Bernard Chang Art

A while back on Twitter, artist Bernard Chang ran a couple of contests to promote his work on the book Demon Knights.

The first promotion involved Demon Knights #16. If you purchased 6 copies of the book and could prove it on Twitter with a picture of you holding the issue and a scan of the receipt, Chang would send you one of the original art pages. There was even a drawing to see who would get the splash pages.

Now I am a big Bernard Chang fan from his work on Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and DC Comics Presents ... before his Demon Knights stuff. So I was going to do it. Alas, when I got to the comic store that afternoon, only 5 copies were left on the shelf so I was shut out.

The next month, Chang ran a different contest. If you bought 2 issues of Demon Knights #17 (with the same caveats of proof of purchase), he would send you a panel or 2 of original art. Chang was going to cut up his art pages to send to fans. Now I thought that was a great way to try to drum up some publicity for a great (if low-selling and underappreciated) title. Chang even asked that you give the second issue to someone who doesn't read the book ... a sort of 'pay it forward' move.

I bought the two issues and sent along the proof. I told Chang my favorite Knight was Sir Ystin and asked, if possible, that I get a Shining Knight panel.

Well the package arrived 2 weeks ago and inside was this 2-panel 1/3 of a page. That is 2 great panels of Sir Ystin, the steed Vanguard, and Exoristos. What an absolute treasure! Fantastic.

But there was more ...

Included inside was an entire page of Supergirl #62, one of the James Peaty books beautifully drawn by Chang.

He said he recalled my reviews of Supergirl and wanted to give me something of that run.

What a great page showcasing so much of that arc. We have 2 panels of Linda Lang walking with Jaime (Blue Beetle) Reyes and Damien (Robin) Wayne. We also have 2 flashback panels of Supergirl walking through the villain's wrecked lab coming across a 'New Kryptonian' who was being dissected.

Just a great page.

But there was more!

There was also a page from Supergirl #61, most noted for her confronting the 2 boys who were trying to get her picture and phone number by placing themselves in harm's way. There is also a panel of Alex regarding the robots he sent to fight Supergirl, returned to him in a flaming ball of wreckage.

I have to thank Bernard Chang for sharing such goodies with me. The Shining Knight panels alone were a great surprise in the mail. But tack on 2 great pages of Supergirl art and I was giddy!

Nick Spencer On His Supergirl Run

In the aftermath of the Andy Diggle and Joshua Hale Fialkov, other creators who have been editorially squashed by DC Comics have started to come out of the woodwork and fan the flames. One of them was Nick Spencer who lasted one half of one issue on Supergirl, here on  Supergirl #60.

On his blog, Spencer wrote about his proposed story arc. Here is that link:
http://nickspencerly.tumblr.com/post/45862702793/by-the-amazing-amy-reeder-the-unpublished-cover

And here are the major parts of that post and the proposed story.

The idea for the story was pretty simple: Kara learns how to be a leader. She had, to that point, been almost exclusively used as either a solo character, or in a supporting role on a team. I felt like someone wearing that ‘S’ on their chest would find people looking to them for answers when things got bad.

The story beats that really stand out, to me:
I know I wanted to have a scene where the fight gets really hectic, and Impulse runs away, with Kara really calmly and sympathetically talking to her about it, just the two of them, in the aftermath. That was supposed to be the big moment that Kara comes into her own.

The entire team (except for Kara) were gonna get captured, and Kara would go to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman for advice— and from there, putting together ANOTHER team to rescue them (I forget who all was on that one- Black Alice, Klarion, Shining Knight, Arrowette, I think).

The whole thing would climax at the launch party for the Flyover app, and the last scene was Impulse pulling Damian onto the dancefloor.

So I don't know exactly what here was so objectionable to the editors. My guesses? The villain was to be a Luthor/Brainiac hybrid which might have been being saved for Superman. Or maybe this story, creating a team, losing a team, talking to the Trinity, creating a new team, saving the day was deemed too cumbersome?

