Sales Review: November 2013

The sales numbers for November are out and up on ICv2 and they are fascinating. One of the things I have noticed over time has been how the market share of the big two has been slowly eroding as independents and other publishers pump out better stories and lure away great creators.

The actual ranking of the November sales are available on ICv2 here: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/27445.html

Supergirl #25 was one of the middle chapters of Krypton Returns, the big super-crossover event and sequel to H'El on Earth.

I talked about the quality of the story during the reviews and to put it succinctly, I wasn't impressed.

And yet ...

Sales went up last month!

The book was up 8% to 25,377. And I can only assume that is due to the crossover and not something else. The only thing noteworthy in the month was the further discussion of her change to a Red Lantern. I don't think people would jump on this early.

I always like to look at another comic's sales.

Jeff Lemire recently announced that Animal Man is being canceled because he had told all the stories he had in him about Buddy and his family.

I was surprised because after slogging through the overly-long Rot storyline, the book was hitting its stride again.

That said, in looking at the sales, the book has dipped below the 20K mark. I thought it was one of the 'surprise books' of the new 52. I haven't been following this book's sales closely. Was this a slow erosion? Or was there a point it dropped off precipitously. I will admit, I almost dropped it during the Rot arc.

Surprisingly Marvel's Captain Marvel is down there too. We know this book is also 'canceled' ... more like on hiatus. It is coming back with writer Kelly Sue DeConnick back on as writer. This is a book with a strong vocal audience who have formed a CarolCorps. Looks like Marvel was listening in assuring it is coming back.

Maybe we need to form a KaraKorps.

Review: Superman #25

Superman #25 came out this week and it was appropriate that it came out during Thanksgiving week. Because I am loudly giving thanks that this storyline is over and that (hopefully) we will never see the character H'El again.

This is the finale of Krypton Returns and, like prior issues, there is plenty here that makes little sense. Between multiple timelines, unclear actions, rapid scene endings, and an incomprehensible climax, there is a lot here not to like. Many of these concerns require the 'roll with it' panacea that Scott Lobdell has asked of readers in the past. If you don't understand it, just move on. And frankly, I deserve a little more than that.

The sad thing is there are actually several nice character moments in this issue but they are lost amidst the story problems. Like in H'El on Earth, Superboy has the best moments of the story with solid characterization that I only wish we saw in Kon's own book. Superman has one classic moment in the story but otherwise is stuck in some rough scenes. Supergirl's moments in this book are something of a mixed bag of good and bad. Some of them are actually very interesting and I might have thought we would finally have some character growth from her. But these better moments seem strange now knowing that in a couple of months she'll be donning a Red Lantern ring.

Kenneth Rocafort is on art and continues to produce beautiful work. From the more horrific moments to the more straightforward action sequences, he really shines.

The issue starts with an almost introduction page, showing the three super-heroes and where they are in Krypton's history. But it is the way that Lobdell introduces the heroes that makes me cringe. You can almost see Lobdell's pecking order of the Supers on this page.

At the top is Superboy, "his mind and body will be without limit". Pretty impressive.
Then Superman, "his actions can change the course of history". Wow.

And then Supergirl, wielding a spear before a rabid army. "A rage grows in her that could CONSUME worlds." Okay ... not so heroic.

I suppose it fits with the Red Lantern future ... but really. Supergirl has that much rage in her? I don't want to beat a dead horse but this is the problem with DC's current treatment of Kara. She isn't a hero. She's an angry young woman.

Now there is a lot in this story that you just have to take with a grain of salt. There are things that happen, there are lines of dialogue said, that make little sense. Here Superboy intuits that H'El must be weakening because he is fighting Supergirl in another time. Lucky guess?

Then H'El says this ... which makes no sense. He wants to save Krypton so that he can destroy Krypton? Why go through all this bother when the planet is doomed all on its own?

Suddenly I have no clear idea of what the hell H'El is doing in this storyline. Initially he wanted to save Krypton because he admired Jor-El. Now he hates Krypton. Why not just go out into the universe? Or take your revenge out on the few survivors?

In fact there are a lot of things about H'El that make little sense. The scars, the self-carved backwards 'S', his motives.

Of course, he simply disappears here. Given the timeline concerns, I suppose this happened because at some other point in time he is defeated (as we shall see).

And then the next part of the story that makes little sense. We know from Action Comics Annual #2 that in some alternate timeline, H'El ... working with Jor-El ... saves Krypton. Jor-El was part of that solution!

Now Superman meets an older Jor-El, the version that has survived in that timeline. Except now, Jor-El still rockets Kal to Earth (I suppose that needs to have happened for Superman to exist right now - time travel woes). Instead of being a friend of H'El and a hero for saving Krypton, he is imprisoned and called 'The Doomsday Man'.

H'El ends up taking over Krypton as its leader. (But I thought in the last scene he wanted to destroy Krypton?) Anyways, Jor-El in that new timeline escapes, finds a scrap of H'El's skin and learns its secrets, and then ... best of all ... somehow creates a time machine to get back to this moment.

All right, let's say that I can 'roll with' Jor-El being imprisoned to begin with. Let's say that I can even deal with him building a time machine. Why would he choose to go back to this moment in time?? Why not go back to when H'El puts his cell on the rocket? Why not go back to the point when H'El first appears with the Kryptonite in his chest? Is this the 'best' time to thwart H'El? He could stop H'El from ever happening. Why come to the time when he is most powerful? More time travel woes which leads to story woes.

