DC Nation #5

DC Nation, the company produced news and propaganda magazine came out last week. As usual, it was a great mix of puff pieces, interviews, process pieces, and solicits.

I have loved every issue. Yes, I love the stuff written about the things that I do read. But I also love the more in-depth looks at books I don't read. I don't often drop $4 on a whim for a title these days. So for all I know I am missing a ton of good material. So reading articles about titles I don't get might lure me into a impulse purchase. And you have to love the price point ... free.

Nothing particularly Supergirl in this issue outside of the solicit listing. But still, there are some nice bits for Super-family fans. And there is all the usual stuff too.

First off, there is an article listing the top ten villains in the current DC.

Coming in at number 9, Talia Al Ghul! What is interesting is that she is listed as appearing in Action Comics!

We know that the Invisible Mafia in the book is headed by an as yet unseen female leader. Perhaps that means that Talia is the head of the organized crime movement in Metropolis!

I'll also remind you that Talia led the group Leviathan, a word dropped in one of the pages on Perry White's desk. All the more reason for me to believe she is heading up the mob.

Lastly, we did just see her in the Super Sons before that title ended. Maybe Damian will show up? Or Batman?

What else?

DC Nation #4

I have said before how much I love the DC Nation free magazine. Every month we get company propaganda but also a lot of interviews, process pieces, creative thinking, and Direct Currents.

For someone like me, who likes the behind the scenes stuff as well as the actual finished products, this book is a godsend. And DC Nation #4 continued the trend. I mean, I am stoked about the upcoming Grant Morrison Green Lantern book. So getting to read an interview with him and Liam Sharp is fan-tastic.

Not that all the news is good news. This issue has 'real' psychoanalysis of the DC Trinity and the reports read pretty rough. The Superman one in particular makes him sound depressed. That isn't my Superman.

But we are here to light a candle, not curse the darkness. So what stuff relevant to this site grabbed me?

There is an article about the foil covers coming out in October. It reminds me of the 'Chromium Age' of enhanced covers in the madcap speculator 90s. Jim Lee has seen all the covers and picks out his favorites. No surprise but the Artgerm variant on Supergirl #23 is on that short list.

Unlike some of Artgerm's covers, this really looks like a young girl Kara. Even her pose strikes me like a kid being told to vogue a bit. I love it.

Lee is able to put into words what I feel from Artgerm's covers. There is a vitality in the heroes that just seeps from the page.

And now more news.

Supergirl In DC Nation #3

DC Nation #3 came out last week, the latest issue in the company's free promotional magazine. As I have said before, as a fan I am loving it. Sure, there are fluff pieces making every new comic sound like the best one ever. But there are behind the scenes pieces about the creative processes, interviews with creators, and an old-fashioned Direct Currents section.

With the release of Supergirl #21 just around the corner, I was thrilled to see the comic get double page, centerfold style coverage. I might not like the axe and I might find the new costume confusing, but giant-sized Terry Dodson art is always going to grab the eye.

And we also get some hints about the book's tone and direction which were very appreciated. We have only got the most basic of description about where writer Marc Andreyko and artist Kevin Maguire are taking us. I don't know if I agree 100% with what is said here. Much of it reads like the new direction is simply ignoring all that happened before. That said, I am thankful we still have a book on the shelf.

On to the particulars.

DC Nation #2

DC Nation #2 came out last week and I continue to be enthralled with this free magazine. Yes, it is free advertising for DC Comics. But there is enough solid material to make it feel more like just a commercial. There are interviews, behind the scenes process pieces, and creator profiles. For a comic geek like me, this is nirvana. You can't beat that price point either!

Now I'll remind you that this issue was originally solicited with a Supergirl headline. No such luck now. Maybe DC felt it was better to hold onto that article until we were closer to the actual release of the Supergirl book.

I can only hope she merits her own article.

But there was some Supergirl (and Superman) stuff in the magazine.

Her title does get a huge advertisement, the inside back cover.