With blood in the water, every major comic site covered Spencer's news and used it to prove DC editorial overreach existed back then ... even though there was not as much news of editorial overreach back then. We didn't hear these stories then which makes me think something must have been amiss for this to have happened. Now I do fault DC for giving the reins to Spencer too early if they hadn't heard all the details of his story. Isn't that the role of editors? 

As for that issue, the one thing that struck me about it was that a lot of time was spent showcasing not only 'Alex' (the villain) but his college friends. It seemed overly long and wasted space, almost like Spencer needed to show how pithy and snappy his dialogue could be. Those kids weren't part of the big story so why do I care that one of them has a new girlfriend?

Anyways, given the feeding frenzy against DC (something I am taking part of) I am not surprised to see how many people have come out and said 'I would have read that story about Kara becoming a leader!'

Yeah?? Where were you back then??

Because the truth is, James Peaty's story, which picked up after Spencer left, did just that. So they should go back and get the back issues because there are some great moments in Peaty's story. And the art by Bernard Chang is so beautiful. I have reviewed those issues (Supergirl #60-64) on this site so folks can go to those posts if they want. But let me give you some highlights.

Here is Damien Wayne telling Jaime that he is listening to Kara because she has proven to be a true leader. She has passed his internal test of earning respect. Damien!!

And then in the battle with Dubbilex (the stand in for the Lex/Brainiac villain), Miss Martian admits that she looked up to Supergirl ... was in awe of her.

Best yet, the whole counterattack against Dubbilex has been masterfully orchestrated by Supergirl. Despite all his intelligence and planning, he is soundly beaten by Kara. He was simply 'outsmarted'.

Look at how strong Supergirl looks as she sort of rubs in her victory.

And in the end, Supergirl knows she is ready. She is the leader of her generation and ready to take a place in the majors.

So if you are saying 'I missed out on a great story' because of Nick Spencer's post, go find this arc.

Anyways, hopefully DC gets there act together and lets creators breathe a bit.

2011 Year In Review Part Three: Wrap-Up And Top Ten Supergirl Moments

The new year is just around the corner and that means that 'Best of' lists for 2011 are everywhere. And, as I have done the last three years, I will join in the fun by looking back at the year and picking the Top Ten Supergirl moments that happened over 2011. Now I know I am long-winded usually ... and I am reviewing a year ... so bear with me. This is a long post!

2011 was a crazy year for comics in general and it was no different for Supergirl. It was something of a wild ride.But one thing I have to say, she remained in the spotlight of the DCU, not only in comics but outside of comics as well. I haven't always been able to say that so any year I can, it has to be a good thing.

Supergirl remained an active topic in the merchandise world with no less than 4 statues solicited by DC Direct. While the Michael Turner mini-statue was in some ways a re-solicit, we also got a full size Adam Hughes Women of DC statue, an Amanda Conner based Women of DC bust, and a Supergirl portion of a Superman Family multi-statue. We even had a Polly Pocket Supergirl as well and Heroclix of Supergirl, Superwoman, and BizarroGirl. Obviously, she must be a pretty popular character to warrant such merchandising.

And in terms of other media, we learned that she will be part of the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network. She will be part of the Super Best Friends shorts, produced by Lauren Faust of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fame. That is a great way for the character to branch out to a new audience. Love the costume too.

But this post is about Supergirl in comics. In 2011, the 'old' Supergirl title had two major arcs. The first, by writer James Peaty and artist Bernard Chang, seemed to pick up right where Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle's run left off, with Supergirl still sort of reeling and regrouping from New Krypton, wondering about her place in the world. While the villain's motives were murky, the characterization of Kara was spot on making this a big success in my mind. The next arc by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist ChrisCross had a lighter feel to it, a bit more of a  fun and rollicking story. But in the end that feeling and the story's conclusion was perfect for it to be a capstone for that incarnation of Supergirl. And James Robinson and Paul Cornell had her play major parts in the adventures of the Justice League and the Reign of Doomsday.

And then the relaunch happened and we had another Kara crash land on Earth, feeling lost and alone and confused. Early publicity material made her sound unlikeable but so far so good as this Kara tip toes her way into the DCnU.

