Bullet Review: Nightwing #104

Nightwing #104 came out last week. It included the final part of the back-up Jon/Dick story written by C.S. Pacat. This was a story which I was pretty excited about after reading the first part. But the story has kind of fizzled.

Over the last couple of months, I have struggled with the Jon Kent character. His own book wrapped up in an understated way, filled with overly simplified political message stories in which Jon was a more a guest than a lead. In his latest mini-series, Jon has been whisked away to the Injustice world, where again he is a leading man in a world that isn't his. The story that book should've told, Jon dealing with Ultraman, was truncated. 

Now this story started with a great premise, Jon being trained by Dick to fight physically. It took a left turn into a circus mystery which highlighted the differences of the heroes upbringing. It downshifted into a 'very special' tale about parents pushing kids into careers they don't want. And now it concludes with a simple ending to the circus mystery. 

The opening idea about Dick training Jon? Never touched.

Daniel HDR is on art here and there is something off brand about his take on Jon. I wish I could put my finger on it in an intelligent way. But the close-ups of Jon here seem strange. 

I was hoping this story might rekindle my interest in Jon's character. 

On to a few moments including my favorite moment.

Review: Smallville Chaos #2

Smallville Chaos #2 came out last week and this arc has certainly lived up to its title. It is totally chaotic in this book right now with 3 ongoing plots  happening, each one unraveling in front of our eyes. It isn't pretty right now and I'm not sure which arc is the most frenetic and hectic right now.

Bryan Q. Miller has been leading us to a Crisis-event since the very first issue of Smallville Season 11 and this is the closest we have come. I have been completely impressed with Miller's approach to this undercurrent of a universal threat. At times it has surged to the forefront of the book. But when it hasn't been in our face, it has been simmering in the background. This time, our noses are shoved in the danger of the Crisis with one of the most powerful scenes I have read in this book.

Add to that the Eclipso-invasion in Metropolis and the Luthor-led hostile takeover of the Holt/Kord particle accelerator, and you get a Smallville book on shaky ground. Thank goodness Lois is a rock!

The art is handled seamlessly by Agustin Padilla and Daniel HDR, bringing the right energy to a wild ride of security forces, demonic hordes, and planetary destruction.

We start out in Metropolis where an army of Metropolis' citizens have been possessed by the Eclipso diamond shards. We have become somewhat accustomed to the Watchtower group, this justice league, being able to mobilize and deal with a threat. That isn't happening here. Tess can try to spearhead communication and organize the team ... but when no one can respond, she isn't of much use. Metropolis is on fire. Superman is on another Earth. Emil and Bruce are trapped in STAR Labs. Everyone is off-line.

Metropolis needs a hero!

Meanwhile on another Earth, Superman is trying to save the day. But this world is literally being carved into pieces by the Monitor attack ships. At the very least, he can smash the advance Manhunter troops, making sure they don't hurt the populace.

But it is clear that this Earth is dying. The skies are red. The planet is crumbling.

I do like this Superman fighting until the end.

But here is where this book suddenly silenced me. This is perhaps the most powerful scene I have witnessed in Smallville.

The Lois of this world has been trying to help people, to fight to save this Earth. But that Lois has given up hope. The people she leads, in a church, all turn guns on themselves, a mass suicide in the face of planetary destruction. Imagine that ... a Lois that has lost hope that much. Scary.

There is power in this panel. The bodies slumped. The hand on gun in the foreground. A faceless dead body lying down in front of us. And our Lois and Superman hugging each other, but tiny. They weren't able to save these people. Keeping them small adds a feeling of helplessness. Great stuff.

And don't forget the third plotline as Lex takes over the particle accelerator so he can use it and Monitor tech to contact other universes.

I always love when Lex panels have him saying noble things while the evils of his ways happen around him. Here he says he is going to save the world. All while his Yellow-ringed Lex Corps gun down the security force. I suppose Lex could have simply asked to use the thing instead of getting violent.

The dissonance between words and art work here. Lex is deluded.

Metropolis needs a hero. Suddenly they have one.

