Review: Action Comics #35

 

Superman Doomed is over! Or is it ...

Action Comics #35 came out this week, labeled as a Superman Doomed Aftermath and is such and up and down issue that I feel completely torn about the story it tells. Settle in. This is a long review.

Greg Pak has been a welcome change to the Superman creative teams and his earliest issues with artist Aaron Kuder simply crackled. Back then it felt like Pak walked on to Action, removed all the gunk and tarnish that had been heaped on Superman since the inception of the New 52, and put this glowing polished character back on a pedestal. He got Superman. Here was a Superman, remembering lessons from Pa, battling to save all life, and enjoying his pursuit of truth, justice, and the American Way.

And Pak also got points from me for bringing back Lana Lang as a strong, independent, highly intelligent character. Lana was inspired by Clark to go out, explore the world, and do good as best she could ... an everyday hero electrical engineer.

Then Doomed happened and suddenly the Super-books entered the maelstrom of Doomed. Suddenly the unique feeling of the title sort of slipped away. With the crossover finished, I thought we would get back to Action. And in some ways we did.

We get a great Supergirl. We get a fantastic Lois. We even get some good Superman. On top of that, Pak begins excising some of the metastases of Lobdell's run. Hurrah.

We also get a bitter, disillusioned Lana. And a snarky Batman. And some bad Superman too. All of these feel like steps backwards. 

The art is split by Scot Kolins and Vicente Cifuentes. Kolins art here looks much more fine and sleek than I am used to seeing from him recently. And Cifuentes has an Eddy Barrows feel to him. So the book looks beautiful.

The book starts with a bearded Clark, sitting in his apartment in the dark, typing away at a piece called 'Who needs Superman, anyway?'

You can tell the tone of the issue just from this. Clark, bearded as if in mourning, wallowing in the darkness, steeped in self-pity and hatred.

So Pak throws us a curveball. After months of Superman fighting endlessly, tirelessly we see him suddenly beaten down. And this after saving the universe!

We skip back in the recent past. Superman, battered, bearded, returns from deep space where he (as Super-Brainiac-Doom) threw Brainiac into a black hole. It has taken some time to fly back to an Earth that he is unsure even survived. 

As he enters the atmosphere, a WayneTech satellite blasts him with Kryptonite energy. 

Finally, falling to the planet, he is met by our first bright spot of the book. Supergirl!

She streaks up to him, carries him to the ground and comforts him. And she sounds downright heroic. Yes, 13 thousand died. But billions ... heck the universe ... was saved. She flies him around the planet, showing that everything is basically intact.

But there is bad news, some of which was welcomed by me as it cleans things up a bit.

The phantom zone projector, an overused device in recent storylines, imploded during the action. It took a chunk of the Fortress with it including the intergalactic zoo, Non, Mongul, and Xa-Du. It also got Kandor. And it got Shay Veritas.

So let's go down the list.

Kandor going missing seems premature as we hadn't really seen much of it outside of Morrison's run. That said, Lobdell had the Kandorians awaken from their suspended animation. (Remember that plot point ... never addressed in Doomed??) Maybe Pak just wanted to remove that remnant of Lobdell completely.

Xa-Du had escaped in Doomed (remember that dropped plot point?). So don't know why he went back to the Zone (although Supergirl says he is 'missing'). Mongul and Non getting trapped isn't a big deal.

But ... wasn't Wonder Woman IN the zone? Weren't Batman, Steel, and Lana IN the Fortress? How did they escape.

And ... this is my big gripe ... isn't Shay Veritas stuck in The Block, in the center of the Earth? Her presence in the Fortress was just a hologram ... right? So how did she get grabbed.

I liked Veritas and thought she was growing a bit as a character. Sad to see her go and hope it isn't for too long.

Less than 100% in power given how much it took to get home, Clark decides to investigate the aftermath of the Doomsday/Brainiac attack. He reboots the Fortress AI, knowing that will 'heal' the place and decides to see if any danger still lingers. He tells Kara to meet him back at the Fortress in 40 days (a very biblical number).