So with all that going on it was tough to pick my top ten moments. I had plenty of them. But here they are:

#10 - "She's Magnificent" - Superman/Batman Annual #5, James Robinson and Miguel Sepulveda

As blog friend John Feer often says 'there is nothing like some Kara-tharsis!' And the Reign of Doomsday was a perfect storyline for that sort of unbridled action where Supergirl got to cut loose. In this scene, after having just shaken off the anguish of Dark Supergirl (more on that later), Supergirl just lays the hammer down on Doomsday coming within a cat's whisker of defeating him. This was just great. And Miguel Sepulveda's art (aside from the high heeled boots which I really dislike) captures the moment perfectly.

But what really kicked this into the top ten over any other moment of strength is Batman's response when he sees Supergirl on the offensive. Grayson can only say 'She's magnificent' as he watches her batter Doomsday. I have to concur. She is. And I think James Robinson really loved her as a character as well.

#9 - "Super Intuition" - Supergirl #65, Kelly Sue DeConnick and ChrisCross

Kelly Sue DeConnick's short arc was a fun, up-beat story filled with laugh and love. It really was something of a breather after the somewhat heavier arcs that preceded it. This was Kara hanging out at college, meeting friends, and meeting a guy she was attracted to.

But DeConnick also put some Supergirl history into her story, sort of nods to the past. Stanhope was the school that Supergirl was visiting. And here we have a mention of super-intuition! Super-intuition was one of Kara's goofier and less defined powers of the Silver Age. So to see it again, even as a bit of a snark by Supergirl, was greatly fun. I appreciate any time creators recognize Supergirl's history and translate it to the current continuity.

#8 - "Grounded Facepalm" - Superman #713, Chris Roberson and Eddy Barrows

So I could probably write books about the problems that I had with Grounded as a storyline. In particular, J. Michael Straczynski's early issues were cringe-worthy, making Superman act like an elitist jerk more than a hero.

Handed the reins, Chris Roberson did his best to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Roberson's issues had Superman reconnecting with his friends and family and getting a better understanding of his role on Earth. That said, Roberson could have had Supergirl and Superboy play a bigger role in that psychological healing. Instead, we only have this brief moment from Superman #713 before a complete stranger helps Superman (lost opportunity there for Kara to help her cousin in my mind).

Still, I love this moment because it actually summed up my feelings for this arc. After several issues where Superman seems to be on the road to recovery he suddenly decides to stop being Superman out in the open. Kara's response is perfect ... the face palm. That is exactly how I felt that moment. I just wanted this arc to end, I wanted Superman to act like Superman again. And to have him take a step back had me rolling my eyes.

So plant that face in your palm Supergirl! I was right there with you!

#7 - "Bizarro Girl Action Comics #252 Redux" - Tiny Titans #42, Art Baltazar and Franco

I have gushed about Supergirl in Tiny Titans too many places to count. And this year was no different with Supergirl having several great moments in the book.

This panel stood out as the best of the best. Here BizarroGirl arrives on Earth. But this panel is clearly an homage to Supergirl's first appearance in Action Comics #252. Even the dialogue is a riff on that classic picture. As I said before, creator acknowledgments of Supergirl's history are greatly appreciated. I feel as if the creators recognize her and her history as meaningful when it is done. So this was wonderful.

But add to that that it is BizarroGirl arriving here just added another layer of awesome. She is a great character. And she is a new rogue for Kara and a remnant of the Gates/Igle run. I am glad that there is some permanence to the character.

It is sad to see this comic ending.

#6 - "Outsmarted" - Supergirl #64, James Peaty and Bernard Chang

In 'Good Looking Corpse', James Peaty had Supergirl facing off against Alex, the petulant, smarmy, and overconfident clone of Dubbilex. Alex dripped superiority, laughing in the face of pathetic humanity as he plotted.

