Back Issue Review: Adventure Comics #418

Last week on Supergirl Episode 406, 'Call to Arms', we saw Supergirl fight a dragon.

It was one of the best sequences I have seen on the show in a long time. I flat out loved it.

As a result, and thanks to a nudge from someone who left a comment here, I decided that I should take a look back at other times Supergirl fought a dragon.

These are all in the fluxing time period of the early 70s. Comics were starting to get more serious. But there was still a bit of Silver Age lunacy that could mix in. As a result, the two dragon stories that I am going to review are pretty wonky. So settle in.

Believe it or not, the earlier of the two stories is the less insane one.

Adventure Comics #418 came out in 1972 and the Supergirl run as the headliner in the title was just a few issues away. This was a time when the Supergirl stories were trying to be a bit more mature. Mike Sekowsky started the 'new adventures' way back in Adventure Comics #400. But Sekowsky had left leaving a handful of other creators to pinch hit.

And so we have 'The Face of the Dragon', a story which might be trying to cash in on the Kung Fu craze happening in America at the time. It also is trying to mesh the odd mix of film noir with the four color escapades of a super-powered Maid of Might. Basically, your mileage may vary.

All that said, please pick this book up if you see it in the cheap bins. The Black Canary back-up has a story with ridiculously gorgeous Alex Toth art. That alone is worth the price.

But onto the Supergirl story!

Back Issue Review: Wonder Woman #368 - The Lumberjack!

We learned recently that the first villain Supergirl will be facing on the Supergirl TV show will be The Lumberjack. No I consider myself an amateur historian for the DCU. I think I have a relatively comprehensive knowledge of these characters. But I was stumped ...

The Lumberjack??

Who the heck is he?

Well it turns out that he was a one-issue wonder, seen only in Wonder Woman #268, a book that I didn't read during the doldrums of the Bronze Age. So I suppose that I shouldn't feel too bad about not knowing much about him. And given my compulsion to cover stuff here and expand my comic knowledge, I did the only logical thing. I bought the issue and figured I would review it here.

I don't know if I will be able to drop a lot of knowledge on you. But at least you will know what I know about the villain as he is in the comics. (Recent leaked audition tapes of the Lumberjack make it sound like the show's version is an alien.)

This is the concluding chapter to an arc called 'The Cartel'. So we are jumping in at the end. From what I can tell, Animal Man and Wonder Woman have teamed up to stop an organized crime leader called 'The Prime Planner'. The Planner seems to have the thought to organize all crime, leading the two heroes across the world, stopping villains from all the continents.

"Battleground:France" was brought to us by Gerry Conway, Jose Delbo, and Vince Colletta.

And quite the opening, Buddy rubbing suntan lotion on Diana's back. They have uncovered that The Prime Planner is looking to gun down Mr. Krispin, the local crime boss. Or, it may be that this is a ruse to lure Wonder Woman and Animal Man out into the open.

It turns out to be the former.

An amphibian tank emerges from the ocean and attacks Krispin.

Leaping into action (and changing into her costume by leaping through her lasso's loop!), Diana plays 'lasers and bracelets'. The tank and its crew are quickly repelled by the heroes and beat a quick retreat.

To avoid a second attack, Diana grabs Buddy, Krispin, and Krispin's daughter and heads to Krispin's compound via the invisible jet.

I like Jose Delbo's art. Here Colletta's inks seem to overwhelm the art. Nice action sequence though.

And here is our first glimpse at the Lumberjack.

It sounds as though the Planner has rolled out super-assassins throughout this arc, one from each continent.

The Lumberjack is the North American assassin. His origin is pretty simple. Lumber "Jack" is a sideshow freak, reviled by his fellow and hating them in return, until he was offered a way to gain revenge on a world that made him an outcast.

Seriously ... that is all we get on him.

Does he have super-strength? Some limited invulnerability?

Who knows.

Meanwhile Wonder Woman decides to extract any information she can from Krispin. And when he isn't forthcoming on his own, she lets the lasso do the heavy lifting.

"Le Premier Planner" told Krispin to leave France and give up his empire. Krispin refused leading to the assassination attempt.

And the three new super-assassins, The Lumber "Jack", Red Fang, and the Changeling show up at Krispin's house to try to finish the job.

Now you would think that Wonder Woman should be able to eliminate these three on her own and without breaking a sweat. But it turns out to be a fight.

Another thing I can tell you about the Lumber Jack is that his fighting style seems to consist only of huge swings of the axe.

Incredibly, Wonder Woman gets knocked unconscious by Red Fang, the martial artist! Hmm ...

And Animal Man can't do much on his own. With the Lumber "Jack" about the decapitate him, he has to escape by burrowing as a mole.

That's right! These three D-listers best Wonder Woman and Animal Man!

