Review: Reign in Hell #8

I said from the outset that I had little interest in reading Reign In Hell outside of the rumored appearance of Linda Danvers. The Shadowpact and other mystic players in the DCU have rarely grabbed me. But Linda Danvers? She was special to me.

The mini-series ended this week with Reign In Hell #8. As with most of the issues, I was scratching my head when I finished it. It just never seemed to make much sense to me. And I am still unclear how the mystic terrain has changed now that this war has reached a resolution. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Remember that in last issue, Linda seemed confused and was vacillating between helpful and innocent or vengeful and judging. After immolating some demons, she almost does the same to Dr. Occult before flying off screaming.

I don't think that sat well with most Linda fans. Most of us worried that this was a set-up to make her the Queen of Hell.

This issue opens up shortly afterwards. The human beings in Hell have congregated in the empty realm of Purgatory in hopes of finding a way home. Some are inexperienced; some are overmatched; most are battered physically and exhausted mentally.

The only sensible plan is for Nightshade to try to find a passage back through the shadow realms. She states that the shadows are now unpredictable and that she may get lost inside them. She also admits that they seem to lead her through many of the worst memories of her life. Dr. Occult, who comes across as a Philip Marlowe type, states he will join her and use his symbol as a guide. With no other choice, the two set off while they others try to heal.

The events in Hell have not gone unnoticed on Earth. As seen last issue, Rama Kushna is trying to force a chaos event to occur to shake up the new order in Hell. The hope is she will open the doors of Hell again.

As a way to try to influence Kushna's chaos event, the Earth magicians have Zatara bond with her psychically and project calm as much as he can. But he looks the worse for wear as he is being burned out by the effort.

In much the same way, the magicians ask Kid Devil to link so that he can observe and influence the evil magics Kushna is bringing to bear. Kid Devil also gets engulfed by Kushna's power and seems to fall into a coma.

As for Hell itself, Lord Satanus is reveling in his newfound power and title.

First he denies Zauriel his plea to let the humans trapped in Hell go free. Next he states that he will reclaim Purgatory as part of his kingdom. And lastly, he makes a pact with Lobo that he will free the Czarian if he slaughters the magic wielders hiding out in Purgatory. Since Lobo wants another piece of Zatanna, he agrees.

After setting Lobo free, Satanus is confronted by Black Alice who has been sucking up power throughout the series. I only know Alice from her early appearances in Gail Simone's Birds of Prey. In that series, she seemed like a confused adolescent Goth who was dealing with her mother's death and unsure of what to make of her powers. In this series, she has only seemed evil.

She grabs Satanus in hopes of draining him of his power only to have it seemingly overwhelm her.

We then cut to Purgatory where we read several pages of Lobo kicking the tar out of the worn-out good guys. Dr. Fate seems inexperienced. Ibis, Ragman, Sargon, and The Enchantress are simply overmatched. And Zatanna is running on empty. The best they can do against an enraged Lobo is parry and survive. But it is barely a fight. Look at Zatanna get the big hook to the left shoulder.

As the troops scramble to live, Nightshade and Dr. Occult wander through the back corners of Nightshade's mind until they run across a drill-like projection which leads to the outside world.

Using Kid Devil as a conduit, Nightshade and Dr. Occult crawl back to the physical plane. And then, using Dr. Fate as a beacon are able to bring back the magicians in Purgatory. All of them, that is, except Sargon who runs inteference with Lobo so the others can escape. It is hinted at that Lobo kills Sargon shortly thereafter.

The return of the living from Purgatory seems to be the necessary chaos event as we hear that the infernal font flows again.

What is it with guys called Sargon in these big mystic cataclysms. They always die! Remember the first Sargon bursting into flame way back in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing #50?

But more than the escape of the sorcerors has shaken the already tenuous landscape of the pit.

It turns out that when Black Alice tried to drain Lord Satanus of his power that made Satanus temporarily vulnerable to attack. Lady Blaze took advantage of that, entering the circuit and taking the energy for herself. Now both Black Alice and Satanus are drained and powerless while Blaze is almighty.

Blaze leaves her brother broken and drooling on the floor and proclaims herself Queen of Hell.