So as someone who has wailed and gnashed my teeth against the 'Dark Supergirl' theme, I have to say I don't know if I like the 'Wanted:Dead or Alive' banner over Kara. Even the 'not recognized as a hero and sort of a criminal' vibe for Supergirl irks me. So I don't exactly know how to feel about an axe-wielding Supergirl being viewed as a criminal by the universe's police force.

Hopefully, this all turns out well.

DC Nation #1

The second issue of DC Nation, the company-made fan magazine, came out this week and I have to say as a fan of DC, I was impressed.

First off, the price. Free!

Second, it is 48 pages of high gloss, gorgeous art and news. It isn't just 'Direct Currents', although the latest solicits are in there. There are interviews. There are small pieces where you get to 'meet' the creators and staff. There are process pages. There is concept art.

For someone who loves comics, loves seeing the creative process, loves hearing from the creators, this is a perfect vehicle for all things DC.

I wonder how long they can keep up something of this quality or size. I can imagine it eventually being 20 pages or $1 or both.

But until then, I am going to drink it all in. Especially when I learn a little more about my favorite characters and upcoming books.

For example,

DCNation #0: No Justice Bullet Review

DC Nation #0 came out last week, a bargain at a quarter because it sets up three major new storylines in three of DC biggest properties. I knew I was going to review part of it at the very least. My thoughts on the Brian Michael Bendis/Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez story were posted a couple of days ago here.

I wasn't planning on covering any of the other stories because I don't always read Batman and I hadn't read Justice League Metal so I didn't think I had the background to cover the No Justice story by the deep team of talent comprised of writers Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson with art by Jorge Jimenez. But the appearance of Supergirl made a couple of people reach out to me for coverage. And so here we are.

This will be a bit of a bullet review so don't expect too too much. My plan here is to look at each team and then cover the Kara spot. Onto the story.

Review: DCNation #0

 DC Nation #0 came out this week and had three stories within to promote some of the upcoming storylines in the fresh new DCU. This includes a Tom King/Clay Mann Batman story and a Justice League story to promote the post-Metal DCU by writers Scott Snyder, James Tynion, and Joshua Williamson with art by Jorge Jimenez.

I am a DC fan so of course I was going to get this regardless. But for me the draw was a Superman story by Brian Michael Bendis with art by the legendary Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, praised be his name. We all have been curious about where Bendis will be taking the Superman family once he grabs the reins. I have been worried about him upsetting the apple cart of the recent excellence in the book. And frankly this story made me a little more worried than the action sequence in Action Comics #1000.

Part of that worry is that whenever a big name comes onto the Superman books their first inclination always seems to be that they need to change things, shake things up, and make things different. And that rarely seems to work. So in the recent past when Gene Luen Yang decided to depower Superman, remove the Clark Kent secret identity, and make him a motorcycle-riding wrestler ... well that didn't work. That ain't Superman. And before that when James Michael Straczynski decided to have Superman walk across the US, ignoring people who were dying of a heart attack on their front porch, and telling someone he would let them throw themselves off a building and not stop them ... well that didn't work. That wasn't Superman.

But when Dan Jurgens, Peter Tomasi, and Patrick Gleason had him with Lois, being heroic and inspirational, and working for the Daily Planet .. ... that worked! It was truly a Rebirth, with Superman being Reborn into all the things that made Superman fans love him to begin with.

Now we are faced with Bendis and I know we have barely scratched the surface. But already Bendis has an evil alien being behind the destruction of Krypton and, in DC Nation #0, Lois Lane out of the picture and missing. This isn't exactly Superman ...

Will it work? I'll go in with an open mind like I always do. But it better be spectacular. Metaphorically, the apples are falling off the cart, rolling down the street.

DC Nation #2 Supergirl Headline

We all have been waiting for news about Supergirl after the explosion of Brian Michael Bendis' arrival.

Of course, no news has led to the usual concerns of lack of a new book, being pushed aside, or headlining a team book.

