Kole Comic Box Commentary

There have been times on this Supergirl blog that weariness has set in and I have wondered if I would have the strength to continue.

At times the character has been written so horribly that I felt maybe I should just quit because it was hard to review.

Right now Supergirl is at the height of her popularity with a show, and merchandise, and a new book on the horizon. Professional sites are numerous and are covering her better than I ever could. They can get interviews and free giveaways and previews from CBS, WB, and DC Comics that a small run fan site like mine would never be able to. Maybe this "small business" blog should be put out of business by the "big box store" Supergirl web sites. Just yesterday, I read a long diatribe on a big site from someone who claimed to be a Supergirl fan, both comics and television, who then wrote a giant article misunderstanding her and misrepresenting the show. But that will get way more hits than I could hope for here, becoming the basis of Supergirl knowledge for someone just learning about her.

Lastly though, we are approaching 8 years of blogging about Supergirl. Maybe I have simply run out of things to say about Kara Zor-El and Linda Danvers.

So I'm quitting.

But I don't want to leave the comic community all together. And so just like I did 8 years ago, I have decided to focus on a misunderstood character who needs some love and coverage.

So welcome to Kole Comic Box Commentary!

And what better place to start that focus than with New Teen Titans #9, her first appearance. Written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by the legendary Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (praised be his name), the issue is the ending to a long arc while introducing us to our hero!

Review DC Retroactive: 1970s Superman

I am not part of the demographic that DC Comics is aiming for in their new relaunch. I'm an old timer, someone collecting and reading for more than three decades. DC wants to lure in newer fresher audiences.

And yet, DC must also realize that part of its greatness is the history of these characters, the legacy of the great ones. That has to be the impetus behind the DC Retro-Active books, looks in the rear view mirror at past periods in character's lives.

With that background, I bought DC Retro-Active 1970's Superman #1, a really fun comic for me. This book really seems to capture the feel of the mid to late 70s Superman, which I will admit was a crucial part of my Superman reading life. It was around this time I must have decided to read a lot of Superman because I recall owning a lot of the issues from 1978 and 1979. And the villains showcased in this issue ... the Master Jailer, the Atomic Skull ... I remember reading their big stories in that time. Poor Moosy Draper, he could never get Lana's attention. So I have to come clean and say that there was a nice whipped topping of nostalgia for this book which made it a very sweet read.

But beyond the nostalgia, I thought this was a good example of the stories happening in that time, from the Lois/Superman romance, to Lana's chasing Superman for his affection, to Supergirl being a big part of Superman's life. Writer Marty Pasko does a great job hitting all the highlights (lowlights?) of the time in putting together this story, a done in one (as most stories were back then) tale of Superman overcoming some negative feelings to remember what is important. And artist Eduardo Barreto is no stranger to the super-family so it was nice to see his work here.

Sure there is some clunkiness to the trappings here given the passage of time (Lana risking her life for Superman's attention?) but I thought this worked.

The issue starts with a tired Superman contacting old friend Van-Zee in Kandor to discuss an upcoming ceremony. Superman's call is early mostly because he has had precious time to spare recently. Van-Zee has to stop his Torquasm Vo meditation to discuss what's happening.

Van is worried about Kal as Superman snips and yawns his way through the conversation. Over the last week the Kandorians have seen Superman fight Bizarro, the Atomic Skull and Metallo, as well as hunt for the Master Jailer. Superman needs a rest. But Van can't convince Superman to take a break. Instead, Superman flies off to another disaster.

This was a nice opening scene showcasing a lot of the high points of the 1970s. Sure we see a couple of villains created in that time period but the inclusion of Kandor, the Kryptonian name-drops, Clark on camera as a WGBS TV anchor are all a big part of that time.

Supergirl has been hiding in the background here, listening to everything. She had noticed Superman's brusque manner recently and told the Kandorians about her worries. While it is a story from the 80s, we have seen the effect of a lack of REM sleep on Kryptonians here so Van-Zee and Supergirl are right to be worried.

And how nice it was to see Supergirl in her shorts and puffy sleeves from the 1970s.  And to see her having such an active and familial relationship with her cousin. She noticed he was 'cranky' and told other about her concerns.

Flying back to Metropolis, Superman runs fights the Master Jailer. The Jailer is after Lana Lang (his obsession from Smallville) but is stopped by Superman. Lana, recently returned from Europe (and saying 'entre nous' and other French phrases) is back in town and trying to romantically win Superman back. It was an interesting story back then, Draper obsessed with Lana ... Lana obsessed with Superman. Here Lana is saucy and busty and pretty aggressive, much to Superman's surprise.