Meanwhile, hundreds of years in the past, Supergirl stands with a spear poised to kill H'El. She actually questions herself if she can go through with the execution.

Should I be happy that she has to question herself? Or sad? Why does Lobdell write her as such an angry, irrational woman?

Ready for more story moments that make no sense? H'El grabs the spear and stabs himself in the neck. He then disappears. Why does he do that? If he can move through time, why slice his own throat? It doesn't even make for a good story moment. There is no reason he should do that.

I did say above that there are some good Supergirl moments mixed in with the bad. Here is one of them.

Kara feels bad because H'El was solely motivated by hate. She says she needs to be better than that.

I am sad that we are 2+ years into the New 52 and Supergirl is still wondering if she should be fueled by hate. But at least here she seems poised to finally move beyond it!

That said, in 3 months she is putting on a Red Lantern ring.

Also, I still don't exactly know why this moment in time was so key for the Oracle. Maybe Lobdell was hoping to have Supergirl deal with her feelings about clones. But without a clear need, this felt a little forced.

In the Superman timeline, Superman and Jor-El travel to the 'diseased heart of Krypton'.

Now part of me might want to question why Supergirl lost her powers within minutes of being on Krypton while Superman can fly to the molten core of the planet without a problem. He uses superstrength, heat vision, all his powers, as though he was on Earth bathing in yellow sun rays, not a red sunned heavy gravity world. And didn't he have radiation poisoning 2 issues ago? But I guess I have to roll with all that too.

Anyways, Jor-El knows that in all the timelines, H'El always manifests here. Wearing a special suit, Jor-El captures in H'El in a force bubble that he floods with a disintegrating gas.

Amazingly, Superman stops this execution of H'El saying that there is 'always another way' besides murder. If I praised this line in Smallville, I suppose I have to applaud it here.

Still, the short time of the gas has done some damage. H'El looks ravaged, like a decaying corpse.

And now the best moment in the book.

Superboy realizes that Zor-El's gravitational devices won't be enough to get Argo City safely out of the Krypton's blast radius and gravitational pull. On the last day, he tells Alura to find Kara and say goodbye (fulfilling the scene we saw in Supergirl #0). And then he uses the last of his powers to push Argo and Kara's rocket out of harm's way.

He gives a nice speech, summing up his troubled and varied history up to that point. But in the end he knows he isn't a living weapon (his tag line) but instead he is 'a kid who tried'. 

Why couldn't this sentiment, this characterization, have been present in Superboy's own book? I won't go over Superboy's varied manifestations in the New 52 again. But this kid trying to make a difference while dealing with his past would have been a book I would want to read.

This is a very nice moment portrayed with big art.

So who does it all end?

The old Jor-El has a shard of debris in his chest, I assume a killing blow given enough time.

I wish I could tell you. Superman realizes that he has to stop H'El from leaving and making another timeline, so he uses his super-breath, freezing the 'essence of H'El into a perpetual loop of freezing and thawing', trapping him.

If anyone can explain that to me, I'd love to hear it. I guess I have to roll with it. But this is the problem when you create a villain with ill-defined near omnipotent powers. You have to come up with something insane to defeat them.

The death of Krypton is months away. An older, wiser, but dying Jor-El is in the planet core. A younger Jor-El is on the surface building a rocket. Hmmm ...

Anyways, with H'El trapped, it is time for Superman to go.  Kara suddenly appears with the boom tube. The two step in and hit the road.

We don't even see a goodbye from Superman to his dying old father in the core of the planet. Nothing. Just a walk through the boom tube. It is over far too fast, far too neatly, and with little explanation. 

And no goodbye to Jor-El? Seems like a wasted opportunity.

At least the story ends on this nice moment. Realizing Superboy has died, Superman says they should honor his loss by being better heroes.

I might think between the moments of self-reflection and this capstone that Supergirl might actually turn around.

Except we know that in 3 months she puts on a Red Lantern ring.

What can I say, there are some nice moments in this issue but with a lot of fluff and craziness around it. I might be damning with faint praise but at least this was better than H'El on Earth. Still, I will be thrilled if we never see H'El again.

Alas, Lobdell puts in an odd last page leaving the door open for another story.

And so, mercifully, Krypton Returns ends. I don't know if I could explain what happened but it happened.

My condolences to Superboy fans.

Overall grade: C

Review: Supergirl #25

Supergirl #25 came out this week, the third part in Krypton Returns, moving the story forward to next month's conclusion. And, believe it or not, I thought this was a decent issue!

I have routinely hammered Scott Lobdell and anything H'El related and there are some things about this issue that still feel off. As with many of Lobdell's plots, there are pieces that don't add up, the things he says that as readers we should simply roll with. I am not asking for exhaustive explanations about things. But I want some internal consistency in my stories. I have to make a leap in a story on my own, I want that leap to make sense.

But this issue is a strong issue for Supergirl and I have to applaud the writing crew for that. The super-team writers of Lobdell, Superboy scribe Justin Jordan, and Supergirl writer Michael Alan Nelson are all listed as doing the dialogue over Lobdell's plot. And that might explain why the voices sound true here.