Hank Henshaw, digitally trapped in a robotic body, and quite mad a few arcs ago, decides he needs to do better ... he needs to help. And just like that he enters a bunch of sentry droids, creating an army of one, and takes out the Eclipso victims.

I am glad to see Henshaw redeemed. And glad he wasn't forgotten. He does look a bit like the helmeted Superman of Futures End, don't you think?

With the Earth dying around them, Superman goes to the one place he hope exists and can help them. This Earth's Fortress of Solitude.

It is clear there is no way to save this Earth. It is being eaten by waves of energy, just like the Crisis on Infinite Earths worlds.

Beautiful art here.

And now, the mandatory monthly 'Lois is Awesome in this book' moment.

Flying into the Fortress, this world's Jor-El recognizes Superman as 'not Kal' and embeds him in some sort of crystal. Lois tells Jor-El that he is making a mistake and when he asks who she is to question him, she answers appropriately.

She's Lois Lane.

This is who Lois should be. Strong and confident enough to stand up to anyone.

We learn a little bit more about Luthor's plots. He isn't trying to reach out to other Lex's any more. He is reaching out to someone else. Hmmmm ...

I bet he wants the evil Earth 2 Superman to join him on this world. Or maybe Zod?

And we seem to be seeing some lack of 100% loyalty in Otis. I wonder if Mr. Berg is going to end up betraying Lex. He is the only one left who can. Booster Gold has been defeated by the Yellow Corps.

But back on the doomed Earth we see another power of Lois. The power to speak the truth, to love, help.

She tells this Jor-El that every version has worked to save Kal. Why shouldn't this Jor-El help save a different Kal. And then ... the soft please. It humanizes Lois a bit, shows her and Clark's love.

So Jor-El will help, if she will take him to safety as well. Shrunk to a power crystal, this Jor-El shunts the pair to a different Earth.

We see this Earth fade away. Worlds will live. Worlds will die.

Unfortunately, Jor-El doesn't send these two back to their world. Instead they land on shambles of an Earth. There are Manhunters amid the debris. The Monitors were here. There are also human skulls with omega signs burned into them. And a black crackling planetoid crashed into Earth. This place looks enough like Apokolips for me to be worried.

Chaos indeed.

I have to say this was a great middle chapter. The story moved forward on all fronts. We see the threat the Monitors are, an Earth vaporized. We see Lois and Clark use their brains to escape that fate. We see the emergence of a new hero. And we see the evil of Lex, suddenly openly and brazenly malevolent.

And we are that much closer to the Crisis. Unbelievable. Incredible.

Overall grade: B+/A

Review: Smallville Chaos #1

Smallville:Chaos #1 was released last week, the first part of the next arc of Season 11 and that much closer to the upcoming Crisis. And it is evident that the Crisis is probably right around the corner as we go to one of presumably Infinite Earths and see dead heroes and red skies. It amazes me how much I am geared up for the finale of this 'season', having enjoyed just about every step along the way.

But writer Bryan Q. Miller does more than just bring us to a new Earth so we can see some tragedy up close, he starts two other subplots as well, re-introducing us to a classic DC villain as well as progressing a lingering plot point from Smallville:Lantern. I will admit that I am impressed at how beefy Miller is making this Smallville universe, filled now with versions of many DC heroes and villains. And I am impressed with how he is able to make this feel like a team book, at times feel like a DC Universe book, but still keep Lois and Clark in the spotlight. No one feels cheated or overlooked here.

The art is split by Daniel HDR and Agustin Padilla and both do very well with the material here, especially the action sequences. They complement each other so that there isn't any sort of disconnection while I was reading.

We start out in Metropolis where Professor Bruce Gordon has been possessed by a black diamond "big enough to eclipse the sun". That's right, Miller is bringing Eclipso into the Smallville universe. And he is a good villain to have here as his powers certainly can be a threat for even Superman.

But I love how Superman implores him to take the fight outside the city. Superman's first thoughts are of the safety of the citizens. I feel like I should keep a file of these panels on hand and then email them to Snyder and Goyer.

The fight ends up being brief as Superman smashes the diamond underfoot, releasing Gordon from the spell.

Meanwhile Lois is at the supercollider being built by Michael Holt and Ted Kord. So Mr. Terrific and Blue Beetle are in the book as well.

