Nick Spencer On His Supergirl Run

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

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http://nickspencerly.tumblr.com/post/45862702793/by-the-amazing-amy-reeder-the-unpublished-cover

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah?? Where were you back then??

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Review: Jimmy Olsen One-Shot

The Jimmy Olsen second feature, written by Nick Spencer and illustrated by R.B. Silva, originally ran in the early chapters of Paul Cornell's Action Comics run. When the 'Second Feature' idea was scuttled to drop down prices, the end of the Olsen story seemed destined for the dustbin. We had read the first 4 days of 'Jimmy Olsen's Big Week' and I wondered if we would ever see the last three days.

Kudos to DC for realizing this was a fun and offbeat story that deserved to have it's ending delivered. And even more interesting was DC's decision to put the whole story into an oversized Jimmy Olsen one-shot, reprinting the opening chapters for those who missed out.

Sure it's also a business decision. Nick Spencer is a hot name in comics right now so why not make an oversized issue with a $5.99 cover price. People will come. Add to that a spectacular Amanda Conner cover and you've got a winner.

The thing that I enjoyed about this story was the fantastical elements that Olsen careens through. Spencer did a great job here getting the feeling of those crazy Jimmy Olsen stories of the Silver Age without making it seem old or silly. The fact that Jimmy is able to simple roll from one event to the next shows that this is his life, Action Reporter with a few wrinkles here and there.

For me though, I think this worked better as a short featurette every month instead of one massive story. Part of that is Nick Spencer's witty and timely dialogue. In short spurts, it is clever and funny. In a long narrative it becomes almost unbelievable. No one without a script can be that clever all the time. To use a food metaphor, this was like cheesecake. One slice is delicious and great. But if you try to eat three slices it becomes too heavy ... too rich ... too much.

As I reviewed the opening chapters here earlier, I'll concentrate on the new chapters. Remember the story left off with a 5th dimension young imp paying boatloads of money to have a date with Jimmy and then tries to get him to marry her.

At the altar, Jimmy tries to get Superman to help him by triggering his signal watch only to have his bride-to-be tell him that he is Superman, or co-Superman at least.

Suddenly Jimmy is in a world where he is on top.

As co-Superman he is saving lives. He is also the Daily Planet's top reporter. Sebastien Mallory is in jail. And Chloe seems to regret having broken up with him. It is a true fantasy world even if Jimmy can't remember how he got there.

There are some cute lines in here like Jimmy talking about writing about himself as co-Superman 'not in a Livejournal-braggy' way.

As he tries to figure out what is going on, Jimmy finds a letter from Maggie Mxyz.....

Turns out that despite her initial crush, she isn't madly in love with Olsen and doesn't want to marry him. But as he is such a nice guy, she set up this magical world so he could see that even all this greatness wouldn't matter without the right person ... without Chloe. Jimmy can stay there as long as he wants. But he can leave any time he wants by running back into the bathroom he ran into when he tried to escape Maggie before.

Again, nice little references by Spencer here calling this world 'It's a Wonderful When Harry Met Sally', a mash-up of Capra and Reiner. He also has Maggie quote the Beatles. All this makes sense to Jimmy who ends this adventure by yelling heroically 'I gotta go to the bathroom.' That was perhaps my favorite moment of the new material. That's funny.

On day six, Jimmy realizes he needs to win back Chloe and that means intervening in her date on Sebastien Mallory's orbiting apartment. For that he needs help. And so he goes to Natasha Irons to outfit the ancient concept of the Daily Planet's Flying Newsroom as a spaceship.

Again, this is just a panel to highlight some of Spencer's pop culture tweaks. Jimmy describes Natasha's speed as 'Meet Joe Black' slow, 'Cold Mountain' slow and 'The English Patient' slow.

I do like that Jimmy has seemed to shake the doldrums off, determined to win back his love.

I also liked that it turns out that Chloe isn't attracted to Mallory at all, instead going on dates to try to uncover what he is up to. And like any good investigative reporter, she is able to uncover his plot.

Mallory is behind the development of the Superman video game we see Jimmy playing in the first chapter. Loaded with subliminal messages, the game is addictive to the masses. But more importantly, their play clogs the internet, slowing everything down. Only LexCorp will have free-flowing web info ... for a price of course.