Since Kara is involved in 2 of the 3 Oracle side missions, we see her throughout the book. The interesting thing for me as a reader is contrasting the two Kara's separated by a a couple of years but so different in outlook. The Kara on Krypton seems sweeter and more innocent. And that is contrasted to Supergirl, the Kara that has survived her world's destruction and has struggled with her life on Earth. This Kara is angrier, more apt to pick up a spear, readier to fight.

I suppose my Supergirl lies somewhere in the middle. But this is a solid issue for our title hero. So all I have to do now is roll with the plot lapses and time travel confusion.

The art on the issue is done by Paulo Siqueira who really brings a kinetic beauty to the story and that goes a long way too. He is a cheesecake artist at times but those moments aren't numerous and don't overly distract.

We start with a little rehash of the story. The Oracle continues to float in space, watching the universe unravel, and hoping that the super-family can undo what H'El has done.

Since the Oracle can't talk and seems objective, we get to hear a little bit more of the plot from a newly introduced herald. Unnamed, this herald talks about how luckily the time tsunami hasn't killed anybody yet, chewing through unformed solar systems.

And this Herald lets us know that "someone" will need to make a sacrifice. Of course we know that it's Superboy.

The art is beautiful here. The Herald has a nice design, echoing some of the visual elements of the Oracle. But in the end it is three pages out of 20 on rehash. Beautiful rehash but rehash.

Also, if the Oracle has Heralds like this, why not have sent one to communicate with the Supers the first time they met? Why not have this guy, who looks pretty tough, fight H'El? Can he make people Heralds? If so, why leave Faora limping around alone on the new Krypton? He 'trained' her for months. Maybe a Herald could have talked to the family instead of the Oracle possessing and almost killing Superboy.

 I suppose this is one of those elements I shouldn't think about too much.

Now there are parts of me that still is struggling with the multiple timelines we are dealing with in this story. This part of the story seems to be the easiest. In the distant past, Supergirl is trying to stop the clones from inflicting some wound to Krypton which hastens the cataclysm.

Last issue we saw Kara defeat a bunch of clones. Before she can catch her breath, H'El arrives, wielding a chunk of Kryptonite and threatening to kill his beloved. She also is struggling with her mission which is to aid the destruction of her home.

This isn't the best opening panel for Supergirl, on her knees, in a submissive position, begging H'El that he doesn't need to kill her. But things get better. Still ...

Anyways, my main issue here is that chunk of Kryptonite he is wielding near her face. If you go back to H'El on Earth, Lobdell makes it absolutely clear that Kryptonite is pretty lethal. Kara has limited exposure and is fatally poisoned. Just holding it back then made her turn green and cracked. So shouldn't this chunk be weakening her already?

Luckily this scared Supergirl fades or was simply a ruse. She bashes him in the face and dashes off to arm herself.

Somehow, and this is where we need to take some leaps, Supergirl thinks that beating up 6 clones has accomplished her goal of starting their rebellion. Six clones. I don't know why she would think that. At least she wants to return to the present.

And thankfully, this is the last loving shot of Kara's bottom by Siqueira. I was worried it would be a theme throughout the issue.

Next leap.

We see Superman hanging from a flagpole as he did on the last page of Superman #0. He seems happy to have met his mother even if he knows he has to help bring about Krypton's destruction.

Except .... we ended last issue with him in Jor-El's lab, strapped to a table, and weakened from radiation poisoning. Lara was trying to figure out who he was and how he got into the El house. So how did we get here?

Anyways, for some reason his black Krypton suit changes into the red and blue Earth uniform. It has to mean that the end of this story, his return to Earth, is nearing.

Who is he speaking to here? Any guesses?

Surprisingly, my favorite part of the book is the Superboy/young Kara section. There is a lot happening here which is tight storytelling. Superboy actually sounds like a nice kid here, wondering how this Kara can become the angry, prejudiced Supergirl he knows. And Superboy and Kara note some of the 'Brainiac-based' tech that is in Argo City, Zor-El's attempt to save the place. It is good continuity and brings some elements of things I would want to see if there is a story on Krypton.

But which timeline is this?

Is this the original one? Before H'El has tampered things?

Remember, H'El is sent back in time months before the destruction of Krypton. He befriends Jor-El. He kills Jor-El. He befriend Jor-El again. Until finally a Jor-El is able to save Krypton ... the very impetus for this story! So is H'El on this Krypton right now? Has he gone back in time yet? (This is one week before the destruction so if H'El is helping Jor-El save the world you would think he would be here by now.)

Anyways ... I guess I have to assume that this is the original, unspoiled timeline.

This is confusing ... right?

And then an interesting wrinkle. The Eradicator, now the embodiment of Krypton's entropy, can't be killed by being perforated with shrapnel as Superboy did last issue.

The Eradicator again returns to kill Kara. And Superboy doesn't have many options to defeat such a being and save Supergirl in this time. He resorts to doing 'something stupid' and kicking the Eradicator through Kon's boom tube home, sending the Eradicator to Earth and stranding Superboy on Krypton.

This is the Superboy I want to read. He is a stand up hero, defending Kara, and then being unpredictable for the win. He is likable here! I'll even forgive him for TK'ing a shard of metal into the Eradicator's throat (a killing move). You can't kill entropy.