But the collider wouldn't have been built without a last minute influx of cash by Lex Luthor.

Lois is such a powerful figure in this book. It makes me wish we had a Lois like this in the main DCU books. Maybe Johns' will bring her back.

Luthor isn't there simply for scientific advancement. He has Otis attach the monitor communicator Lex pilfered in Russia to the device. And just like that a dimensional rift is opened. That's right ... a gateway to another Earth!

Perhaps my favorite part about this is that Lois simply says typical as this disaster unfolds before her, as she is sucked into the portal. There is no screaming in fear. There is no 'help me Superman'. There is just a 'typical' which becomes a more frustrated and exasperated 'TYPICAL'!!

Love it.

Of course, even if she doesn't yell 'help me Superman', Clark is always tuned in to her. He flies to the rescue, grabbing her but unfortunately tumbling through the dimensional gate as well. And when the collider goes off line, the tunnel closes behind them.

I wonder if every Superman writer tries to think of a scenario where he can have Superman say 'I've got you' and Lois retorts 'You've got me. Who's got you??'. I am almost positive Johns' had the exchange in Superman:Secret Origins.

It might be almost cliche to have it but I like it every single time.

Of course, this Lois is so used to being rescued, so used to Superman's powers, I don't particularly know why she would ask it. But I don't care.

Meanwhile, Chloe and Ollie are being wooed by Steve Trevor and Diana Prince of the DEO. Trevor is hoping that Ollie will join the DEO as a teacher, training the DEO soldiers. Nice little OMAC reference by Ollie.

The Chloe/Diana scenes are precious with Diana oohing and ahhing over Chloe's pregnant body.

But all of this makes me think that Ollie is going to be the tragic loss in the Crisis. This overwhelming sentiment of trying to keep him on the sidelines so he can be there for his family makes me think he ends up sacrificing himself for everyone.

And the Eclipso storyline isn't exactly over.

When you shatter one diamond that can possess one person, you just might make a lot of diamond shards which can also possess someone ... like this Metropolis detective.

An army of Eclipsos suddenly is forming in the city, all bent on destruction.

And with Superman somewhere else, it might be time for another Kryptonian to defend the city!

As for Superman and Lois, they are stuck on a world. A world with red skies. A world with a fleet of Monitor ships in the air. A place where the Superman variant Mr. Majestic is dead and hung on the Daily Star.

It is getting real.

Again, nice nod to DC history by including Majestic here. And nice nod to the original crisis. Those red skies don't lie.

So Eclipso in Metropolis.
Lois and Clark in another Metropolis.

And in Antarctica, Lex decides to take control of the collider and all it can do. And what better way to do that but with Team Luthor, a group of Lex soldiers armed with yellow lantern rings.

Hmmm ... how are they powered?

Now Lex has been manipulating things from behind the scenes all season. This is pretty much out there, a very public super-villain move. I don't know if there is coming back from this.

We must be very close to the finale.

But on Earth-? Superman and Lois run into the 'other' Lois. And she isn't too happy. The heroes seem to have let this Earth down. The Monitor ships are arranging themselves in the sky in a way where they will blow up the planet. All seems lost.

I thought this was a great scene. I love that Lois is still a hero on this Earth. It looks like she is leading the resistance or holding people together. But, despite that, you can see how she is broken a bit, saddened by the loss of her love and the impending destruction of her world. She isn't invulnerable ... and this humanizes all the Loises in this book. It also shows just how strong she is as a person that even in the face of death, she is a force of will.

So a tremendous opening chapter with three subplots brewing and a Crisis right around the corner.

As usual, I am impressed with this book.

Overall grade: A-

Review: Superman #22

Superman #22 came out this week, another good issue for writer Scotty Lobdell, a trend that has been true for this title since H'El on Earth played itself out. The Psi-War brewing between HIVE and Hector Hammond is certainly an engaging plot, one that Superman isn't well-equipped to deal with. But even within this arc, each issue has slightly improved from the last. It has been a while since I have looked forward to the Superman title. Right now, I am.

