character. Then I got 3 years of stellar stories. And then DC erased that Supergirl.

So thank you for this moment and this story Kelly Sue. And thank you Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle and James Peaty and Bernard Chang. And Matt Camp. And ChrisCross. Thanks for letting me read the true Supergirl again.

And don't worry Linda. I won't forget.

#1 - "Last Daughter Of Krypton" - Supergirl #1, Mike Johnson, Michael Green, and Mahmud Asrar

Whether you were for a reboot or against it, there is no denying that the DCnU relaunch, the New Fifty-Two, was the biggest event of the comic year.

And by extension, there is no denying that the relaunch of a new Supergirl has to be the top moment in 2011.

So what is this Supergirl going to be like? The early promo material described her as someone isolated, someone with no affection for humanity, someone more likely to fight with her friends, Hell on wheels ... so don't piss her off. Again, that just didn't sound like Supergirl to me, not what she has represented for this half century. I was admittedly worried ... and maybe even a bit perturbed given how far the last Supergirl had come. This seemed like a giant step backwards.

That said, so far in the comic, this Supergirl hasn't been that off-putting. She's confused. And sad. And angry.

But she stopped fighting when innocents were endangered. And she listened to Superman for a bit. I haven't seen the stark description of a disaffected hero in the book at all. While the jury is still out, as I said above so far so good.

Writers Mike Johnson and Michael Green have given me some optimism in the face of the unknown. And Mahmud Asrar's art has been amazing. I have hope that this Supergirl will soar just as high as the last one. But those are some pretty big shoes to fill.

And that's my Top Ten Supergirl moments for 2011. Please let me know if you think I'm off my rocker, or forget a major scene, or if you think I got the rankings wrong!

Review: Supergirl #67

Supergirl #67, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and drawn by ChrisCross, was the last chapter of the 'This Is Not My Life' three issue storyline and came out this week. It was the end of this version of Supergirl, a mere 7 years after her return to the DC Universe. And as such, it is hard to comment about the story itself without factoring in that 'historical' context.

When we take a look at the last couple of years of Supergirl stories, no one can deny that the character has grown tremendously. First, we had the closing arcs of Sterling Gates' run on the title. In the BizarroGirl storyline and the 'Day of the Dollmaker' arc, Supergirl was able to finally work through the emotional and psychological trauma that had happened with New Krypton. She was able to shed those feelings of guilt and self-hatred and actually had come to a point where she could look in the mirror and smile. Then we had James Peaty's story where we got to see just how Supergirl interacted with other young heroes, to show us her place in the hierarchy of the heroes of the world. And now we have this run from DeConnick, a more humorous story where we get to see Kara socializing with other plain old humans her age, showing us what her place is in the non-super world. While it might not have been planned, there just seemed to be a natural progression of the themes of these plots.

Now sure, I don't quite know exactly what the villain was hoping to accomplish here in 'This is not my life'. And yes, Lois and the other college students get a lot of face time in this story. These are things which usually irk me. But these didn't detract from the story when I put it in the context of this character going away.And I think a lot of that is because Supergirl is treated appropriately when she is in the issue.

And yes, Supergirl is in Linda-mode for a lot of this arc too. But that didn't bother me at all. In fact, I thought that might be the best thing about this. Here we got to see Linda, and that shows us how Supergirl feels about Earth and her contemporaries. I loved the addition of Linda way back in Gates' first issue. We didn't get to see much of her until now.

And DeConnick really has a great sense of dialogue. I thought the snappy patter here, the funny quips and conversations all felt unforced and natural. It didn't feel scripted the way some books feel.

Cross' art is tough to assess. Some panels really jump off the page. Others look flat or warped or rushed.

On to the story.

Supergirl finally comes face to face with Professor Ivo and begins to destroy his Monqi minions. Ivo ups the ante by jumping into a giant robo version of his Monqi and decides to skirmish.

I liked the banter here, Supergirl calling him a Gundam reject. And, for the most part, Supergirl does get to flex her muscles in the final chapter, thrashing Ivo pretty handily and letting him know that inevitably she will defeat these robots.

In the background, Lois learns more about the Gardner's plot. A journalism student names Ngoze Onwualu has also been doing some digging and shares her info with Lois. (They meet in Mooney Library - a sure nod to Supergirl legendary artist Jim Mooney!) It turns out that a secret society, The Order of Ponce De Leon, founded by Ivo when he was a student, has been receiving funds from the University. The order's goals were to eventually unlock immortality.

Okay, it is a little bit of exposition but DeConnick adds some depth to Onwualu. Ngoze was always chasing Charlize Yue (the missing student who kicked off this whole story) academically but always came in second. When Yue disappeared, Onwualu decided she needed to do some investigating.

I suppose I am somewhat schizophrenic in my comic reviewing. I often lament 'wasted pages' and maybe some felt three pages of conversation between Lois and an ancillary character not in the upcoming DCnU took away from time which could have been spent on Supergirl. But as I always say, good story trumps all. This was a nice scene with some depth.

At last, Ivo's plot is revealed. He tells Supergirl that he is just trying to stall her until the upload of the minds of the captured students is complete. It is his 'gift to the species'. So I don't know if that upload will harm the students. Will it kill them? Wipe their minds clean? Since Charlize was so addled, I figure it must damage them in some way.

Nice left cross by Supergirl.

Unfortunately, Supergirl needs to be bailed out a bit by the rest of the Pajama Society. The smaller monqis are somehow able to wrap up Kara and hold her.

Using just the odds and ends located in the catacombs of the college, the students are able to cobble together 2 laser rifles and working water pump. So that was a bit tough to swallow. But I guess these kids are supposed to be the best and the brightest.