All that's left is picking up the pieces. Blue Devil gets to go home. But does he go free of his demonic side? The answer seems to be no. Shadowpact has reformed and we see Blue Devil brooding at their headquarters, still blue and brawny. Black Alice ends up back on Earth, powerless, confused, and overall terrified.

And, interestingly enough, the shakeup in the afterlife seems to have given an out to the Dibny's who are free to leave their ghost form whenever they please.

The series ends at (I presume) Blaze's coronation, the head of Neron still on a pike before her. And what is Zauriel doing there?

I really don't know what to make of this series. There did not seem to be any sort of comprehendable story over the eight issues. There were major plot twists introduced in one panel and then erased by the next bizarre turn of events. I have read a lot of comics in my life and at times I felt lost. I never quite understood the plan (if any) that the magicians from Earth had or how they would actualize it. The dialogue often seemed forced. Was it necessary to bring back the original Zatara only to kill him again. Was this the best way to bring back Lobo, who we had seen throughout 52?

Oh yeah ... and one more thing ...

THERE WAS NO LINDA!

I suppose I should be happy that she wasn't set up as Queen of Hell or a new villain. I mean it when I say I am thrilled they did not make her a villain. But why bring her into the story if she wasn't going to impact the plot at all. I mean, she really did nothing to advance the story. Instead, we see her as a spiteful angry woman in Gotham and a confused psychotic killer in Hell. Is this a better ending than the open ended one from Supergirl #80? Doesn't she deserve better than this?

What is the worst offense? A life in comic limbo, out of continuity? Or dragging her back into continuity, portraying her poorly, and leaving her sobbing and wandering outside Purgatory?

This seemed like a lousy way to get people like me (a Linda fan) to buy a pretty lousy 8 issue mini-series.

Overall grade (issue): D
Overall grade (series): D

Review: Reign In Hell #7

This mini-series has been a bit muddy for me to completely comprehend. Part of that may be my unfamiliarity with many of the magical characters. I don't know many of their origins, powers, or background stories. As a result, I might be grading this lower than Shadowpact fans might. But bear with me.

We open with Rama Kushna (as an agent of balance) trying to birth a chaos event from Nanda Parbat to set things right.

The main storyline picks up right where last issue left off, with Lord Satanus defeating Neron in battle and becoming Ruler of Hell. Neron's forces were the tormentors in Hell, doling out punishments for the damned. Now depowered, Neron's troops are suddenly on the receiving end.

Satanus takes on the regalia of his new post while his charred sister Blaze literally crawls into the skin of Lilith. The two have a discussion on how they will run Hell. While the damned are currently having fun flaying Neron's troops ... that can only last so long. Where will the inhabitants of Hell turn their wrath too once all of the old regime has been expunged? Towards Satanus or on each other? To ensure that nothing else tips the scales one way or another, Satanus completely closes all pathways from Hell to the outside world - both in and out.

In the meantime, the ancillary players begin to realize that this war is nearing an end. Shadowpact are told by Zauriel to head to Purgatory which is suddenly a safe zone in the afterworld. Zauriel implies that his resistance movement in Hell is done. Dr. Fate finds himself trapped in Hell.

Blue Devil has a choice to make - remain completely human (he was stripped of his demon essence by Satanus' ploy) or choose to be Blue Devil again, albeit as a half-breed, a demon/man.

Black Mary drains the immobilized Lobo of his powers.

And Zatanna's group finds themselves drained and near defeat. They run into Rose and Yellow Peri who tells them that they also should run to Purgatory for shelter.

But let's face it, I am reading this series because I want to see what Giffen has in mind with Linda Danvers. And this issue has made me lose hope. This is not going to end well for one of my favorite comic characters of all time.

She has joined Dr. Occult on his mission to get out of Hell. The two of them have been told by Rose to head to Purgatory for sanctuary (sounds like a running theme). Occult comments that there is 'all kinds'a crazy' behind Supergirl's eyes. Already, you can sense a disdain that Giffen has for the character.

The two run into some depowered Neron flunkies. Linda judges them and immolates them until nothing is left but there bones. It is true that as the Earth Angel, Supergirl was the angel of judgment. But Occult is sort of struck with how easily she kills seemingly defenseless and powerless beings.