And he decides Smallville, the first city to go comatose, is a good place to start his investigation.

One thing I have enjoyed about Pak's run is his revisiting a key moment in Clark's childhood. When Clark's heat vision first fired, Pa actually ran to him, hug him, love him. He didn't run in fear. We have seen Pak revisit this moment a few times, again here.

The bottom line is Pa thought Clark's presence was a gift. Not a curse.

It is a lesson I thought Clark had learned.

Just when sweet nostalgia is about to overwhelm Clark, he runs into Lana. Initially it seems like a nice reunion. But then Lana drops this bomb.

She is upset at Clark for not being able to save her parents, one of the 13 thousand who perished. He shouldn't have missed them in his efforts.

Lana seems downright bitter about the whole thing. How could Superman not save her family?

It seems so odd given everything we have learned about this Lana. She is the one who has traveled the world, into the stars, trying to save people. She has used Clark as a role model to reach out herself. It just seems beneath her to blame him. Maybe it is transference since she herself wasn't home to save them?

And it comes on the heels of her telling Clark to kill Brainiac last issue.

Where did the Lana from the early Pak issues go?

Picking up on the vibes from the Doomed issues, we learn that Lana and John Henry Irons are now romantically involved. And they are in Smallville helping the community pick up the pieces.

Suddenly, Clark doesn't feel needed in Smallville. Other heroes are here. So he leaves.

Then he goes visit Batman.

And Bruce is completely a jerk. He K-scanned Superman before entering the world to make sure there was no Doomsday spores. And Bruce feels that the world (and it is implied by the stern look in the second panel that he also) blames Superman for the badness that happened in the world.

Why?

Why does Bruce and the world feel that way?

Superman was almost a non-factor in Doomed, controlling the infection, leaving the planet, attacking Brainiac's ship when out of control. And ... let's not forget ... SUPERMAN SAVED THE DAY!

Bruce was right there! In Doomed he talked about being inspired by Superman! He was the one who knew Superman was the only one who could save the day! Why the reversal?

Ugh!

At last ... AT LAST ... there is a voice of reason.

Clark actually posts his 'Who needs Superman' article on his blog and Lois comes to confront him.

And this is pure Lois. I love that she is the only one who has the nerve to tell Clark that his beard is ridiculous (everyone else compliments it).

And she tells Clark flat out he is wrong about Superman. That Clark doesn't understand Superman. And that if Clark is going to 'click-bait' then Lois is going to battle him. She calls it a war.

"I feel like I've lost and found my best friend in the same instant." Great line.

Of course, the memory of Clark's secret identity is gone, another erasure from Doomed. 

And then we read Lois' response. Yes, she could easily point out that other super-heroes ... inspired by Superman ... have picked up the slack while he was gone. (She includes Supergirl! With a nice shot of Kara saving a child!)

But really she wants Superman to come back and see how humanity has pulled together.

This reminds me ... and should remind Clark ... that his feelings, his ethics, his need to help people were lessons learned from his Earth father, from his human roots. Superman inspires humanity. But it is humanity (like Pa) that inspired him to be a hero.

I am thrilled to see Lois back in a Superman comics acting like Lois, without psionics, kicking butt. And it is a great response. Hey Superman, how about shaking off the ennui, self-pity, and emotional doldrums and be a hero?

We don't see Clark's response to Lois' words because instead we see Lana's response.

And frankly, her response sounds completely out of character from everything we have seen from Lana since her return to the book.

"And if you keep saving us, we're going to get weak."

Does that sound like the woman in the sinking oil tanker who ran into the flooded engine room? Does it sound like the woman who cobbled together an electricity gun to fight subterranean monsters? Does it sound like someone who took off into the stars? Has she acted like someone who passively waits to be saved? Who would tell Clark to stop being heroic?

I can only hope that this is a play off of her first lines here. Maybe this is self-loathing transferred to Superman. We'll see. Because this doesn't sound at all like the Lana I have loved this last year.

