Newsarama Interview

 Mike Johnson was recently interviewed over on Newsarama, discussing the revelations Supergirl #0 and leaking some hints about the upcoming year. It is definitely worth reading the interview in its entirety
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/supergirl-0-questions-answers.html

As usual, there are some parts of the interview that struck me and are worth elaborating on. In particular, what I found interesting was the underlying current of differentiating Supergirl from Superman.

On to the interview.

Nrama:  Let's talk about the origin for Kara that you guys created for Supergirl #0. The way she was rocketed from Krypton was obviously a really emotional scene, but it was very different from the way Kal-El was sent off to Earth. Was that part of your thinking, that things were much different for Kara than her cousin? 

Johnson: Yeah, we wanted to take advantage of the fact that, with Supergirl and her family, you have the freedom to do things that you don't have with Superman's story, because Superman's story is so iconic. Superman's Krypton story ends, traditionally, with his mom and dad holding each other, comforting each other as they send their baby away.

In the same way that, with Supergirl as a character, you can sort of turn traditional "Super" mythos things on their head, we wanted to do that with her origin story here and show that instead of her parents comforting each other, watching their daughter being sent off, the family was really — even though it's a loving family — the family was really in a bad place when Kara left. And it was due to the fact that Zor-El wasn't tell his wife about what he was planning.

I hope it came across in the issue that he's not being evil in any sense. He's just thinking, if I'm going to be able to save my daughter, and even Argo, I can't tell them because they'll try to stop me.

 I have to say it this does have a very different feel than Superman's origin. The lasting image of Jor-El and Alura is the two of them hugging each other as Kal's rocket takes off. Here we have Alura collapsed on the ground, Zor-El nursing a blast from a stun gun by his wife. Not exactly a loving farewell.

Zor-El never came across as evil in the issue but more desperate. It shows how different he is from Jor-El. Zor didn't share the info of the planet exploding with his wife, he didn't share what he was doing with Kara. But it felt more like he was trying to spare her heartache than being deceitful. Still, shouldn't he share that info with her?

He also is different than Jor-El in that he saved a city full of people even if it was with outlawed experiments. Philosophically, it would be good to debate whose approach to the disaster was better.

Nrama: Yeah, that came across in the issue. And yet, we saw that he had experimented upon her. Is that a thread that may be picked up later?

Johnson: Yeah, definitely. We wanted to answer questions in the #0 issue. We really wanted it to feel like a complete story. But we also didn't want to tie everything up with a nice bow. We still wanted to leave some mystery, particularly about Argo City and the Worldkillers, which are more an extension of the events of the #0 issue and less the meat of the issue itself.

But at the same time, probably the largest mystery remaining is exactly what happened to Argo between the end of the #0 issue and when Kara found it in issue #5, where it's basically a dead city and to all appearances, her parents are dead as well.

So while it doesn't necessarily directly effect Kara's origins, there is plenty more that happened with Argo that I want to know. What happened to the city? How did it end up around that blue sun? How did the World Killers get released?

But as much as I want to read about that, I want to read more about Zor-El and Alura. Does she forgive him for all he did? Do they become estranged? Does she release the World Killers because she is so upset at what Zor was doing? Does the ground become Kryptonite like in the Silver Age?

And what happened in the initial aftermath of the planet's destruction. What was that conversation between Zor and Alura like? It begs for a back-up story in an Annual or something.

Nrama: With Zor-El doing those experiments, do those explain some of Kara's unique powers? 

Johnson: That a very good question that I can't totally answer without spoiling. But yeah, as we see in #0, he definitely had a plan to maximize the power of the yellow sun for Kara. But Kara, in her pod circling the sun, was just getting blasted for years with solar power.

Now we know that there was definitely some manipulation by Zor-El.  But the plan was to 'maximize' her power, not add powers. So maybe her 'solar flare' power is simply that she has absorbed so much energy she can't contain it, not that she necessarily has flame powers.


Nrama: You guys have gotten to the one-year point with Supergirl, and so much of what we've seen is her feeling like an alien and alone. Is that still the theme going forward into the second year? Or are things changing as she meets people who can become her supporting cast?



Johnson: We definitely want to maintain the idea that she does not feel like she truly belongs on planet Earth. You know, just because she learned what happened to Krypton doesn't mean she's immediately going to feel like this is her home. She's still adjusting. She's still absorbing what happened.