I wonder why the Eradicator is concentrating so much on killing Kara when we know another child escapes the death of Krypton as well. I guess it is another thing I just have to accept.

Anyways, if Superboy is stranded on Krypton, his boom tube gone, maybe he is doomed to die on Krypton.

And then the really odd part of the story and perhaps the biggest thing I need to just roll with.

After the Eradicator leaves, H'El shows up to kill Kara and Superboy in this timeline as well.

So one week before Krypton's destruction, H'El is fighting Kon.
And hundreds of years before the destruction, H'El is fighting Kara.

That resonance somehow merges the damage done to H'El. So when Kara slashes him with a spear in the distant path, he bleeds in Argo City. This convergence weakens H'El. I know ... another leap.

And then another interesting wrinkle. It turns out that one of the clones Kara defeated was their leader Kon. (Huh, maybe she did suppress the rebellion.) And since she was the victor, the clones now fight for her.

In fact, the entire clone army starts to mobilize to fight. And then Kara picks up a spear and leads them. How ironic, that this group of people who she vilified, who she hates, she now leads!

Overall, I will say, that there are a lot of things I just need to roll with here. The blip in Superman's storyline and the timeline convergence on H'El are the ones that bothered me the most.

But the thing was, overall, this was something of an entertaining issue. We get to see a strong and sort belligerent Supergirl standing up to H'El and fighting for something. We get a likable Superboy doing what's right. And best of all, we get a glimpse into the pre-destruction Kara, a smart young woman who notices the Brainiac tech and wonders how it got there. A grateful Kara who hugs Kon after he saves her from the Eradicator. You know what all that is? Characterization!

I think Siqueira's art shines here because it is both beautiful, but with a layer of grime which works in these battle scenes.

The biggest question now? Can this storyline be wrapped up in a satisfying manner in just 20 pages of Superman to go.

Overall grade: B

I know .... a B!!

Review: Superboy #25

Superboy #25 was released this week, the second part of Krypton Returns, the sequel to H'El on Earth. It is a sort of strange crossover mostly because we know much of the ending. Krypton has to explode. And Superboy, our titular character, is going to die.

The book is plotted by Scott Lobdell but scripted by regular Superboy writer Justin Jordan, ex-Supergirl scribe Michael Alan Nelson, and Lobdell. I can't help to believe that the mix of talent here has smoothed out some of my expected dialogue woes.

And I found the format a little interesting as well. I assumed that with each Super having their own 'mission' in the past, that each issue would be dedicated to the title character. But instead of this whole issue being Superboy's mission, we look in on all the characters, keeping the entire story moving forward. I suppose this makes a little more sense, keeping readers engaged in the entire story. It also means that Superboy is only in a small portion of his own book.

Ed Benes is on art and I will admit I haven't seen his art in a while. His style seems just a bit rougher than I am remember. He inks his own pencils here which might explain things. The books I bought with him on art (Supergirl, Birds of Prey) had Alex Lei on inks.

I have lots of worries about this overall story. I will admit this issue was better than I expected although there were a couple of things that struck me as wrong.

As in H'El on Earth, Superboy actually gets some of the better bits of the story, acting like a hero. His mission is to go back in time so Kara gets sent to Earth so that the timeline where she stabs H'El with Kryptonite plays out.

He thinks what I am thinking.

I am not really clear on exactly what the point of this is.

What timeline is Superboy in? Is it the timeline where H'El saves Krypton? Because if H'El has saved Krypton, Zor-El wouldn't be making a rocket to begin with. We are told this scene takes place a week before Krypton explodes ... so we know it isn't the re-written H'El timeline.So already I am a little confused.

The only explanation is that the H'El/Jor-El save is a last second thing. Thus, everything would be proceeding as before ... including the Zor-El rocket. But if Jor-El saved the planet before 'a week before' than we are on the other timeline.

I don't even know if I understand what I am writing.

So I am hoping for some more explanation here.

And then there is this new wrinkle. This is one of those things that on first blush seems a little off.

The new Eradicator in the New 52 is a living embodiment of Entropy. But he was born in the heart of Krypton and is hell-bent on making sure that Krypton explodes. And for some reason, he decides to attack Kara. Luckily, Kon is there to protect her.

All right, now I have a lot of questions.

Is this some Kryptonian that has been transformed and is insane? Or is there really a physical embodiment of Krypton's destruction?

Is he the embodiment of Entropy (like the Time Trapper)? Or just Krypton's entropy?

Is he made of Kryptonite?

And why attack Kara? Unless he wants to kill Kara to stop her from going back in time to stop her from stabbing H'El so that he can't go back in time and save the planet? Whew. Why not attack H'El instead?

I hope Lobdell explains this (although he often doesn't do that, asking the readers to simply 'go with the flow). Because whenever I have this many questions, the story won't work unless I get some answers. At least I know why Kon was sent back a week before the planetary destruction (assuming we are on the non-H'El-saving timeline); the Eradicator was going to kill her.

I actually liked the old idea of the Eradicator.

I also wanted to point out that there is a lot of indicia these days, tagging all the supers as created or based on Siegel and Shuster. I wonder if Siegel would want to be associated with this Superboy.

Lobdell has always treated Supergirl poorly in his stories and this doesn't change here. I am trying read the Supergirl parts with a less jaundiced eye but it is hard. I am expecting the worst so even small slights seem to stand out.

