Review: Resurrection Man #17

With the DCnU and a new Resurrection Man comic right around the bend, I figured I would conclude my look at the PAD Supergirl/Resurrection Man team-up.

Resurrection Man #17 finishes up the three part arc which tied Mitch 'Resurrection Man' Shelley's nemesis The Rider into Supergirl's town's Chaos Stream and overall weirdness. It was revealed in part 2 that Leesburg town founder and secret dabbler in the Dark Arts, Wanda Lee, was the Rider. And she was apparently ripped from Mitch's body and seared in holy fire last issue when Supergirl flash-flamed the Chaos Stream.

As I have said in the earlier reviews, one thing I liked about this team-up was that it sort of mattered to both titles, moving along sub-plots both had been percolating. There was also devotion to both characters regardless of which title the actual chapter was in. Supergirl gets great moments in Resurrection Man, and vice versa.

Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and artist Butch Guice do a nice job here, ramping up the horror aspect but also adding some really nice quiet moments in the midst of the carnage and fighting. I have to say, I hadn't reread this arc in a while. It is very good.

For some reason, ripping the Rider from Shelley has killed him again. But while he usually re-animates rather quickly, this time he stays dead.

Unsure of what to do next, and burned pretty badly during the Chaos stream ignition herself, Supergirl scoops him up and heads for to the nearest hospital. It is never explained why he remains dead this time.

In a bit of wonky medicine, Linda's doctor friend Hattie defibrillates his body, reviving him somehow.

At least here it is hinted that this death wasn't the usual fare for Shelley. His body feels different this time, put through the wringer.

I also liked the talk about how he disgusting it was to share his body with the Rider, someone that evil.

Supergirl decided to stick around to make sure Shelley was okay, using the down time to heal a bit herself. She also looks a bit worse for wear here.

Despite thinking that The Rider was destroyed, Shelley's new power ... a sort of spider sense ... is ringing off the hook. The threat of Wanda Lee is still around. Supergirl decides to take a look around but beforehand Mitch asks her to call his girlfriend to let her know Mitch is still alive.

It results in a great and funny quiet moment in the book. She calls the woman but is hung up on when she says it is Supergirl calling. How hard it must be to call someone as a super-hero.

I like the body language here, a sort of fatigue in her manner here.

Now in the last issue, Wanda Lee's nurse allowed her physical body to die, purportedly to cut off an avenue of escape for the Rider spirit. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to have worked as the displaced spirit animates her corpse. And Wanda isn't happy, trying to once again possess the Resurrection Man.

I can't think about this too much because it doesn't make much internal sense. If she could re-possess her own body or Mitch for that matter, why not possess someone else? If her body is dead, how can she re-possess it? These are clearly impossible questions to answer ... so I think I'll just roll with it.

But there are more threats than just the Rider wandering the halls of this hospital. Another angel is also here, drawn to Mitch in an effort to bring him 'home'.

As seen in prior issues, Mitch seems to have lived other past lives on Earth. And it is now hinted that he is some resurrecting angel on Earth. This new angel is here to bring him back to heaven.

Again, I don't recall if this angelic aspect of The Resurrection Man was ever discussed more fully in his own book.

Regardless, Supergirl isn't going to let anyone else try to kill her new friend. She also is an aspect of a higher power, something angelic, and she isn't buying what this new angel, Lament, is saying.

I thought this was a nice splash page with Supergirl flexing her muscles.

The battle rolls on with Lament questioning why another Angel would stop him from his task.

Supergirl is still learning her powers, her state of being, and probably doesn't know what he is talking about.

Lament can sense something else in this hospital though. Sylvia Danvers is recuperating from her depression and descent into alcohol madness. He brings the fight to Sylvia's hospital room.

Sylvia's breakdown was at the discovery that Linda had merged with Supergirl. It must be sickening to hear her mother shriek in fear about her. Sylvia really treats Supergirl like a monster at this point. And that is yet another moment in this Supergirl's history where her resolve is thwarted, her goodness challenged.

At the very least, it makes Supergirl rally to get Lament out of there. She brings him up and out of the hospital.

But that revelation that her mother still fears her still hurts her. She weeps at that knowledge.

Unfortunately, it isn't enough to keep Lament away for long. He returns.

Interestingly enough, Shelley allows the Rider to take over his body at nearly the same time. When Lament returns he finds the possessed Resurrection Man. Thinking he finally has captured Shelley, Lament rips the soul from the body and leaves, thinking he has finally achieved his goal.