Linda doesn't take kindly to that and in an almost paranoid rage begins accusing him of working for Hell, plotting against her.

He holds up his symbol as a shield but as she looks into it, she becomes saddened saying that what she sees is not who she is. She flies off.

Occult runs into Zatanna's group near the gates of Purgatory. Zatanna explains that Occult's symbol showed Linda a reflection of who she was. Unclear of what to do next, the group trudges off for shelter.

This story seems to be wrapping up with the new regime tenuously in place. My guess is that the 'magical' realm will not like Satanus being in charge and that we are in for one more overthrow.

My big concern is that Linda Danvers will be the person to overthrow him. Throughout this series she has been portrayed as hot-tempered, confused, impetuous, and lethal. My guess is she will think she is doing something good by bringing her judgment and good intentions into Hell. But I don't want Linda to be the Queen of Hell. One of the things I loved about PAD's run was that Linda was a very complex person, tainted by evil but striving for redemption. She defeated the Carniverean in Supergirl #50 more through love and forgiveness than with brute strength and holy fire. She deserves better than this.

And yes, I understand that at the end of the Supergirl run she felt used and abused by god. That she went looking for a place where a burned out shell of a soul was a plus not a minus.

But to me she was a hero. She was someone human, with human frailties and uncertainties, who simply tried to do what was right for others. No one sacrificed more for the good of others, despite the personal anguish it would cause, than Linda Danvers.

Maybe to others she is a throw away character from the 90's who is suddenly going to be a cooler 'bad girl'. But I think this is pandering. And it saddens me ... sickens me.

I'll say it again ... Linda Danvers deserves better than this.

Overall grade: C-

Review: Reign In Hell #6

With the holiday behind us, it's time to get back to work.

Reign in Hell #6 was released on Christmas Eve, a somewhat ironic shipping date. You may recall that the only reason I am buying this mini is because Linda Danvers plays a part in it. I have little interest and only slight knowledge of the mystical characters in the DCU.

You also may recall that Linda has not appeared since an awkward couple of pages in Reign in Hell #1. So I will be honest, I have read the issues prior to this one but probably not as closely as I should have. I think I have reached the point in this mini-series where I need to pull out all the issues and read them as a whole.

The truth is a lot seems to happen with each issue but it seems a little 'all over the map'. Plus it is difficult to tell who is who much of the time as the armies of Purgatory and Hell both look similar. And frankly, I don't know if I 100% understand the reasoning behind the individual hero's desires to join the fray. All that said, this issue gets a full review ... Linda finally shows up again, albeit in the Doctor Occult back-up story.

As for the main story ... well a lot happens again. Some of it is noteworthy.

First off, Dr. Fate battles Lady Blaze and absolutely fries her, leaving her little more than a skeleton with meager flesh.

Ummm ... since she is on the Purgatory side does that mean Dr. Fate is fighting for Hell? Or should I simply treat this war as a free-for-all? I mean I guess I wouldn't want to be fighting for Neron or Satanus.


In perhaps the most vicious sequence, Zatanna takes on Lobo hoping to avenge the death of Zatara. She pulls no punches having her magic 'flay the skins from his bones' and more succinctly 'bleed'. Lobo never is able to get a hand on her, so he goes after her friends. Lobo goads Zatanna throughout the fight knowing she won't ever use a death spell on him.

Realizing at best this is a stalemate since she won't kill him, Zatanna freezes Lobo and takes off with her friends. Lobo vows revenge saying he will hunt her forever if he needs to. Interesting new dynamic there.

In the mean time, Satanus reveals his grand plan. While he does not state what his true objective is, he does dismiss his initial concept of remaking Hell into a place of redemption as folly.

He knew his troops would be routed by the forces of Hell. But they were only fodder while he pumped the underworld air with a viral mutagen which can revert demon to man (the result of reverse engineering his DMN drug from way back in the Superman comic). Satanus tricks Neron into a one-on-one fight. And when Neron gets close enough, Satanus triggers the virus with the key word 'Shazam' (nice touch there). Satanus knows that Neron's strength is solely based on the powers of the demons under him. When those demons suddenly become powerless men, Neron loses their power as well and reverts to a Gollum looking creature. Satanus declares victory and beheads Neron. Hell is now his!