But the combination of these co-eds whipping up weapons and saving Supergirl from the monqis was the low point of the story.

Luckily, even while entangled, Supergirl is able to guide the students into turning off the download. And then she is able to free herself and blast all the monqis away with her heat vision.

I do like the riff on The Princess Bride by Kara. And it is better that Ivo doesn't say 'inconceivable'. It doesn't have to be a straight copy.

And then this great scene when Ivo tries to scamper off.

Maybe 'Frogface' was over the top. But still fantastic to see that confidence in Supergirl. And nice point of view in that second panel, shot from Ivo's vantage.

With Ivo captured and the students saved, there is just the wrap-up.

Lois thinks Ngoze has a future in journalism. Nice touch.

And Supergirl has to 'go find' Linda. Shades of Silver Age Secret Identity zaniness.

Linda finds Henry Flyte who is feeling a bit lackluster. He isn't the hero in his own story. But Linda reminds him that they all played a part in this incident. Supergirl may have saved the day, but not without help from everyone including Henry.

Again, I really thought that the foundation of this story was Kara embracing the Linda part of her life, fitting in with other people, and having some fun. So I love the second panel where she says she just wants to be a normal part of 'some guys'. She really is Linda here. In fact, it seems like this short arc is the antithesis of what the next team is doing.

That isn't a knock on that team. After all, it took 67 issues for Linda to be seen like this. I just think it is a pity that after all that character growth we are moving away from this.

And the story ends with Linda going back to the campus after orientation. She lets Henry know she isn't going to head to Stanhope next year, that her life is too crazy and she needs to find herself.

I have to believe that DeConnick isn't commenting on the relaunch in that second panel. Yes, Supergirl has a way of sticking around. But will people remember Linda? She asks Henry ... and us, I think ... to not forget her, to not forget *this* Supergirl. Heck, Linda is looking right at us when she says that.

The story ends with Linda kissing Henry, the first love interest in the book since the odious Power Boy/Boomer time period. And she basically reveals she is Supergirl to him on the last page, something I would have minded if 'this' Supergirl was continuing.

That's all folks.

Much like the bittersweet ending of Batgirl, I felt that this had an almost elegiac air about it. This Supergirl, the one who is happy with who she is, who is happy as a hero and has friends in that circle, who is happy as Linda and finding a life on Earth ... this Supergirl is leaving. This was a fun and sometimes silly sort of romp of a story, a happy way to end this title.

So congratulations are due to Kelly Sue DeConnick for giving us this story. I would have loved to see what she would have done with this crew of characters in Supergirl if you had continued on.

And, as always, thanks to Sterling Gates, Jamal Igle, James Peaty, and Bernard Chang for all their work on the title which brought us up to this point. This story could not have happened without the foundation you guys put down, revitalizing Supergirl, making her heroic and likeable again, especially Gates and Igle.

Overall grade: B+

Supergirl #65 Solicit - Enter Another New Creative Team

The June DC solicits are now up everywhere and I will discuss the usual ones at some point. But the Supergirl #65 solicit warrants its own post.

SUPERGIRL #65

Written by KELLY SUE DECONNICK

Art by CHRISCROSS and MARC DEERING

Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR

Co-ed of Steel? Supergirl goes undercover on a college campus to help Lois Lane uncover the truth behind a string of recent student disappearances! What they uncover, though, leads Supergirl directly into a confrontation with one of the DCU’s deadliest villains!

So it looks as though we have another creative team coming on board. I will be completely honest is saying that I haven't read anything by Kelly Sue DeConnick. In looking on line, she has done mostly Marvel titles like the Osborn mini-series and the Sif and Rescue one-shots. I have seen the Rescue and Sif books on the shelves of my comic store, so I might pick them up to get a sense of her style.

I know ChrisCross mostly from the under-appreciated Peter David Captain Marvel series. I have some of his Firestorm run as well. I have always liked his work so can't wait to see his take on Supergirl. And Mahmud Asrar does the cover here as he did on Supergirl #64.  I like this cover a lot, as their really is a sense of eeriness here.

Unfortunately, based on her Twitter account and a report on CBR's Robot6 blog (link: http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/03/kelly-sue-deconnick-and-chriscross-take-on-supergirl/), it sounds like DeConnick is only on board for 3 issues. So that means in Supergirl #68, when a new writer comes on board, we will have had 5 writer (Gates, Spencer, Peaty, DeConnick, and the new one) in 10 issues.

What this title needs is committed and excited creative team. I hate to keep going back to the Gates/Igle run but I remember when they were announced as coming on to the book. There were interviews with them on lots of sites; they talked about their history with the character. They talked about their long term goals on the book. I want a creative team like that to come on board, creators with passion and plans.

This solicit also makes it clear that the tenure of the creative team of James Peaty writing, Bernard Chang penciling, Amy Reeder on covers was a brief one.  I know the Alex/Clone arc is half done but I want to thank them all for their work so far. I am sure it wasn't easy for James Peaty to pick up Nick Spencer's story and act as a 3+ issue pinch hitter. But he has captured Kara's voice nicely. Bernard Chang's two issues so far have been beautiful (as were his BizarroGirl issues). His Supergirl is athletic and beautiful and tough. And Amy Reeder had the hard task of following Josh Middleton but really produced some wonderful covers. In many ways I am sad to see this team go. If this blog reaches you, I wish you all the best.

But as usual, this raises the 'cancellation concerns' in my head. I don't think I would be surprised if the last words on the solicit for Supergirl #67 were 'final issue'.