It helps that this issue actually gives us some time with Clark as well as with supporting cast members Cat Grant and Jimmy Olsen. Yes, Lois is completely absent from this issue. But I hope that means in the future she will get good moments like Cat and Jimmy get here. It also helps that Lobdell recaps the story so far by having Superman review the events in his head. It brought me up to speed and helped clear up the initial confusion of why H.I.V.E./Hammond are fighting when the last time we saw them (in Action Comics) they are allies. I knew that flash forward in Action would flummox me.

The art in the issue is done mostly by Eddy Barrows. I have always liked Barrows art but I have come to realize he just can't get things done on time. This issue is no difference. While Barrows does the bulk of the art, recent Smallville artist Daniel HDR pencils pages 13-15 and Geraldo Borges who did art on some of the Legion issues of Adventure Comics filled in on 16-18. Hat tip to blog friend Mart Gray of the great
Too Dangerous For A Girl comic review blog for the art breakdown. HDR and Borges style is cleaner, with less line work. But it is all good.

As usual, Kenneth Rocafort does stellar work on this cover. The whole point of the Queen is she is supposed to seduce you or fill you with honeyed word so you will obey her. This image works for that feel.

Last issue Hector Hammond was kidnapped by H.I.V.E. and brought to their headquarters. Unfortunately, Hammond's powers have been augmented by a sudden surge of electric energy. Still, the H.I.V.E. headquarters is Queen Bee's domain. Her troops surround Hammond and she demands that Hammond recognize his role as a mere tool in her plans to dominate the world.

I love this panel structure by Barrows. With the Queen apparently in charge, the panel is shaped like a honeycomb. The point of view here, looking up at the Queen gives her the feel of power, as if we are kneeling before her as well. Nice.

That art riff is flipped on its head on the next set of pages. It turns out the gun-wielding drones were psionic illusions by the Queen, a feint that Hammond saw through quickly.

Suddenly, the ordered honeycomb panels give way to round bulbous panels, not unlike Hammond's head. Suddenly the perspective is different, the Queen looking much less larger-than-life. As always, when art and words complement each other, comics are at their best.

I also have to say, I love that Hammond needs his own slaves to help him with even the most menial tasks. To see this soldier propping up Hammond's arm as he chokes the Queen added a slight element of humor to this scene.

As fun as this mini-skirmish was, the following scenes of Clark and the supporting cast were even better.

We get to hear Superman talk about how ill-prepared he is for a psionic war. He can't punch or heat vision a telepathic attack. And if it weren't for Orion's defenses, he would be helpless.

There is something about this sequence where we see multiple images of Superman turning into Clark that smacks of old-school comic fun. I thought this was great.

Lastly, I am glad that Clark seems to get the same weird vibe off of Dr. Veritas. She studies him closely. She makes veiled double entendres at him. She seems to know more about his capabilities than he does. I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes some New 52 version of Maxima or Rampage.

Clark meets up with Cat Grant. Clarkcatropolis.com, the revolutionary news blog site the two are trying to set up, is struggling. I love how Clark notices the small things about Cat that show she is hurting a bit financially. An empty Starbucks coffee cup and cheap shampoo. That doesn't sound like Cat.

But more importantly, it adds a bit of character to Cat Grant. This is the first incarnation of Cat I kinda-sorta like. She isn't vapid or hateful like prior versions. It would be easy for Cat to give up on this dream when things got tough but she isn't walking away. I am pretty sure the old Cat would never stick it out this long, let alone do this to begin with. Kudos to Lobdell for tweaking her character like this.

Now we can talk journalistic integrity at some other point but Clark decides it is time to break a big story on the site ... specifically a story he learned via his super-powers.

After last month's tip on The Twenty, Clark does some digging. It turns out that STAR Labs is holding some powerful young super-powered individuals as 'test subjects'. These are part of this mysterious Twenty.

Now I don't know if I like STAR Labs being turned into another big bad corporation instead of the upstanding research firm it has always been. Holding people against their will and experimenting with 'treatment'? Sounds nefarious. And knowing the DCU, it will turn out the military is funding this.