Chloe responds that as a dastardly villain move it could use more giant squid. Almost comes off her tongue too quick, no?

Luckily our hero is charging in to save the day. I wish I could figure out what song he is humming her. But the expression on his face is priceless.

Unfortunately, the flying newsroom has no shields. A few missiles later and Jimmy is floating in space.

Fortune favors the bold though. Jimmy has the remote controls for the Dalwythian ship from days two and three and is able to call it to him for a rescue.

This was another of my favorite moments in the book. Earlier, the aliens had crashed the ship into the Daily Planet leaving it hanging out. The repairmen thought it would be cheaper to push it into the globe and fix the globe rather than arrange to remove the ship entirely. Perry White thinks it will make a nice anecdote for school tours, 'what's inside the planet', until it crashes outwards. His deadpan and underwhelmed response 'I hate kids anyways' is perfect for Perry.

Picked up by the alien ship, Jimmy careens into Mallory's satellite in order to 'rescue' Chloe only to discover that she has already beat up Sebastien and hog tied him with duct tape. I like how she says she's 'no Poison Ivy'.

When told of Sebastien's plot, Jimmy says it 'needs more Anti-Monitor'. Again, funny and cute. But too cute? Too 'just on the tip of his tongue'?

But much like defeating the Dalwythians meant making Metropolis boring, Jimmy knows that the way to get people off the game is to make it boring as well. And man ... he does just that.

But that is also saving the world while 'sitting around in underwear playing video games', the very reason Chloe gave him for breaking up. Nice irony and very well played. This was yet another very good moment in this book.

Ugh, seriously, who would play a Superman game and pick the Alpha Centurion level?? I am cringing.

With Mallory's plan crushed, the only thing left to do is try to win back Chloe. And while he mends some of the earlier damage, Chloe wants to take it slow for now.

This comic is crazy, wacky, and fast-paced. It's funny and topical and witty. And it seems to channel all the good energy from the early Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen comics. R.B. Silva's art is the perfect fit here, detailed and stylish. This really was a fun read and I highly recommend it.

I just think the next time I read it, I'll do it over the course of a week myself. One day at a time. Because if taken in large doses, I wonder if it would read as 'too clever' which I know sounds like when Salieri said Mozart's work had too many notes. Uh oh ... now maybe I am being too clever.

Overall grade: A

Sales Review January 2011

Given the events of the month. I was very curious to see the comic sales information for January.

For this blog's focus, I wanted to see the sales for Supergirl #60, the first issue after Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle's run, the first month of the "Nick Spencer" story, written by James Peaty and drawn by Bernard Chang.

But I also wanted to see if the 'event' comic Fantastic Four #587 was going to garner big sales.

And unlike many, I actually liked the January 2011 DC Cover theme; the white background, character-driven covers grabbed my eye. Some of them were good enough to be pin-ups or posters.

As I do each month, I'll praise ICv2 for their in-depth sales coverage. Here is the link to last month's sales:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/19327.html As expected, FF#587 sold the most comics, breaking the 100K mark. But comics as a whole suffered another bad month, with sales down almost across the board.

And yet, I am pretty content.

Supergirl #60 sold 22,568, down an iota from Supergirl #59's 22,606. I have to admit that I was worried that the creative upheaval, including Nick Spencer's leaving the book after co-writing one issue, would drive people away. But sales were stable, and that is in the context of a horrible sales month overall.

I'll take it.

As for the underdogs, they continue to tread water. Doom Patrol #18 hovered around 9,300. That's worrisome.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #24 sold 10,354, a couple of hundred less than the prior issue.

I include this picture just to show that T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #3 is also down amongst the reeds. Although we obviously don't know the details, it still feels like Nick Spencer chose Agents over Supergirl, a fringe book selling 10K over a book with a solid fanbase.

The big question is going to be what will sales be like for Supergirl #61. Nick Spencer isn't in the credits. And people will have given the new storyline a chance. Will people jump ship?

Review: Supergirl #60

Supergirl #60 came out on Wednesday and I have to say ... I was worried.

It was the first issue in the post-Sterling Gates era.

It had a pink S-shield.

It was plotted by Nick Spencer who has jumped ship.