Kara is sent back to the Clone Rebellion to try to stop some portion of a battle called Sky Core which would make Krypton explode earlier than anticipated. The Oracle plops her into the middle of a group of clones. We have read how Kara (and I assume most Kryptonians) considers the clones as abominations. Here they are shown to be crude, almost sub-human beings. Laden down with weapons, speaking in broken phrases, they immediately try to kill her.

Supergirl has always wanted to 'go home' so here, trying to assure Krypton eventually blows up, she considers herself a destroyer. More Supergirl angst.

I do think the way the clones are shown is a decent wrinkle. Maybe they are unstable, violent creatures. I assumed the point of this mission was to show Kara her prejudice. Instead, it might verify her feelings.

Maybe I am old-fashioned. I like to think of my Krypton as a bit more Utopian, a nice place to live.

As Kara engages the pack of clones, she thinks back to battle training she got from her Aunt Lara. Here Lara intends to strand Kara in the middle of nowhere with a broken vehicle unless Kara can get the spare power cables in Lara's backpack. It is obviously an exercise. But do I really need Lara to hand Kara a knife and say 'get them from me'. Do I need Lara to say 'Kryptonians are always at war'?

It really is just another example of the dark nature of the DCU. Here, an aunt gives her niece a weapon and asks tells the niece to attack her. And that is because the world they live on is such a dangerous place.

No wonder this Supergirl is so angry and isolated.

And then we get to the Superman mission. Now he has been sent back in time to months before Krypton's destruction. Remember his mission is to stop H'El at H'El's 'moment of success'. So I guess if Kal is successful then Kon is in the normal timeline where the planet dies. Wha ..?

Kal ends up in his father's lab and gets smacked around by his mother. Luckily his armor morphs to reveal the El crest halting the brawl.

In another decent wrinkle, Superman is weakened by radiation poisoning. Maybe his cells are being effected by the Kryptonite simmering in the planet core as it nears destruction?

We head back to Kon's mission. Of all the supers, he is the least effected by the change in environment. His telekinesis isn't effected by a red sun. He uses his powers to perforate the Eradicator. I have to assume the 'spirit of Entropy' isn't bound to one body. But for the time being this form is down for the count.

The one moment that I really liked was this one. As Kara notes the quakes are worsening, Kon knowingly just says 'yeah.' He knows what those quakes mean.

The panel works well. It is dark evoking the funereal mood. Kon is looking down sadly. But best of all, the bottom of the panel seems to just fade away, adding a sense of loss or that things are ending. I know it is smoke from the Eradicator ... but it works. Art and words complementing each other.

Meanwhile, back in Kara's mission, she wakes up to find that she, even without powers, was able to battle all the clones and defeat them. She is a bit battered but she is victorious.

Did she kill them? I hope not.

But she doesn't get far before you-know-who shows up.

That's right, we finally see H'El.

Remember, he has time travel abilities. So going back in time centuries before Krypton's explosion is child's play. So how will a powerless Supergirl fight him?

Time travel stories are always dizzying. And moving the three characters into three different times makes it more confusing. And wondering which timeline is the 'true' timeline versus any of the myriad of ones altered by H'El makes it even more befuddling.

And I still don't quite know why the Oracle didn't just send the Supers back together to fight H'El when he arrives on Krypton, before Jor-El can even save him. Isn't there an easier solution?

Despite all the questions, I suppose this was an okay issue, moving this story forward on all threads, and with only a couple of odd moments. The Benes art is pretty slick. I don't know if this story will end well ... or will even be comprehensible. But if I can look past the 'why' questions and the 'when' questions, I can appreciate this as a middle chapter. It does what it is supposed to do.

Overall grade: B-

Review: Action Comics Annual #2

Action Comics Annual #2 came out this week, the first part of Krypton Returns, Scott Lobdell's sequel to H'El on Earth.

Now my issues with H'El on Earth are well documented on this site. It was muddled, with plot holes and was near incomprehensible in some places. And, of course, Supergirl was treated horribly in that arc. The middle chapter, Superman 23.3 H'El #1, wasn't strong either. It was a jumbled mess of an origin as we are told that cell samples that made their way through the universe gained omnipotence and intelligence. Lobdell has often said that the reader simply needs to go with the flow, ignoring things that make no internal sense or aren't explained and I'm not surprised that he asks for that. Because a lot isn't explained and there is much which makes little sense.

I tried my best to go into this issue with an open mind. But I bought it with some trepidation wondering if this story would be any different. Would it make sense? Would there be holes or leaps in the plot that are hard to comprehend? Would Supergirl be treated better?

Sadly, the truth is there was no difference. The issue seems to stumble along, the plot clunkily pushing forward rather than smoothly rolling out.  It is loud and brash. There is a lot that I have to simply accept as a reader as it doesn't make much sense. And outside of one nice moment between Kara and Kal, Supergirl is treated poorly, cold and bratty and ultimately immature.

On the other hand, the art in places is quite lovely. I know I like Rocafort more than others but his art shines here, the crazy panels and page compositions working with the chaos of the story.  And Dan Jurgens fill in pages are fine.

The story starts with Superman witnessing a Temporal Tsunami destroying an uninhabited galaxy. Planets are destroyed and suns extinguished. A portal appears and he steps through it. He suddenly finds himself standing in front of the Oracle with Supergirl and Superboy.