But the soul he has gathered is Wanda Lee's. A nice little turnabout to that conflict.

Much like at the end of last issue, the heroes are worn out from this conflict.

Mitch is gathered up by unknown men and taken away. Supergirl is left to deal a bit with the carnage in Leesburg. I think I would call it a draw. The Rider is finally gone. And Lament is gone for now. But neither hero is in good shape and Mitch is basically kidnapped.

So this was an action-packed issue with a lot of destruction and mayhem. And nice progression of both characters' personal stories as well. That moment with Sylvia Danvers is heart-wrenching.

As I said earlier, this was a very satisfying cross-over for these books. The one real downside here is Guice's art. He is usually right on the money but some body positioning and some expressions just seem off a bit.

I'll continue to mine the back issue box for more Supergirl moments with new DCnU characters.

Overall grade: B/B+

Back Issue: Supergirl #24

Given both characters are being resurrected/rebooted in the DCnu coming in September I thought I would continue my look at the Supergirl/Resurrection Man crossover from the late 1990's with Supergirl #24.

As we learned in part one, Resurrection Man Mitch Shelley has been possessed by an evil spirit from Leesburg (Supergirl's home town). Using his powers, this spirit decides to carve a path of carnage through the town, culminating in the detonation of a hydrogen filled zeppelin over the city's centennial celebration.

As mentioned in my earlier review, this team-up had a lot going for it as both books seemed to dip their toe in themes not typical for standard super-hero comics: sexuality, religion, and ultimate redemption. Both books also had a nice undercurrent of humor in their books, adding some levity to the otherwise heavy material it was dealing with.

The Earth Angel Supergirl certainly wasn't universally accepted but I loved it. Sure, it was a break from the 'Kryptonian cousin of Superman' origin, but the book (specifically the first 50 issues) was innovative and intense. I miss this version of the character and reread the run regularly. This issue takes place early on in the manifestation of Linda's angelic powers as she just starts to understand her place in the grand scheme of things. Peter David clearly had a love of the original Supergirl, infusing some Easter eggs of Supergirl continuity into this version - Dick Malverne, Stanhope University, Comet, and Satan Girl to name a just a few. But this book mostly deals with the redemption of Linda Danvers and Supergirl in a wonderful way.

Leonard Kirk had the unenviable task of picking up the book after Gary Frank's initial run on the book. I really thought Kirk was solid on this book. He really drew a lovely, graceful, and powerful Supergirl. I would love to get a Supergirl commission from him at some point.

The opening scene picks up just before when Resurrection Man #16 left off. We are at the Leesburg Centennial celebration. The town is wondering if Wanda Lee, the citizen the city is named after and the longest living citizen will make an appearance. But there seems to be some trepidation about it not only because of her advanced age but also because of some wrong-doing ... some evil ... she had in her past.

On a lighter note, I include these panels to show some of David's humor. Cutter Sharp, a local reporter and comic relief of the book, makes a 'hole in the head' joke to the mayor dressed as Lincoln. Maybe gallows humor, but funny nonetheless.

I also liked this replaying of a scene from Resurrection Man #16. It was interesting to see this scene as well as the explosion of the blimp from a couple of different perspectives, both Mitch's and Linda's. It cemented where we are in the story.

But this divorce is an interesting plot point in the book. The divorce stems from Linda's mother psychological breakdown when she learns Supergirl fused with her daughter. Sylvia slips back into alcoholism and her father can't take it. So much emotional trauma happens to Supergirl throughout the book as the evil in the world conspires to break her spirit. To see her ultimately triumph ... to forgive her transgressors ... was fantastic.

For those who don't know, eventually Sylvia receives a visit from Wally and is 'saved'.

But on to the action. With the zeppelin aflame and about to crash, Supergirl springs into action, using her flame wings to absorb the fire while saving the blimp's occupants.

As I said before, Supergirl is just learning about her angelic powers, unclear what they even mean right now. So I enjoyed this internal monologue where she is both happy and worried about her new powers. I miss those flame wings.

And a replay of a scene from Resurrection Man happens again, this time with us seeing Supergirl lay out the resurrected Shelley after discovering him as the cause of the explosion.

I can never get enough of seeing Supergirl pound people.

Shelley has been possessed by Wanda Lee. She is 'The Rider' who controls others and lives out her sinful desires in them.

