Back Issue Bin: DC Comics Presents #97

Last month I took a deep dive into the Phantom Zone mini-series, a super bizarre mini-series written by Steve Gerber with art by Gene Colan. That mini-series was a trippy look at the Zone, redefining it as an extension of a being called Aethyr, the Oversoul. Aethyr had recently been reintroduced by Phillip Kennedy Johnson in Superman and Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad in Wonder Woman.

But I knew there was one more Aethyr appearance I needed to cover, DC Comics Presents #97. the last issue of the series! This is one of those wacky books, a pre-Crisis tale which hit the stands a full 6 months after Crisis on Infinte Earths ended. 

This is written by Steve Gerber and is clearly a sequel to the Phantom Zone villain mini-series, picking up elements of that story directly. It has serious consequences. It ends on a cliffhanger, a story which could never be followed up on given the end of this continuity. The question I have is when was this paid for. Was this sitting in a drawer? Did Gerber pitch it as a 'pretty please' vanity project to put out before the pre-Crisis universe disappeared forever? It is a 38 page doozy which makes me think it might have been held for an Annual or a Special before Crisis made all that disappear.

The pace is also interesting as the front half is a sort of re-primer of the Phantom Zone with some of this story taking place on Krypton, with origins of Zod, Kru-El, and Faora again. It is only the back half where we get back into the insanity.

The art is by Rick Veitch, someone I know mostly from Swamp Thing. The story is bizarre and horrific enough that I think Veitch is a great fit for that. 

And while Supergirl isn't in this, there is a key scene which tangentially touches her history, one I covered here before.

On to the book. Buckle in! I don't know if I can make any sense of what is happening here.

DC Comics Presents Pin-Ups

Two of my favorite titles growing up were Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents.

Simple team-up books with Batman and Superman, most often done-in-one stories, the titles exposed me to the DC universes by showing me new characters interacting with my favorites. Many of my treasured comics of my youth are from these books.

As I settle into the new place I have been revisiting these books and came across a couple of pin-ups in DCCP which are worth revisiting given the Supergirl focus of the book.

DCCP #38 guest starred the Flash and also had one of the best 'Whatever Happened To?' stories, documenting the last adventure of the Crimson Avenger.

It also marked the first DCCP with the higher price point of 60cents, including 'more pages of story and art'!

I wonder if DC needed to pad the book with a couple more pages given the new price and so tapped George Perez on the shoulder and asked him to do a pin-up of all the guest stars to grace the book since its inception.

The result is a pretty cool double page spread of a boatload of DC Super-Stars!

Pretty cool to see Perez's take on all these stars.

Back Issue Review: DC Comics Presents #43

Over on the Supergirl show, the Legion of Super-Heroes have traveled back in time and are (for now) stuck in the 21st century. When Reign attacks, the Legion are initially reluctant to join in the battle. After all, they shouldn't interfere with the timeline any more than they need to, if at all. Eventually, the team decides that they are heroes who help people regardless of the time they are in.

With that background, I decided that I should thumb through the back issue boxes to find a Legion story to showcase and what better issue than 1982's DC Comics Presents #43, an issue in which the Legion travels back in time to save the Earth in present day from a major threat. And while DCCP is a Superman team-up book, there is a Supergirl cameo which means this is the perfect book to cover here.

There are any number of bonus reasons to include this. Brainiac 5 is one of the Legionnaires, linking this again to the show. Wildfire, my favorite Legionnaire, is a big part of this story. Mongul is the villain, trapping Superman in one of his wonky shrinking cube traps! And, of course, it sports a Brian Bolland cover, one of Bolland's earliest DC works. I mean, that is one gorgeous cover! Bolland is incredible.

Superman and the Legion, together in the present, fighting Mongul and a sun-eater? Sounds like a winner to me! On to the book!

Back Issue Review: DC Comics Presents #56 - Maaldor

The Supergirl television show returns from its winter hiatus this evening with a much anticipated episode directed by Kevin Smith. The episode titled "Supergirl Lives" has Kara sent off world to a red sun planet where she apparently engages in combat. Knowing how big fan of comic books Kevin Smith is, I have been looking for to this episode for some time. But a little nugget was released last week which made me knowingly smile. Apparently there is a new aliens species on this episode called Maaldorians. here is a link to that small new site:http://www.cbr.com/kevin-smith-teases-new-alien-species-in-supergirl/

There is only one reason to name the species Maaldorians. It has to be arrest on the character Maaldor, a  villain from the late 80s and first seen in DC Comics Presents #56. has this issue also includes Supergirl analogue Power Girl as well as including the heroes participating in combat, I thought this would be a fun issue to review here.

