Supergirl 1- La Derniere Fille de Krypton

When you are an avid comic book fan who also happens to be friends with people who do a lot of traveling, you often get cool gifts and souvenirs.

A very good friend of mine was recently in Paris and noticed a comic book store just a few blocks from his hotel. He went in and saw this trade - Supergirl, La Derniere Fille de Krypton - and knew he had to grab it for me.

I am a sucker for stuff like this. I have a fun side collection of foreign copies of Supergirl and Superman books. This one is quite slick.

For one, I love the 'non 3D' Supergirl logo. There is something clean about this. Perhaps it being black on the yellow background helps.

And the back cover also is sharp with the black background.

The text I can muddle through with my high school French and deductive skills. It says she comes to Earth to find Superman is not a baby and she has to decide if she will embrace humanity (or something like that).

Happy Anniversary! Top Ten List of Top Supergirl Moments of the Last 10 Years

It is absolute insanity to realize that I have been blogging about Supergirl for ten years now. I hope I have maintained the passion for her and DC in the entries that made me think of starting a site to begin with.

One of my favorite posts to do each year is my 'Best Moments' of the year. I review all of the comics Supergirl appeared in, I make a file of all the biggest moments from those reviews. I then prune what is usually a big folder of 30-40 moments down to something like 12-15 of the best. And then from there, I pick honorable mentions and rank a top ten.

With my tenth year anniversary approaching, I realized I had done ten "end of the year" 'Best Moments' posts. And that means I had my ten #1 Supergirl moments for the past decade.

So I thought, as a celebration of my anniversary, I would look at the #1 Supergirl moments for the last ten years and then rank them, making a Top Ten of the Top Ten list. This would therefore create an ultimate #1 Supergirl moment for the last decade!

A couple of caveats. One, I limited this to the actual #1 moments I picked each year. With the passage of time, I don't know if I would rank them as a #1 now. But I have to keep them. Two, I not only ranked them based on overall importance to the character but also my personal reaction to the moment. If this floored me but now is forgotten, it still might rank high.

So settle in for the Top Ten Supergirl moments of the last decade, based on my #1 Supergirl moments for each of the last 10 years. And settle in ... because I discuss each moment!

DC Essential: New 52 Supergirl #1

It was announced yesterday that a Supergirl Essential issue will be released the week before the premiere of the show. Boasting a price of just one dollar, the issue is a reprint of the New 52 Supergirl #1. Here is a link:
http://www.newsarama.com/26008-dc-rushes-supergirl-essential-onto-shelves-ahead-of-tv-debut.html

CBS's Supergirl series debuts October 26, and DC Comics is rushing to get a Supergirl comic book on stands to take advantage of the extra attention and potential for increased popularity.

The publisher has rush-solicited DC Essentials: Supergirl #1, a reprint of the "New 52" Supergirl #1 from 2011, for publication on October 21. Priced at just $1.00, retailers have until September 28 to place orders.

I am thrilled that the character is getting such promotion and publicity right now. And while I think the New 52 Supergirl had its ups and downs, there is no doubt this is a dynamic first issue with beautiful art by Mahmud Asrar.

But there certainly is a lot to nit pick about this decision.

One, this is a rushed announcement and solicit, almost as if DC didn't recognize the show premiere as an opportunity. And you might think that an ongoing book, a show prequel issue, a digital series ... that anything might be the right promotion.

Also, the tone of the initial New 52 run ... the alien Kara, with no friends, who remains distant to Superman and doesn't want to be a hero ... is about as far away from what we have seen of the show. There is a disconnect tonally here.

But rather than write another 1000 words, wailing and gnashing my teeth, complaining at DC's blighted efforts with the character, I will instead give a short list of other comics that I think could also be considered 'Essential Supergirl' and might fit in a bit more with the efforts of linking the comic to the show. In chronological order and with links if I have reviewed the issue here:

Action Comics #285 (Jerry Siegel/Jim Mooney) - This is a pretty big issue in Supergirl lore where Superman finally reveals her existence to the world. No longer will she be the secret weapon. She had done her job, training to use her powers, and doing her own secret heroics. Now was the time for her to be recognized as the second Kryptonian hero of the world. You see how earnest she is in her desire to help. And we see her save the world on her own. If you want an essential from the Silver Age, this is it.