The assassins bring Krispin's daughter (as a hostage) and Wonder Woman to the Prime Planner's mobile headquarters, a massive submarine. I suppose the reason to bring Diana is to brag about his victory? Try to keep her as a hostage? It doesn't make much sense.

And it turns out the be both. The Prime Planner reveals himself as Morgan Tracy, the head of the UN security force!

I was thrilled to see that Wonder Woman was faking all along. It was all a ruse to bring her close to the Prime Planner. And victory is easy ...

Wonder Woman simply punches her way through the hull of the sub, sinking it.

I suppose I might have more context about this if I read the beginning of this arc. But I found it amusing that in one panel this guy is completely defeated. "She's won ... she's won ... she's won .."

Why couldn't it be "And I would have gotten away with too ... if it wasn't for the meddling Amazon!"

In all honesty, I showed you everything I could about the Lumberjack, a big man swinging a big axe.

Anything we see in the show will be more than this. And I assume the show Lumberjack has to have more to him than just being a circus sideshow freak. So why was he picked??

Back Issue Box: Detective Comics #510

The DC relaunch is officially starting later today which means I have to wrap up my look at Supergirl interacting with characters coming back.

With Babs Gordon donning the cape and cowl  in the DCnU, I have been looking at a three part Batgirl/Supergirl team-up in the Batgirl back-up feature in 80's Detective Comics.

As for the 'freshness' of the DCnU, this cover doesn't seem to jibe with the sentiment. Two heroes fighting has been done forever to the point of feeling stale. It is worse knowing the old water under the bridge for Dick and Barbara. I also find this cover to be a weird anti-riff to this cover from Birds of Prey.

Kind of the same but radically different, right? Or am I seeing something that isn't there?

I am still going to miss Oracle.

But on to the story. I have reviewed the first two parts of the story earlier this month. The last part of this Supergirl/Batgirl story was released in Detective Comics #510.

Written by Cary Burkett and drawn by Jose Delbo and Joe Giella, 'Bride of Destruction' ended the battle between Supergirl, Batgirl, and the Annihilator.

In this story, a disgruntled scientist becomes a telekinetic/telepathic mutant after being bombarded by energies from a odd stone. Now with a freakishly bulbous head and imbued with mental powers, he decides the best thing to do is turn Batgirl into a bulbous headed bride and rule the world.

I absolutely love the insanity of the plot.

Amazingly, his powers are enough to repel Supergirl's attacks. She is blasted back by a force blast. The resulting explosion starts a fire. The villain loves it, hoping the flames will purge the area of human infestation. Fantastic!

While engulfed in the flames, the Annihilator seems to mutate even further.

Supergirl comes back on the scene and takes care of the fire while sending Batgirl out to find where the Annihilator has disappeared to.

One of the running themes in this story has been Batgirl's inferiority complex about Supergirl. While Karais treating Babs like a partner, Babs feels outmatched and out of Supergirl's league. I don't think Batgirl has expressed those feelings in the prior World's Finest team-ups so it is hard to figure out why she would feel this way here.

Those feelings don't stop her from being a hero. When she finds the Annihilator, she confronts him physically, throttling him. I still chuckle at how desperate the Annihilator sounds, trying to woo Batgirl with promises of being superior. It is an interesting angle on her feelings of inferiority during the story. Batgirl could become something super-human but she doesn't succumb to that temptation despite her current feelings.

And, as she has done throughout this story, Supergirl shows up and seems to be able to fix any problem in seconds. She entombs the Annihilator in a brick cocoon at super-speed. Despite having just successfully battled the Annihilator, Batgirl again sinks into some despair, feeling like she has simply been along for the ride.

But bricks can't hold the terrible power of the Annihilator's mind. He explodes the bricks outward and is free once more.

Finally, Batgirl comes up with the solution.

She tells Supergirl to hit the Annilator with her freeze breath. One blast of super-breath later, the Annihilator is back to plain old disgruntled Kenneth Anderson.

And without powers, he is quickly captured.

Babs realized that the Annihilator mutated and gained more powers after having been exposed to great heat (Supergirl's heat vision in part two, the fire here in part three). If heat increased his powers then, naturally, cold should decrease them.

Supergirl thanks Batgirl for realizing that connection. She tell Batgirl that she is happy they are on the best team. All along, there has been nothing but feelings of camaraderie in Kara, no feelings of superiority. And I think that this probably helped Batgirl get over those feelings. It isn't like Supergirl told her to stay out of the way. Supergirl was happy they were working together.

These issues came out in early 1982 and as far as I know it is the last Supergirl/Batgirl interaction until the Crisis.

There is nothing special about this story with its pedestrian plot and workman-like art. The Batgirl insecurities is an interesting wrinkle but not enough to make this anything but low importance to a Supergirl collection. It is a Batgirl/Supergirl team-up which might make it a bit more interesting. This issue can probably be found for a couple of bucks or less at cons or comic book stores.