Immediately we see how Lobdell is going to proceed. Supergirl icily lets it be known she isn't happy Superboy is there. Funny how Superman and Superboy are looking up and she is looking down. I get the feeling that Lobdell doesn't like Supergirl. She seems more interested in shunning Superboy rather than what brought them together.

Remember, Mike Johnson had her beg H'El to spare Superboy's life, realizing life is sacred, in the Supergirl chapter of H'El on Earth.

The Oracle points to a nearby planet and the trio realize that they are suddenly in orbit above ... wait for it ... Krypton. Apparently, the accumulated yellow sun energy allows Superman and Supergirl to survive in space under the red sun.

Of course, Supergirl acts impulsively. She is thrilled that H'El (the guy she loved then hated then tried to kill) was successful in saving the planet. She tries to fly 'home' but is stopped by Superman. She then is angry with him for not letting her be happy about the return of the planet.

It is clear this is a 'new' Krypton with 25-odd years of time having passed. When the three are attacked by a Kryptonian warship, even Supergirl has to agree they can't just fly down. Of course, she does so icily once again.

We are 9 pages in and she already has 2 icy word balloons and has acted bratty and impulsive.

The Oracle teleports the three to a Kryptonian moon where we get several pages of exposition. First, the Oracle 'possesses' Superboy and fills in some of the details of what has happened.

H'El learned that he was nothing but cells on a ship. He decides he will rule Krypton. But Krypton is doomed. So he keeps going back in time, trying to change details. Remember he had killed Jor-El in Superman #23.3. He undoes that until finally one of the many timelines of Jor-El he actually figures out how to stop the planet from exploding.

I already have said that I think H'El's origins are rubbish. So nothing new there.

But there is something mythic about Krypton being doomed to die. The fact that Lobdell has one Jor-El figure out how to save the planet sort of cheapens the life of the 'real' Jor-El. It means that the DCU Jor-El was a failure for not figuring out how to stop the planet blowing up. What is a hero's story for saving Kal-El now becomes an 'honorable mention'. Why wasn't he more like that Jor-El?

During each of these dry runs, H'El murdered anyone who stands in his way. He has corrupted the timestream so much that it is lashing out with the destruction we saw earlier.

You know who doesn't care about all that destruction and death? Supergirl apparently. She doesn't see what the big deal is. After all, she got her world back. She actually says they should be throwing H'El a parade. Remember, the H'El she loved then hated then tried to kill.

 Isn't that supremely immature? Selfish? Un-heroic?

The Oracle's possession almost burns out Superboy. Supergirl has to slap Superboy's body to shock Kon into regaining control.

Then Lobdell has Faora come out of the shadows to finish the story. In this new timeline, the Oracle educated and trained Faora to be his mouthpiece.

So why possess Superboy at all if you teleported the family to the moon to be near your acolyte? It is one of those meaningless plot wrinkles that was probably put in just so Supergirl can smack Superboy. Because Faora picks up right where the Oracle left off.

It turns out that H'El took over Krypton and made it a horrible war-like world. He has made half the population slaves and the other half military troops. The place looks more like Apokolips than Krypton.

Of course, Kara remembers the 'other' Faora and is rude to this one, vowing to make Faora pay for her crimes and questioning the veracity of what she is saying now.

Are you sensing a pattern here? Supergirl isn't very nice in this book.

The Super-family gets to witness this new hostile Krypton first hand. eeking over the bend they see soldiers forcing the weak into manual labor under the threat of violence.

Superboy falls back to the tried-and-true 'I am a living weapon' mode, attacking the soldiers and apparently perforating them with telekinetic bolts. Superboy the killer.

And then the inexplicable and needlessly complex plot twist.

To stop H'El from saving Krypton and ruining the universe by weakening the time stream, the heroes need to split up to three key moments in the past. Supergirl heads to the clone wars. Superboy needs to make sure Supergirl gets to Earth so she can be around for this moment (because that makes perfect sense in a time stream where Krypton doesn't blow up). And Superman needs to stop H'El.

Seems like a sort of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers plot right ... overly complicated and easily thwarted. Why not go back in time and stop H'El from irradiating his cells preventing him from doing anything?

Remember, on this world, the events of Krypton's destruction didn't happen. Why would Zor-El be making a rocket to begin with?? 

Taking Faora at her word, they prepare to dive into the portals.

Okay, it isn't all bad.

This is a scene I think most Supergirl fans have been waiting for and seems apt after the 'find happiness' pledge at the end of the Cyborg Superman story.

She apologizes for being difficult and thanks him for trying to help her.

Okay, great sentiment.

But how do you corroborate this attitude with the 'hooray H'El, hate Superboy, I don't care how many people died as long as Krypton is back' attitude from earlier in this issue?!

I am happy this scene happened. I am shocked that Scott Lobdell wrote it. Why does he write her so awfully everywhere else?

Once we go back in time, Dan Jurgens take over on art. We get to see a couple of pages of each of the members on their side adventures, I did like this scene the most as Kara tries to figure out who Superboy is (he is wearing the family crest) as she sneaks out of the house with a antigrav harness. Looks like she has always had a thing for the kneeless boots.

But there are other things to see in the other side scenes.