So this was just a fantastic comeuppance by a Supergirl who had, over the course of the arc, realized that she is a leader, a worthy eventual successor of Superman, and finally in the big leagues. It is a different sort of Kara-tharsis, more subtle but almost more devastating. That is a powerful looking Supergirl, towering over the fallen Alex, almost gloating, as she says 'this must be a new experience for you .. exposed, powerless, outsmarted'. It is the most cutting insult she could give him. And it was Supergirl who did the outsmarting, beating him at his own game ... and maybe rubbing it in just a bit.

Now that is a great Supergirl moment.

#5 - "Big Brother" - Justice League #60, James Robinson and Daniel Sampere

The relaunch of the DCU meant the dissolution of James Robinson's Justice League. One thing I loved about that run was the relationship that Robinson set up between the Dick Grayson Batman and Supergirl. From the beginning Robinson said that they would have a big brother/little sister relationship, not a tawdry one.

Throughout the run it was great to see Dick take Kara under his wing, trying to get her to open up a bit, to befriend him, to trust him. And it was fun to see Supergirl become so protective of him, rushing to his defense a number of times while shouting 'Grayson'. It just seemed natural that Dick, who grew up in the shadow of a legend, tried to find his own way, and inherited a legacy would be the perfect confidante for Supergirl, someone who constantly compares herself to her cousin and finds herself lacking.

This hug, as the team is disbanding, was a quiet moment showcasing that familial love the two had. They'll always be there for each other. Hmmm, this would also be a good World's Finest comic too.

#4 - "Forgive Yourself" - Superman/Batman Annual #5, James Robinson and Miguel Sepulveda

One of the most compelling parts of Sterling Gates' run was the psychological fallout Kara suffered in the aftermath of New Krypton. She went missing. She cut her hair. She swore off being Supergirl. She was grieving on the inside, suffering survivor's guilt, and trying to figure out the best way she could shield herself from more pain as well as make sure she didn't cause anymore harm.

Those themes were re-examined by James Robinson when he had Kara again take on the mantle of Dark Supergirl. This wasn't the evil Dark Supergirl that was seen in the earliest Loeb/Churchill issues. This was a bratty and superficial Supergirl, someone trying hard to ignore her feelings but hiding behind a facade of irreverence. But it was clear that wasn't her.

In the Superman/Batman Annual #5, Dark Supergirl is told that she is dying. The only way to be cured is to save herself psychologically. She needs to shake off this phony persona of Dark Supergirl. She needs to accept who she is. And she needs to forgive herself. While many of these themes were seen in the BizarroGirl arc, I feel like emotional catastrophes don't just disappear. They can relapse. I thought Robinson handled those emotional themes well and did it in a novel way. When Supergirl forgives herself, rids herself of that guilt, she dons the classic blue costume and became the Kara we all love again.

#3 - "Respect From Damien" - Supergirl #62, James Peaty and Bernard Chang

I have talked about 'Good Looking Corpse' earlier in this post and in the honorable mentions post. In that arc, Supergirl has to come to the realization that she holds a pretty special place in the DCU, that she is a worthy successor of Superman and in his league. Kara was her own worst critic at times, the sign of a growing hero wondering where she was on the journey.

But another part of that analysis of her place in the DCU came externally in the form of respect from the other young heroes. So when Supergirl comes up with an intricate plan to defeat Alex, when she recruits Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, and Robin, they all fall in line behind her. So we hear how Miss Martian looked up to Supergirl, was in awe of her.

Perhaps the biggest compliment she could get was from Damian Wayne. Damian has always come across as someone who looks down on everybody as an inferior. He is someone whose respect you have to earn. And that doesn't come easy. Here he says that he is following her into battle because he has been watching her and she has 'passed the test'. Outside of Bruce, Dick, and maybe his mother, I don't know if he respects anyone. Add Supergirl to that short list. She is the leader of the next generation of heroes. I loved this scene.

#2 - "Don't You Forget About Me" - Supergirl #67, Kelly Sue DeConnick and ChrisCross

The announced end of the DCU allowed some creators to have a bit of closure with their characters. So whether it was Paul Cornell having Clark and Lois profess their love, or Bryan Q Miller having Steph say 'it's only the end if you want it to be', creators got the chance to have their characters say goodbye.