Lastly, I thought for sure the Twenty were going to be something mundane like The Hundred or Intergang. We learn that the Twenty are Twenty people who went missing during Brainiac's attack on Metropolis (as seen in Morrison's run). How the heck didn't more than twenty go missing? Are these people still missing? Or known to have been missing and then found? Since they are a legend ... how did that start?

Back at HIVE, we are again shown that Hammond is suddenly much more powerful than anticipated. The Queen is only able to escape by flashing an image of Hammond being shot by guns into Hector's head. There is a page of Hammond being literally blown to bits by guns that all turns out to be illusion. It is one of the things that I like about this story so far. I have to keep on my toes a bit because I might not be able to believe everything that I see.

The bottom line is Hammond suddenly has all that is H.I.V.E. at his disposal.

In a bit of a stretch to set up a scene, Superman decides to 'check in' on Jimmy. Last issue, Jimmy manifested Superman's personality trait of feeling utterly alone. (Now I don't think Superman ever feels that way ... but whatever).

Jimmy is living it up on his parents dime. Last month we heard they were dead and Jimmy inherited their billions. Here we learn they are famous and have 'gone missing', like many famous people do. There has to be more than this here.

My guess? The elder Olsens are 2 of the Twenty.

The conversation is broken up by a sudden earthquake as tentacles like those seen in Brainiac's attack on the city suddenly spring from the ground and start shaking the block apart. And then Superman's brain seems to overload and he crashes through the ground.

Did that tentacle attack really happen? Or were they also more illusion?

That is two references to Brainiac in this issue. We know from the solicits that he is on his way back to Earth.

Superman crashes right into the arms of the Queen Bee on the run.

And from her we learn even more about the Twenty. She is one of them. She (or they) has been preparing for Brainiac's return. She seems to have a lot of anti-Brainiac sentiment here. So she is an enemy of an enemy. Heck, she says she is trying to protect the city.

We should start ticking off the members of The Twenty we know of/suspect. Queen Bee. That actor from last issue. That ninja women from last issue. The Olsens. What about Dr. Veritas??

As for art, I love this sort of anti-pieta. Sure it looks like Michaelangelo's Pieta. But that is one evil looking Queen Bee. And I doubt she is supposed to be comforting/mourning Superman. It is a dark reflection of the classic Pieta and that works here.

So overall an entertaining issue on all levels. The PsiWar plot proceeds with Hammond and HIVE duking it out. We get some quality Clark/Cat moments. We learn Brainiac is enmeshed in this whole thing. And the art was solid throughout.

Not bad.

Overall grade: B/B+

Review: Smallville Season 11 #15

Smallville #15 came out last week, wrapping up the Argo storyline. In this day and age of decompressed story arcs, of plots that drag out endlessly, I have no higher praise than to say this ... this story ended too soon. I almost feel like this arc could have been one more issue to flesh everthing out. I feel like we really flew through the ending here. And while that certainly gave this issue a breath-taking pace, I wish I had a little more time to savor this.

Writer Bryan Q. Miller and artist Daniel HDR put together and wonderful Superman and Legion story. And yes, this a very good Supergirl story as well. While I could not care less, I bet Booster Gold fans might be happy about this story as well. And in this current market of dystopian futures, angry and disengaged Supergirls, and a killing Superman, Smallville and Argo actually serve up a healthy dose of inspiration and optimism. Even if the underlying plot is Earth vs. New Krypton, even if the big early event in this issue is the overused trope of Supergirl fighting Superman, then ending turns things on its head, bringing us to a brighter place.

I will say, that given the current state of comics there was a ton of irony in this book. Whether on purpose or accidental, I found that some particular moments were memorable.

Hmmm ... maybe when DC decides to bring back the Legion, Miller can be signed up to write the book, starring Supergirl of course.

As I said before, I think much of this story has been pushed forward so fast I don't know if I actually understand some of the crucial elements to the arc. I don't know if I completely grasp just why Earth and New Krypton are at such odds with each other. Is it as simple as the Earthgov being xenophobic and so afraid of the Kryptonians that they instigate a war?