But we also don't want to keep hitting the same point of feeling completely alone and alienated. That's one of the reasons we brought in Siobhan, the Silver Banshee character, and her brother in issues #8 through #10. And we're going to be seeing Siobhan in issue #13 and beyond.

One of my biggest gripes about the title is Supergirl's inability to talk to people. It might be why the last two issues have been two of my favorites. In one, she is talking to Superman. In the other, while a flashback, we get to see Kara interact with other characters. It has lead to some difficulty in stories and it just slams home that 'isolation' aspect of the story.

So I was glad to hear Johnson say that they don't want to keep hitting that one thread over and over. I am still hoping that her 'Fortress of Solitude' can download English into her brain. 

Nrama: The other big question still remaining is her relationship with Kal, and that scene in issue #12 felt very realistic and emotional, as you showed them adjusting to each other. What are your thoughts behind the way that relationship has evolved so far, and where will it go in the second year?

Johnson: Up until now, Kara hasn't even known the truth about Krypton, so she hasn't been inclined to believe that this big, strapping superhero is the little baby she used to hold in her arms. 

In issue #13, she's going to learn more of the truth around what happened to Krypton, and that's going to start to soften her stance toward Kal. And she's going to begin to come around to accept the fact that this really is her baby cousin. Of course, accepting the fact that he's her cousin doesn't mean she's going suddenly want to hang out with him all the time. It's still such a mind-blowing and emotional thing to have to digest that we're still going to be playing that out. 

We don't want Kara and Kal to be at odds forever, but at the same time, we don't want to rush into the sort of familiar status quo, where they're these loving cousins that hang out all the time and have no issues between them. 

Well, I suppose this promises slow progress between the two characters .. and that's better than no progress. And nice to hear that won't be 'at odds forever'. These two should be close, should appreciate that the other exists, should want to be together as a family. 

And I agree, that conversation between the two in Supergirl #12 did feel emotional. That was one of my favorite scenes in this run so far.

Nrama: Is that when you become a solo writer as well, or does that start in issue #13?

Johnson: Issue #13 will be my first issue as the solo writer, and Sami Basri is coming in as the guest artist while Mahmud starts work on the crossover. But Sami's done an amazing job on issue #13, and he's really been able to capture Kara's character the way that Mahmud has established it, but at the same time bringing his own cool look to it. I'm thrilled to be able to work with Sami on my first solo issue.

Michael felt that making issue #0 our last co-writing issue felt like a good point for him to step aside for now. So we sort of book-ended it with issue #1 and issue #0.

So starting next month Mike Johnson is writing the book alone. I wonder just how far in advance Johnson and Green had plotted. Will Green get a co-plotter credit?

Congratulations to Mike Johnson for flying solo on the book.

Nrama: Getting back to this battle with Simon, it feels like he's gearing up to be her arch-nemesis. What were your thoughts behind the creation of Simon Tycho as a Supergirl villain, and was it influenced by Superman having his Lex Luthor?

Johnson: And most importantly, his objective is completely different from Luthor's. Whereas Lex detests Superman for being an alien, and Lex feels like he has humanity's best interest at heart, Tycho actually couldn't care less about humanity. He loves all things alien. That was really his job. His company was about retrieving things that fell from space and studying them and profiting from them. And Kara is just another thing for him to study and take advantage of. But Tycho essentially loves everything alien.

So we already had that Jor-El/Lara's goodbye was the opposite of Zor-El/Alura's. We know that Reign is the opposite of Supergirl in terms of a similar background with a very different resulting person.

Now we hear that Supergirl's arch-villain Simon Tycho is the opposite of Superman's arch-villain Lex Luthor. It does make Tycho feel fresh. That is an interesting background and an interesting way for him to view Supergirl.

I just hope that this 'opposite' of Superman idea doesn't spread to Supergirl's heroism. My hope is that these differences are to make Supergirl feel like a stand-alone character and not just a female Superman. She has her own background. That said, I want the ideals and actions of Supergirl to be more like Superman's than less. How impressive will it be is Supergirl becomes a hero in the face of her more difficult origin.

Nrama: We've heard a bit about H'el and the threat he represents, but what is Supergirl's role in the story?

Johnson: The really interesting thing about H'el is that he has a tie to every member of the trio. For Supergirl, essentially, He'l represents an alternative for Kara to living on Earth and becoming assimilated the way that Kal has. Up until this point for Kara, it's looked like a simple matter of, well, if Krypton is gone, I guess I'll start here. And H'el offers a really compelling alternative.

