A Little Bit Of Kandor: Candor Pt 3 Supergirl #8

Welcome to my review of Supergirl #9, the third part of the Candor storyline I am covering.

After two issues, the Greg Rucka era on this Supergirl title ended. I would love to talk to Rucka at some point to see if this was always planned to be a brief run or if he had editorial differences or other opportunities that led him to leave.

But Supergirl #9 is the beginning of the Joe Kelly run on the book. For me, Kelly's run is the worst run for this character. That took me by surprise. After all, Kelly wrote 'What's so funny about Truth Justice and the American Way' in Action Comics #775, one of the better looks at Superman remaining an inspirational hero in a cynical world.

Instead of giving us a heroic Supergirl, learning the ropes on Earth, he gives us a petulant child, an angry and angsty young woman who only cares about herself. He made her a violent person, a killer on Krypton. And his portrayal of her was hypersexual. It certainly isn't any type of Supergirl that I want to read. And at times it is downright creepy.

The art on this issue leans into that portrayal. We start with the cover by Joe Benitez who gives us a Power Girl defining pulchritude. The internal art by Ron Adrian isn't as overt. Adrian brings a decent take on Kara, Karen, and the weird Kandor.

But this story can't end soon enough. And as you will see, it ends abruptly and rather terribly. On to this book!

February Is Harley Quinn Month

I'll be covering all of the February solicits soon. But I thought I would cover the variant cover theme now.

There seems no end to these monthly themes. In February, DC is taking advantage of one of its hottest properties ... Harley Quinn. And why shouldn't they? The Palmiotti/Conner Harley Quinn book is selling like hotcakes. They should plaster her on everything.

Here is a link to Newsarama's cover coverage which includes links to CBR, IGN, and Comic Vine:
http://www.newsarama.com/22728-dc-comics-reveals-february-2015-harley-quinn-variant-cover-theme.html

One thing I am thrilled about with this recent trend of variant themes, is that Supergirl finally is being included. She missed out on Monster month, Batman month, and who knows how many more.

But we have had the Lego cover, the Cooke cover, and now this.

Here is the variant cover of Supergirl #39 which has Supergirl carrying Quinn. It is done by Joe Benitez who has done some issues of the last incarnation of Kara. I think Supergirl's slightly annoyed expression works well with the insane look on Harley's face.

Here is the variant cover of Justice League United #9 by Mikel Janin.

I have to admit I like this one better. Janin's work has always impressed me. There is something more mischievous about this Harley. And I love the 'poster' of the JLU behind her. I would want to see that picture. So to have her deface it actually works.

Plus, I have always wanted to see Janin's take on Supergirl.

I have love hate relationships with variants. But I might have to get these too!

Boston Comic Con: Joe Benitez Commission

I have to say that I wasn't originally planning on getting a Joe Benitez commission when I went to Boston Comic Con last week. While I am enjoying his steampunk comic Lady Mechanika, there were other artists I was hoping to land commissions from.

When initially it looked like I might not be able to get a Francis Manapul piece, I looked around to see who still had space on their list. Benitez did. As I have been enjoying Mechanika more than I thought I would, I figured what the heck.

This is one of the more stylized commissions in my collection. And one of the things I look for in commissions is interesting takes on the character of Supergirl. This certainly stands out for that reason. I like the subdued colors here. And the face and hair are nice.

But I don't exactly know how I feel about it yet. The neck seems a bit long, the back a bit too bent. It is almost swan-like. And certainly not what I had envisioned in my head from Benitez.

I don't know if it will ever be one of my favorites but it sure is unique and will probably get a strong reaction one way or the other. It'll probably get some good conversation going. And I guess that alone makes it a good piece for the collection.

What do you guys think?

Boston Comic Con Wrap-Up And Kevin Maguire Commission

Boston Comic Con, my hometown show, happened this last weekend and it has become a such a great convention bringing in great talent as well as supporting local artists and independent creators. I have been there since the beginning and I have seen this show grow to pretty mammoth proportions.

Now I usually attend both days of the con but this year a family commitment kept me away from the second day. I usually spend the first day of the show getting commissions and signatures from the creators. And the second day I have a more relaxed day, trying to talk more to the creators if I can and thumbing through the back issues.

The place was absolutely jammed with fans. This felt like the biggest crowd  that I have seen here, even more than the Jim Lee attended one from a couple of years ago. Some creators tables were mobbed, specifically Simon Bisley (so crowded I never got to him), Kevin Eastman, and Ed McGuinness. The lineup was very impressive. It was a fantastic time, spent with friends, and meeting and chatting with creators, and talking comics nonstop with other fans.

As a result of missing Sunday though, I didn't get the opportunity to really chat at length with any of the creators I was hoping to, especially catching up with Jamal Igle. Something of a bummer.

As for me, my mission going in to the convention was to get three commissions from Kevin Maguire, Francis Manapul, and Chrissie Zullo. Amazingly, despite being there on just the first day, I accomplished that goal ... albeit with a little bit of luck. I also, somehow was able to grab a commission from Joe Benitez and a quick sketch by Ed McGuinness. I'll end up posting all of these over the next couple of weeks.

I went to Maguire's table when the doors opened and got on the top of his list. I thought I was only getting a head sketch but instead got this unreal piece. Maguire's sketch list is unique in that it asks for what type of expression you want for the character. I put 'joyous'. So when I picked up this 3/4 body commission of this lovely and happy Supergirl I was floored. Just wonderful.

I asked about World's Finest. I thought the breakdown of art was based on the timeline with Maguire doing the flashback scenes but he said instead that his pages are on Earth 1, in the present, and mostly the pages of Helena and Karen in their secret identities. I also expressed how much I enjoyed the Tanga strip in Weird Worlds and My Greatest Adventure. Despite having other stories in mind, it sounds like DC has no plans for more Tanga. Too bad, she is such a fun character.

Anyways, this was a great convention and I would love to hear from anyone else who was there!