Kelly Sue DeConnick gave us a great moment of closure to the last incarnation of Supergirl. It isn't Supergirl that says goodbye to us, that asks us to remember her ... it's Linda. While Supergirl survived into the DCnU, it is unclear if Linda Lang did. And from a longevity point of view, Linda Lang is a blip on Supergirl's history, existing only 2+ years out of 50.

And Linda is a decent symbol for that incarnation of Supergirl. Early we saw that this was going to be a troubled Supergirl. She jumped from her rocket naked, she was brainwashed by Darkseid, she beat up other heroes, went Dark, beat up more heroes, complained about being a hero, wanted to rave dance instead of save people, was proud of sneaking into a bar as an underaged girl by wearing a tight shirt, wanted to kill Superman, gunned down her high school with her father, and grew crystal spikes from her body.

That was about as far from who Supergirl is as you could get.

And then Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle came on board, rehabilitated her character, acknowledged the prior bumps in the road but moved past them, set up the Linda Lang identity, and restarted Kara on the hero's journey. And within their run, and James Peaty's, and DeConnick's, Supergirl and Linda learned some hard life lessons but always grew from them, always strived to do what was right. And when she failed she dusted herself off and kept moving forward. These writers seemed to embrace the core of what makes Supergirl Supergirl, that need to do what's right, to help people, to embody hope.

It had been a while since I felt like the creators understood the character. Then I got 3 years of stellar stories. And then DC erased that Supergirl.

So thank you for this moment and this story Kelly Sue. And thank you Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle and James Peaty and Bernard Chang. And Matt Camp. And ChrisCross. Thanks for letting me read the true Supergirl again.

And don't worry Linda. I won't forget.

#1 - "Last Daughter Of Krypton" - Supergirl #1, Mike Johnson, Michael Green, and Mahmud Asrar

Whether you were for a reboot or against it, there is no denying that the DCnU relaunch, the New Fifty-Two, was the biggest event of the comic year.

And by extension, there is no denying that the relaunch of a new Supergirl has to be the top moment in 2011.

So what is this Supergirl going to be like? The early promo material described her as someone isolated, someone with no affection for humanity, someone more likely to fight with her friends, Hell on wheels ... so don't piss her off. Again, that just didn't sound like Supergirl to me, not what she has represented for this half century. I was admittedly worried ... and maybe even a bit perturbed given how far the last Supergirl had come. This seemed like a giant step backwards.

That said, so far in the comic, this Supergirl hasn't been that off-putting. She's confused. And sad. And angry.

But she stopped fighting when innocents were endangered. And she listened to Superman for a bit. I haven't seen the stark description of a disaffected hero in the book at all. While the jury is still out, as I said above so far so good.

Writers Mike Johnson and Michael Green have given me some optimism in the face of the unknown. And Mahmud Asrar's art has been amazing. I have hope that this Supergirl will soar just as high as the last one. But those are some pretty big shoes to fill.

And that's my Top Ten Supergirl moments for 2011. Please let me know if you think I'm off my rocker, or forget a major scene, or if you think I got the rankings wrong!

2011 Year In Review Part Two: Top Supergirl Moments: Honorable Mentions

I have to say that these end of the year reviews are both a lot of fun to put together and some of the more difficult posts to put together.

2011 was an interesting year for Supergirl. There were 2 creative teams on the old volume. There was the relaunch and the DCnU. She was the muscle in the Justice League and suffered through another bout of 'Dark Supergirl'-ness. She was a member of the Superman Family as it fought through the Reign of Doomsday. And she continued to pop up in other places like Tiny Titans, DC Retro-Active, and even the DC Universe Online Legends comics. It's great that Supergirl has been such an active character in the DCU.

And that made it unbelievably tough to cone down to just the Top Ten Moments. As in the past, I have some Honorable Mentions, the events that almost made the cut to Top Ten.