So my hope will be that Supergirl will realize that H'El's promises are empty, that Krypton is dead. Transforming Earth into Krypton, enforcing Kryptonian culture on the planet won't bring back her home planet, just an imitation.

Nrama: I'm sure you've planned what you're hoping to do with Supergirl in 2013. You talked a little bit about her supporting cast, and you've implied that we might see more interaction with Superman, but can you say more about what's coming for Kara in 2013?

Johnson: We're seeing the second act of the Tycho story in issues #12 and #13. But after the Super-crossover, we're going to see the second act of the Worldkillers and really, finally answer the question of how Kara's father's experiments on her were tied to his experiments on the Worldkillers, and what that means for Kara and for her powers and for her evolution, not just as a character but literally, her biological evolution. That's a tease I can give you there. And evolution, with the Worldkillers, is key as well, because we knew that they grew from embryos to what we saw in issues #5, #6 and #7, but there's nothing to say that they won't stop evolving.

And we definitely have big plans for [the Banshee] story to continue and see how Kara's relationship with Sibhan's brother will evolve. He represents the first hint of a love interest that we have for her.

One of the big complaints I read in other places about this title is that the overall story is moving too slowly.  So it is good to read that answers will continue to be revealed over the year. I had to remind myself that Peter David's Supergirl took a long time before his overall vision of an Earth Angel of Justice was revealed. So maybe I need more patience? As long as the there is an ending planned and each chapter is a good read with a mix of characterization and action, I suppose I should be happy and roll with it.

Still, it sounds like there is a lot of interesting stuff on the horizon. It also sounds like Johnson will be softening the 'isolation' aspect of the book, slowly bringing a Superman relationship into Kara's world, and keeping her a hero.

 

New Green And Johnson Interview On Newsarama

Over on Newsarama, there is a very good interview with Supergirl writers Michael Green and Mike Johnson, discussing what has been going on in Supergirl so far and what we can expect moving forward. Here is the link: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/green-johnson-supergirl-120125.html 

As always, I highly recommend going to the site and reading the interview in its entirety. It really gives a lot of details about the story so far, with lots of hints about what is coming up.

As usual, I picked a couple of segments of the interview that struck me and added some of my comments.

Newsarama: In issue #5, Supergirl finds out that it's all true. Krypton's really gone. How important was this moment for the title? It's a real turning point, isn't it?

Michael Green: For us, her finding out what happened back home, and that "home" is gone, is probably the most foundational part of her back-story. If Superman's never-ending story is, "what is my place in this world," because he got to grow up here and be an out-of-place child here, her story is so disruptive that her story becomes, "what happened to my world? Where did those people I love go?"

We wanted to make sure we gave as much attention to those emotions as possible, and really make that the first big piece of her story, finding out that it's all gone and dealing with it. It's real loss. It's everyone know you know and love is no more. There's nothing to do about except honor their memory by staying a good person in the face of it.

So the interview starts off with a bang with this response from Green. The biggest thing I like about this answer is that he says that the best way for Supergirl to honor Krypton is to be a good person. There isn’t the ‘sulk and isolate yourself’ feeling from this response, the biggest concern I had about the characterization of this new Supergirl.

Nrama: Supergirl has been constantly in danger in this comic, and when she found out that her world had been destroyed is coupled with danger yet again.

Green: We wanted to keep her from being allowed by life to have too much time to process and grieve. She's getting bad news while still very much a participant in her adventure. So it wasn't something that she heard and then got to sit with for a long time. I think if Clark had his way, he was going to give her the bad news and then sit with her as she cried it out. But she resisted that, because she just wasn't ready to hear it. And as a result, it's just been a roller coaster for her.

Johnson: And part of that is the larger story that we're building to, which is how she got here, because as you saw in issue #5, somebody got their hands on the shard that recorded the father's death, and why would that be in her pod with her? Who put it there? And who ultimately sent it there, even though the pod was her father's plan to have her survive the death of Krypton?

Glad their take on Clark’s response mirrors my own. I do think he will want to help her and hopefully she will allow him to help her work through these issues.

And I am glad that I was asking the right questions in my review of Supergirl #5. Who did rocket her? Who did put the crustal in there? We assume Zor-El got killed. So is it time for an Alura sighting?

The picture above looks like Kara sparring with some robots. This must be part of ‘Zor-El’s plan’ or part of what she was preparing for. It also explains why she thought Tycho’s robots were from Zor-El. He has to have been a military scientist. Notice how she is wearing different style boots? I wonder if she could fold the 'over the knee' portion down to make more like a buccaneer style version.