Supergirl is basically powerless in the past having been exposed to yellow sunlight for less time that Superman.

And Superman meets Lara Van-El. Not Lara Jor-El. Lara Van-El. In this new timeline, it seems Lara did not marry Jor-El. So maybe Kal doesn't exist here. Yet another time travel story conundrum.

The issue ends with H'El vowing revenge and death on the Superfamily. He looks back in time and sees the family interacting with the Oracle. He still seems to be pining for Kara, loving her but feeling betrayed. Remember, the girl he lied to and hit.

Anyways, if H'El is so obsessed with Kara, why hasn't he used his time bending powers or his planetary clout to woo her or marry her in the new timeline? It, again, is a sort of nonsensical plot thread since H'El has control over reality right now.

Anyways, I tried my best ... I tried ... to see the bright spots in this issue. The Rocafort art is slick. The scene where Supergirl and Superman reconcile is very nice. Lara Van-El is an interesting wrinkle.

But so much of this issue seems strained and worrisome. Supergirl being a selfish brat. Superboy killing. An unnecessary complicated plot. A lot of exposition. It doesn't exactly flow.

And so Krypton Returns begins. I knew I should have been worried after all.

Overall grade: C-

Sales review: September 2013

September was Villains' Month at DC Comics, another gimmick-y kind of month with 3D covers and one shots for the bad guys. And over on ICv2, the sales numbers have been released. Here is a link to the top 300 comics for the month: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/26892.html As always, there is great breakdown of the month's sales there so please visit the site.

I have mixed feelings about the month for any number of reasons.

I am pretty sick of gimmicks that try to bring in dollars by enticing completists or speculators. This month with the allocated lenticular covers seemed to scream 'money grab'. I couldn't care less about 3D covers if the story is lousy. And several of the lenticular covers were subpar with the background characters blurry.

And, unfortunately, the quality of the books (which I suppose is true of any month) was variable. Many of these stories were simple one-offs, something that didn't necessarily need to be told at this point or in this depth. Because of the covers (and I wonder deadline pressures), the creators names weren't on the cover making it difficult to follow writers or artists who I like.

Lastly, as this was something of a dash for cash, DC flooded the market with characters/titles that were known commodities, forsaking their minor titles completely. In a month designed to have completists collect every title, wouldn't this have been a nice time to bolster those titles with a gimmick cover. There is no denying that Action Comics #23.1 Cyborg Superman was the Supergirl book of the month. It is clear Earth 2 #15.1 Desaad was clearly the Worlds' Finest book of the month. Why not throw those middle titles a bone?

So while there were some very good issues in the group (Bizarro, Doomsday, Killer Frost, Parasite, Ra's Al Ghul), overall I was pretty tepid on the month. Of course, I am lukewarm about Forever Evil, Evil is Relative, and lots of other stuff too.

Unfortunately, I don't think that my concerns of sketchy quality, silly gimmicks, and poor publicity for lower selling books will matter to DC.

Because the gimmick worked.

DC took in 40.4% of the comic dollars last month, compared to Marvel’s 28.5%.


Comics are a business and Villains' Month was a successful venture for DC.

There isn't a Supergirl issue to track sales-wise so I thought I would take a look at the top selling Superman related villains' books.

Not surprising given the popularity of Batman these days, Batman Superman #3.1 Doomsday was the highest selling Superman book in the month. I do wonder if readers looking for Batman or Superman or even a mention of them were happy with the book. This was a World Of Krypton story, a Supergirl story more than anything. I really loved that issue (despite more psychological warfare on Kara).

And Action Comics #23.1 Cyborg Superman was the biggest selling pure Superman book. Of course, this was also a Supergirl story.

Should I be happy that Kara-related stories were the top sellers? Or should I think of it as a lost opportunity for a Supergirl book to sell higher?

The lowest selling Superman books were H'El and Metallo.

I am not surprised about H'El, a character whose initial splash in the DCU was a terrible and incomprehensible story. And now we have an even more inscrutable origin issue!

Metallo was a fine story if somewhat pedestrian.

Still, 34K in sales is more than Supergirl or Superboy.

Let's hope that this 'month off' doesn't make sales on the dropped titles sink even more.

Review Superman #23.3 H'El

I have been pretty blunt in my assessment of the arc H'El on Earth which ran through the super-titles several months ago. It was at times inscrutable. The characters were often written in ways that did not jibe with their personalities. H'El had little or no back story, little or no description of his powers and there was little discussion about how he was accomplishing his plot. Despite the heroes' efforts, H'El accomplishes his goals. And, as I have said over and over, Supergirl really drew the short straw, being played as an overly emotional, ignorant patsy who tries to kill the villain in the end. Suffice it to say, I wish H'El was even farther in my rear view mirror.

Then I heard that Scott Lobdell was writing the sequel to H'El on Earth called Krypton Returns. And the first chapter would be a H'El origin story in Superman #23.3 H'El. The announcement didn't exactly thrill me. H'El on Earth was a disaster. Why would I want a sequel this quickly? And with Lobdell driving the ship, including co-writing the Supergirl issue, I have to worry that Supergirl will be mistreated again.

H'El #1 does give us some of H'El's origins, although it adds a bunch of questions as well. And it also piles on the latest DCU trope - that Superman's enemies are often completely obsessed with Jor-El. First we had Cyborg Superman/Zor-El. Then we had Brainiac. Then we had General Zod. And now we have H'El. It is pretty strange to see so many villains have this psychological flaw.