I went in with low expectations.

Surprisingly, I thought this was a good to very good issue, setting up the premise of this story arc and introducing us to a new villain. Now I have a caveat about my overall grade here, something I will need to see happen in the upcoming issues to feel even better about this. But I'll admit, I liked it.
The writing is credited to both Nick Spencer and James Peaty, although I bet this is more of a plotted and scripted sort of thing. I'll talk more about the writing in a bit, but I think that Supergirl was portrayed in the right manner, something I wasn't sure was going to happen.

The cover by Amy Reeder (outside of the pink S-shield) is a nice one, showing a flying Supergirl turning to the camera.And Bernard Chang seems comfortable with the characters here. I was very happy with the art in the book.

The book opens at Harvard University where a student named Alex is talking to one of his buddies about how man evolves. It is often through conflict and being conquered. He talks of the evils of the Roman Empire, how they mistreated much of society, but also how the Romans brought civilization dramatically forward.

He wonders if super-heroes are doing humanity an injustice by stopping Earth from being conquered by alien races. Maybe these new masters would elevate mankind just as the Romans did.

We don't know Alex yet, but  he is obviously bright, cocky, and self-assured. He is quick with the turn of a phrase. But he already seems very creepy.

The next scene jumps to Lois having lunch with Catherine Devereux, a former Cadmus employee who left her job to be with her child who is battling leukemia.

Catherine tells Lois of a project at Cadmus, a project which could threaten the world. She needed to tell someone so her conscience would be clear. Lois assures her that it is the right thing to do. And it doesn't matter if Superman isn't around, someone else is protecting Metropolis.

So first off ... this is Lois Lane. Not what we saw in Superman #707.

But more importantly, how great is it for Lois to talk about Supergirl protecting the city so easily, so confidently. It was a small moment but it struck the right chord of how Supergirl is viewed now, like a hero.

We then see Supergirl, flying over the city, acting as guardian angel.

I really think Bernard Chang draws a lovely Supergirl. She looks lithe and agile here. She does seem to be a bit long in the torso in this panel, invoking a sort of midway between Michael Turner and Jamal Igle.

She sounds and looks sure of herself as she patrols the skies. She even catches a young man who has fallen off a skyscraper. In a nice role-reversal from many Silver Age issues, the man tells Supergirl he did it so she would save him. He even hopes she'll give him her number. There is a great panel where you can feel Supergirl rolling her eyes at him. It is a nice little introduction for her to this new team.

But before we get more of Supergirl, we are back to the Harvard commissary where Alex is talking about his latest smart-phone app called Flyover. He created it so people could document when and where they have seen young super-heroes. It ends up being a sort of GPS to find out where heroes are, a way to triangulate their location.

Already on the grid live, the app is accumulating hits. Even the young man saved by Kara has downloaded her position.

The concept is interesting, social media being used for ill will. We recently saw it in Matt Fraction's Iron Man where people thought they were playing a smart-phone game but were actually piloting drones and fighting the real live Tony Stark.

But again, we are treated to a whole page of dialogue between Alex and some new students who arrive. Their talk isn't really important to the story, more small talk among friends. In the end, I wonder if there was too much talk ... but more on that later.

Presumably, based on her Flyover position, a small team of Superman villains gets teleported to Supergirl's area, ready to fight her.

This isn't Riot. These are some heavy hitters (although Kara does notice that Silver Banshee is there and doesn't usually associate with other villains): the Parasite, Metallo, the Kryptonite Man, and Silver Banshee. Supergirl shouldn't be able to last long against all these guys. She would probably struggle with one.

But like a hero, she doesn't fly away.

I love these two panels. Supergirl asks the villains who hired them. The Kryptonite Man reminds her they would gladly kill her for free.

I really liked the second panel. Supergirl succinctly asks them 'battle?' We see her open hand close to a fist. And as if to bring our focus onto her fist, we see the villains blurred in the background. If this was a Matrix movie, it would be a force ripple obscuring them when she balls up her hand.

It was panel progression that worked for me.

And, amazingly, she actually gets the upper hand, tossing the K-man aside and bashing Metallo.

I liked seeing her reflection in Metallo's mask.

But again, before we seem much of that fight, we cut away.