We end with a zombie-like cliffhanger. 

This was really an up and down issue.

We have a number of Doomed elements cleared from the decks, some in odd ways.

I love Kara, Lois, and Superman.

And I don't love Lana and Superman.

Overall grade: B-

Review: Supergirl Futures End #1

 

I  have been singing the praises of Tony Bedard's recent work on Supergirl, rehabilitating her character and making her more heroic, more inspirational. I also have been bemoaning the fact that his tenure on the book is all too brief.

I also know that I was not looking forward to reading Supergirl Futures End #1. Crossovers have not been nice to this incarnation of Supergirl. And just when the character was turning the corner, was being 'good', she is thrust into a dystopian future five years hence. The cover displays her as a bladed cyborg, working with the Cyborg Superman, her twisted father. And the solicit talks about her reconciling with her father in the most horrific way.

I thought we were moving away from this!

Amazingly, and perhaps not surprisingly given what we have read, Tony Bedard is able to make lemonade out of the lemons of Futures End, crafting a story which shows ... eventually ... Supergirl's strength both mental and physical. This isn't a perfect story ... how could it be given the overall circumstances ... but it at least ends with a heroic Kara. And I have to be happy with that.

Art is by Emanuela Lupacchino and it shines. I feel like over the last couple of months, Lupacchino has really grown comfortable with Supergirl. The book flows beautifully. And it is a style which fits the character very nicely.

 The book starts with Cyborg Superman (Herald One) and Cyborg Supergirl (Herald Two) floating above Earth. The two initially worked for the Collector but broke free of his control and started their own mission, to find a world where the inhabitants could be genetically manipulated to become neo-Kryptonians, recreating that 'perfect' world.  Earth seems to be the right place. Humanity 'looks' like Kryptonians. And there are Metans ... called neo-Sapiens ... that could be the building blocks of a new race.

Any book whose title is a quote from Voltaire at least has some potential.

Immediately there are some funny details about this opening scene. Supergirl speaks of how 4 years ago the Cyborg made her perfect, erasing her memories. She only knows she was miserable and hated Earth.  The truth is that if this was done after the first year of the title, I would believe that sentiment. But recently Kara hasn't been miserable and seemed to embrace Earth. Odd ...

What is missing is any fact of her willingly joining the Cyborg.

 Kara's presence on Earth is detected by Shay Veritas who sends someone after her.

What I like about this is that Veritas clearly cares about Kara, as does this unknown plane pilot. 

But here is what really grabbed me. Veritas says that Kara hasn't been on Earth for nearly a year.

So was she fighting with the Cyborg 4 years ago? Or was she on Earth one year ago? Something isn't right here.

I hope this isn't just an editorial flub.

 The pilot turns out the be one of the 'neo-Sapiens', Captain Comet. Comet is able to repel Cyborg Superman briefly so he can enter Supergirl's mind.

I love this semi-splash page. Kara's memories and psyche are laid out nicely here. I love how Comet's eyes are huge, peeking into Kara's mind. I love how the internal Kara is wearing a completely white costume. It makes me think that Kara thinks she is better than what her body is doing. She is pure, in white, even if her Cyborg form is blasting other planets, trying to genomorph them.

And I love that Supergirl, at some point, joins a version of the Wanderers. You can see versions of the 30th century group here - Photine instead of Quantum Queen, Quiller instead of Dartalon, some bird person like Ornitho. And this team of super-heroes are 'in awe' of her.

No I am biased but I always thought that Supergirl would be the leader of the next generation of heroes. Remember when James Peaty had her impressing Damian and M'Gann? So having her be the inspiration within her own group makes me happy. She was their role model.

But there is more to this story. The group went out to try and stop the Cyborg's reign of terror. But during one of these battles, he grabbed Supergirl and left. Was this only a year ago? Does the Cyborg know he is Zor-El??