I also find it slightly interesting that this cover from 1983, closely resembles the iconic cover of Crisis On Infinite Earths #7. It is a powerful image by comic legend Gil Kane.

"Death in a Dark Dimension" was written by Supergirl scribe Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Superman legend Curt Swan with inks by Dave Hunt.

I always looked forward to these two characters interacting and so bought this book when it was first on the spinner rack. I didn't collect All-Star Comics and so only read about Power Girl in the annual JLA/JSA team-ups. Given that the premise of this story is Maaldor looking for a challenge, I wish this book was a true free-for-all with both Supermen, Power Girl, and Supergirl all thrown into the mix. But I guess space limitations would make that impossible.

The issue opens up with this nice splash of Superman using his body as a shield to block a plasma beam from space targeted for the Daily Planet. It is unclear where the beam originates from but given the trajectory, someone with great power or technology must have sent it on so precise a trajectory.

Superman heads into space where a bunch of meteors seems to target him, changing course and enveloping him before some rift makes him disappear.

Meanwhile on Earth 2, Power Girl has to shut down an electrical plant which seems to have been the origin of the plasma beam. She knows that makes no sense but she deals with it. She then has to rescue a plane whose engine simply shuts down. After the rescue, she also disappears.

During all these challenges, there has been a sense that someone has been watching the Kryptonians.

We cut to another dimension where a seemingly omnipotent warrior Maaldor has finally conquered his entire universe. He is a fickle and impatient lord, killing his followers and enemies alike with a mere thought. But he finally admits that he is simply bored.

Superman and Power Girl arrive together and before they can figure out what is happening, Maaldor tells of his plight.

He needs amusement and he hopes the Kryptonians can give it to him. He is angry and insane because nothing can stop him or even give him a moment's pause.

This reminds me of the famous Twilight Zone episode 'A Nice Place to Visit' where a crook dies and goes to a place where he always wins at everything but never has a challenge. In the end, the place turns out to be Hell.

When Kal and Kara refuse to fight Maaldor so he can 'get his jollies', he reminds them that he has an entire universe under his thumb. With but a thought he could commit murder, genocide on a massive scale. If they are heroes, they will fight him.

It is the right threat to hold over Superman and Power Girl. They could never let millions die because of their inaction.

And it is a nice ploy by Maaldor. He knows they wouldn't stand down.

Suddenly, Kal and Kara find themselves in an old fashioned arena, armored and armed with melee weapons while Maaldor and a crowd watch on.

The two quickly ditch the gladiator garb. They won't need that. And as an opening round, Maaldor sets monsters against Superman and Power Girl, beasts they quickly dispatch.

I don't always know if Swan was great at fight sequences, but this splash page with different angles, gives it a nice feel of a wild brawl. No structure.

With the monsters defeated, it is time for the main throwdown, Kryptonians vs. Maaldor.

What I like is that Power Girl is the one who takes the initiative. She isn't going to wait. She wades in, saying she has faced bigger threats with the JSA, and really hammers him in the gut. Incredibly, Maaldor shrugs it off.

And then, using just his mind, he seems to kill Kara with a thought.

She really appears dead. And that incenses Superman. Superman really seems to fly off the handle, vowing the beat down Maaldor.

There are several pages of straight up combat between the two. And again, Swan gives us a non-paneled splash page, filled with energy. And I really like that we see Superman using all his powers to try to get an upper hand. This has a frenetic feel as arena fights should feel.

But you understand just how powerful Maaldor is. He defeats Superman, almost too easily.

Really nice art here.

But before Maaldor can land the killing blow, Power Girl re-enters the fray. It turns out that the Kryptonian physiology is a little different than Maaldor is used to. His death stare stunned her. For the first time in a while, Maaldor is down.

And this panel is very well conceived. The angle, looking up at Superman, gives our hero the 'high ground'. And Superman breaking out of the panel border accentuates that as well.

But how do you beat Maaldor? He might be down but he isn't out. And knowing the death stare isn't enough, my guess is he could still defeat these two.

Ahh ... but Superman gives Maaldor the ultimate challenge. Can he face himself? Looking into his own soul??

It seems a little bit of a deus ex machina. I think Maaldor would look inside himself and be pretty pleased.

But instead, when he looks inside, and sees his black soul, he implodes.

Maaldor defeats himself.

Seems a little bit of a cop out. But when you set up an omnipotent being, you need something omnipotent to beat them. And that isn't easy.

Nice page again, the overlapping faces and eyes add that layer of insanity.

I especially love the ending.