Superman #376/Daring New Adventures #1 (Paul Kupperberg/Carmine Infantino) - An extra-sized issue as it includes to Daring preview from Superman. The preview story is Supergirl talking to her cousin, discussing her desire to go back to school, to be her own person, to become the hero she should be. The first issue shows her work/social life as well as nice action against Psi. This is 'girl power' at its finest. This is a young hero ready to step into the light and help people. And she is a young woman dealing with life and love as well. This feels like the show.

Supergirl #5 (Peter David/Gary Frank) - Matrix had just linked with Linda Danvers, a mortal girl with dark inclinations. And this amalgam was still trying to figure out what it was. Was she alive? Did she have a soul? Was she good? She met an odd sort of reflection in the suddenly sentient Chemo. There are hard philopsphical questions asked. This was a young woman trying to define herself as a hero. And it is a stand alone issue in an otherwise long   form book. Matrix might not be Kara. But writer Peter David injected pure Supergirl-ness into this book.

Supergirl #34 (Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle) - This was the beginning of the Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle run, and it also was a shift in direction for the character. After nearly 3 years of anger, bitterness, high school massacres, vanishing skirts, and panty shots, Gates and Igle rehabilitated the character. She needed to redefine who she was. She might not be perfect. But she wanted to do good, be a hero, and strive to be better. She was growing, maturing. And part of that was adopting the Linda Lang identity. If there is one run (or one issue) that the show seems to have imprinted on, it is this one. I mean Linda in the show looks just like Linda Lang.

Superman/Batman #62 (Mike Johnson and Michael Green/Rafael Albuquerque) - Something of a left field pick but it has a Bat-family member which might lead more people to read it. Green and Johnson wrote the New 52 Kara but this one is much more classic in approach as the retell an early adventure she had with Robin. And in this story you see the gamut of Supergirl's emotions, all displayed as she strives to bring good to the world and save people. It is a brilliant microcosm of the character and how she thinks and what she tries to do. And it is beautifully rendered.

Supergirl #33 (TonyBedard/ Emanuela Lupacchino and Jeff Johnson) - It might seem odd to pick the last issue of a multititle arc (Red Daughter) as the Essential. But the issue again highlights the parts of Supergirl's character that I love. The fierce need to fight for justice. That love of Earth, her home. And she finally rids herself of all the negativeness of the earlier issues, set up perfectly in the form of a Red Lantern ring.

So those would be my essentials. Those would have been my choices for DC. And, of those, I would have picked the Gates/Igle Supergirl #34 would far and away have been my choice to market the character in conjunction with the show.

30th Anniversary Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 - Creators Thoughts

With today being the last day of July, I am ending my 30th anniversary review of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. Throughout this month I have reviewed the issue, the decision to kill Supergirl, an immediate response to her death from someone supposedly in Supergirl's fandom, the merchandise generated by the issue, and finally how the death of Supergirl rippled forward into future incarnations.

Over the course of this month's review I have also talked about my own feelings about the death of Supergirl.

In the immediate aftermath, I was upset. DC had felt that Supergirl was expendable.

In the years after, I have softened, realizing that this moment was a crucial moment in comic's history and it is Supergirl's moment. It gives her current incarnations a sense of legacy, that when she dies it will be saving the universe.

I appreciate Crisis for what it has done for her as a character and a legend.

I thought I would reach out to some of the more recent creators who wrote Supergirl after the Crisis. And wanted to hear their thoughts about the Crisis and Supergirl. I want to extend a huge thanks to Landry Walker and Mike Johnson sending me some Supergirl love!

Landry Walker:
In many ways, Crisis was my introduction to Supergirl. I was familiar with the character but hadn't invested myself in her previously. I know that in many ways this will be an unpopular opinion, but Supergirl's death in Crisis defined her in a way that other heroes were largely lacking. Her willingness to throw everything into the fight, her optimism in the face of adversity. I read the story of her death over and over, and in doing so became a fan, not just of Supergirl, but also of the finite nature of the heroic journey.