Now there is something else a little odd here. We learn that Kara and Captain Comet are romantically involved. Maybe this was the love interest that Bedard hinted about in interviews, and not Michael from last issue.

But wasn't Comet born the night Superman's rocket landed, Kal's rocket blasting over Adam's delivery is what triggered his mutation ... that is if Grant Morrison's story is still in continuity. I don't know if I like Supergirl dating someone 15 years older than her. To be fair, I don't know if that origin is still intact for Comet. And Lupacchino draws him looking as young as Kara.

 Comet's mind-meld with Kara opens up her mind. She suddenly remembers who she is and is horrified by what she has become and what she has done.

This set of panels is depressing. She still doesn't know this is her father. But she is curious. I wonder if part of her knows. But that second panel,  where she looks at her robot hand, revolted by what she is, is sad.

 At least we learn through all of this that Kara didn't willingly join the Cyborg on his genocidal strikes. Rebelling against him, the Cyborg Superman tries to take control of her robot parts. Supergirl is literally fighting herself.

And then we get this great panel. It is a very visceral image as Kara rids herself of the evil in her body, ripping off the purely mechanical limb.

Somehow this sequence of Kara fighting herself seems to sum up a lot of her problems in the New 52. I have always sensed that this Kara is a good person, someone who cares and wants to help, but she was so overwhelmed by anger that she couldn't act.

Unfortunately the Cyborg is still pretty strong and overpowers Supergirl. Just as it looks like he might kill her (his own daughter!!), the rest of the Wanderers show up.

You want proof that Supergirl can be an inspiration, a role model, an example of self-sacrifice? Read their words. Every one of them would die for her. She must have been tremendous in this group. Too bad we'll never read those adventures (unless this is a peek at some of the student body in the upcoming Crucible Academy).

And then we get a nice ending panel. Kara strips her body of the cybernetics. But scars and all, Captain Comet loves her and is happy she is back. She might have tried to force perfection on races with the Cyborg but that way doesn't work. And something as simple as a kiss can be perfection.

So how should I regard this story?

Should I dwell on Cyborg Superman somehow defeating and brainwashing Supergirl? That she destroyed races with him? That she still seemed to harbor some anger?

Or should I look at how she was a hero with the Wanderers? That she was their leader. Should I look at how hard she fought once she was in her right mind?

In the end, I looked at both equally. And in some ways I am tired of stories where Supergirl realizes she can be happy and a hero and will put her past behind her. What I really really really want is that past behind her, a dot in the rear view mirror, and her acting like a hero. These stories of redemption for her are great. It is great that she decides to be an inspiration and a hero.

But it is time ... let's have a long long run of Supergirl being the inspiration and hero.

Still, for a Futures End crossover, this was one of the better issues. And Lupacchino's art is just fantastic.

Overall grade: B+/B

Bits Of Doomed Not Commented On Yet

One of the things that happens when you review a bunch of books and limit yourself to a maximum number of scans per issue is that things you really wanted to talk about get pushed to the side.

Superman:Doomed is big enough that there have been a couple of things that when I first read the issues I wanted to comment on but didn't or forgot or pushed aside.

There have also been a couple of things I hadn't noticed, which commenters on this site pointed out to me which I thought I would share more broadly. Thanks to everyone who chimes in here as I think it helps me see things from a different perspective or get a better grip of some finer points!

So some Bits of Doomed - never before discussed.

The first is the change in cover on Superman/Wonder Woman #9. The originally solicited cover is directly above. On this cover, it looks like Diana and Supergirl are working in tandem, chasing Superman to try to help.

The released cover is at the top of the post with Supergirl now shooting heat vision at Superman. The direction of the beams seems incongruous with Kara's head position and (I think) sully the composition of the cover. And I don't know why Kara needs to constantly be attacking her cousin.

I don't think this was an improvement.

I'd like to thank blog-friend Supertorresmo for pointing out something crucial in Superman/Wonder Woman #9 as well. With Superman pummeling Hessia, Wonder Woman feels compelled to stand up to him. Somehow she is able to match his power despite his being in full Super-Doom mode.