# 5 - 'Red Skies' - DC Retro-Active Superman 1980s
With the DCnU around the corner, DC put out a number of Retro-Active books, a look back at some of their key characters in the prior decades. Superman got a Retro-Active treatments for the 70s, 80s, and 90s and Supergirl appeared in the first two. It was great to see those older versions of Supergirl, both in attitude and costume, one last time.

Marv Wolfman wrote the 1980s Retro-Active and the story revolved around the Monitor testing Superman's will, his resolve to continue to fight when faced with overwhelming despair. Superman is shown all the parts of the grim and gritty DCU that would happen in the near future. And then he is shown the death of Supergirl in the Crisis. That was the key moment in testing Superman. Would the Man of Steel wilt in the face of Supergirl's death. It did the opposite, making Superman want to fight even harder.

In this scene, Superman calls Kara to talk after waking from the visions the Monitor barraged him with. I have to say, it was interesting to see Wolfman, the man who killed Supergirl, acknowledge that her death would be a monumentally huge event for Superman. And it was fun to see this Supergirl again, albeit briefly, hanging out in her pajamas and petting her cat.

#4 - 'Affection For Humanity' - Action Comics #904
The Reign of Doomsday was the last story arc for the old Superman and the old Action Comics. And I will admit, I enjoyed it more that I thought I would. It was a wild, action filled story with crazy fight sequences even if some of the plot points were muddled.

Supergirl had some very nice moments in Paul Cornell's issues, enough to merit a couple of honorable mentions. Throughout the arc, and in this scene, Supergirl is shown to be extremely strong and a leader. And she often voices her feeling about how she is fighting for more than just herself. She cares about her family and the people of Earth. She isn't going to let anything hurt them ... not if she can help it. And that includes even unstoppable villains like Doomsday. Just pure heroics here.

#3 - 'The Meaning Of Heroism' - Action Comics #904
Reign of Doomsday was also picking up on some of the aftermath of Grounded (which was churning to a close in Superman). In Grounded, Superman was constantly questioning himself ... his role on Earth, his duty to the people of Earth, his purpose. I love how Supergirl can see through all that nonsense and set Superman straight.

When Superman wonders if he should continue to be a role model to people if it sometimes leads to tragedy (like the death of the Eradicator). Supergirl states the obvious, personal sacrifice for the betterment of all is a good thing, it is what it means to be a hero. Of course that's a good thing!

The student has become the master here. Superman needed to shake off the angst he was carrying and move forward.

#2 - 'The New World's Finest' - Batgirl #23
In a short period of time and over a couple of key crossover issues, Steph Brown/Batgirl and Supergirl became very good friends. There was something pretty magical about their crossovers. They seemed so natural together, easy pals still learning the ropes of super-heroics and willing to team-up and learn together. There was joy in these issues. What a great new World's Finest.

In this scene, Batgirl was trying to break up a prison riot and interact with her father and knew she needed help and called on all her friends, including Supergirl. Supergirl wonders out loud if their teaming up should be a regular thing. I would have loved to see an annual cross-over between these two but sadly it won't happen in the DCnU, at least not anytime soon.

This scene was the favorite of blog friend Gene.

#1 - 'Know The Risks' - Supergirl #62
James Peaty had a tough task ahead of him, following Sterling Gates on Supergirl while trying to pick up the pieces of Nick Spencer's plots.  And yet, he and artist Bernard Chang put together a great arc. For me, the best part of this arc was just seeing a more mature Supergirl understanding what she needed to do and then going out and doing it. Yes, she was still her own worst critic in this arc, a part of still being on the hero's journey, but that didn't stop her from being a hero and being recognized as a leader by others.

This scene seemed to encapsulate so much of that. She understood that there was a major threat out there, she knew she needed lead other heroes against it, and she knew that there was some risk in facing off against this enemy. And yet, despite that, she forged ahead. Knowing the risk isn't belittling it. It means going in with open eyes against the threats ahead. This was a calculating Kara ready to do what was right no matter what. And that showed a more mature hero. One with an unshakeable resolve. This scene almost made the top ten.