Like I said, a lot always happens here. Sort of interesting developments here.

But onto the back story.

In the back up feature, Dr. Occult continues his search in Hell for Rose, the female soul which has been bonded with his. His guide is old Superboy villain the Yellow Peri.

Occult finds Rose as a leader in the resistance in Hell. Rose refuses to leave the fight and go with him.

Later, the three of them come across a hooded figure. Peri immediately calls her 'Fallen Angel' because of the smells of sorrow and regret. She does say that the being is not corrupted ... yet.

Of course, Linda had been the receptacle of one of the three Earth Angels in Peter David's Supergirl series. She was the Angel of Justice. She was later stripped of those powers which were given to the being Twilight. And David started a series called Fallen Angel which was purported to be (actually believed to be by me) the continuation of Linda's story. So having Peri call this being Fallen Angel struck a chord a bit.

The figure drops the cloak.

There she is .... Linda Danvers .... fiery angel wings and all!

Dr. Occult immediately calls her Supergirl and Linda answers 'Yes, no .... it's a long story'.

Well this is a far far cry from Didio saying Linda/Matrix was out of continuity earlier in 2008. Someone actually recognizes ... verifies ... that Linda was Supergirl!

I have not hidden the fact that I love the PAD Linda Danvers character. This little exchange thrilled me. It simply meant that those stories now matter in the big scheme of things. (They have always mattered to me.)

Linda seems a bit confused however. While Rose continues to rebuff Occult's pleas to join him, Linda keeps telling them she can help them in their causes.

But why is Linda there anyways? Remember, she was taken to Hell in issue #1 when Lilith culled all her agents on Earth.

Linda tells them that she was brought to Hell by Lilith to fight. But Linda did not know how she could have been one of Lilith's agents and so she simply ran.

Sounds a bit too easy, don't you think? Why would Lilith just let her run unless she wanted her to.

The decision gets made that Occult, Peri, and Linda need to get out of the fray and the best place to hide right then is in Purgatory. Rose leads the way.

I am completely conflicted with how I feel right now.

I love the Linda character. She was tainted by evil in an all too human way but continued to strive to improve herself and help her fellow man. She always tried to do what was truly right even if the results were occasionally disastrous. But she persevered, trying to do what was best only to suffer for it. Even in 'Many Happy Returns' when she is denied her happy life to save the universe, she does it despite the anguish it will cause her. She self-sacrifices. She is a hero.

For a long time I bemoaned the fact that DC wanted to sweep her under the rug. As a character she deserved better than that. But I also had the great fear that if someone else wrote her story they would fail her. That they would cheapen her, or make her have a Punisher-like personality, or (worst of all) make her evil. So while I desperately wanted to read more Linda, I also did not want her to come back either. Better her story remain perfect in my mind than be sullied.

And so now she is back. And for the moment I am happy.

But I have read rumors she is going to become the Queen of Hell. And, for sure, there is potential to make her evil in a less grandiose way. Peri says she hasn't been corrupted 'yet'. And if that happens ... if they make her evil, as a fan, I will be discouraged. And disappointed. And irate.

So let the Linda fans be vocal that a blasphemous fate be spared from her. But for now at least let's be happy that she is back.

Overall grade: C+

Bullet Points And Reviews

Just want to do some quick house-keeping on a few brief items.

Then to the comic book store. Action Comics #871 is out today; review should be up before the weekend.


Reign in Hell #4: The bottom line is 'no Linda Danvers'.

As for the rest of the story, the forces of Hell and the forces of Purgatory continue their war in the Underworld. Purgatory seems to be routing Neron's forces until a counter-attack cuts off a portion of Blaze's army. Still, the Purgatory forces are able to release a prisoner of Hell in hopes he will join their side. The prisoner? Lobo.

I have to say, DC made something of a big deal that Linda Danvers was going to be in this mini. In fact, she is the only reason I am buying it. And other than 2 pages in issue one, we haven't seen her or heard her mentioned. The plot seems to be spinning it's wheels a bit too. Disheartening.