Supertorresmo pointed out that in this battle Diana has removed her gauntlets which makes unleashes her full god power. That explains the different coloring of Wonder Woman here. This is a nice touch as it shows continuity with the Azzarello main title.

I will admit I didn't notice it. An exposition balloon of some type would have been exceedingly helpful.

In Superman #31, we get a glimpse at some of the technology that Shay Veritas has stashed in The Block.

The red waterfall-like object on the far right caught my eye when I read the issue. Veritas talks about these items are from the 'omniverse'. Could this be some sort of small version of the Kryptonian Fire Falls?

As long time readers of this blog know, I am a huge fan of the Fire Falls.

I have covered appearances of the falls in the Silver, Bronze, Modern, and New 52 eras of DC comics. I even mentioned them in the Sterling Gates Man of Steel Prequel comic.

The Falls have been a plot device in the past, even curing Supergirl of a demonic possession. Could they be used here?

Lastly, in Action Comics #32, we see Krypto alive and seemingly well in the Arctic.

Remember, you heard it here first. Krypto surviving exposure to the Doomsday virus will be used in the finale of Doomed.

Okay, that's all the extra bits!

Review: Supergirl #28

Supergirl #28 came out this week, the first part of the Red Daughter of Krypton storyline.

We have been hearing about this story arc for some time now and so I am glad to finally have it arrive. Writer Tony Bedard has been talking about how this arc will be a turning point for Kara, a way for her to deal with the past and move on. So if it is a character catalyst, I suppose I am fine with it. It is time for this Supergirl to accept Earth as home and become the hero we all want her to be.

For me, the part that I have been most interested in is seeing just how we get from the sullen Kara to one who accepts a Red Lantern ring. I feel that Mike Johnson and Michael Green wrote this book as a treatise on grief and not necessarily rage.

But as time has gone on, with H'El and Krypton Returns and Zor-El, things have been leaning more towards anger. Still, there have been enough glimmers of hope in this Supergirl that embracing rage seems off. In this issue, Tony Bedard does a good job stripping away the last bits of hope and comfort from Supergirl. And in an acute setting, I suppose, I shouldn't be surprised that Supergirl gives in. Still, some of her reasoning is off. I still think that a lot of this self-anger, transferred to everyone and everything.

As I have said before, I am being a bit more lenient on this arc since I know it has an end, and relatively soon. But if I didn't know that, I would be pretty unhappy with this. DC could have taken Supergirl in a whole different direction in the New 52. Here as a Red Lantern is the direct result of what might be considered a flawed premise.

All right, enough bemoaning the direction of Supergirl since September 2011.

The art by Yildiray Cinar continues to be spectacular. He really draws a wonderful Supergirl. And we get to see the scope of his art - from sci-fi settings like The Block, urban settings like Siobhan's apartment and neighborhood, and horrific settings like Blaze's holding pen.

One thing Bedard does show us this issue is just how powerful Supergirl is when fully charged. She basically puts a beatdown onto Lobo this whole issue. This is just a great panel, Supergirl smashing Lobo through not one but two walls. Great dynamic feel to it.

I also like Lobo's internal monologue here as he calls Supergirl 'little miss powerhouse', a title echoed in her naming caption.

I gushed about the use of Blaze as a villain for Supergirl last issue. I think it is inspired. I do hope that we don't see them throw down until after Supergirl has rid herself of the ring.

I included this panel for a couple of reasons. One, this looks like a statue of Blaze which makes me think that her containment unit isn't necessarily a cage but a portion of her kingdom stuck in the Block. I mean why would this statue be put in a simple containment cell? Regal, sitting on the backs of her minions, weird glyphs on the pedestal. It shows just how insane Veritas is, hoping to contain a demon's world!

Again, beautiful work by Cinar.

Lobo does a good job of egging Supergirl on. His hope is to destroy The Block enough to force Veritas to teleport him outside. And to increase the destruction, he needs to inflame Supergirl. So he insults her throughout the initial portions of their fight.