In this way, the story has affected my writing. I was maybe 14 years old at the time, but I was already growing tired of the infinite carousal that is a comic characters life. Supergirls' death (for me) did not weaken her or diminish her. It defined her. I could step back and look at the entire history of the character  - much in the way we might with a character of Greek myth. And like any great mythological hero, her story is one tinged with both elation and tragedy. Carrying that with me, I now look to endings of stories to determine their quality. And stories that don't end, like the endless cycle of reboot and relaunch that is mainstream comics, rarely interest me either as a writer or as a reader.

Mike Johnson:
I confess: when I was a kid, I wasn't a Supergirl fan. To this obnoxious little boy, girls were annoying cootie-laden creatures that secretly terrified me. I wasn't NOT a Supergirl fan. She didn't seem to annoy Kal-El too much. But it wasn't until CRISIS #7 that I really appreciated how great a character she was... and by then it was too late. I think CRISIS caused a whole generation of readers to grow up. We'd never seen good vs. evil on that scale before. We'd never seen sacrifice like that. And there was no greater sacrifice than Supergirl's. Eventually I grew up, cooties actually began to seem like a good thing, and by then I was a die-hard Kara fan. When I lucky enough to have the opportunity to write her adventures years later, I went back and re-read CRISIS #7. It hits as hard today as it did then. But, like all iconic characters, Kara has endured. She always will. 

Thanks to Landry and Mike for their comments.

And thank you all for sticking with me this month as I remembered and revisited Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 on its 30th anniversary. It has been interesting for me to sort through my own feelings about this issue as I reviewed it. 

Would love to hear anyone's last thoughts about this issue as the month closes. 

Supergirl Comic Prediction Post-Convergence

We are now three months into a DC world where a Supergirl solo title isn't being published.

Just as Tony Bedard, K.Perkins, Mike Johnson, and Emanuela Lupacchino had righted the ship and despite consistent and relatively solid sales numbers, DC decided to pull the plug.

Some, including myself, have theorized that the appearance of a Supergirl show on the horizon was one of the prompts to shelve the character.

Would DC decide to create a Supergirl book based on the TV show? A digital first book like Flash Season Zero? Or would they try to somehow soft reboot the Kara on Earth 0 to make her more like the TV character?

The New 52 Kara was a teenager, 16 or 17 years old, just learning her way around Earth and just starting to make a name for herself as a hero.

The Supergirl character on the TV show is 24 yrs old, has been living on Earth for 13 years, and is immersed in Earth culture. She is working and trying to make a name for herself as a young woman in the city and only in the pilot does she embrace her powers and become a hero.

It wouldn't be easy to make the New 52 Kara into something like the show Kara.

I wondered just how DC might pull this off.

And then Convergence happened.

It is hard for me to necessarily wrap my head around what happens here. But Brainiac either sends the pre-Crisis Supergirl and Flash back to the Crisis to make sure that history repeats itself or he sends them back there to rewrite the Crisis and bring back infinite worlds while ending the Anti-Monitor threat. Throw in Parallax and a pre-Flashpoint Superman and maybe there is enough firepower to stop the Crisis without the death of Kara?

And if there are infinite Earths and the pre-Crisis Kara is alive ...

Well maybe that Supergirl is going to be the star of the new Supergirl book.

Because if any DC Supergirl is a decent match for the show Supergirl it is the original.

Both are in their early 20s. Both grew up on Earth, living with the Danvers. Both are inspired by their older cousin.

Heck, take away the headband and red shoulders and even their costumes look similar.

Both are young woman living in a big city trying to make a life for themselves.

When we last saw the pre-Crisis Supergirl she had just moved to Chicago and was trying to acclimate herself to the big city. She was a grad student then but that could easily be switched.

I mean, I know it is one panel, but I thought this side by side was fascinating.

Both are trying to find a way to satisfy a side of their lives that they feel they haven't explored.

The pre-Crisis Supergirl at this time was trying to make something out of Linda Danvers, bettering herself while maintaining her life as a superhero and force for good.

The show Supergirl is embracing the Kryptonian side of her, trying to become Supergirl as a way to help others.

So I wonder ...

Could we be getting a pre-Crisis Supergirl book, morphed slightly to mirror the show, taking place on some other DC world?