Nrama: Mahmud Asrar drew a very emotional moment, when she saw her father die. And you really relied on him for this, didn't you?

Johnson: It sounds horrible to say, but my favorite panel so far that we've seen is the panel where she just sort of screams and lets it all out.

But you're right that we relied on him in that moment. We told Mahmud, "We're not going to put any captions or dialogue here, so it's all on you." And he just nailed it, better than we could have imagined.

And any words would ruin that image. But it's the most emotional moment that we've had so far.

Green: And that moment, the scream that you see as she realizes she has lost her family, was the moment we'd been building toward, that moment of her really feeling it, her realizing it's true, and just being in pain.

I’ll concur that this panel was powerful and didn’t need anything else. Asrar just shines on this book.

Nrama: We found out who the Worldkillers are, thanks to the appearance of this new villainous character, Reign. And Supergirl isn't really not on the same side as Reign, and yet she they're both looking for the same answers. What does Reign represent for Kara?

Johnson: Reign will be an ongoing, important member of Kara's rogues’ gallery. And the best villains, I think, have something that connects them intrinsically to the hero. Reign is a twisted reflection of Kara. She has all this power, but she's a little bit of a loose cannon.

Green: We wanted Kara to be able to see some of herself in there. And in a way, it's temptation, because she's so much in pain that there is a part of her that does want to be like Reign and get angry, and use that pain to get even or just feel better by taking what she wants. And that is a real temptation, especially given the insane amounts of power she woke up with when she landed under the light of a yellow sun.

I called Reign a dark reflection of Kara and I think she has the power to stand toe to toe with her. So I am glad that she isn’t a one-off rogue, but an ongoing adversary. We still need to learn more about her … but she sure is interesting. And nice splash page here!

Nrama: It's always seemed a bit of a coincidence that all these Kryptonians landed on Earth just because it had a yellow sun. It sounds like Reign is thinking the same thing?

Johnson: Yeah, that ties into a larger story that's unraveling, and it's kind of mirroring Kara's adaptation to Earth. You'll see the unraveling of that mystery.

It's very convenient that this happens to be the safe place for Kryptonians after the death of their planet. And feeding into that as well is the question about the House of El itself, because Jor-El and Zor-El both had different plans, different responses to the threat to Krypton, and the difference between the brothers themselves is something we want to explore over the next year.

Hmmm, maybe my militant Zor-El prediction is right. I just hope that there isn’t any ‘Kill Kal-El’ style nonsense in the brother’s different viewpoints.

Nrama: Last time Superman and Supergirl met, they didn't exactly see eye to eye, as we discussed in our last interview.

Johnson: [laughs] That's putting it mildly. But there's a meeting coming up between Superman and Supergirl that deals with how their perception of each other might have evolved now, given their acrimonious meeting the first time.

I still think, after realizing that Krypton and her family are gone, that Kara should reach out to Kal for some support. Not reliance! Support. That is what families do. Despite the cover to Superman #6 (with Kal punching Kara), I hope the two come together.

Nrama: Then to finish up, can you give us any hints about what 2012 will bring to Supergirl?

Green: The next arc really is about, OK, I'm here on Earth, I've taken a stand and said this is a place worth defending. Now what do I do? And we'll see her meeting people and making new friends, or maybe making new enemies. Because if you're going to be somewhere, you have to talk to creatures there and learn their language.

Johnson: In Supergirl, over the next year, the series will be all about getting Kara to the point where the trauma, while not over for her, is at least resolved in the story. It's going to be about her adjusting to life on Earth and the new challenges and decisions that brings.

Again, all good news here. She thinks Earth is a place worth defending. That is a far cry from ‘she has no love for humanity … so don’t piss her off’!'

It sounds like she'll be the hero I want her to be.

Round Two: Newsarama Polls

 Want to celebrate the recent run on Supergirl by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle? Well go vote for them in Newsarama's round-robin tournament for best ongoing title. Here is the link:
 http://www.newsarama.com/comics/favorite-ongoing-2010-round-2-101217.html

Supergirl escaped the first round, beating American Vampire. In what is a very difficult match-up, the title is going up against multi-media giant The Walking Dead. These books are wildly different. In many ways, this vote is like asking what's better a pear or a pomegranate.

But I'd love to see Supergirl win, or at least have a good showing.