Overall grade: C

Adventure Comics Special Featuring the Guardian:

This was an interesting issue filling in some of the back story of the governments projects to fight Superman, including cloning of the Guardian as a hybrid of Jim Harper (the original Guardian) and Paul Kirk (an early version of Manhunter). It also included a captured Tellus from the late 80's Legion! It also progressed Jimmy Olson's storyline where he is more becoming 'Mr. Action' the reporter rather than coffee gopher.

No Superman or Supergirl in sight but still an intriguing chapter in New Krypton.

At the very least it was nice to see Adventure Comics again. Supergirl had a nice solo run in the title in the late 60's through the early 70's.

Overall grade: B

Smallville: Bloodline ratings:

As reported on the Superman Homepage, the CW reports that Kara's return in last night's "Bloodline" episode hit season highs last night in adults 18-34 (1.9/6), adults 18-49 (1.9/5) and total viewers (4.5mil). IN FACT, it was the highest rated and most watched episode of the show in nearly a year (since 11/15/07).

This was mentioned in the Smallville review thread posts but thought it warranted it's own little blurb in the main blog. I hope it will not go unnoticed by the CW that Kara's return prompted more viewers to the show than has been seen recently. Maybe that Kara spin-off isn't such a bad idea. At the very least, I hope they bring her back for the season finale. And maybe in uniform?

And maybe I am biased, but wasn't Kara just a more dynamic character in her brief shining moments than Clark has been in about 3 seasons?

Superman/Supergirl:Maelstrom #1

This was posted by Jimmy Palmiotti on Geoff John's Comic Bloc Forums:

this is and was always planned as a stand alone story out of continuity. its been done for a while on our end and just finished by phil noto, so dc jumped to put it out.

personally it should have been a trade book out of the gate, but all that said, its a stand alone that has nothing to do with the regular books. It was made for the fans of these characters and fans of phil's work...so any support is appreciated.

thanks. jimmy

Well I guess that settles the 'where in continuity' question. It is out of continuity. I don't know if that makes my reaction to the issue better or worse. Anyways, I will be in for the rest of the mini and I'll keep the reviews coming.

January Solicits for Supergirl; JG Jones off Final Crisis

DC Comics January 2009 solicits were posted on Newsarama last week. Here is the link: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/081020-january09-dc-solicitations.html

There are a number of interesting items that month including the 'Faces of Evil' theme of villainous covers. January is the first month post-'New Krypton' for the super-titles. Supergirl is not mentioned as appearing in Action Comics or Superman, but with the integration of the titles it is hard to know if she will pop up there. And ... of course ... the Final Crisis finally wraps up with Superman Beyond #2 and Final Crisis #7. As mentioned everywhere else, JG Jones is not doing the pencilling on FC#7, handing the art over to Doug Mahnke.

I know this is a Supergirl blog, but I have to say that I am pretty sick and tired of delays in comics and creators not being able to make deadlines. Growing up, this never seemed to be a problem. As a writer or artist, you had a deadline to make or (I assume) you were shown the door. Comics were always on time.

I think of Crisis on Infinite Earths as a recent example of timeliness. George Perez did every panel, had a million inset panels, drew most characters from the DCU in intricate and detailed pages, did the covers, and had the book out on time. Then I think of Infinite Crisis where there were multiple artists on one issue with each page being a different style. It is disconcerting.

There are arguments that it would be better to give the creative team as much time as they need to assure a better artistic product. But this was a comic planned a year before issue 1 was released and Jones couldn't finish 7 issues? Is this because some comic creators are now 'rock stars' in the field, a 'big name' given some leeway the average creator doesn't get? Is this how DC wanted their summer block-buster to come off? Delayed and with a different artist? How much are we readers held to blame for tolerating this?

Sigh ...

Okay, enough ranting. I'm sorry.

Here are the January solicits with some comments.

SUPERGIRL #37

Written by Sterling Gates

Cover by Joshua Middleton

Art by Jamal Igle & Keith Champagne

“Who is Superwoman?” part 1 of 5 and a “Faces of Evil” issue! After her encounter with the mysterious Superwoman, Supergirl is left with two burning questions: who is Superwoman, and what gives her the right to wear the symbol of the House of El? The answers lead Supergirl into the darkest depths of New Krypton and drastically alter the Superman Family forever!