Well, the slightest hint came out the other day, from C2E2. At a panel, DC revealed the covers for the upcoming DC Nation magazine. And if you squint close enough at the cover, you'll see a tease. Here is a link to Bleeding Cool's brief coverage on the magazine.
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04/05/sneak-peek-dc-nation-1-2/

So what about Supergirl? Well, it looks like we'll need to wait until July 4th to get some news. Of course, by then, Man of Steel will have ended.

Super Best Friends ... Forever?

One of the true pleasure of this last year were the DC Nation shorts that accompanied the Green Lantern/Young Justice block on Cartoon Network.

And one of (if not the) best short series was Lauren Faust's Super Best Friends Forever. The five shorts were so wonderful. It was a perfect mix of silliness and action. Each of the characters had a distinct personality. There was a short that showcased each of them and a couple to show the team dynamic. And there was a lot of laugh out loud moments. That can't be easy to do in 1 1/4 minute piece.

Yet, creator/producer Lauren Faust pulled it off. In particular, this quick-tempered mischievous Supergirl was a joy to behold.

With a new season coming up, Faust tweeted that she had been missing the Suh-buffs (as well as posting this pic).

Sue from DC Women Kicking Ass asked the obvious follow-up question. How many new shorts will we be seeing in the new season?

Faust unfortunately said that there will be no new shorts.

In a subsequent tweet, Faust said that she wasn't available to do more when the time came for shorts to be produced. I can (hopefully) infer from that tweet that DC and WB wanted more but Faust couldn't make them. That would be more palatable than simple rejection as it would mean the WB recognized the quality of the shorts and hoped to have further SBFF shorts.

I hope that the bloom doesn't fall off the rose of SBFF and we will see more in the future. If not, this was a brilliant if short-lived short series. It would be a shame if it stopped here.

Super BFF Short ... AWESOME!

 

It is rare that something I have super-high expectations for not only hits the mark but exceeds it. Preconceived notions are sometimes the hardest thing the overcome.

But Lauren Faust's Super BFF short in the DC Nation block was even more spectacular than I thought it would be. And best of all, it can be easily seen on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7ging4Nqww

Yes, it is silly and cute, as evidenced by the pic above. But it works, made me and the supergirls at home smile and laugh, and included a short-fused and sort of devilish Supergirl. What isn't there to love.

This opening episode includes a flashback origin story for Wonder Girl. We hear her plea to Hippolyta to help her in her quest to follow in the footsteps of Wonder Woman. You immediately know that Donna is a serious young woman with serious goals.

I hope that similar back stories are shown for Batgirl and Supergirl.

Wonder Girl's meditation is interrupted by Batgirl and Supergirl. They want to take the Invisible Jet out for a joy ride. Supergirl wants to TP Lex Luthor's 'secret headquarters'. A wide-eyed and hyperactive Batgirl wants to go to Mexico to get an authentic burrito.

Yep ... Batgirl is Pinkie Pie.

We know that Faust said Supergirl is something of a hothead, feeling overshadowed by Superman.

When Donna continues to refuse to take the jet out for a spin, Kara screams 'why not' and does a super-stomp, shaking the hangar and sending Batgirl on to her bottom.

That is one fierce looking Supergirl! With a short fuse!

Donna says she needs to have the integrity of an Amazon and taking the jet out for a joy ride wouldn't be fitting for someone like her.

Plus ... and probably more on the mark ... Wonder Woman would kill her!

But Batgirl and Supergirl aren't done. Supergirl decides to lean on Wonder Girl's sensibilities saying that one of their stops could be  a war torn country to help the orphans. And Batgirl says they could bring a plane load of burritos!

I love that Supergirl is floating here while the others walk. It felt a bit like Tiny Titans where Supergirl is never on the ground. And I love the devious nature of Supergirl as well. Fantastic.

Wonder Girl relents and the girls hop into the Invisible Jet.

Supergirl has a wicked grin as she brings in the Luthor-bound TP.