And also much to Lois' surprise. Lois has arrived as a reporter and wonders what Lana's intentions were here. Did she bait the Jailer so Superman would rescue her? And Lois also wonders if Superman rescued Lana with a bit more gusto. Does he have feelings for Lang? The lip print on his face might say so!

At first I worried Lois might come off badly here. But I think she actually is pretty strong, asking Superman to simply face the facts that Lana is trying to get him romantically and that he is being a dunce if he doesn't recognize it.

Irritated at the exchange (he didn't ask for any of Lana's affections), Superman heads home only to encounter the Atomic Skull and his minions attacking the Superman museum.

But it is an off fight. Superman's xray vision confirms that the real Skull is still imprisoned. This Atomic Skull seems to be able to read minds. The Skull's voice is wrong. His troops seem to be able to replicate themselves. The angrier Superman gets, the more troops appear. 

And like most villains of this time, they seem to stream to the WGBS building to attack Lois. Superman overhears Lois talking to producer Josh Coyle (he of the ever-angry ulcer) about visiting Lana in the hospital, trying to mend things between them. Proud of Lois mature attitude, loving her even more, Superman smiles. And with that the Skull troops dissipate.

So much fun to see villains with simple agendas ... the beautiful girl, trashing the Superman museum, capturing Lois. Again, the 70s were a simpler time.

The mastermind of all this craziness? Mr. Mxyzptlk. Vacationing in Bppkss (bupkis?), 'the Las Vegas of the other dimensions',  and has got himself into a hole. He owes the wagerer Grbnsqz (grab and squeeze?) a lot of money and has decided to try to settle things with a 'double or nothing' prayer bet. Mxy bets he can get Superman to destroy all that the Kryptonian loves.

Its a desperate bet. But he thinks he knows how to do it. He imbues Superman with a new power. Superman's negative thoughts will manifest physically as threats. The more thoughts like that he has, the more threats. Eventually Superman will wear down psychologically and lash out. It explains why things are blipping in and out of existence, how the Skull attacks and is still in jail.

And it gets trickier for Superman. When the threats dissipate, so does all the damage they have done and memories of what they did. The Superman museum is fine. No one remembers the Skull attack. Superman wonders if he is losing his mind.

Nice plan except Grbnsqz thinks that means Superman needs to kill everything. It was good to see Mxy admit he's no killer. He wants to annoy Superman not make him a murderer. But Mxy is stuck.

Sent away so Steve Lombard can do the news (another irksome turn of events), Superman heads for the fortress. Luckily Supergirl has been keeping an eye on her cousin and has captured the Skull fight (and Mxy taking it all in) on film. Superman isn;t losing it. But why would Mxyzptlk take off like that.

In this time, Supergirl and Superman worked together a lot, as a super-team. I really thought this was a nice moment as the worried cousin kept tabs on her relative.

Of course, knowing Mxyzptlk is involved makes Superman angry. And that anger becomes a very solid Metallo. Superman ends up succumbing to the Green K energy here. But look at Supergirl slap Metallo into a sleeper hold! Wonderful!

Once unconscious, the negative thoughts end, Metallo disappears, and Supergirl awakens confused. She doesn't remember the fight.

The two cousins talk about the mystery a bit and go their separate ways.

Superman heads to visit Lana but remains angry at the nonsense around him. Those thoughts manifest as Bizarro. And to make matters worse, Lois storms off wondering why Superman seems to be spending time with Lana again.

Finally, Superman figures out the connection. And with that realizes that calm thoughts (like when he thought of Lois before) will literally make his problems disappear. Meditiating using Torquasm Vo, Bizarro disappears.

And the most calm he feels is with Lois. He flies to her and tells her how much he loves her. The two reconcile. And with that kiss, all the Mxyzptlk madness vanishes.

How great to see the strength of the Lois/Superman relationship here.I still wish they would remain married in the DCnU and hope that Lois is treated well there. But this was fun.

Mxyzptlk has lost, removes the new power he gave Superman, and gets dragged away to wash dishes for Grbnsqz. The threat is over.

But this was not done by himself. It was only with the help of Supergirl, Van-Zee, and mostly Lois that he was able to overcome what was happening.

The book ends with Superman realizing he needs some R&R. And what better place to vacation with Lois than in Kandor. And he'll be there only to relax. Supergirl will handle to ceremonial duties within.

The reprinted story is from Action Comics #484 in which the Earth 2 Superman marries that Lois (an interesting choice given the dissolution of the DCnU marriage).