Best Ongoing isn't the only category Supergirl advanced in. Amy Reeder's excellent cover of Supergirl #58 made it into the second round in the Best Cover category. Here is that link:
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/favorite-cover-2010-round-2-101215.html

She is up against a dramatic cover of Steve Rogers putting on the Nova helmet. I think it lacks significant gravitas, so I feel confidant Supergirl #58 and Reeder will advance. But go and vote.

Unfortunately, neither Sterling Gates (best writer) or Jamal Igle (best artist) escaped the first round. But, of course, it was a nice 'tip of the hat' to be nominated.

Given the sudden unclear future of the title, I was happy that I had even this small way of further promoting this last year of Supergirl stories.

"Best Of" Newsarama Polls

The end of the year is approaching and that means people are starting to put together 'best of' lists. Trust me, I am already putting together my thoughts about the "Top Ten Supergirl Moments of 2010".

Newsarama is doing the same, looking back at 2010, picking their favorites from the comic world, and doing a round robin tournament for a number of categories. In a nice nod to the current Supergirl creative team, both the title and the individual creators all made it into the tournament. If you like the job they have done, please click the links below and vote.

Here is the link for the Ongoing title: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/favorite-ongoing-2010-round-1-101210.html

Supergirl drew the 5th seed in the opening round and is going up against a very good American Vampire book. In theory, this means the Newsarama crew thought that Supergirl was the 5th best title on the market last year. How fantastic is that! I think we should vote early and often to get the book through the first round!

But the title couldn't be fantastic without the creators working on the book.

 Sterling Gates was nominated in the 'Favorite Writer' category.

Here is the link for the best writer: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/favorite-writers-2010-round-1-101206.html

In what is a tough pull, Gates is the 15 seed going up against the juggernaut of Robert Kirkman. In the NCAA College Basketball tourney, 2-15 upsets are exceedingly rare. I am glad that Gates was recognized for the great work that he did this last year, seeing Kara through some tough times.

Jamal Igle has done such wonderful work on the book, so I was happy to see him nominated in the "Favorite Artist" category.

Here is the link: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/favorite-artists-2010-round-1-101207.html

Igle drew a very high 4 seed in this opening round. Samnee's work on Thor was beloved so I am hoping an upset doesn't happen. Igle really shined this year drawing some very emotional scenes intermixed with high action scenes as well. As for me, I adore the 'Closet of Solitude' splash page. His work was so polished; he deserves the high seed.

And newcomer to the book, Amy Reeder, has done such wonderful eye-catching covers since joining Supergirl. How fantastic that in that short time, her work was noticed. Supergirl #58 was nominated for the 'Favorite Cover" category.

Here is the link for that category: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/favorite-covers-2010-round-1-101208.html

In what appears to be a grudge match between Supergirl and American Vampire, the two titles square off again. This really is a great angelic pose for Kara, deserving of recognition.

As they say in Chicago, vote early and vote often.

And as a Supergirl fan, it was great to see the title recognized for the high quality it has shown this last year in all phases of the book. Congratulations to Sterling Gates, Jamal Igle, and Amy Reeder for being nominated.

Newsarama Salutes Supergirl

Newsarama has started a series of articles looking forward to 2009. The first part was '9 characters to watch in 2009' and Supergirl was there (http://www.newsarama.com/comics/120829-9-Characters.html ).

Supergirl (DC Comics)
Although she is the female counterpart to DC's signature superhero, she's never quite lived up to her birthright until now. Her ongoing series has finally (finally!) gotten its footing with writer Sterling Gates, and Supergirl is emerging as a key part of the larger DC Universe not as Superman's proverbial “kid sister” but as her own person. Far from a Superman in women's clothing, Supergirl has begun to emerge and reach her full potential – and her fans couldn't be happier.

The next part was '9 creators to watch in 2009' and Sterling Gates was there ( http://www.newsarama.com/comics/120830-9-Creators.html ).

Sterling Gates

Like Bendis' endorsement for Jonathan Hickman, Sterling Gates can credit Geoff Johns for propelling him to the big leagues of superhero comics. From debuting at DC in December 2007, now he's writing a re-invigorates Supergirl series and is considered a right-hand man for DC comics architect Geoff Johns. Two months shy of his 28th birthday, his stellar work on Supergirl is looking to be a launching pad for a formidable comics career.

Here is hoping that Jamal Igle gets a nod in the inevitable '9 artists to watch' piece.

As has been said elsewhere, it just feels good to be a Supergirl fan right now. Everything seems to be on the rise.