But Lee was defeated. That's why her body has been in a coma all these years, lying dormant. She was beaten by the last Earth Angel, the being known as Ember. She also lived in Leesburg in the 19th century.

The story of Ember was covered here in the past when I covered prior incarnations of Satan Girl. But this lineage, this legacy of the Earth Angels, was another piece of this complex world David was creating that I enjoyed.

One of the threads that I will have to investigate (that is remember) more is the notion that Mitch was already resurrecting before the tektite infusion. Here we see a couple more of those lives ... as a knight in Camelot fighting with Etrigan and as a southerner trying to save a slave from being lynched.

Of course, now that he resurrects constantly in this life, there might not be other lives for him to go to in the future.

This last death was a semi-suicide on the part of The Rider as they try to keep upgrading the inherent powers of Resurrection Man. The Rider finally thinks they have the best mix, being able to inhabit the landscape and create a literal man-mountain, all with the hope of getting to that chaos stream.

But this power might lead to some hubris as Mitch/Rider dares Supergirl to do her worst. Using a mix of old/new powers, Supergirl is up to the challenge and end up shattering the monstrosity before it can literally rip open the world to get to the magical waters. Nice to see Supergirl use her brain to come up with an effective attack more than just simply punching.

And finally we get some clues about who The Rider is. It turns out it is Leesburg citizen Wanda Lee. She drank from the chaos stream long ago achieving near immortality and the ability to possess others as the Rider. She then would take over unsuspecting people and lead a life of debauchery through them, ruining those innocents while she remained untouched and unspoiled. Untouched that is until Ember battled her, leaving Lee the comatose patient, her spirit trapped in her aging body.

But the recent swell of power from the stream as well as a well timed defibrillation freed her spirit and she has acted as the Rider since.

I love that the Earth Angel persona has battled Lee in two incarnations.

Resurrected with the power to make things intangible, Mitch/Wanda jumps into the Chaos Stream to try to grab onto even more power.

Luckily, Mitch is at his strongest to wrest control back right after resurrecting. He is able to warn Supergirl that she needs to end the battle now. But how?

As all of this is unfolding, Wanda's body begins to arrest. And before the doctor (Linda's friend Hattie) can resuscitate her, Wanda's care taker assaults her. If the Rider persona is defeated, there won't be a warm body to return to.

Pretty cold blooded but given the evil nature of Wanda, maybe this was the just move?

There isn't much time to figure out what to do, so Supergirl throws herself into the chaos stream hoping her inherent goodness will somehow counteract the chaos stream. The water bursts into flame and the Rider is ripped from Shelley's body. Then Wanda's spirit is immolated in holy fire, the S-symbol scorched onto her chest.

This is not without its consequences. While Wanda seems to be destroyed, Mitch is once again killed in the resulting explosion. And Supergirl suffers significant burns over her body.

I have to say it was a dicey chance by Supergirl here, based solely on her hand being burned when she touched the water earlier in the issue. She could have been killed herself while The Rider could have remained free. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

Overall I thought this was another good chapter in this little known cross-over. Clearly, the bulk of this chapter dealt with issues which effected the Supergirl title more than the Resurrection Man book. But the fact that both characters move forward in this story make this more than some forced and foolish team-up. This had implications for these characters.

David clearly was building something here, having Supergirl become more confident and controlled in her angelic powers. And Kirk really shines here both in the battle scenes and the quieter moments.

Again, this isn't of high importance to a Supergirl collection per se. But I would hold the first 50 issues of this book against almost anything for story telling quality.

Final chapter of this arc to be reviewed here soon.

Overall grade: A

Back Issue: Resurrection Man #16

With the DCnU just around the corner, I thought I would thumb through the back issue boxes and try to find some past Supergirl interactions with some of the new books cropping up. One of the characters I was happy to see get another shot at his own title was Resurrection Man. Above is the cover and here is the solicit.

RESURRECTION MAN #1

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING; Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO; Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

It's the return of Mitch Shelly – and he's still dead.

Resurrection Man can't stay dead for long, though – and with each rebirth comes new and unexpected powers. But his many returns have not gone unnoticed, and forces are gathering to learn what's so special about him – and to see which of them will finally stop Resurrection Man dead.

The first resurrection man comic came out in 1997 and was definitely a cult hit. Mitch Shelley could not be killed, returning to life with a new super-power each time. It walked a fine line between science fiction (powered by tektite nanites) and a more mystic feeling (was Mitch an angel of some sort, living other lives besides his current Mitch persona). And it had an extremely strange supporting cast. 