And that ends my pre-DCnU look at Supergirl teaming up with returning characters like Resurrection Man, Nightwing, and the Barbara Gordon Batgirl.

The future is now.

Overall grade (three part story): C+

Back Issue Box: Detective Comics #509

With the relaunch around the corner and Barbara Gordon about to put the cowl on again, I thought I would continue my look back at one of the last Supergirl/Batgirl crossovers in the pre-Crisis DCU.

As I have said before, Babs leaving Oracle behind and becoming Batgirl again is one of my least favorite parts of the DCnU. This is the cover for Batgirl #2 where Barbara looks like she is about 14 years old wearing a cowl too big for her. Lots of other places have covered the de-aging of Barbara, even from the cover of #1 to this one.

Detective Comics #509 included the middle chapter of the Batgirl/Supergirl story where they square off against The Annihilator. As mentioned, the story has Batgirl feeling a bit outclassed by Supergirl as they fight this unknown foe. Writer Cary Burkett and artist Jose Delbo continue that theme here.

The Batgirl material was the back-up feature of Detective and doesn't even get mentioned on the cover. I do like this Jim Aparo cover featuring Secret Six' Catman.

Last issue ended with the mutated scientist Kenneth Anderson, now calling himself The Annihilator, terrorizing Gotham and draining Supergirl of her energy.

So Supergirl got taken out pretty easily last issue, flying too close to the Annihilator and ending up in his clutches. Like many mad scientists in comics, he wants to be noticed and wants people to bow before him. With Supergirl helpless in his grasp, Batgirl wonders just what she'll be able to do to the villain.

Despite her self-doubt, Batgirl actually continues to be effective throughout the adventure.

From a distance she is able to notice that despite absorbing Supergirl's energies, he has not absorbed her powers. He is not invulnerable. And that means he can be attacked.

Burkett separates brains and brawn a bit too neatly in this story, showing how time and time again Supergirl's strength alone isn't enough to defeat the villain. It is Batgirl's intellect that is equally important. Unfortunately, the only way to convey that is to have Supergirl thinking more with her fists than her brain.

Batgirl frees Supergirl from the Annihilator's grasp by stunning him with a tear gas grenade and a well placed kick.

In one of the weirder moments of the book, Babs hoists Supergirl's unconscious form and uses it as a sort of invulnerable human shield. Kara's body blocks the Annihilator's blasts. In fact she actually gets revived by them.

But again, Batgirl seems crushed that Supergirl can shrug off these blasts ... even though it was Batgirl that just saved Supergirl.

Refreshed, Supergirl decides to refrain from hand to hand combat with the Annihilator given his absorbing power. So she blasts him with heat vision.

But the villain's mental powers are fantastic. He is able to create a telekinetic shield which reflects the beams back at Supergirl and Batgirl. Moreover, after the attack he evolves even further, his head growing. And as soon as his new form materializes, he teleports away.

It is another time in this story that Supergirl does something flashy and super only to have it not be effective.

The two heroes decide to regroup to see if they can figure out how to defeat the Annihilator. They head to Batgirl's not so secret hideout, mechanic Jeff Cotton's fix-it garage. There isn't even a secret entrance.

It is something Supergirl can remedy pretty easily. In the span of 2 pages she cores out a mini-Batcave beneath the garage, including a secret entrance/exit in a tiny alley blocks away. It is a nice gesture from Supergirl. But it only makes Babs a little jealous! Batgirl can't believe how smitten Jeff seems.

It all seems a little beneath Batgirl. But I guess part of this story is her feeling some sort of self-worth.

And what is The Annihilator doing? Well like any ignored scientist suddenly flush with powers, he looks to find that special someone to be with. That's right! While planning to destroy all life on the planet, he also decides to look for a mate! I giggled at this.

But I also laughed at the heroes dismay for not figuring out how to defeat this guy. "Hey, we fought an unknown foe with unknown powers for about 20 seconds before he mutated and teleported away. Why can't we figure out a full proof plan to defeat him!"  Silly.

Luckily, Babs' photographic memory comes into play. She recognizes his lab coat. It is a lead!

The two decide to storm the research lab to fight The Annihilator. Unfortunately for Batgirl, the villain has picked her to be his macrocephalic bride. He plans to blast her with his weaponized meteor, mutating her into his mate.

I'll review the last chapter soon. While it is great to see Supergirl and Batgirl team up here, there isn't much space cleared to show us just how well they work together, just what good friends they are. Instead, Burkett plays up Batgirl's insecurities in the presence of Supergirl. It is the one note played throughout the story.

Delbo's are is pretty standard here. It is always nice to see the hot pants costume in action. As I said before, I will grade the story at the end of the next chapter, the final one.