Anyways, with outright war imminent between the two planets, only the Legion stands as a buffer. In a bit of a classic moment, Cosmic Boy gives a rah-rah speech to the team, reminding them that the Legion's mandate is to preserve life. This comic came out the very same week that Superman vaporizes a villain in Justice League. It comes at a time when the Legion comic is being canceled. I love this moment. That's what heroes should be striving to do, preserve life, even in a war where both sides hate them.

May I also say that I love these Legion designs. And how fun to see Ferro Lad again!

Meanwhile, Superman and Supergirl have just discovered that EarthGov has tampered with Faora's tomb.

Again, this angry response by Supergirl feels a little rushed. In fact, much like I don't quite grasp the sides of the Earth/Argo conflict, I don't know if I have a great sense for Supergirl's motivations here. Is she completely invested in Argo and the prevailing politics of that world-ship? Does she think of herself as a Legionnaire first? Somewhere in the middle?

It does seem as like a lot has been thrust on Kara in a very short time in the 30th century. I think the bombing of New Krypton happened shortly after she arrived. Maybe she doesn't quite grasp the sides either.

She does show a bit of the Vandervoort temper here, threatening to fry one of the SciPo officer for being part outside Faora's tomb. And, of course, Superman has to 'teach' her the right thing to do.

This felt a bit Silver Age-y here, with the 'wise' Superman telling Supergirl what she should do and how she should think. I don't want my Supergirl killing police officers. But this confrontation felt a little rushed. Supergirl felt just a little unhinged here, with pretty dramatic mood shifts.

Should Kara care enough about Faora's tomb to have this violent reaction? I don't know. Should she feel this violation be enough for her to label all of humanity as evil?

It does give Superman the opportunity to remind her that he considers himself human, that he was raised by humans, that not everyone is evil.

And as fast as it started, the fight is over and Kara apologizes. Again, I think either Miller or his editors decided there needed to be a Kal/Kara fight and so one is here. But I don't think this was crucial for either their characters or this story.

I do find it ironic that Superman simply blocks her heat vision with his hand. Reminded me of one of the possible endings of the Man of Steel movie. I should be happy, I suppose, that Superman didn't break her neck.

But just as quickly as the two were brawling, they forgive, forget, and get back to work.

New Krypton has sent a gravity bomb to Earth, aimed for Metropolis.
Earth has boom tubed a Doomsday clone to New Krypton.

It is time for an old fashioned Legion strategy. Split into teams and divide and conquer. Okay, so the Doomday team is just Superman and Saturn Girl. It is still great to see Supergirl basically stand up and become the leader of the Legion here. Even Rokk and Brainy realize she is in charge here.

I love it.

This breakdown of force allows Superman a nice moment where he uses Saturn Girl's  telepathy to speak to all the citizens of Argo, mobilizing them into a super-army to fight Doomsday. It lets us see the inspirational Superman that has been missing for a while. I think this is a great panel with the bloodied Superman taking a breather while the Kryptonians swarm.

Unfortunately, it looks like these Kryptonians can't subdue Doomsday. It will be up to Clark. And he knows this is a suicide mission.

I love this panel progression. Just prior to this Saturn Girl tells Superman that his idea to defeat Doomsday will end up killing them both. The thing that works for me the most is that middle panel with the empty word bubble, the slumped shoulders, a feeling of resignation that there isn't any other answer. And then we see a more resolved Superman in the last panel, matter-of-factly stating that he knows.

It is a great moment. This is who Superman should be, willing to lay down his own life to save others.

In another moment that mirrors Man of Steel, the 'gravity bomb' from New Krypton pretty much levels Metropolis. I wonder just when this was written or drawn. Could this all just be comics karma?

But again, Miller shows that Supergirl is a leader as she mobilizes the Legion's efforts in the city. And their only goal is to rescue everybody they can. Again, whether on purpose or not, it differs so much from the Man of Steel movie. Instead of plowing through the city without a care for damage or death, the only goal of the team is to save life.

Still excellent to see Supergirl acting the de facto Legion leader.

While rescue efforts commence on Earth, Superman realizes there is only one way to stop the threat of Doomsday and that is to literally throw him into the sun. If it is one thing that I have learned in comics and super-hero movies, no one ... not even Superman ... can escape the gravity well of the sun. Superman knew this was a one way trip barring a miracle.