Hmmm. The plot thickens a bit about Superwoman and her identity. It is interesting that she sticks around after 'New Krypton'. Makes me wonder if she is a Kryptonian after all. It does make the Linda Danvers guess a bit more likely.

And "Who is Superwoman?" is a 5 parter. After #34 as a jumping on point and the 'New Krypton' cross-over event, it will be nice to see the new team settle into a long arc. I still hope it is Lesla Lar, but now I really doubt I am right.

SUPERGIRL: COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE EIGHTH GRADE #2
Written by Landry Walker
Art and cover by Eric Jones

Super strength, the ability to fly and extra-speedy reflexes should make a girl’s life easier, but they only seem to complicate things for Supergirl. Life gets a lot crazier, though, when a new enemy named Belinda Zee shows up. And with girls like Belinda around, facing down Super-Villains doesn’t seem so bad.

I like how on the cover, Supergirl seems more afraid of the girl (I presume Belinda Zee) than the chunk of Kryptonite in front of her. I think this comic is going to be great. The description sounds like it will show that adolescent confrontations can be as threatening as super-villains ... sort of a 'Mean Girls' for the super-sect. The super-girls at home are as excited as I am to read this title.

SUPERMAN/SUPERGIRL: MAELSTROM #5
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Art and cover by Phil Noto

This explosive conclusion pits Superman and Supergirl against the combined might of Maelstrom and the Female Furies in the heart of Metropolis. Has Supergirl learned anything from her time on the alien world, or will she repeat her rookie mistakes? And what will be the fate of Maelstrom?

I have gushed about Phil Noto in the past. This cover is gush-worthy. I *love* his rendition of Supergirl.

I don't know if I necessarily consider Kara a rookie any more. Sure she is still learning and trying and hopefully Palmiotti/Gray will have her grow in this mini-series so she does not 'repeat her rookie mistakes'.

More than anything else, I am hoping that this mini-series shows Supergirl in a positive light. There are things about it that sound so promising: focusing on her relationship with Superman, the inclusion of Fourth World characters, and taking the super-cousins to new locations. I just fear that Supergirl will be portrayed as a mistake-prone rookie throughout.

And now, the Kara-free issues worth mentioning.

REIGN IN HELL #7

Written by Keith Giffen

Art by Tom Derenick & Bill Sienkiewicz and Chad Hardin& Walden Wong

Cover by Justiniano

The war hits its horrifying crescendo, and Zatanna, Dr. Fate and the rest of the DCU’s magical characters must pick their sides as the new powers in Hell emerge! Plus, Dr. Occult learns Hell’s nastiest little secret, with grave consequences for the nature of life itself. But will he share it? Better yet, should he?

So I keep mentioning this title because Linda Danvers is supposed to be appear here. But so far we have only seen her in a couple of pages of issue one. And I wasn't exactly thrilled with the way she was portrayed there.

Hopefully we will see her again. Hopefully she will have some sort of meaningful role since she was the only reason I picked up this title.

FACES OF EVIL: PROMETHEUS #1
Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Federico Dalbochio
Cover by Mauro Cascioli

It’s an all-new prelude to the upcoming, all-new JUSTICE LEAGUE #1! Prometheus once defeated the Justice League single-handedly, and with his latest lethal crime spree, he's moved to the top of the heroes' Most Wanted list. But what grave crimes has he committed, and what will he do to prevent capture? Learn the real face of evil that is Prometheus!

Well there are a couple of reasons to mention this stand-alone issue. One, I am a huge fan of Prometheus ... well, I am a huge fan of Prometheus when he appeared in Grant Morrison's JLA. In that book, he nearly took out the Justice League single-handedly.

Of course, since then, he has been used more like a measuring stick for heroes to show how tough the hero is. I mean Huntress defeated him in Birds of Prey. I love the Huntress .... but defeating Prometheus?

Anyways, the issue is written by Supergirl scribe Sterling Gates and he has said in interviews that Prometheus will be twisted and unstoppable here. I like the sound of that, sort of a return to his roots.

And it is a prelude to James Robinson's Justice League!