Now the pattern isn't perfect.
So much of what I have seen from the show borrows liberally from the Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle run.

Kara Danvers looks similar to Linda Lang. Kara's sort of innocence, impetuousness, fierceness, and even smidge of dorkiness all in the show feels so much like this Linda/Supergirl.

And the elephant in the room is Cat Grant, the ruthless self-promoter and journalist who wants to make Supergirl into a household name.

So maybe the tone of the book is Gates while the setting of the book is Kupperberg?

Of course all of this will mean that the ending of the Crisis, and therefore Kara's heroic death will no longer be in continuity. And while I still think the reasoning behind the death was flawed, there is no doubt that Supergirl dying in Crisis #7 is a huge moment for the character, impacting subsequent incarnations and resonating throughout all of comics. I don't know if I want to see that go away.

Regardless of my theory, I think it is only a matter of time before we get a Supergirl solo book, one more in line with the show's Kara Danvers.

Sales Review: March 2015

Last month, DC closed the books on the 'New 52', shelving a number of titles and planning a soft reboot of the DCU.

It is with some dismay that I know look back to March and Supergirl #40, the last issue of the title. The sales numbers for March are now out and once again I'll ask you to turn to ICv2 for the best coverage. Here is the link:http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/31330/top-300-comics-actual-march-2015

Supergirl #40 was the ending of the Crucible story arc and the title as Supergirl was one of the books that DC decided to cancel as they enter the next phase of their universe.

This was the first arc for the creative team of K. Perkins, Mike Johnson, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, and Hi-Fi. It gave us a great Kara - smart, caring, heroic, headstrong. She was a leader, and maybe in love, and inspirational.

It was as if finally ... FINALLY ... Supergirl was back. It was as if the work by Tony Bedard laid the foundation and Perkins and Johnson built something excellent on top of it. This whole thing read exactly like a Supergirl should. And it was just beautiful. The art team just crushed it.

And here's what's crazy.

It sold well!

The last issue sold 26528. That is a very healthy number for a comic these days. And the book seemed to be gaining momentum, gaining readers. I won't even point out the books selling much less than Supergirl that DC is letting continue post-Convergence.

So, of course, DC would pull the plug.

I can only wonder just what DC is thinking.

And I can only thank Perkins, Johnson, Lupachino, McCarthy, and Hi-Fi for giving me such a great Supergirl to read. I am sorry I won't be able to read more.

Review: Supergirl #40

Supergirl #40 came out this last week, the final issue of this title, one of the casualties of DC's soft post-'New 52' reboot. And it saddens me that this book is going away.

I have talked almost too much about the missteps of the initial Kara in the New 52, from the idea of her as an angry loner, the 'Hell on wheels' young girl just as apt to attack a friend as an enemy, the hysterical gullible dupe of H'El, etc. I could talk about how DC promoted her as someone crushing Earth with red glowing eyes. I could revisit Scott Lobdell having her speak with icy word balloons as she threatened to kill Superboy.

But frankly, why dwell on the negatives.

The creative team of writers K. Perkins and Mike Johnson, artist Emanuela Lupacchino, inker Ray McCarthy, and colorist Hi-Fi have finally ... FINALLY ... given us the Supergirl we need. We are finally reading about a young hero embracing life and Earth, understanding her role as a hero, growing as she travels along the hero's journey, and becoming a leader for her generation of heroes. It is the exact opposite of the Supergirl we got in the early issues. I have been waiting 3 years to read this Supergirl.

So ... of course ... DC decides to cancel the book.

Any cancellation of a Supergirl book will sting. This one will ache for a while.

This is the end of this Crucible story arc and the end of this book. So Perkins and Johnson do their best to wrap things up and showcase their love for Kara. As a result, this whole issue reads like a love letter. It was hard to limit myself to a few scans. Every page had a moment I would have loved to highlight.

Lupacchino, McCarthy, and Hi-Fi give us jaw-droppingly beautiful art. Everything is lush, polished, gorgeous.

 Last issue ended with Korstus having taken over Crucible with the plan to clone Superboy, creating an obedient Super-powered army. Only a depowered Kara stands in his way.

We start out with a panel of Kara talking about her past and how she was trying to let go of the uglier parts of it, escaping it. Part of that history was calling Superboy an abomination and actually considering to murder him at one point.