Now Resurrection Man actually has some history with the current Supergirl, helping her in the 'Saving Thomas' storyline back in 2008. Those issues were among the first ones I reviewed here on this blog. I think Shelley had been pretty much living in comic book limbo prior to that story. But no need to rehash those reviews.

Instead, I thought I would look at the three part 'Avenging Angels' storyline that ran through Resurrection Man and the main Supergirl title back in 1998. This was an interesting time in Supergirl's life as she was just now coming to understand her role as something angelic, just getting mastery of her flame wings and other powers, and struggling with the personal issues that always seemed to plague Linda Danvers.

Resurrection Man #16 was the first part of this quick arc and writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (as well as Peter David in his chapter) really do a good job in having the characters interact in a meaningful and unforced way, weaving a plot that truly effected both books. Some team-ups seem forced or silly. This one meant something to both characters.

The art on Resurrection Man was done by Butch Guice. Guice had drawn Supergirl a lot during his tenure on Action Comics and always drew her as graceful and powerful. His style on Resurrection Man was a but rougher, mirroring the darker tone of the book. But he still manages to do a wonderful job with Supergirl. This cover is absolutely stunning.

The issue starts with Shelley in the area of Leesburg, Supergirl's hometown.

Unfortunately, his body has been possessed by an entity known as 'The Rider', a spirit that can 'ride' and control a body. The Rider seems to want to live a sinful life within the host body before moving on to the next person. But in Resurrection Man, The Rider knows it has the chance for immortality ... for power ... and for more influence on the world.

Mitch isn't about to give up control of his body that easily. A psychic struggle ensues with The Rider occasionally able to wrest control of the body to cause harm to any close bystander. Finally the mayhem attracts the local police department who gun him down.

This leads to the first of some very nifty pages in the arc. When Mitch dies this time, he gets a brief glimpse into another life... perhaps a past life ... as an Egyptian Pharaoh who is entombed alive. It is a nice moody page with great sepia-soaked art.

Contrasted immediately by the magenta explosion and ink stains of Mitch's resurrection, images from Shelley's life seen as panels shattering like glass. It is such a violent page in comparison to the death page. It really shows just how violent this process of returning to life is. I thought that juxtaposition, with the art adding so much, worked very well here. Each time we see one of the 'death pages' from a prior life, it is followed by this burst of color and panels.

A big part of the original series was the fact that Shelley was on the run from all sorts of bizarre characters, each with different agendas but all with the same goal. I have to admit I haven't read this entire series in a while, so I forget how all of these people ended up together tracking The Resurrection Man.

The most 'famous' of this supporting cast are the 'Body Doubles', 2 sexy killers - one a mafia princess trying to prove herself, the other an adult film star - both tremendous assassins. There is also a man named Hooker whose experiments with the Tektites have left him as an immortal talking skull. And also someone named Schism (I forget his deal). They certainly made for a very unique feel to the recurring antagonists of the group.

We finally get to the Supergirl portion of the crossover. It turns out it is the centennial celebration of Leesburg, Supergirl's home town built over a chaos stream, leading to all manners of wackiness. Part of the celebration is a hydrogen-filled zeppelin, similar to ones from the founding of the town. I can't imagine the FAA would ever allow that ... but there it is.

One thing I actually like about crossovers is when you actually get a more nuanced look at the guest stars. Here we see Linda talking to her father about the Danvers' pending divorce. It was around this time that Linda revealed to her parents that she had fused with Matrix and was Supergirl. While Fred Danvers rolled with it, Sylvia suffered a breakdown and turned to alcohol, a problem she had earlier in life.

As can be expected in comics, if there is a hydrogen filled dirigible, an explosion cannot be far behind. The Rider guides Resurrection Man's man-bat like body to the blimp to bring it down, simply for the carnage.

It was obvious but I liked the 'Oh the humanity' cry from Supergirl friend Cutter. I know ... obvious.

Of course, the simple proximity of the blast kills Shelley. This time we get images of him being a WWI soldier about to run from the trenches ... only to be wrenched back to life on a similar resurrection page.

I don't recall if this 'other life' plot thread was ever fully investigated.

But the main thing now is that The Rider can control Shelley's body and that is trouble.

The new form is a monstrous gargoyle/ape like thing. Either way, Supergirl blames it, appropriately, for the destruction of the blimp and the risk to those around it. And she isn't going to sit idly by. What a beautiful splash page of Linda laying the smack down. Guice really drew a wonderful Supergirl, graceful here even in the midst of a violent attack.