It is simply a minute and change of pure joy. I thought this was going to be a very good short. It turns out it was even better. This needs to be a full show!

Super BFF Preview

Everybody ready to see something fantastic?

I have been writing a lot about how excited I am to see the Lauren Faust Super Best Friends Forever shorts on the DC Nation block.

We finally got just a snippet of the short over at Comics Alliance. Here is the link and get ready to have your mind blown as a Supergirl fan: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/03/14/super-best-friends-forever-exclusive-first-look-dc-nation-video/

Yes, it is only 10 seconds. But it is absolutely fantastic.

The first thing that caught my eye was the physical diversity of the characters. Wonder Girl looks like a ballerina. Batgirl looks like a school girl, and definitely has had one Red Bull too many. And Supergirl is built like a tank, clearly the muscle of the group.

I can't help but compare the characters to My Little Pony. I always pegged Batgirl to be Pinky Pie based on description. This snippet shows I was right.

As for Supergirl, she is definitely impetuous and a confident. She wants to take Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet out for a joy ride.

An animated Supergirl, strong and confident, and in the Matrix style uniform! I never thought I would see it.

And even better, she wants to take the jet to Luthor's hideout and cover it in 50 rolls of TP! Simply fantastic!

If these 10 seconds are any indication, I simply am going to need more than a one minute short now and then. Given the insane popularity of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, I hope DC recognizes lightning in a bottle and does the right thing!

Absolutely fantastic!

Even More News About Super BFFs

Seems like a lot of news has been coming out regarding the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network and th Super Best Friends Forever short as well. Over on USA Today, there are a couple of clips about the block as well as an article focusing on Lauren Faust and the SBFF short. Here is the link.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-03-01/DC-Nation-superhero-cartoons/53335116/1

And if you peek carefully in the background, you'll get a sneak peek at the villains and some supporting cast members.

Looks like Commissioner Gordon, Solomon Grundy, and some Poison Ivy.

 And, if you squint, you'll see the design of the Cheetah amongst the pixels.

As for the article, Faust divulges a bit about the cartoon.

At least one "big important superhero" will be stopping by Super Best Friends Forever amid the girls' shenanigans — expect joyriding in Wonder Woman's invisible jet in one episode — and there will also be supervillains, too, including Cheetah, Poison Ivy and the monstrous Solomon Grundy. "I took a little bit of a funnier take on him and made him a little bit silly," Faust says.

So I wonder who the 'important superhero' is going to be. Given that Superman's fame is something which is irritating Supergirl in these shorts, I wouldn't be surprised if it was him. But I would rather it be Wonder Woman, someone who is most likely these girls' role model.

And then this ...

Her favorite of the main three so far? Supergirl.

"I don't know what it is, but I have a lot of fun writing really angry girls," Faust says, laughing. "I don't consider myself a particularly angry person. Maybe it's tapping into my memories of teenage angst and getting to channel that stuff through her."

I am thrilled that Supergirl is Faust's favorite. I expect Supergirl to shine here. And it is great that Supergirl will be introduced to a whole new audience who will seek out Faust's work.

Now I know I have written much over the course of these last few years about how I don't want an always angry Supergirl in comics. But that is because the comics are meant to be serious. Since it is said clearly that this is supposed to be a comedy, I think this will be a wonderful take on Kara.

DC Nation Teaser Commercial

Back in October, I posted here about the upcoming DC Nation block coming to the Cartoon Network. It sounded great and included a Supergirl short in Super BFF's with Batgirl and Wonder Girl.

As has been widely reported lots of places, a teaser commercial for the DC Nation block was shown on Cartoon Network during the Green Lantern premiere. Here is the official You Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMLdqwMU2OU&feature=related

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any teaser pics for the Super BFF shorts. But there is plenty to digest including some great images of other shorts. Here are some of the things that caught my eye.