And here she is, faced with Superboy again, this time trying to save him.

I really love that Perkins and Johnson weren't simply sweeping Kara's angrier past under the rug. They have her acknowledge it and trying to move beyond it. It shows some maturity on her part to look at her past and not like who she was. And it makes this Kara more three-dimensional, more sympathetic as a character than if she simply was 'rebooted' as a hero. She's complex and that makes her engaging.

Luckily, it turns out that she isn't truly alone. Tsavo and Comet have been hiding in the wings and join the fight. As they fight, Maxima and Preceptor Amata are freed. The device depowering Supergirl is destroyed. And Korstus and his lackey Roho are suddenly on the defensive.

Remember that Kara started out in the New 52 wanting to be left alone, building a true fortress of solitude on the bottom of the ocean.

Here she loves that her friends arrive, that they look out for each other, that they work as a team. Perfect.

 And we learn more about what Kara has learned in her classes at Supergirl.

She isn't the out of control Supergirl she was. She is in more control of her powers. For example, here she combines microscopic vision and heat vision to surgically destroy the filaments embedded in Kon.

With Kon freed, the creation of the clone army is halted. And Korstus, his drones, and Roho are defeated pretty quickly. And the hero of the piece is Supergirl.

The panel before this we see Kon thanking Kara for saving him. This is such a reversal from her earlier, more blood-thirsty approach to him.

But Amata says it plainly. Supergirl has saved Kara.

Korstus has one last wrinkle to his plot. He has planted a self-destruct device which could destroy a significant portion of the school. Supergirl recognizes she has the best chance of disabling the bomb and surviving. Despite her friends' protests to stay with her, Kara sends them away knowing the school, the universe, needs them in case she fails. 

Amata then tells Supergirl that she is worthy of being at Crucible, the school for heroes.

Here is what I love about this.

This last year of Supergirl, between the Red Daughter and the Bedard issues and now the current team's arc, we have seen Kara come to deal with her grief and rage, reach out to others, become a friend and ally, and better herself. She has come to accept where she is in life and put all the negativity behind her. She is willing to sacrifice herself to save others. And she will protect her friends.

She is a hero.

Kon stays so both can work together to defuse this thing.

The history between Superboy and Supergirl in the New 52 has been pretty ugly. So this moment, where they work together, where they hold hands knowing that they might not survive, is absolutely wonderful.

As I said before, I wonder if, knowing the title is going away, Perkins and Johnson decided to put as many of these moments, emotional and bittersweet and perfect.

Of course they survive. In fact, Lupacchino gives us a fabulous splash of the two flying away from the explosion that is beautiful.

With Crucible saved, nothing is left but the wrap-up.

Amata accepts a position on the board of Crucible.
Tsavo is named Preceptor and Maxima becomes his assistant.
Superboy wants to head back to Earth to help people (a far cry from the bank-robbing living weapon he was ... he has grown too).

And Comet will head back into space to team up with his 'other family' The Wanderers. This ties into the Bedard Supergirl Future's End issue where we see Supergirl as the leader of the Wanderers (with Comet). Love that potential continuity too!

And Maxima?
She admits that she has run from her home because she is gay. She doesn't want to mate with males. She wouldn't be accepted on her homeworld Almerac and so ran to Crucible. But now, after all they have been through, she has some hope.

In a wonderful moment, she comes out to Supergirl, telling Kara that she has inspired her. It shows the power of acceptance and friendship. And it ends in a hug between friends.

In an issue of great moments, this one was my favorite.

 Finally back on Earth, Kara is happy serving coffee and hanging out with friends. She feels different, changed, better.

And she really has accepted Earth as her home. The Maxima moment might have been my favorite, but this one is the most precious.

After flirting with Michael for months, even stealing a kiss, Kara asks him out ... sorta. It is about as awkward as it could be. And therefore perfect. Because I can remember squirming, scared, heart racing, trying to form the words to ask a girl out. And that's what this read like.

Michael says yes.

And then ... after doing an excellent job of bringing this chapter of Supergirl's life to a close, Perkins and Johnson leave us with a cliffhanger!

For some reason, Kara suddenly has no powers!

