Fire & Water Podcast Guest Appearance

I have been a fan of the Fire and Water Podcast for a while now, listening to Rob (of Aquaman Shrine fame)  and Shag (of Firestorm Fan fame) discuss Aquaman, Firestorm, Who's Who comics, and comics in general. That show is sort of my Monday morning ritual, listening to them banter while I sip my coffee in my office and start my work week.

So I was thrilled to be asked by Rob to appear on the show as a guest. Today Fire and Water Episode 140 drops, discussing a story from 1989's Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2, a story written by Alan Brennert and drawn by Dick Giordano. This is the famous Deadman story 'Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot', a story with a famous secret guest star.

Head over to Firestorm Fan, Aquaman Shrine, and Tumblr  to see posts about this particular show and to listen.

I can't t thank Rob enough for asking me on to talk about this story and Supergirl in general.

This is a pretty famous (or infamous) story that I have already covered on this blog way back in 2010 here.

This book came out about a year after the Matrix Supergirl was introduced into the DCU. It also was a couple of months after we saw Matrix, shapeshifted into Superman, go insane and flee to outer space to try to find herself.

This was really a tough time for Supergirl fans. Not only had the original Supergirl been removed from continuity, completely forgotten but Matrix had come on board, gone nuts, and left. We had (at least at this point) a true imposter in the role. And it was going to get worse before it got better.

So this story was a complete treasure for Kara fans.

In the podcast, I talk about how I insert this panel into lectures I give trainees at the hospital (medical students, residents, and fellows). I, of course, insert trademarks and copyright information at the bottom of the slide.

I put this in lectures that are early in the academic year, when the trainees are realizing how hard their job is going to be and need a little inspiration. They are often fatigued and feeling unrecognized. So this panel is perfect.

This story was being showcased on podcast because TwoMorrows Back Issue magazine is doing a Supergirl centric issue (out this week) which includes Rob's interview with Alan Brennert. Here is a link! Go and buy it here at TWOMORROWS’ BACK ISSUE! - http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1210&zenid=7h10ejk34ml83ol190oo48qvr3

And thanks again to Rob for inviting me! Hopefully I held up my side of the show! Visit Rob, Shag, and the show's site here:

THE AQUAMAN SHRINE - http://www.aquamanshrine.net
FIRESTORM FAN - http://firestormfan.com
THE FIRE AND WATER TUMBLR - http://fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com

Fan the flames and ride the waves!! 

Back Issue Box: Christmas With The Super-Heroes #2

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everybody!

Long overdue for a look here at this blog, I figured I would review the Deadman story from Christmas with the Super-Heroes from 1988.

While it is a Deadman story, it resonates most powerfully as a Supergirl story from the immediate post-Crisis DCU, a DCU where there wasn't a Supergirl, wasn't ever a Supergirl, and characters therefore did not remember Supergirl.

'Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot' was written by Alan Brennert and drawn by Dick Giordano. I am always shocked to see Giordano's name on this story. Giordano gave the okay for Supergirl to be killed in COIE #7. This story is such a sympathetic look back at Supergirl, almost an apologia for her being erased from the history books, I am surprised he drew it.

The story starts with Deadman bemoaning his lonely existence as a wraith. Despite all he does, he aches for human contact, moreso at the holidays.

He begins hopping bodies, taking in moments of other people's lives to ease his own emotional pain. He steps into a man's body and enjoys a Christmas dinner, laughing with his family, loving his girlfriend, being someone again.

But then he realizes that his joy is at the expense of this man's life. It will never be Deadman's joy. Filled with anger and self-loathing, he leaves the man and takes off into the night.

It's there that he runs into a young woman who can see him flying there, can talk to him.

She can sense his anguish and tells him what he needs to hear. He is a hero. He does what he does because he can. He doesn't do it for accolades or gratitude. He does it to help people.

And he has to do it ... even if no one knows he is doing it. Even if no one knows he exists. Hmmmm ...

Set again on the right path, Deadman tries to thank the mystery woman. He asks her for her name.

"My name is Kara. Though I doubt that will mean anything to you." I still get chills.

This was Supergirl, the one who did what she needed to do and saved the universe because that is what heroes do. This is the Supergirl that was eliminated from the timeline, expunged from everyone's memory.

And with the lesson learned, she disappears.

His resolve re-established, Deadman thanks Kara ... whoever she is.

There is even a little kudos to Otto Binder and Jim Mooney who were the creators on Supergirl's earliest adventures.

It is such a short and lovely story, getting to the core of who Supergirl was in a handful of panels. It showed her heroism, her strength, her sacrifice. "We do it because it needs to be done. Because if we don't, know one else will."

It was as if someone in the DC offices realized that something special was gone and we needed to be reminded of it. Few stories encapsulate the beauty of Supergirl as a character as this one does. Wonderful.

I see this issue at conventions all the time, dog-eared in the fifty cent bin. It pains me. Because for old time Supergirl fans, this is such a beloved story, a hidden jewel, a near perfect eulogy for who she was and what she represented. The first time I read it, I suddenly didn't feel alone as someone who was a fan of Supergirl, or who missed her. If these creators could write this story, they must feel the same way.

I often rank the back issues I review in terms of their importance to a Supergirl collection. This would get my highest ranking, a very important story in the Supergirl mythos, even if she never appears in costume, never shows her powers. It's short and in a holiday anthology. But its impact cannot be denied. I cannot thank Brennert enough for writing it.

Overall grade: A+

I'll be away from blogging for a couple of days with the holidays. Hope everyone stays safe and has fun.