But this is so great. As he falls into the sun with Doomsday, knowing this is a suicide mission, his last thoughts (communicated to Saturn Girl) are not only of Lois but also of Kara. It is a classic Superman sentiment ... thinking of others even as the ends approaches.

While Doomsday does plunge into the sun, Superman is pulled to safety when the Legion and Supergirl form a daisy chain with everyone pulling him to safety. That just didn't work for me.

But before I could think about it for too long, Daniel HDR gives us a great 'Long Live the Legion'  image.

Seriously, I would buy a monthly Legion book that looked like this one. Maybe one of the future Smallville specials can revisit Supergirl and the Legion.

But it all ends so quickly. The Earthgov helped the Legion with their rescue efforts. New Krypton will help the Earth recover. As quickly as it started and without much explanation, it all ends. Maybe too fast and too neat.

But that neat ending of the war does leave things more open ended and certainly happier for Supergirl. No longer a spy for New Krypton. No longer feeling torn between two worlds, Kara gets to decide what she wants her mission to be. A happy smiling Kara is a nice way to cap off this issue.

So there is so much to love in this book and story that I can sort of firget about the forced cousin-fighting and the obtuse war storyline we saw here. For the sake of time and space we saw some wild mood swings and loyalties in Supergirl. But she ends the book as a hero, a leader, and happy. I can't complain. We also got some fine Legion stuff as well. And since Supergirl and the Legion are my two favorite DC properties, this was a 'chocolate and peanut butter' combination, so much I basically have no recollection of Booster Gold's role in this story. Add to that some odd synergy with my biggest complaints about the Man of Steel movie and I found this a very entertaining ending.

When an arc ends and I wish it wasn't over, when I wish for more story, that is a sign of success.

And I would be remiss if I didn't again comment on how much I liked this variant Supergirl costume designed by Cat Staggs. Marvelous.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Smallville Season 11 #14

Smallville Season 11 #14 came out last week and as usual, I am a bit tardy in putting up my review.  And that is a shame because of all the books came out last week, this one should have been at the top of my review pile. This was a great Supergirl book and should have been showcased here earlier.

I have sung the praises of this book for over a year now so I don't need to beat the Smallville drum again. But, once again, writer Bryan Q. Miller does a great job with characterization, grasping a lot who Supergirl is and making her compelling here. This is the Smallville Kara, so you have to pick up where Laura Vandervoort's character left her. But I can't help but feel like there are echoes of Silver/Bronze Age Supergirl here as well. Her reactions to some things in this book feel like what a classic DCU Supergirl would do. Others sound more like the current Supergirl. It is like reverberations of all her incarnations seem to feed into this Kara.

The art is done by Daniel HDR who brings a very smooth and polished look to the book, befitting of a Legion-era book. His Kara is strong and expressive. The cover is by old Supergirl friend Pete Woods. I love this version of the costume, a sort of flight suit with duster jacket sort of bottom. The design is by digital Smallville cover artist Cat Staggs.

I can't help but concentrate on the Supergirl aspects of the book in this review.

As I said, this Supergirl has some reactions that feel like the Bronze Age Supergirl, the one who felt like she needed to escape the shadow of Superman and become her own hero, the one who was initially thrown into an orphanage and 'hidden'.

So it is true that Superman has come to the future and just rescued his cousin from a red sun prison.

But he also is someone who didn't seem to notice or care that his cousin, his only family, simply disappeared from his life months ago. Initially Supergirl seems to take it in stride, smiling.

But then the classic Kara strength and fire right afterwards. She looks downright peeved that she was ordered by Jor-El to vacate Earth in a time of Crisis so that Clark could accept his destiny.

I think all Supergirl fans had a similar look in watching that episode as the active and heroic Supergirl was shunted away so the mopey Blur could finally seize the day.

And then there is this exchange which feels like the current Supergirl.

After landing in the future, Supergirl was accepted by the Legion and joins the team. But then Argo was discovered and she finally felt like she had a place to belong. Look at the pain in that second panel. This sounds like the Supergirl struggling to find a place to call home.