The end ... for now!

It is pretty clear that DC has some plans for Supergirl. I have to assume that another title or take on the character is around the corner given the impending show, this reveal, and the 'for now' statement.

But seriously, I want to read more of this Kara! This team has finally brought her to a place Supergirl fans want to be. They want her to be a young hero learning the ropes, filled with optimism and striving to help people. They want her to have a fierce sense of justice and a willingness to act first when there is need. And we finally have it! This issue showcased how far Supergirl has gone down the hero's journey. I don't want a new title to put her back at the beginning! I certainly don't want another 'bitter loner' take.

Anyways, I  should focus on the positive and thank this creative team for bringing me this wonderful story and this fabulous Supergirl. I can only hope that when DC does bring back Supergirl that they hand the reins back to Perkins and Johnson. I can only thank them and Lupacchino, McCarthy, and Hi-Fi (and Tony Bedard, Charles Soule, and Yildiray Cinar before them) for giving me back the Supergirl I love.

Overall grade: A+

Sales Review: February 2015

The sales numbers for February have been released and, as a Supergirl fan, I am very intrigued by the story they tell. I know that sometimes I have blinders on, looking closely at Supergirl as a book and maybe not DC's mission or the marketplace as a whole.

As usual, ICv2 does a great job breaking things down. Here is the link:
http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/31093/top-300-comics-actual-february-2015

But one thing that is clear, Marvel dominated the month in market share. DC is doing a soft relaunch in June trying to lure in new readers. So you would think ... as a business ... that DC might want to promote books/characters that sell well and think carefully about the products that don't seem to work.

Supergirl #39 came out in February,  the penultimate chapter of the Crucible arc. Like many DC books last month, Supergirl had a Harley Quinn variant cover.

So how did it sell?

There it is, ranked #84, having sold 26,034 units. (I understand this was orders not sales.)

Supergirl is a pretty consistent book for sales and since Red Daughter has been above 22K, and has actually hovered around 26K for the last 6 months. That has to be success right? Except we know that DC has cancelled the Supergirl book.

So let's take a closer look at other books sales.

First off, just above Supergirl, also selling just above 26,000, is Catwoman and Secret Six. Both survived the axe. And there, selling around 24K, is Justice League Dark which has been reimagined in the 'new' DC in June so, in concept, it also survived.

I also have to point out that Squirrel Girl has been lauded as a fun, all-ages, success story at Marvel. It is also selling less. But it lauded ... as a success.

Even if I ignore JL Dark, here is the parade of DC titles that sell less than Supergirl that will continue.

Gotham Academy - 20K
Green Arrow - 19K
Gotham by Midnight - 18K

I can only imagine the outcry ... the anguish ... the social media explosion of pain ... if Gotham Academy was canceled.

And even more!

Red Hood (repurposed in the 'new' DC) - 17K
Justice League 3000 (repurposed in the 'new' DC) - 16K
Lobo - 14K
Constantine - 14K

Okay. I am not commenting on the quality of these books. I am not saying these books are of poor quality. I love Gotham Academy as does one of the supergirl's at home.  I am not saying that books that sell more than Supergirl are 'better' than Supergirl.

But I wonder why Lobo, selling 14K, got a vote of confidence by DC when Supergirl, which sells 12K more, and clearly has more fans and readers, gets shelved.

And there are all these murmurs about how DC is going to bring her back in the fall in a Supergirl book to the market which is more aligned to the show. And yet there is Arrow and even Constantine ... both surviving and certainly not canceled to realign to their shows.

More importantly, why have a show rewrite a character's history? What if I want to continue reading this Supergirl's adventures? 

I don't know if I will get a satisfactory explanation for the cancellation of this book. From a quality and a quantity viewpoint, this was a successful book.

Review: Supergirl #39

Supergirl #39 came out this week, the penultimate issue for this arc, creative team, and title. It is hard to believe that I finally have a New 52 Supergirl that I want to read, a Supergirl who has consistently been a hero, and ... just like that ... DC has decided to pull the plug. It is almost ironic. After completely shedding the angry, loner, disaffected, 'Hell on Wheels' persona that DC forced on us at first, Supergirl is being canceled.