Some of you may have forgotten that this title is coming out! It was announced several month's ago but no release date has been released. Of course, Supergirl is a member of this incarnation of the league as seen in this preview picture by title artist Mauro Cascioli. His art is stunning! His Supergirl is simply statuesque!

So, January will be a busy month for the DCU and an important month for Kara. See you all then.

It Came From The Back Issue Box: Supergirl #11 and 12

We all just read the current Supergirl’s battle with Silver Banshee in the excellent Supergirl #34. I thought it would be nice to review the prior Supergirl’s interactions with the villain back in 1997’s Supergirl #11-12.

As many know, I loved the Peter David Supergirl title. The title constantly was looking at the definitions of good and evil, the role of religion in a super-powered world, the randomness of the universe, and how struggling to do good can often lead to bad outcomes.

That Supergirl was the manifestation of the Earth Angel of Justice, a physical representation of God’s will formed when someone (in this case the Matrix protoplasm Supergirl) sacrifices themselves to save someone damned (here Linda Danvers a demon-worshipping murderess). This was early on in the series, just as some of Supergirl’s angelic qualities are coming to the forefront, as she is learning about herself. At this point she was still questioning what she was … an artificial life-form who absorbed a human’s memories or something more.


These issues start with Supergirl accidentally releasing the Silver Banshee from an underground prison at the site of a Chaos Stream. Supergirl thought she was simply saving a trapped woman.

Rather than immediately fighting each other, the Banshee simply walks away while Supergirl has to fight a demon spawn which attacks her from the river. It is clear that Silver Banshee has no memories of her time as a demon; indeed she is mad.


Supergirl awakens from her battle in Hell. She meets Lord Satanus who derides her for freeing the Banshee from her prison. He tells Supergirl that the Banshee cannot maintain her current form for long; she will need to possess a kindred spirit or she will dissipate. Also throughout this conversation, Satanus begins to drop more hints about Supergirl’s current status. He tells her that Linda’s soul, destined for Hell, has been saved by Matrix’s sacrifice; but also Matrix has been saved as well …elevated from a mere simulacrum.


He also calls Supergirl ‘the Blue Angel’, one of the ‘Chosen Ones’, and a ‘Guardian Angel.’

While many did not like this Earth Angel storyline, I really enjoyed it. It was compelling, interesting, and original. I never had a problem with accepting this semi-Vertigo feel to the character. I also had forgotten this meeting between Satanus and Linda in the past; how interesting now that Reign in Hell is ongoing.


After a skirmish in Linda’s hometown Leesburg, Supergirl appears to have beaten the Banshee. However, just as she is about to fade away, the Banshee finds a kindred spirit to merge with, Linda’s good friend Mattie Harcourt.

Mattie was an interesting character. She was a physician whose brother was killed in a random act of violence. She then resuscitated her brother’s killer in the ER. She had lingering issues that many of us have … why wasn’t she there to save him, why do bad things happen to good people, why is her brother dead while his killer lives?


In a fit of anger, Mattie/Banshee swears she will kill her brother’s murderer. And to make sure Supergirl cannot interfere she will kill the hero. She screams ‘Supergirl’ which, given the Banshee’s powers, should kill Supergirl if that is her ‘true’ name.


Remarkably, Supergirl lives. She is not Supergirl … she is Linda. Or Linda is her. Either way, this moment of joy as Supergirl realizes she is real, a human, not a thing is one of the best moments of this story.


Supergirl races to the local home for the criminally insane to stop the Banshee. There she tries to draw out the inherent goodness in Mattie to break her possession. She tells her she needs to let go of the hate in her soul, let go of the malice she has for her brother’s killer. Supergirl reveals her identity to Mattie; she is Linda, a friend, who is there for her. They embrace and Mattie is released from the Banshee’s control.

Supergirl then holds the Banshee and comforts her about the fears Banshee’s original mortal host had. Without a body, the Banshee fades away.

I feel I am in the minority of Supergirl fans when I say I loved Peter David’s run, especially the first 50 issues, which were heavy on the philosophy and religious themes. The growth of that character, her slow fall from grace, and subsequent redemption makes that run one of my favorites of all time.

The art here is by Greg Land, and it appears to be before he went heavily into his ‘100% cheesecake, lightboarded recreations of models’ style. His art is solid here.

Overall grade: B