So we see Supergirl's resolve slowly erode from the banter. Two issues ago she was upset thinking that she killed Lobo. Here, she feels that it is weakness to show that restraint. And eyes blazing, she vows to show she isn't weak.

It saddens me a little that Supergirl has become reduced to this angry, smoldering, ball of hate. This simply isn't her. I can hear blog friend John Feer already - she is the Hulk of the DCU right now.

Once outside, Lobo actually changes his tune. Now, he almost wants to help Supergirl. He sees in her a kindred spirit. They both are alone, both a survivor of a doomed world, and both incredibly powerful. He tells her he felt the same way she did but channeled his rage into his work. Maybe she should do the same.

Like Reign was in the earliest issues here, Lobo is a dark reflection of what Supergirl could become. And that dynamic might have been interesting to explore ... if we didn't already know that she is doing something just as bad in accepting the Red Lantern ring.

Bedard does layer on one more slab of betrayal onto Kara. The last couple of issues have made it seem like Supergirl was going to live in The Block, or call it headquarters. Veritas had reached out to her. Now we learn that Veritas doesn't think to highly of Kara. One other person she has let get close to her who has let her down.

Hoping to calm Supergirl down a little to continue his pitch of them becoming partners, Lobo takes the fight to Siobhan's neighborhood, the last 'home' Kara had. But she is beyond caring and takes the fight to him.

I said above that some of Supergirl's reasoning and anger is misguided and here is an example. She says that Kal tried to 'use her'. Earlier she says he had a 'plan for her'. And that Superman acted like he knew 'what was best for her.'

As far as I can tell, Superman has left her alone and hasn't tried to do much of anything. His is a sin of omission, removing Supergirl from his life. He has been the opposite of the overbearing cousin of the Silver Age. He has been an absent relative. That is the flaw ... heck that might be the flaw of this whole concept.

And now she says Kal 'let her down'? How? She pushed him away and he listened?

And without knowing about the Cyborg Superman, how did Zor-El let her down? By not letting her know his plans?

I suppose I can chalk all this up to disorganized thinking, to anger feeding on itself until reason is lost.

But it is telling that the last line here is that they all 'broke her heart'. Nice foreshadow to the red ring and its effects.

And then finally we get this primal scream moment. Standing over the pummeled Lobo, Supergirl screams she doesn't belong anywhere. She lost Krypton. She won't accept Earth. She fled the Block. She has nowhere else to go.

Frankly I am sick to death of this sort of Supergirl. I want her to be young and optimistic and full of righteous fury trying to help bring justice to the world. I want her to make mistakes, grow, and get better. I don't want this monster.

But again, if this is the way to bring us back to a likable Supergirl I will go with it. It's like taking bad tasting medicine.

I will say that the moment that raised this up a bit was this one. The book ends with a shot of Supergirl in her Red Lantern regalia and breathing fire. But this was the best moment in the book.

Who hasn't, in a moment of despair, looked to something wrong and thought it was salvation? Whether it is real or merely perceived, Kara feels completely alone on Earth, completely abandoned. She has just lamented not belonging to something or to some place. And now here is a magic ring offering her a sense of belonging. Those words make this work. If this was 'you have great rage ... join us' it would not have the same effect. 'You belong ...' is a better hook for what Supergirl is dealing with.

And the art captures that. Yes it is an angry face. But she looks hypnotized by the ring too. The red of the ring has completely washed out the yellow of the family crest ... a subtle way of telling me that she has forgotten who she is right here. And the color spectrum on her face is subtle but powerful, slowly bleeding into a deep red. The heck with the last splash of her as a lantern, something we saw 2 weeks ago. I wish this was the ending page.

So how do I grade this?

It is the beginning of a story that makes little sense to me as a long time Supergirl fan, grown from 2 years of stories trying to force the character into a mold she doesn't fit. But it might be the fire needed to burn all that stuff away and get the character back on line.