Ah well, enough lamenting the ending of this book. Instead I should be praising the work that the creative team is doing here. Writers K. Perkins and Mike Johnson, artists Emanuela Lupacchino and Ray McCarthy, and colorist Hi-Fi have been putting together a wonderful book here. It is interesting, engaging, beautiful and bright. Crucible really has been a superb arc. In fact, the only knock on this issue is that it reads fast, as if the creative team realized they needed to sprint to the finish line to effectively finish the story. There are plot threads which I think would have percolated for a bit longer if this team had more time on the book.

Perkins and Johnson also write a great Kara. She is smart, brave, strong, optimistic, and loving. She also is a bit brash, one of the things I love about a young hero learning the ropes. It is sad that we won't be reading more of her.

Oops ... I said no more lamentation! On to the book.

Last issue Supergirl returned to Earth and fought off Roho and his gang, stopping them from kidnapping Superboy. Despite that win, Kara's ally Maxima turned on her and tried to do the same thing. Superboy is of some importance to Crucible and the different factions there.

One thing that I have liked about this new run is the internal monologue that Kara has. She has seemed to not only accept but embrace a new path in life as a leader and a hero. But there is also this sort of resiliency. Even here she notes that life continues to throw her curve balls. It seems as if her life will never be stable. The idea that Crucible might bring some order to her life is wrong ... but she rolls with it. Instead of sulking, or bemoaning her life, she decides to be pro-active and try to improve it.

Just jaw-dropping art by Lupacchino and McCarthy here. And the colors really pop.

Most importantly, we see growth in Kara. I said before she was embracing this new life as a hero. Does anything say that more than her leaping to the defense of Kon? Remember the Lobdell version of Kara calling him Abomination and vowing to kill him? Now we get her protecting him.

Even when she is called on her past actions with him, she feels regret. She says she realizes that he is a person and worth saving. And look at her expression here. Sort of an apologetic look on her face as she looks at Kon, knowing that she was so bull-headed and biased before. Such strong work by Lupacchino.

It is so important for me that Supergirl is a true hero, looking for the best in people, and rising ... sometimes passionately and fiercely ... to help them. We have that here. And I like that Perkins and Johnson are acknowledging the stuff from Kara's past rather than sweeping it under the rug.

I also have been pretty rough in my assessment of the New 52 Superboy here. He has been a 'living weapon' and out of control. He has been a bank robber, covering himself in bling. He has been a blank slate, someone who could be controlled. He has never quite been enough of a hero for me.

In this book we have seen Superboy doing some soul searching too, trying to reach some sort of understanding of who he is. He actually agrees to go with Maxima to Crucible. Maybe Crucible holds the key to him finding himself. He and Maxima teleport away, leaving Supergirl on Earth to give Comet time to heal.

We have seen tremendous progression in Kara over this last year under Bedard, Perkins, and Johnson. I am glad to see Superboy on this same journey.

But remember how I said that this issue felt like a bit of a sprint. Here is where I felt it the most.

The Crucible plot goes from simmer to a full boil quickly. We had the sense that Korstus was up to know good, mobilizing the Crucible students into an army. And we knew that Amata seemed to have nobler goals. My guess would be that the plots of these two would have been slowly unveiled over the next year.

But the creators don't have the luxury of time.

So instead Amata is attacked by Korstus, who is in cahoots with Roho and his band. Korstus is going to seize control of Crucible and force it into his image.

Meanwhile, Kara brings Comet to the place she feels is safest on Earth ... Michael's apartment.

This is a brief scene but you can feel some sparks fly between the two. Whether it is Michael saying he would be there for Kara, or her telling him Comet is just a friend, or the peck on the cheek she gives him when she heads back to Crucible, this is a relationship I have loved see grow a bit.

Over and over, we have heard creators who come to Supergirl say that this book needed a supporting cast. That's hard to do when the initial concept is Kara being a loner in an isolated Sanctuary on the bottom of the ocean. Thanks to Perkins and Johnson, we finally got one - Michael, Maxima, Comet, Tsavo, Amata - only to have the book dropped by DC.

Oops ... no lamentations.

Back at Crucible, Supergirl finds that Korstus has changed things dramatically and quickly ... maybe unrealistically quick? Again ... there is that feeling that things are being rushed a bit.