Back Issue Box: Detective Comics #508

I thought I would conclude my look at Supergirl interacting with characters returning to the DCnU by reviewing another team-up she had with the Barbara Gordon Batgirl.

One of the most controversial relaunches of the DCnU was the return of Babs as Batgirl. So much was written on it when it was first announced that I don't know if I need to recapitulate. But for me, I am pretty much against this particular relaunch. For me, Babs was such a stronger, more complex, and more interesting character as Oracle. She had rebounded from tragedy and remained a hero, made a difference. She was a role model for anyone with a disability, another subset of our population woefully under-represented in comics. She was a more influential character in the entire DCU in her role as Oracle. To put it another way, other people have been Batgirl. No one but Babs could be Oracle. That role defined her and she defined that role.

But moreover, DC had two new characters who had picked up the mantle of Batgirl and seemed to thrive. I don't know much of Cass Cain but she certainly has her fanbase. I have read and loved the Steph Brown Batgirl book. I never felt that there was a clamor in fandom to have Babs put the cowl back on. Babs was Oracle. And Batgirl was Batgirl.

Anyways, Barbara is going to return as Batgirl. I don't know if the new Supergirl is in the mood for friends so I don't know if we will see that version of World's Finest. And that's a shame because Steph and Kara were really becoming great friends. The Barbara and Kara friendship from the old DCU was well-publicized but there aren't many stories of the two teaming up. And so I present the first chapter of a three part Batgirl/Supergirl story from Detective Comics #508. (I will present the other two chapters soon.)

At this time, Batgirl was the back-up feature in Detective.

'The Attack of the Annihilator' was written by Cary Burkett and pencilled by veteran artist Jose Delbo.

This is a time in Barbara's life where she is no longer a Congresswoman and is instead an activist in Gotham, both in her public life and as Batgirl. And she has a confidante, a mechanic named Jeff Cotton who even knows her secret identity.

The plot of this story isn't earth-shattering or innovative.

A geologist named Kenneth Anderson has discovered a mysterious rock which he believes is of an alien origin. He also believes it holds unfathomable energies. But he is the standard disgruntled scientist, unhappy that his discovery has not garnered more fame and publicity. People seem more interested in issues like prison reform rather than 'unusual rocks'.  If people won't recognize his accomplishments, he will make them.

I do like the opening part of this scene where Barbara is holding a press conference about prison conditions and Gotham's need to improve them. There is something noble about her activism.

He bathes the rock in energy, accelerating its electrons.

Of course, this is comics. The rock emits even more energy, enveloping Anderson, mutating him into a sort of telekinetic telepathic freak. And with his new found power, Anderson decides to lash out against the world that has ignored him.

After her press conference, Babs notices that Linda Danvers is appearing on a local talk show discussing her soap opera role. (I never liked the portion of Supergirl's history as a soap opera actress. I liked her much more as reporter or grad student.)

The talk show is interrupted by the news of a monstrous appearing man floating over the streets of Gotham, attacking a local lab with energy blasts. Guess who that is. Barbara slips away and rushes to the scene as Batgirl.

And Anderson shows some significant power, firing hand beams and blasting off chunks of the building. Despite his power level, Batgirl actually confronts him, wrapping him up in a batline and flinging him to a nearby rooftop. But his power is too great. Using his mind, he snaps the rope and throws Batgirl off the roof seemingly to her death.

Luckily, Supergirl also heard the news report and was able to slip away from her interview to lend a hand. There is an easy and friendly camaraderie here with Supergirl casually discussing her secret identity with Barbara.

One of the ongoing themes in this story unfortunately is Batgirl thinking she is outclassed and worthless in comparison to Supergirl. You would think that if she sees Batman acting as an equal with Superman that she should recognize her value as a hero, her stature along side Supergirl. Instead (and we see it more in the subsequent chapters), Barbara feels almost ashamed of herself and jealous of Supergirl even while outthinking 'The Annihilator'.

Here Supergirl charges into combat with the Annihilator only to be taken out pretty quickly. He grabs Supergirl and drains her of her energy like the Parasite. With Supergirl defeated, Batgirl wonders what she is going to be able to do. What will she do??

This is a Batgirl story, not a Supergirl story, so I am not surprised that Supergirl gets taken out so easily. Batgirl needs to be the center of this story. And in the subsequent chapters Supergirl does get the opportunity to shine even if it tends to be as a super-powered weapon rather than a thinking hero.

I'll grade this story as a whole, after I review the third chapter. But there is nothing magical here with a pretty pedestrian plot and a average artwork. The only wrinkle is Batgirl's insecurities which are handled pretty well moving forward.

I won't be getting Batgirl in the DCnU. I liked Barbara as Oracle too much.