There are subtle moments (like the one above) which work showing Supergirl's despair. But there are moments where she seems irrational, blaming others for the problems she has brought on herself by running away all the time. The art is superlative.

Overall grade: B-/B

But I reserve the right to change my mind if this red lantern stuff plods or moves the book backwards as opposed to moving it ahead and back on track.

Review: Supergirl #27

Supergirl #27 came out this week, the second issue of the Tony Bedard era as writer and the last issue before the 'Red Daughter of Krypton' arc.

Given that the next issue starts a new and controversial storyline, I thought that the Lobo story would be completely wrapped up by the end of this issue. Instead, Bedard has this issue end with a decent cliff-hanger, infuses some scenes to help the reader understand the slide into Red Lantern plot, and adds a lot of new plot hooks.

While I know I don't agree with the idea of the Red Lantern arc, it might be a sort of catharsis for the character, literally and metaphorically burning away all the rage and angst in Supergirl since the inception of the New 52. And, now knowing it won't be some drawn out lengthy arc, I am suddenly a bit more accepting of the move.

But setting that aside, Bedard really does a good job beefing up the book immediately. We learn a lot more about Shay Veritas, setting her up as a supporting character in the title. My spider-sense is still tingling about her. I still wonder if she'll end up a villain. And we re-introduce a classic Superman villain to the new 52 but setting her up as a Supergirl villain, a move that already seems so natural I don't know why it hasn't been done.

Yildiray Cinar does the art here and bring a smooth clean sensibility to the book. It is a shame that he will only be on the book for four issues.

Last issue, Supergirl 'killed' the new Lobo when he attacked the Block. After the wicked right hook, Supergirl immediately felt remorse. It is one more brick in the wall of frustration Supergirl has been crashing against Supergirl #1.

Bedard does a good job in this issue having Kara speak about her feelings. There is a hint that everything has piled up so high in her mind, in her soul, that she is simply reaching a breaking point. It makes sense for Supergirl to feel overwhelmed right now. This hasn't been an easy transition. So here, when she talks about simply losing control in the fight against Lobo ... everything going red ... implies she is simply losing control.

This isn't the first Supergirl to have a crazy upheaval in her life. The others have all basically returned to the core of her character ... she wants to do what's right. Like Loeb and Kelly's version, this Supergirl has intentionally isolated herself, not leaving her any access to help dealing with her feelings. If you arrive alone and you make yourself isolated, of course you will feel overwhelmed.

So I am hoping when this whole blows over, we get that likable Supergirl, the one who wants to help back. And I hope she takes a look in the mirror and realizes that she needs friends and family. That she can't do it alone.

 Here is one of those panels I love when words and art complement each other so well.

First off, we get a sense of the enormity of the block. This place has to be a tesseract of some sort, bigger on the inside than it is from the outside.

But moreover, Veritas' words about Supergirl being so strong in such a fragile world, 'walking on eggshells' invoked in me a feeling of claustrophobia, or delicacy in movement. And that feeling is contrasted with the space in this place. Kara should feel at home here, or a bit freer than she is on a crowded street.

Anyways, I liked this panel a lot.

And we finally get a bit more backstory about Veritas.

As hinted before, Superman saved the Block from some cosmic storm called the Eternal Maelstrom. But that save had any number of weird consequences. The Block is now out of phase with reality in the core of the Earth. All the other scientists - male and female - had their genetics rewritten with Veritas' genome. And everyone is trapped because leaving the block could cause a space/time rift. Odd.

Her being trapped makes her sort of a technological Baron Winters, stuck forever in her 'mansion' without being able to leave, talking to 'agents' to do her outside work. Plus, there is this odd feel of impending villainy on her part. I don't know if she is evil. But I think she is so obsessed with what she is doing that I bet she doesn't care what happens to those in her wake. She seems so eager to study things that she doesn't think of the consequences. There is a sort of Luthor narcissism mixed with Brainiac thirst for knowledge.