So I liked this issue (and this crossover) quite a bit. Both Supergirl and Resurrection Man seemed to have a toe dipped into Vertigo waters, a darker, more mature, more mystical, more philosophical look at super-heroics. This issue sort of pinballed around, mostly showing the internal struggle that Shelley was battling with The Rider. How will the angelic Supergirl deal with all the deviltry around Shelley? We'll have to wait and see.

From a Supergirl collection point of view, this is of low importance. The art by Guice might entice the completists out there. And those interested in Resurrection Man can probably find the first volume of the title relatively cheaply. Review of the other two chapters will be coming soon.

Overall grade: B

Review: Supergirl 31

With all the excitement about issue 34's new creative team, I almost forgot that today was the release date for issue 31, continuing Kelley Puckett's 'Saving Thomas' storyline. The art is done by Brad Walker of Secret Six fame.

( Quick recap: trying anything to save a young cancer victim named Thomas, Kara enlists Resurrection Man and the evil Dr. Lazano to help her come up with a cure. After Lazano backstabs the good guys, he is defeated. Unfortunately, Superman arrives to tell Kara that Thomas has died. )

This issue starts with a quick flashback to Superman being in the hospital just as Thomas dies. Even super-CPR cannot save him.

We then get this nice shot of Kara's reaction to the news that Thomas has just died, mere minutes ago.

Hoping she can still save him, she whisks Resurrection Man to the hospital roof thinking a blood transfusion of his nanite-laced blood may revive Thomas.

What happens next is one of two great dialogue exchanges in this issue.

Superman, Supergirl, and Resurrection Man have a discussion about whether or not she should actualize her plans. Supes and RM state Kara has no right. The transfusion might bring Thomas back as something inhuman ... a blazing skull, a monster, or worse.

Kara retorts that none of them are human.

She also feels that they should make the decision ... they understand what it means to live above humanity and that 'normal humans' aren't equipped to make this choice.

It's a great exchange contrasting Superman's experience and 'guiding' nature over man to Kara's inexperience and youthful almost naive optimism. She sounds almost haughty here with this pro-active stance, as though she is looking down on man. And yet, you can tell it is not arrogance but youthful exuberence and stubborness talking. She IS going to save Thomas, regardless of what anyone else says.

Superman acquiesces a little and says they will offer the parents the choice of the transfusion, but that they will abide by the parents' decision.

Initially the parents scoff at the idea. But then Kara grabs the mother and has a heart to heart with her. This is the second great exchange.

Supergirl retells her origin story. How her parents made a rocket to save her from certain death, knowing that the result of that flight might have been a worse fate ... death on Earth, mutation, imprisonment.

But they knew that a chance at life is better than no chance. Life is always better than death.

Her parents sent her off.

And then we get the briefest look into Kara's soul ... an understanding that even a life with super-powers, a life 'above humanity' is difficult. In one panel it shows that despite her facade, she is struggling to find her place in the world; struggling like most teenagers do.

Her parents didn't let her die on Krypton but ...

She sometimes wishes she hadn't been saved, that she died in the arms of her parents. This beat goes back to an early issue of Puckett's run where Kara recalls her friends and how they all died. Life on Earth has been tough for her to acclimate to. It shows that despite her brash exterior, she is hurting a bit on the inside.

Thomas' mother agrees to try the blood transfusion. But after a few panels where it looks like the nanites might jump-start Thomas, it appears his death is permanent and that Kara has failed in her mission.

Of course this story has 2 issues to go, and so more needs to be told.

This issue shows Kara's personality is a mix of pride, superiority, innocence, optimism, stubborness, and insecurity. It is a roiling emotional malestrom that screams adolescence, and in some ways it's charming. Despite the details of her plan, Kara's mission has always been to save Thomas' life, and that is heroic. I have really enjoyed Puckett's run and this issue is no different. It is hard to inject *real* issues, like cancer, into the comic universe. When it is done wrong, it can be disastrous. I think this arc handles it nicely.

Brad Walker's art is more fine-lined and detailed than Drew Johnson's or Ron Randall's recent issues. He really does facial expressions well, allowing us to read Kara's emotional spectrum: shock, determination, bemusement, anguish, and hope. You can see it even in the handful of panels I have posted. In an emotional issue like this, that was key, really marrying words and art.

Final grade: A-