The evil and insanity of Maaldor was so great that he has created a new plane of pure madness. It is so vile that Superman cauterizes the rift so none can spill out. So even if Maaldor is gone, his evil is not. I very much like that something as omnipotent as this villain wouldn't simply wink out of existence. He would persist in some way.

This isn't the last we see of Maaldor. He appears briefly in Crisis on Infinite Earths. And there is another DCCP issue where Superman enters that mad zone.

Hmmm ... maybe Maaldor is the madness zone between Earth and Meta in Shade the Changing Man?

Will the Maaldorians on the Supergirl show be as evil? Will we see an arena? Maaldor himself? I can only hope.

As for this issue, it is a nice look at the dimensional super-cousins. And certainly worth the $1 you would spend when you see it in the bargain bin!

Brian Bolland Supergirl

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Last month, I was part of a blog crossover with the Idol Head of Diabolu reviewing a three part DC Comic Presents story involving Superman, Supergirl, The Martian Manhunter, The Spectre, and Mongul.

Well, I have to thank my crossover collaborator, Diabolu Frank for cluing me into this collection of that story which was released in England. Here is the link to Frank's discussion: http://idol-head.blogspot.com/2009/03/superman-official-annual-1983.html And here is the blog that Frank pulled his info from: http://gadsircomics.blogspot.com/2007/09/secondhand-supes.html

It turns out the three issues of DCCP were packaged as an Annual across the pond and it featured this cover by Brian Bolland. Now I am a huge fan of Bolland's work ... a huge fan. And one thing that bugged me was that I never got to see his rendition of Supergirl. That is, until now.

So it certainly isn't his best work, but it is a Bolland Supergirl, in the hot pants costume no less. So just seeing this makes me give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving!

Now I love Bolland's interiors on Camelot 3000 and The Killing Joke. And I thought his Animal Man covers were great. But I think my favorite stuff by him is his Wonder Woman covers from the mid 1990's including this, my favorite cover from that run, Wonder Woman #0.

For those interested, Bolland has started a blog where he is showcasing his work at http://brianbolland.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Frank!

Review: DC Comics Presents #28

Welcome to a blog crossover between the Martian Manhunter blog Idol Head of Diabolu (run by Diabolu Frank), Supergirl Comic Box Commentary, and the DC Bloodlines blog (primarily run by Frank but someplace I occasionally post) !

I am pretty pumped to review a three part story that ran in DC Comics Presents back in 1980. It is a wild ride of a story with Superman interacting with guest stars The Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, and ultimately the Spectre. Moreover, it introduces some lasting concepts for the DCU. The character Mongul and the idea of a Warworld are both first seen here. There is a crazy turn of events in the last chapter. And the creative team for the whole story is legendary writer Len Wein and cosmic artist Jim Starlin. Not bad for an arc in a team-up book!

Here at the Comic Box, I'll cover DC Comics Presents #28, the middle chapter, in which Superman and Supergirl try to stop the unstoppable. It has been a while since I read this arc.  I first read it in my youth when it was first released and I remembered a few key moments which I will showcase here.

Last issue (reviewed at the Idol Head here), Superman defied and battled J'onn and obtained the crystal key necessary to activate Warworld. The Man of Steel was almost irritatingly overconfident in that chapter. He unfortunately and accidentally turned the key over to Mongul, allowing the despot access to the moving battle planet. Realizing his mistake, Superman turned to a capable colleague to bring Mongul and Warworld down. That partner is none other than Supergirl.

The opening page is a nice splash of the two super cousins cruising through space trying to catch up to Mongul and Warworld. There is some Marvel-esque bombast in these early captions, talking about space as the Kryptonians natural element, how they are the galaxy's greatest defenders, how Warworld is the most devastating weapon conceived. It think Wein used this sort of over-the-top language to help build up a running theme in the story. One, Superman is great but maybe is a bit overconfident. Two, Warworld is a major threat that can even hurt or kill the Super family. With big power comes big words!

While the Matrix version of the Supergirl costume is my favorite, I have to say I am pretty fond of the hot pants version.

Heading to where Warworld should be, Superman and Supergirl only discover empty space. I have always wondered why J'Onn didn't accompany them on this mission as it was clear from last issue that he and Mongul had some history and that Warworld was a Martian responsibility.

In one small bit of odd characterization, especially for this story, Superman initially gives up thinking there is no way to find Warworld. Luckily, Supergirl uses her brains and realizes that their Kryptonian super-senses can follow the engine's trails. I always like seeing a smart and capable Supergirl. And I love her 'can-do' attitude where she says they need to go and smash Warworld. It shows her youth, her exuberance, and her desire to do what's right.