First we see the Daily Planet where Perry is asking for stories. Jimmy talks about a gorilla in a local zoo who is adopting stray cats.

Then Lois bursts in with the news that Devereux gave her. Cadmus was, once again, experimenting with Kryptonian DNA. My theories about this later.

Dispersed within the Planet scene is more from the Harvard Cafe.We learn that no one can remember when they first met 'Alexander the great', or how long they have been friends. He simply was in their heads. It is clear that Alex is more than a smart kid; he must have some sort of powers. I think I got it figured out ... but we'll see at the end.

And suddenly we are having all the scenes shown to us, one panel at a time.

Supergirl's success in battle is short lived as the 4 villains gain the upper hand.

Devereux goes home to her ailing child.

And Alex talks more. We finally learn what he is trying to do. He wants to eliminate super-heroes so the next wave of conquerors will be successful. But he'll eliminate Supergirl, not Superman ... because she is the future.

It is an interesting plot tied in to the plugged in community. But it does take us a while to get there. And we again get more panels where Alex and his friends are talking about girlfriends and dating. It seemed like wasted space.

It isn't just Supergirl he wants to kill. It's all the young heroes. And Flyover is just the way to find them.

Nice panel showing the scope of Alex' psychosis.

When his friends all call him on it, saying he's crazy, Alex tells them they won't say a word or he'll reveal a deep dark secret they all have - secrets he lists including cheating on tests, killing someone while drunk driving, and having an affair with a Dean.

And with that, Alex says he is done with college.

In a sick twist, Ms. Devereux comes home to find her child is dead, a note from Alex written in a book nearby, chastising Devereux for talking to Lois. It shows just how diabolical Alex is.

So what do I think about all this.

First off, clearly Alex is the project from Cadmus. He must be a clone who has been rapidly aged. Given Spencer's hints from before, I would have initially said it was the Luthor/Brainiac clone from Adventure. But the wrinkle about Kryptonian DNA has me thinking differently. Maybe, like Conner, Alex is part Luthor (get it A-Lex) and part Superman, only he's more Lex than Clark ... like 75% to 25%. Remember, in Supergirl Annual #2, Brainiac 5 talked about Supergirl's major adventures including 'Luthor's other son'. Alex has to be it.

Secondly, my caveat about this arc and the writing in this issue. I thought this was a good first issue because it showed us all the key pieces of the puzzle and gave us some insight into the villain. But this was told in a Nick Spencer style. There was a lot of talking going on, maybe tangentially concerning the main action of the story, but keeping us away from the action. This is the same pattern I have seen in 3 issues of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. I think it worked here because we were just getting to know Alex. But I don't know if I want to see this style every issue ... or even one more issue. I am about to stop reading T.H.U.N.D.E.R. because it feels like it has been spinning its wheels. Let's face it, Supergirl was only in a small part of this issue. That's fine to set the table, to give us the info we needed about the upcoming conflict. But I don't want her pushed to the periphery of her own title so snappy dialogue and meaningless repartee can happen. I mean, we learned a decent amount about the students Alex was friends with, their romances, their sins. Will we see them again? Did I need to hear all I heard about them? Or was that page space wasted?

I don't mean to sound negative. I know I am talking about a potential problem in the next issues. To be honest, I think that Spencer leaving might be the right thing here. I have more trust in James Peaty, that he'll keep Supergirl front and center.

Lastly, I wonder if its Banshee who will save Supergirl from her current predicament, payback for Kara helping Siobhan get a family talisman in Supergirl #49.

All in all, I thought this was pretty good. I hope the next issues can build on this, showcasing Supergirl more.

Overall grade: B+/B

Review: Action Comics #896 Jimmy Olsen

Action Comics #896 also included the next chapter in the Jimmy Olsen back-up feature written by Nick Spencer and drawn by RB Silva.

This story really resonates with the more wacky nature of the Olsen stories from the Silver Age. Back then he had all sorts of powers and got into all sorts of crazy predicaments. This definitely feels more like one of those Olsen stories. This is in a bit of a contrast to the more serious look at Jimmy that we have had during the New Krypton story. 

I always talk about preconceived notions and how I need to really try to go into things with an open mind. But it is hard not to read stuff by Spencer without a jaundiced eye now that he has jumped ship with Supergirl.