Don't blink or you'll miss Supergirl speed by in the early montage of DC's heroes flying in. What got my attention was the use of the "old" DCU Supergirl costume, the Michael Turner design. I can't 100% identify who the artist is here given how quickly it slide by but it 'feels' like Mark Bagley's Supergirl from Justice League.

And she appears on the main DC Nation title shot as well right above the 'T'! Pretty prominent spot for Supergirl given the countless DC characters they could have put on this title sequence. I'm glad the Martian Manhunter is there. And Jade certainly gets a plum position for a little known character.

As I said, there are quick pics of the two ongoing series (Young Justice and Green Lantern) as well as snippets from the upcoming shorts. That includes a Teen Titans Go! style Titans show as well as the announced Doom Patrol. As a Doom Patrol fanatic, it is great to see the negative spirit leaving Larry's body here.

And this mystery pic which isn't a mystery any more.. I read on DC Women Kicking Ass that it is Amethyst and I would be all for a cartoon version of that.

I can't wait to see all this stuff and hope to see some early shots of the BFF shorts.

And I wonder just how they decide who to showcase as a DC Fan. I don't have the star power of a NASCAR racer nor do I star on Big Bang Theory. But I am a lifelong fan! I am part of DC Nation! Put me on the tube!

DC Nation Page - Unfortunate Navel Gazing

If you bought any DC Comic this week, you no doubt noticed this DC Nation page.

It is hard not to notice, what with Supergirl's breasts so prominently displayed, thrust in your face.

The thing that strikes me here is not Supergirl's physique here, although that clearly is a more buxom Kara than we have seen recently. No, the thing that strikes me here is the composition of this page.

This isn't Kara in the foreground of the picture. We don't see her looking at some villain defiantly. We don't see her poised for battle.

No this is only Kara's breasts and midriff in the foreground. I don't think I have ever been given such an up-close view of her navel.

By deliberately not showing Kara's face, this panel sort of dehumanizes her. She isn't a whole woman, a hero. Heck, she isn't even a person. Nope, this panel seems to suggest that the only thing of Supergirl worth showing is her breasts and flat abs. Isn't this sort of off-putting?

And there is no reason for this composition other than the salacious positioning of Kara. Move the viewpoint back another 5 feet and we would have a Supergirl standing in front of the Justice League ... maybe leading them. Move Kara back 5 feet and she is standing amongst the men, a member of the team.

By only showing the top quadrant of her body, you remove any chance to recognize her as a person. Instead you reduce her to a prop: two big breasts on the 'hot' girl member of the team. It doesn't help that Green Arrow and the rest of the JL men seem to be staring at her chest.

Sigh. Doesn't Supergirl deserve better than this? Don't we as readers deserve better than this?

The sad thing is that I had such high hopes for this Justice League series when it was first announced so many months ago. James Robinson on a team book? Sounded too good to be true. Now between the incredible delay in its release and its downgrade to a mini-series and now this prurient breast shot, I'm worried.

Is this really the image that DC thinks will best promote this mini-series? (I don't think this a better panel than any of the pages recently spotlighted on the The Source all of which were wonderfully rendered.)

Is this the best Justice League:Cry For Justice has to offer ... titillation?

Isn't this the upper body equivalent of a Supergirl 'panty shot' ... an unnecessarily suggestive pose put in simply to arouse some section of fandom? And I think you know how sick I am of those.

I was just shaking my head after seeing this. I'm still shaking my head as I write this. What a misfire for DC.


I want to again state that my dislike of this portrayal of Kara is due to her positioning in the panel and not due to her sudden pulchritude as shown by Mauro Cascioli. Heck, I even complimented Cascioli for his 'statuesque' Kara as shown above from a Wizard cover. Her body type there seems the same as that on the DC Nation page. I understand that different artists are going to draw characters differently ... not every artist is going to draw Kara with the physique that Jamal Igle and Gary Frank have done recently.

No, it is how Kara is seen (or mostly not seen) on the DC Nation page that bothers me. It is pandering.

And I think Supergirl deserves better.