Again, part of the running theme in this whole story is Superman over-estimating just what he can do, becoming overconfident to the point of being cocky. So having him tell Supergirl to not be overconfident seemed off for the overall story.

This is one of those moments that stuck with me from my youth. Catching up to Warworld, Superman and Supergirl initially keep their distance and scan it from afar with their super-vision. In fact Superman is able to hone all the way down to seeing Mongul walking around on the surface. It is only when Supergirl tells him to reel back his focus that he sees just how immense the weapons of Warworld are. That is one big missile, dwarfing a city!

In classic Silver Age manner, Superman tries to send Supergirl away, fearing she may get hurt. It shows his overconfidence again thinking he can handle Mongul on his own. But it also smacks of the paternalism that plagued the earliest Supergirl stories. But this is a different Supergirl, approaching the truly independent hero in Daring Adventures. She isn't going anywhere; heck, she wants to attack!

One thing I had forgotten was that Mongul's origin is reviewed in this issue. I always thought that he had an 'unknown past'. Turns out he was a despot on his home planet until he was overthrown by a mob led into a frenzy by a religious leader. In an interesting twist, it is revealed that the 'holy man' ends up being a worse tyrant than Mongul. Knowing what we know of Mongul, that guy must have been completely evil. I wonder if that speaks to either Wein or Starlin's thoughts about organized religion.

With his monologue out of the way and his sensors detecting the Superfamily, Mongul dons Warworld's control helmet, linking his nervous system with the battle planet.

Remember, part of what Wein is trying to show here is that Warworld is immensely powerful and a true threat to Superman and Supergirl. This was back when Superman was basically unstoppable. So to read a story where something as mundane as a missile (albeit one huge missile) could kill Superman was novel. And Wein keeps hammering that point home to make sure as a reader I got it. Missiles, planet destroying laser cannons, all on a mobile planet bigger than a star - Warworld had it all.

This scene where the size of the missile becomes more and more apparent to Superman who initially was just going to stand there and take it worked to convey that as well. And finally Superman's recognizes he might be overconfident.

And that scene is followed up with this perfect moment. Superman having barely survived the nearby explosion of that missile says that two missiles could kill them ... only to look up and see two missiles heading their way.

The staggered 'Oh ...my ... god' is perfect.

Luckily super-speed has its uses and they are able to scramble out of the way.

But that does give Superman the key to defeating Mongul and Warworld. He and Kara play cat and mouse with the weapons of Warworld, forcing Mongul to stress his mind into activating more and more of the planet's offensive capabilities. Finally, the strain is too much. Mongul suffers a 'massive cerebral hemorrhage' and collapses. Interesting ploy by Superman to basically induce a stroke in Mongul, a potentially lethal stroke. Superman deduced that the Warzoon, the long-dead race which created Warworld, died one by one trying to control the planet.

It is always interesting to read these older stories in the context of what we know happens. When Superman tells Supergirl that his plan is to have Mongul fire all his weapons at them ... a potentially lethal attack ... Supergirl says 'who wants to live forever?' Six years hence, she died at the hands of the Anti-Monitor, saving the universe.

Despite Mongul being incapacitated, Warworld continues to work on auto-pilot, firing its weapons and plodding along. Even if the villainous mastermind has been beaten, the planet itself needs to be defeated.

Superman has a plan. One which has peril for both of the heroes. Superman will stay close to the planet, drawing all of its fire, as he tries to dodge and remain alive.

In the meantime, Supergirl will fly off and then literally hurl herself at the planet at incalculable speed ... hopefully piercing its invulnerable surface, allowing the cousins to destroy it from within. This isn't without risk but we all know that Supergirl is trying to do what's right no matter the cost.

And like a bullet, she succeeds! This reminds me of those still shots of air rifles fired into apples with a bigger splash coming out the back end. Her speed is so great however that she cannot stop herself, flying off into deep space.

But she has opened up a path for Superman to get into to guts of the place.

Once inside, Warworld automatic defenses still register Superman as a threat. It turns its weapons on itself trying to get the Man of Steel, ultimately destroying itself.

But this isn't a clean victory. For one thing, when Superman landed on Warworld, he noticed that Mongul was gone. As we know, it isn't the last time those two have tangled.

More importantly, Supergirl has gone missing. You would think that she'd simply circle back after bashing through Warworld. What in blazes has happened to Supergirl?

You'll need to go the DC Bloodlines blog to find out. Trust me, chapter three is the trippiest of this arc and well worth checking out. And the review will be a sort of round table between Frank and me.