Think of how dark Hogwarts became when Snape took over. It's like that. The school is in shutdown, with curfews and defense robots and deserted halls. As soon as Supergirl arrives, she is attacked by drones for being out of her dorm.

I guess that means it is up to Supergirl to free the school and save the day!

During her fight through Crucible, Kara comes across Korstus and attacks him. But he is able to shut down her powers with a failsafe switch, something Crucible has built into every student. (Nice negative coloring here by Hi-Fi to show the effect.)

Crucible is a high school of incredibly powerful teens. I remember the roughhousing that happened in my high school. Here, with super powered students, that could be extremely destructive. So it makes sense that the faculty would be able to shut people's powers off. But you would think the students would have to agree to that ... or know about it.

I liked how Kara was able to activate her armor during the fight.  I am normally against armoring up but it works for me. There have been nice little touches to this run, many of them artistic. I love the subtle changes we have seen in her costume, changes which have improved it tremendously. And having an armor costume for defense is a nice addition.

Then we get to the cliffhanger. Korstus has decided to make Crucible into an army. Why train the students and hope they become heroes when they graduate? Why not create an obedient attack force and make order happen?

And what better way to churn that army out than to clone a clone! This is why Korstus wanted Kon.

Nice set-up into next issue's story finale and series finale!

With the book ending, Perkins and Johnson do have to rush to this ending. This could have unfolded over the usual 6 issue 'ready for trade' length. But I would rather have a rushed ending than no ending at all. I suppose I should be very happy that the team had enough forewarning to try to wrap things up. But I would have loved to explore Crucible for a bit longer.

I was going to write a long list of things that I think would have been introduced into the book if it was going on but I said from the beginning that I would not lament the passing of the book. I come to praise this issue. (Lamentations might be coming next review.)

Suffice it to say, I have enjoyed this Perkins/Johnson/Lupacchino/McCarthy/Hi-Fi run. It has been bright, fun, action-packed and filled with great characterization. We have a heroic passionate Kara. It has given us a supporting cast. What more could Supergirl fans want?

Overall grade: B+

Sales Review: January 2015

The DC Universe is going to dramatically change ... again ... in 4 months. We'll get new takes on characters, story will trump, continuity, and a whole swath of new books will hit the stands. That also means many books will be canceled, including Supergirl.

And with that as a backdrop, it is very interesting to look at sales for last month, January 2015. As usual, I advise everyone to head to ICv2 for coverage. Here is the link: http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/30825/top-300-comics-actual-january-2015

Now if you are here, you know my biases towards Supergirl. But this is fascinating ...

Supergirl #38 came out last month, the third issue in the Perkins/Johnson/Lupacchino 'Crucible' run on the book. For the most part, it seems as if the new direction has been well received. DC even pumped up the book in the back pages of all issues a couple of months ago. And

Now Star Wars and it's umpteen variants ruled the roost last month, selling nearly one million issues. And Squirrel Girl sold 41K.

Supergirl #38 sold 22,677, down a shocking 14% from last issue. After 4 issues of holding greater than 26K, I wonder exactly what happened that made sales plummet. Could different titles have lured readers away?

Maybe that drop made DC think the time was right to pull the plug?

But look a bit closer. Right below her is Gotham Academy and Catwoman, selling less but spared the cancellation axe.

And then even farther down the sales chart, we see more books selling less, sometimes significantly less, which also survived DC's cuts. Gotham By Midnight, Justice League Dark (reborn as Dark Universe),  Green Arrow, Red Hood and the Outlaws (reborn as Red Hood/Arsenal), Justice League 3000 (reborn as Justice League 3001),  and Constantine (reborn as Constantine:Hellblazer).

All told that, that is eight titles which are selling less but DC thought enough of to keep around.

I am not commenting on the quality of those books. I am not condemning them. What I am trying to wrap my head around is why these books were looked at differently by DC. Does DC think that JL3001 is going to do better?

I keep hoping that some greater discussion about the decisions will come out somehow. What about Supergirl made DC decide to cancel? And, while I feel it is true, the fact that a new Supergirl TV show is coming out isn't a good reason ... at least for me.