It is a whirlwind of emotions and feelings but I suddenly felt like I understood this Supergirl completely. Miller brings us up to speed immediately. It's like we see the gamut of Supergirl-ness in three pages.

But then he adds another wrinkle.

Kara wasn't truly a prisoner for the EarthGov. She was a spy for Argo allowing herself to be captured to gather intel. That is because a Legion diplomatic mission to Argo ended with their cruiser exploding. It was rigged by the EarthGov as an opening volley against the Kryptonians. With three sides to the conflict - xenophobic Earth, New Krypton, and the Legion - Supergirl sides with her people.

This 'imprisoned' strategy sounds like a crazy plan. Because just how much information would she be able to share stuck in her red sun prison. She is lucky that Clark was there to spring her.

So the actual reasons behind all the animosity still seems cloudy to me.

But it has reached a point where EarthGov has actually sent to agents to New Krypton to plant a bomb. I guess the government is so isolationist that they are willing to send terrorists to their 'enemy'.

Anticipating such a move, the Legion has some agents on the ground. Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy are there and they stop them.

Superman and Supergirl arrive just after the bomb is disarmed.

Clark is shocked to see just how he is revered on Argo. After all, it was the Zod military pack that Clark shunted away that ends up being the first citizens on this world.

I love the look of shock on his face. Superman is a humble guy. He isn't into this sort of worship.

Now, I freely admit I watched Smallville weekly but casually. So I don't remember a lot of the details of episodes. So I am thankful that Miller gives some background info when information is crucial.

Here Superman learns that while he is considered a hero on Argo, they actually worship Faora. Thankfully, I am reminded that she was Zod's partner, was pregnant with Zod's child before he killed her. And that fetus growing in her, born on a yellow sun world is considered a sort of keystone for the Kryptonians' future.

And Faora's tomb, on Earth, is actually a focal point to the friction between Earth and Argo. Earth won't tell the Kryptonians where Faora's body is nor will they turn the body over. The Argoans want the body returned.

So I don't know if I quite understand why EarthGov would do that other than they are xenophobic and don't want to help.

I don't quite understand why Kara seems so peeved here. She was told to spy on the Earth to try to find out the coordinates of Faora's tomb but she wasn't told the messiah overtones. As a result of being kept in the dark, she feels she has been taken advantage of. It does allows us to see her dealing with her life a bit. At least in Smallville she seems to be a good soldier following the orders of Jor-El, the Science Council, etc. It is time for her to start doing what she wants.

I did like the middle panel where Clark shows some compassion and even discusses his own reluctance to achieve his own destiny.

Faora is there and Clark seems to have bought into the legends. Could that baby really have led to complete understanding?

Unfortunately, it is suddenly clear why the EarthGov wasn't ready to turn the body over. They were extracting the baby's DNA for their own uses.

And they are using that DNA to make their own uber-Kryptonian, something EarthGov can use to eradicate the Kryptonian threat. No doubt we are looking at a new Doomsday. This outfit looks completely like the way Doomsday looked when he crashed on Earth way back in the 'Death of Superman' story.

So this was a great issue for Supergirl fans as it really shows how complex and intriguing a character she is. I will say that I am suddenly a bit worried that this story ends with her battling this Doomsday to both their deaths. It would be a riff on the original Death of Superman, it would bring about a heroic Supergirl dying to save the world like Crisis, and it would satisfy the 'grabbing her destiny' plot we heard in this issue. I will be very sad if this Supergirl goes away like that.

And there are other good moments in this book. We see Booster Gold dealing with his own inadequacy and lack of heroic history. We see how the Legion Protocol Six was activated.

That said, this war storyline between Earth and Argo with the Legion caught in the middle is still a bit amorphous to me. I don't know if I quite understand enough why they are at each others' throats. Is there open war? Is the Faora body enough to bring about war? Is it just fear that a planet of super-humans is a galactic hop,skip,and jump away?? I don't know if I have my head wrapped around this plot well enough to feel I understand it.

Still, that isn't a major complaint because the rest of these this issue is so great. Supergirl and the Legion is like chocolate and peanut butter. They always go great together.

Overall grade: B+