And those are the 5 honorable mentions for the Top Supergirl Moments for 2011. Tomorrow, the year wrap up and the Top Ten Supergirl Moments in 2011!

Supergirl: Good Looking Corpse Trade

Remember back in September when this was posted in the DC solicits?

SUPERGIRL: GOOD-LOOKING CORPSE TP
Written by NICK SPENCER and JAMES PEATY
Art by BERNARD CHANG, CHRISCROSS and MARC DEERING
Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
On sale DECEMBER 7 • 176 pg, FC, $17.99 US
Someone is trying to kill the young heroes of the DC Universe in these stories from SUPERGIRL #60-67! Who is this villain, and how can Supergirl stop him? Maybe her friends can help – namely, Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, Static and Robin!

I don't know why Kelly Sue Deconnick wasn't mentioned in the credits (or why Nick Spencer got first billing given his small contribution here). But in the end, it doesn't matter. The trade was cancelled meaning anyone looking for it today at the comic store isn't going to find it.

Was it cancelled because the DC wanted to move away from the old DCU and embrace the DCnU? Did they not want to remind people of this Supergirl? Or did they just think sales wouldn't be strong enough to merit the collection?

Anyways, I was looking forward to rereading these stories in this format and considered this trade as a sort of final goodbye to that version of Kara Zor-El. Too bad.

Smorgasbord Tuesday !

There is a lot to cover over the next week - October solicits, creator interviews, and a lot of comics to review. So here are a some quick items while I get my thoughts together.

Marty Pasko was kind enough to visit the site and posted this on the DC Retro-Active post from a couple of months ago.

FYI, Supergirl appears in the '70s Retro-Active Superman title written by yours truly and drawn by Eduardo Barreto (with help from Christian Duce).

Martin Pasko

While I am thrilled to hear that Supergirl will be in the retro-active book (that most likely means the hot pants costume), I am floored that Marty Pasko came here! I loved Pasko's work growing up and look forward to this 70's flashback issue. Over on the DC Bloodlines blog, I recently reviewed a Dr. Fate story he did. Here is that link if interested: http://dcbloodlines.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-1st-issue-special-9-dr-fate.html
Here is the official DC solicit.

 DC Retroactive is an exciting event honoring the defining eras of DC's core heroes, featuring an original story by the legendary writers and artists who helped mold the characters! Martin Pasko revisits the Metropolis of the 1970s, telling an epic lost tale as Mr. Mxyzptlk returns for another go at The Man of Steel. Will he succeed this time around?

Supergirl writer James Peaty's new project 'The Ballad of Frank Sartre' is now up and running on the web. Here is the link: http://www.franksartre.com/index.html

I asked Peaty if he could give us some info about the book and this is what he wrote back:

The story's about Frank Sartre, a singer/performer in a version of reality somewhat different from our own. Frank's having a bit of a career renaissance, but parallel to this he's embroiled in a number of overlapping mysteries. Firstly, who is the mysterious woman that haunts his dreams? Secondly, what's his connection to a mysterious killer stalking the streets of his hometown, Cosmopolis. And, thirdly, what happened in his past that caused his band The 400 Blows to split up. Throw in some flying cars, a mind-altering super-narcotic, hot dames, evil doctors, cab-driving  gorillas, gangster pussy cats and a bloodhound crime reporter and you have - I think - a pretty fun comic book. Here's hoping other people agree!

Every Friday - around midday GMT - we'll be uploading at least four pages to the site, sometimes more, and the cost to the reader is absolutely nil.

I have read the first pages of the book and it looks like a great mash-up of film noir, Blade Runner, and Kirby's anthropomorphic animals. I also like that music plays an important role in the book. That seems to click. And what is better than free entertainment. Well worth checking out ... a much different and darker feel than the Supergirl stuff Peaty wrote.