Last issue, Lois talked about setting Jimmy up on a date to shake him out of his doldrums. Little did Jimmy realize that Lois was talking about a charity auction called MediaCares where people bid to go out on a date with journalists.

Jimmy is against the idea but Lois is adamant. And she thinks the best thing he can do to 'upsell' is to keep mentioning that he is Superman's pal. I am sure that will help Jimmy's confidence.

The night gets even worse when it turns out that Chloe is also one of the media members being auctioned off. And, of course, Jimmy's nemesis Sebastian Mallory ... he off the big bank account ... is in the audience as well. Certainly Jimmy can't compete in a bidding war with Mallory. He can't buy Chloe's love back.

But I think we have seen enough of Chloe to know that she still has feelings for Jimmy. She even says that he is cute when he is jealous.

As expected, Mallory pays big bucks to win a date with Chloe.

At first it looks as if no one is going to bid on Jimmy, regardless of his status as Superman's pal.

Then ... suddenly ... a mystery woman comes in and bids one million dollars. It is crazy ... almost ludicrous. But I think that is the purpose of this story, to show just how wild Olsen's life is.

Surprisingly, Maggie initially turns out to be 'cool'. Jimmy has a nice beginning of the day, strolling through Metropolis where he is able to recount many of his adventures.

I liked this one where he coolly talks about his relationship with Lucy. Is it supposed to be Lucy Lane? Is there relationship still in continuity? Nice icicles on the word bubble though.

At dinner, a number of strange things start to happen making Jimmy wonder just who he is dating. She has already told him that she is from 'out of town'. When he asks her last name, she pulls out her card because her name is hard to say.

That's right ... her last name is Mxyzptlk!

Now this is definitely something that would happen to Jimmy in the Silver Age.

Jimmy tries to escape the restaurant from the men's room to no avail. As he exits the restroom, he finds himself suddenly transported to his wedding ceremony. Maybe this is another one of those nutty 5th dimension weddings where Maggie is trying to get another imp jealous.

This story is pretty much fluff. Like cotton candy it is sweet but melts to nothing. I doubt this will have any long lasting impact on the Jimmy character. Will Chloe also stick around after this?

RB Silva really has a nice crisp style so I hope to see him around after this story ends.

Overall grade: B

Well That Was Fast! Nick Spencer Off Supergirl

At around 11am yesterday, Nick Spencer tweeted the following.

Okay all, breaking some bad news today-- I won't be doing SUPERGIRL after all. But hey, nobody cry for me! All kinds of cool stuff coming up in 2011, so stay tuned and all that.

Around the same time, this was posted on the DC Source blog. Here is the link:
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/12/16/a-few-teases-for-the-thunder-agents-fans/

On a related note, Nick Spencer will be stepping off Supergirl to concentrate on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, with writer James Peaty co-scripting issue #60 and then taking over for him from there. (Bernard Chang will stay on as artist for the book.) Here’s what Supergirl editor Matt Idelson had to say about James Peaty:

“When I was deciding who should write this Supergirl arc, I knew I needed someone who could not just write a good story, but bring their  own unique vision to an in progress story. I’ve worked on and off with James  Peaty over the years and had been looking for the chance to do so again. James is no stranger to the DCU, having written adventures for Green Arrow, the Justice League, the JSA, Batman, and Supergirl.”

I think it is pretty lousy of DC to sstick this important Supergirl news at the bottom of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents post, not even mentioning it in the headline. Maybe they were hoping that nobody would notice that the 'hot new writer' they put on the title was leaving before one issue of his 'run' was released. Or maybe they think that T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a more important book for DC such that the Supergirl part of the story barely warrants a mention.

But the truth is this completely stinks.

This has nothing to do with James Peaty or his abilities.

It has everything to do with perception.

My perception is that Sterling Gates, who loved the character, was well into a critically lauded run and seemed to have more stories to tell, was forced off the book by DC.

My perception is Nick Spencer was hired as the 'hot new writer' to bring in new readers. And maybe he was stretched a bit thin with all of his creator owned stuff, and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Iron Man. And with all thosee things on his plate, the project he decided to scrap was Supergirl. Guess we know where she ranked on his list.