So now that I have soaked in some wonderful nostalgia, I have the hard time of trying to grade this book. I think it is impossible. I can't evaluate this book without understanding that it brings me back to spinner racks and comics folded in my back pocket. It works for me, which I think is the purpose of these books. Will someone weaned on comics since 2000 enjoy this book? I really can't tell.

But in a short period of time, Marty Pasko really stuffed in as much of the 1970s Superman mythos as he could. And that is the most impressive thing to me. We really got a glimpse at all the big parts of the Superman universe here. Seeing how close he and Supergirl were at that time, both as a relative and as heroes, was fantastic. And we got to see the hot pants costume again. For me,  I especially liked revisiting the Lana/Lois part of the books at that time.

Overall grade: A (for an old timer like me)

Back Issue #17

My thanks to blog friend Gene for telling me about Back Issue #17, published by TwoMorrows publishing. Back Issue (as well as TwoMorrows other magazines including Alter Ego) really does a great job looking back at comics past, specifically how it impacts current books. Here is the link to their site: http://www.twomorrows.com/

I have looked at Back Issue #34 which looked back at Crisis on Infinite Earths as well as the end of the current creative super-teams just before the Byrne Superman reboot. That was a very good issue. Back Issue #17 is even better.

Dubbed the 'super girls' issue, the book has many in depth articles about some characters and times that I really like and appreciate. There is an article about the de-powered Wonder Woman run from the 70s; one about the intricate origins of Spider-Woman.

And, of course, there are a couple about Supergirl.

The main article is titled Supergirl From Argo City To Legend and really takes a very thorough look at Supergirl's comic history from her Adventure Comics days through to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Specifically it looks at the editors, writers, and artists on her stories in those times and looks at each person's take on the character of Supergirl.

The historical review starts with Adventure Comics #397 which was the first for editor/writer/artist Mike Sekowsky. This period included the beginning of new reader-inpired costumes, the introduction of Nasty Luthor, and Supergirl losing her powers. Sekowsky was known for 'humanizing' his characters and so there aren't many outer space or super-powered villains in his run.

Starting in Adventure #409, comics legend Joe Orlando took over as Supergirl's editor and brought with him a new writer Steve Skeates. Skeates was a fan turned pro who wrote strong independent women.

That era closed when the decision was made to give Supergirl her own book and bring her back to college. Bob Kanigher editted this book with Cary Bates as writer and Art Saaf as artist. Her solo series was a brief 10 issues long and suddenly the Supergirl character was one of the Superman Family in the comic of the same name. She was put under the editorial umbrella of Superman editor Julius Schwartz and E. Nelson Bridwell. During this time Elliot S! Maggin wrote her early adventures followed by Jack C. Harris.

The Superman Family stories ended with Paul Kupperberg writing Kara's adventures. He easily rolled over as writer in her next solo book Daring New Adventures of Supergirl.

The article really does a great job reviewing all these periods, talking to as many creators as they could, with side panel articles about the editors and some of Supergirl's more nutty adventures.

One thing that stuck out in the article (much like it did in Back Issue #34) is Marv Wolfman and Dick Giordano's clear dislike of the Supergirl character. I can't believe that DC got more angry letters about Terra than they did Supergirl. And for Giordano to say most people didn't care seems like an overstatement. If no one cared, if her death wouldn't impact people ... why would DC stress the overall importance of Supergirl's death.

As someone who has most of these early issues, this article took me through some of the process that the creative teams had. But for me, the real treasure of the issue is an article about Double Comics, a proposed title which would have both Superboy and Supergirl adventures in it ... a title shot down when Crisis appeared on the horizon.

Luckily some of the first Supergirl script and art exists and so we can see a story that might have been.

Written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Eduardo Baretto, the story has Supergirl dealing with a variety of personal issues including the return of Dick Malverne into her life.

Struggling with her place on Earth, she returns to Rokyn to find herself. She actually gets a lot of support from Alura who thinks Kara needs to start finding her own place in the universe.

Judging from the pages we see here, Baretto would have been a fabulous artist for Supergirl. And in reading some of the script, it sounds like Kupperberg was really planning on establishing Supergirl as her own person, distancing her a bit from the shadow of Superman.

What a treat to take a look at this Supergirl issue that never was! That splash page is gorgeous!

I cannot stress how great this issue was ... certainly worth the price for any Supergirl fan. I highly highly recommend it. One thing I liked about TwoMorrows was the ability to buy a .pdf version of the magazine. It is worth looking over the whole website to see if any other of their magazines intrigue you. I recently got the Alter Ego dedicated to Bob Oksner and really like that one too!