Perhaps what is worst of all is that Jor-El gets sullied a bit in this story as well. It was bad enough he built a mind control machine in Lobdell's World of Krypton arc. Here, he is cocky and condescending. He's the smartest man in the room and he is going to let you know it by putting you down if you disagree with him. This is a young Jor-El but a far cry from the noble and staid scientist I am used to.

Dan Jurgens and Ray McCarthy provide the art for the book and they bring a quiet crispness to the story, a sort of easy and comfortable art that lets the story unfold nicely.

The story starts where H'El on Earth ended, with a wounded H'El being discovered by and cared for by Jor-El. Physically incapacitated by psionically roaming, H'El nurses his physical wounds.

I have to laugh at H'El's pining over Kara's 'betrayal' when he lied to her and physically abused her. So the fact he still is questioning how she could reject his love is ludicrous.

I also think that it is amusing that Jor-El talks about Kryptonite so matter-of-factly since we know Kryptonite was created by the force of the planetary explosion. Did he just name the substance right there? How do people know what he is talking about?

It is small things like these inaccuracies and inconsistencies that add up and detract from my ability to enjoy the story.

At least we finally get some understanding of how H'El got his powers. He is definitely Kryptonian. And his cells are crackling with many different types of galactic energy. As a result, he has psionics and telekinesis and time travel powers as well as the usual complement of strength, etc. It opens up some possibilities for Superman and Supergirl, maybe even explaining her solar flash power.

Since those energies aren't on Krypton, H'El must have gone out into space. And since Kryptonite could only be created by a planetary explosion and H'El had some, he must also be from the future. But when?

It is one thing for Jor-El to be happy about his theories. It is another for him to tell his partner Orla he doesn't care to hear from people who disagree with him.

And then we get some Jor-El love.

When Jor-El runs off to the Science Council to discuss his findings, H'El follows along psionically.

His talk of Jor-El almost sounds like a bad love poem:
"The smartest among them
Are forever in the shade
That is his blinding sun."

I can imagine Jor-El standing in front of Brainiac, H'El, and Zor-El and saying 'you're all pretty!'

Jor-El then heads to the council and tells them everything - about the Kryptonite - meaning Krypton is doomed. Of course, this is the inherent problem with time travel ... for all Jor-El knows H'El is from a millenia in the future. So without concrete evidence, it seems a bit foolish to try to whip the council into action now.

One interesting piece is the council saying that Jor-El is only on there out of deference to his father. Have we ever heard much about Jor-El's father? And how interesting that it would be Jor-El on the council, not the elder Zor-El. Even more familial jealousy.

Now here is the most cringe-worthy panel in the book.

Remember, H'El is trying to stop Krypton from exploding. Jor-El just gave the council their first warning about Krypton's destruction only to be rebuffed.

H'El thinks about killing the council members ... but he has to be careful not to have his 'actions alter the future.;

Ummmmm....

Your whole purpose is to alter the future! That is all why you are in the past!!! 

It is ridiculous to have him say that.

Despite not knowing when Krypton will explode (remember it could be any time in the future), Jor-El decides to push forward a secret project he is working on. He decides that he will create a sort of time capsule of Kryptonian artifacts ... as well as some Kryptonian cells ... and send them into a whirlwind tour of the galaxy to see what will happen when the cells absorb all the different energies. (One of the 'artifacts' looks suspiciously like the Codex skull from Man of Steel.)

Jor-El tells Zod of his plans and Zod doesn't actually try to stop him from going through with the plans.

H'El, there astrally, sees the 'time capsule ship' and realizes it is 'his' ship. The ship's name is House of El ... truncated it is H'El. The memories H'El being sent off by the masses, as a life of an astronaut, as a life as friend with Jor-El ... none of that actually happened.

That's right, everything was a lie. Suddenly he sees the truth.

Enraged and irrational, H'El jumps out of the medical bay, slaughters the scientists and guards around him, heads to Jor-El's lab, and kills Zod! He then alters the cells on the ship to be his cells. And so we finally see how H'El gained his powers. It is his cells which drink in all the other energies.

So he creates himself. Ahh ... time travel paradoxes.

But ......

But somehow cells in a petri dish grow and form a fully grown man? One that learns Kryptonese? Was he ever a toddler?  Where did those pants come from? Why does he think he lived on Krypton? Why travel the universe to get to Earth? Why not use his temporal powers to go back in time right then?

And why carve the backwards S into your chest?

This origin makes less sense than the astronaut one.

And then he suddenly changes his tune. He doesn't want to save Krypton ... he wants to rule it.

He kills Jor-El! And then, I assume, heads back in time to start to take over in the past.

So lots of things need to be fixed in this new mangled timeline, explaining why the upcoming story is happening. Interestingly, the rewrite could also be a reboot. Maybe time gets changed so Zor-El isn't so awful. Maybe Jor-El will have less of an air of superiority.

I doubt any of that will happen. But this opening chapter doesn't make me think that Krypton Returns will be any better ... or easier to comprehend ... than H'El on Earth.

Maybe, if I am lucky, when the timeline is righted, H'El will never have existed!

I couldn't be that lucky.

Overall grade: C-