As for this issue, I think Wein did a great job with Supergirl, showing her to be smart, strong, and a bit strong-willed. You can tell she has youthful enthusiasm, eager to jump right into the fray. The art is credited to both Starlin and Romeo Tanghal. There are definitely pages which have a greater Starlin feel to them. So I wonder if Tanghal pitched on pencils as well as inks. The art is very good, especially the action sequences. As for a Supergirl collection, I would rank this of medium importance more for the bigger DCU-ness of it (Mongul and Warworld's first arc) than specifically for Supergirl. That said, her characterization and seeing her seamlessly team up with Superman is a joy. Well worth the $4-6 bucks someone would need to spend at a comic store or convention.

Overall grade: A

It Came from the Back Issue Box: DC Comics Presents 86

In anticipation of Supergirl's major part in Final Crisis #3, which is a mere 3 weeks away, I am continuing my review of her role and apperances in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

This week’s review is Crisis Cross-over DC Comics Presents #86. Paul Kupperberg, who wrote The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl in the early 80's, wrote this issue. It features one of the villains he created in that run Blackstarr. The issue is drawn by Rick Hoberg.

The issue starts off with a near word-for word replay of the Batgirl/Supergirl conversation from Crisis on Infinite Earths #4. It is a conversation that deserved to be repeated. It is an especially wonderful exchange for Kara fans as it so succinctly shows why we love her. It shows the heroism and dedication of that incarnation of Supergirl.

Here, Batgirl is having a crisis of conscience and confidence. She feels that the world *is* going to end, that she is going to die. She’s scared and wonders if she was ever meant to be a hero.

Kara reminds her that powers don’t make a hero, that helping people is the definition of heroism. After all, police, firemen, soldiers are ordinary people and heroes. Here are similar panels … first from Crisis (with gorgeous George Perez art), and then from DCCP.

Then Kara notices a plane about to crash. She takes off to save the pilot. Batgirl comments "She doesn’t give a moment’s thought to herself or her safety … she’s a hero through and through."

The pilot asks Supergirl why she saved him since everyone is going to die anyways. Kara responds and she tells him "We fight to live as long as we can. That’s the only way to live … and to be able to live with yourself." Again, here are similar words and panels … first from Crisis and then DCCP.

What a great scene that simply shows what a great character that Supergirl was. She was heroic, humble, optimistic, and strong. And that is why I was not upset to read it again.

Realizing she will need some help to figure out what is happening in the universe, Supergirl flies to meet Superman only to find that he was looking for her. She reiterates that feeling of dread and foreboding we learned she had around the time of the Crisis.


Together they spot something in a distant galaxy that could be the cause of the crisis, 2 black holes in proximity to each other. Suddenly from that chaos, a figure forms … Blackstarr!


Blackstarr is an odd character. She was a child genius who cracked Einstein’s ‘Unified Theory’ giving her control over time and space. She also is eternally young, the child of a concentration camp survivor, and a Neo-nazi fascist! Confusing I know, but the bottom line is she was very powerful and gave Kara a run for her money in the Daring New Adventures title.

Superman immediately believes that Blackstarr is behind the chaos and attacks. Blackstarr fights him off briefly but then senses that the universe is tearing itself apart. Supergirl realizes that Blackstarr is not the cause of the Crisis and instead might be able to help. They call an uneasy truce until the madness ends.


Unfortunately, despite all Supergirl says to Superman about how Blackstarr is not the villain and instead perhaps a savior, Superman doesn’t listen to her and goes after Blackstarr again. This leads to Superman and Supergirl fighting each other for a couple of pages.

This is perhaps my least favorite part of the issue. At this stage of her career, it just seemed strange for Superman to be questioning Kara's experience and judgment. I mean, in what was known to be the last appearance of Supergirl before her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, did we really need to see the cousins fighting?

Luckily, everyone seems to calm down. Blackstarr convinces Superman she is not behind the collapsing universe. She asks Supergirl and Superman to fly to ‘the boundaries of the universe’ and she will use her powers to re-expand the universe to those boundaries. The strain to temporarily re-set the universe somehow makes Blackstarr vanish.

Superman and Supergirl realize that this is a momentary respite for the Crisis and that much more work needs to happen to save the universe. Still, Kara can’t shake that ominous feeling she has.


This feels like one last goodbye to the Supergirl character. Crisis #7 came out later that month. She is clearly the hero of this issue, surpassing even the star of the title Superman. Kupperberg clearly has a love of the character and a grasp of her personality. The more cartoony art of Rick Hoberg is reminiscent of Kurt Schaffenberger’s art from some Supergirl issues of the early 1970’s. Outside of that one hiccup of making her fight Superman, I think this is a very nice issue.

It should be in a Supergirl based collection.