Lastly, I wanted to again plug blog friend Valerie's Querl and Kara deviant art page. That site's latest coup is an article by Landry Walker about what the Kara/Querl relationship would have been like had Cosmic Adventures continued (maybe 'when Cosmic continues?'). Here is that link:
http://querl-and-kara.deviantart.com/blog/42258868/

The whole article is fantastic and Walker clearly gets the character of Supergirl, right down to the relationships she has. Here is a quote to whet the appetite:

 Come Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 9th Grade, she and Brainiac 5 will meet face to face for the first time (when looking at the time line in the proper order). Their relationship through the series is contentious and acerbic in many ways, as their ideologies conflict. But it’s this tension in the face of adversity that creates a bond between them. A bond that is cemented home when Brainiac 5 illogically chooses to sacrifice…

It is definitely worth reading in its entirety. So go visit!

Does The Comic World Really Want An Immature And Irresponsible Supergirl?

I have tried to remain optimistic or at least even-keeled about this DC Relaunch, specifically how it relates to Supergirl. But it is getting harder and harder to maintain that outlook. It is difficult when I read that the powers at DC seem to have no understanding of the character and are talking like they haven't read the book in the past couple of years.

The latest sound bite, and maybe the one that has put me over the edge was this one from the Manhattan DC Retail Roadshow. Here is Bleeding Cool's coverage:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/27/the-end-of-writing-for-the-trade-%E2%80%93-dc-retail-roadshow-takes-manhattan/

Now there is a lot in that article where DC seems to be trying to alienate existing fans. In particular, it seems like every Batgirl fan has some legitimate gripe with the future. But here is the Supergirl blurb:

Supergirl- Another area of improvement DC is looking for is characters to sound true.  Supergirl, as she has been written, sometimes comes across as mature and responsible as a 40 year-old adult.  She shouldn’t.  She’s a teen who is still finding herself and her character should reflect that. 

So this initially struck me as utterly wrong and insulting to the writers who have written Supergirl so wonderfully since Supergirl #34. It makes it sound like she was some super-mature boring character.

But then I thought about it some more and frankly I think all this means is that Didio (or whoever is responsible for this blurb) has not read the book for the last two and a half years. Because yes, there were some times that Supergirl acted mature and responsible ... isn't that we want from our heroes? Isn't that true of all teens ... that SOMETIMES they are mature and responsible?  

The above statement sounds like the 'powers that be' think it is wrong that Supergirl sometimes acted mature and responsible ... sometimes. What does that mean? That they think Supergirl should never be mature and responsible?? 

Who would want to read a comic where the main character is immature and irresponsible all the time?

But most of all, it shows they either didn't read or had no respect for Sterling Gates' run and subsequently Peaty's and DeConnick's. Because, after all, she never acted like a teen discovering herself during their run ... (rolls eyes).

She was angry, even at those who she cared for. Sometimes she lost her temper and didn't do what was right. Like here punching Superman ...

Or snarking at Thara...

Or realizing that life isn't always rosy ...

Or angrily walking away from Thara again ...

Or punching out Dr. Light ...

Or taking off when her mother was yelling at her ...

Or confronting Lana about her illness ...

Or almost killing General Lane ...

And sometimes she was happy ...

Sometimes she was sad. She went through tremendous emotional trauma. Here she mourns Zor-El ...

And mourns Lana ...

And wishes her mother was dead ...

Sometimes she shirked her duties. 

And sometimes she was impulsive ...

And sometimes she pounded the snot out of people ... 

But always, always ...

And this is key ...

She came back to try and do what was right ... to keep moving along that hero's journey.

It did not take long to find all these examples. They remind me how lucky we have been these last couple of years.


What Supergirl am I going to get in September? 

Someone with no affection for humanity so 'don't piss her off'? Someone where that statement represents their perceived 'core' of the character? Someone that DC thinks needs to act less responsible? Is that who Supergirl is? 

Maybe Michael Green and Mike Johnson will be able to pull this off. Maybe their stories will be similar ... a young woman becoming a hero and making some mistakes along the way. Someone always striving to be a better person, a better hero.

But ...

But ...

But if she is always immature, irresponsible, irrational ... 

THAT ISN'T SUPERGIRL.