And now Spencer is off the book before the first issue has been released.

Perception isn't always reality. But my perception now is that this book is in a tail spin. And that is sad given that we are just coming off of one of the best years ever to be a Supergirl fan. That it was holding its own in sales during the toughest economic times comics has faced.

Remember when we had all those different writers in the first 33 issues? Loeb, Rucka, Kelly, Palmiotti, Bedard, Puckett, Pfeifer, and Peaty all were there. 8 writers in 33 issues! 8!! Remember how disjointed the book felt? How there was no direction for the character in those issues? How the title seemed on a collision course for cancellation? Doesn't this feel the same way? We had 2+ years of one writer. In the next three issues - 59,60, and 61 - we'll have three.

Seriously, I would love to hear from DC exactly why Gates was taken off the book. Because in retrospect, I bet that looks like a pretty bad decision right now. Because now the book feels like it is in disarray.

No one can say that this announcement is anything but bad news for the book. Now I have to ratchet up the pessimism again.

I will say it again. This is not a knock against James Peaty, who stepped in to finish Kelley Puckett's storyline right before Gates and Igle took over. My perception about the book isn't about Peaty's ability to write Supergirl. Maybe he will hit the ground running and the book will prosper.

But if the new writer DC was trumpeting is off the book before his first issue is even finished, it gives Supergirl a 'lame duck' feel, a second class citizen sort of feel. And the character and this title deserves better than that.

We, as Supergirl fans, deserve better.

My thanks to the many many Supergirl fans who emailed me to make sure that I had heard the news. I appreciate the support for the blog and glad other people care about Supergirl as much as I do!

Spencer Interview On CBR

Over on Comic Book Resources, they recently posted an interview with Nick Spencer that was done at the NYCC way back in October. This was when the announcement about the creative team change was just announced. Here is the link: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29707

As always, the whole interview is worth listening to, especially the stuff about how Spencer got to where he is in his career. As a kid I dreamed of writing comics so to hear about that path is always interesting.

The Supergirl stuff starts in the 9th minute for those who want to jump ahead. Here are some blurbs and comments.

Spencer starts out by describing Sterling Gates' run as 'amazing' and 'character defining'. I'd obviously agree. The one thing I can say is that Supergirl is a much more stable and established character since Gates took over. Prior to that it seemed like no one knew what to do with her. Now I understand who she is.

Spencer then says that with Gates' story done, it was time for a fresh look with the character. He describes his story as being a different sort of story ... told in the 'Loeb style' with lots of guest stars. He also says this is the first true superhero story he has written.

I have to say I was sort of dismayed a bit by this. I don't know if I like the 'Loeb style'. And too many guest stars was something I felt was wrong with the book at it's outset. The more time devoted to guest stars, the less time we see Supergirl.

But the rest of the interview bolstered my optimism a bit.

Spencer talks about how she isn't Superman, putting on the same costume and simply doing what he would do. He talks about how this story has Supergirl looking for her place in the world, who she is.

Gates and Igle did a great job in having Kara discover who she is.That story has been told. Supergirl knows who she is.

Given that this is a big action piece with lots of teen superheroes, my guess is this story is more about Supergirl discovering who she is in the context of the rest of the DCU. Who is she in the super-hero community? Is she the Superman for her generation? Does she inspire that sort of respect and admiration? Or is she still striving for that.

Spencer finishes up by talking about how this story is a big conflict with a new villain coming from the Geoff Johns/Francis Manapul Adventure run. It has to be this Luthor/Brainiac clone seen at the end of Adventure Comics #6.

So overall, this interview adds some information about Spencer's story and his thoughts on Kara. I think this added to my guarded optimism. One thing I don't like is that we haven't heard about Spencer's thoughts long-term about the title. Remember when Gates was announced and talked about all he wanted to accomplish while on the title. Here Spencer only seems to be thinking about this first arc. What is the plan after this big conflict?

Supergirl #60, the first of the Spencer/Chang era is scheduled to be released on January 19, 2011.

Review: Action Comics #895 - Jimmy Olsen Second Feature

The Jimmy Olsen Second Feature in Action Comics has been one of the better back-up features that I have read in books from my pull list. And, since Nick Spencer is taking over Supergirl in a couple of months, I must admit I have been reading this story with more than usual scrutiny.

The first chapter was a home run, capturing some of the trippier aspects of Silver Age Olsen adventures while adding a 21st century edge and pretty crisp dialogue. The second chapter wasn't as fantastic but was still very good, suffering only in comparison to the opening volley. This entry in Action Comics #895 is closer to the excellence seen in the first chapter. It also gives us a quick peek into Spencer's ideas on Supergirl.

One thing about Jimmy is that he is pretty malleable as a character. In recent years we have seen James Robinson try to make him into a gritty 'Mr. Action' type, willing to do some dirty work to get the job done, willing to risk his life to uncover the truth. Sterling Gates also had him as a 'Mr. Action' but working more in the light of day, willing to risk his life for others. J. Michael Straczynski had him a crusader for the story, willing to risk his life for the ultimate news picture in Superman Earth One. Her in Action, this is a much breezier version of Jimmy, still in the middle of a lot of action, but using his brains and armed with a witty comeback. Surprisingly, all the versions work for me. I don't know who 'my' Jimmy Olsen is, having grown up with variations of these versions.

Last issue, Jimmy discovered that the party the visiting aliens are hoping to throw will raze the surface of the planet. He comes up with a brilliant idea ... make Metropolis seem completely boring and therefore make the aliens look elsewhere.

So after a night of partying, the aliens wake up in the 'quietest big city in the galaxy'.

Steel fishing? Superboy sacking out in a hammock? Brilliant.

My only complaint here is putting the glasses on Supergirl. Wouldn't that look a bit too much like Linda Lang? I don't know if Kara would want to endanger her secret identity on a billboard.

And, thanks to the power of social media, Jimmy convinces the entire city to go along on the gag. Even the bars agree to close. Metropolis appears to be dry except on weekends.

Implausible? Completely. But Jimmy always had hare-brained schemes like this work in the Silver Age.

The aliens are shown more of the 'usual' fun stuff that Metropolis has to offer. For example, they head to a poetry reading by Perry White. Perry recites some of his own dreadful verse about the loss of love. It is pretty amusing. I love the shocked look on the aliens' faces.

And to seal the deal, Jimmy invites Supergirl to show the alien princess a good time.

I really like RB Silva's take on Supergirl here. There is a hint of Renato Guedes' Kara here and that is high praise.

The princess thinks a young hip superhero taking her shopping will save her from the ennui. But Supergirl takes her to the Yarn Barn.

This short scene really gives us an idea of what Spencer thinks of Supergirl. His Kara actually likes the Yarn Barn; she likes to knit. And Jimmy could care less knowing how exciting and awesome Supergirl is.

We have seen that Supergirl paints, plays the guitar, collects souvenirs. It didn't shock or disappoint to hear she also knits. And that seems pretty consistent with the Supergirl that Gates and Igle wrote. She's crafty, artsy.

This little scene added to the optimism I was feeling going into Spencer's run with Supergirl.

Convinced that Earth is dull, the aliens pack up and leave.

Somehow Jimmy has pulled it off.

Of course, the aliens will now raze someone else's planet ... but we won't worry about that. That planet's Jimmy can figure out how to save them.

Feeling good about himself for the first time in a while, Jimmy is deflated when Chloe says the victory really belongs to her. She is the one who sent out the message to the populace. Besides, it doesn't change how she currently feels about him. They are still on the outs.

Every time Jimmy thinks he is out of the doldrums, someone pulls him back in.

But Lois has the answer! She'll set him up. Lois looks a bit too crazed here.

I have to say, I enjoyed this part of the Jimmy story a lot. The idea that all of Metropolis would play along is preposterous but it did have a certain throwback appeal. In a world where Jimmy is captured in a techno-genie bottle (as he was at the outset of this story), he could convince a whole city to act dull. Spencer's Jimmy is smart and sly and I like that. Perry's poetry was awful! And I like that too.

And I loved the little slice of Supergirl we saw here.

Again, I think this is supposed to be a fun story, light and fluffy and in some ways silly.

RB Silva's work is solid throughout this and works very well with the bright color palette. And I thought he did a great job with Supergirl. Only that Lois panel was off.

Overall grade: A