Veritas talks to Kara about seeking help from others and the response is ... no surprise ... anger. In the end, I think some of this is anger by Supergirl inwardly directed for putting herself in this situation but transferred to others.

Supergirl derisively talks of Clark's 'duty and obligation', feelings drilled into his head. And then she yells about how Clark worked towards destroying Krypton again (in Krypton Returns) despite knowing that Krypton's existence was unraveling the universe.

As I said above, I want Supergirl to see the best in people, to want to help people,and to learn lessons on how to do it right ... the hero on a journey. So this set of panels, flashing into anger over Kal who has done nothing but leave her alone as she requested, just seems off. I suppose it adds to why a Red Lantern ring would choose her.

Again, I would be much more upset about this is the Red Lantern story had no apparent ending. This isn't Supergirl.

 Veritas offers to be Supergirl's friend. But I am so wary about her. That line read more like 'you can be my test subject' rather than an extended amicable hand. And here, Veritas talks about being interested in lots of things including extra-terrestrials.

I am not convinced that all her science is done for the betterment of the world or humanity. There is something shady about this.

Now I have really glossed over Lobo's part in this story because he is the least interesting part. It turns out he was faking his death, revives himself, and goes after Veritas. He takes out Supergirl with hypersonics, forcing Shay to run for her life through the Block.

 First Veritas turns on a 'fusion globe' to flash-burn Lobo.

But then she runs into 'Xenocontainment Module 5'. Hmmm ... is this a prison? A zoo? Natural habitat for something she is studying? This looks like a Escher style labyrinth ... Hellish.

And she asks whatever is housed here to help defend her.

The tone of the conversation makes it sound like the being in this 'containment unit' is being held against its will. Again, the feel of malevolence under the shroud of 'advancing science' is strong. Veritas isn't a wholly good person. And maybe that is another brick in Kara's wall of anger. Even this person who seemingly wants to help her is really hoping to use her.

 And then we see who is being housed there ... Blaze.

Blaze was the demon sister of Lord Satanus in Superman lore. A true denizen of Hell. Last time I saw her was in Reign In Hell. Surely she isn't being held in the Block willingly. Maybe the 'phase' of the place crosses dimensions? Either way, it furthers my thoughts of Veritas' character.

I love Cinar's design of Blaze, huge, gangly, powerful, but with the classic helmet shrouding her face with huge horns. Perfect re-imagining.

Lastly, this is such a perfect addition for Supergirl's rogues gallery I am surprised it hasn't been done before. It is a great idea.

But Blaze doesn't need to get involved. Before Blaze can engage with Lobo, Supergirl, revitalized by the 'yellow fusion globe' that Veritas ignited, shows up and she is ... not surprisingly ... angry. I suppose I should have guessed that the 'yellow fusion globe' would help Kara. Those words basically describe a yellow sun.

And, mega-charged, Supergirl talks about killing Lobo on purpose this time.

Sigh.

Okay, there is no stopping this train. Supergirl is going to be a Red Lantern soon. And this story does its best to show just how much Kara has bottled up inside her. As I have said before, I am more easily able to deal with this stuff knowing that the Red Lantern arc seems to be relatively short. If we didn't know when Red Daughter was ending, if I didn't see a 'normal' Supergirl on the cover of the JLU, I probably would be wailing and gnashing my teeth.

And with Blaze and Lobo and Veritas all still active at this cliff-hanger ending, we probably have to wrap things up here before she dons the ring. I wonder if the last page of next issue is the ring arriving.

Despite the rage aspect of the story, there is so much to like in this issue. The increasing details of Veritas' life and her home make her more 3-dimensional. I think she is going to end up heading down the evil road. And Blaze is just an inspired addition to the Supergirl mythos.

Add to those story elements Yildiray Cinar's beautiful art. From the Blaze design, to the expressive nature of Supergirl, to this last power pose splash, this book is just great. And the perspective panel of the Block with tiny Supergirl and Veritas was slick.

So we are moving towards a new Supergirl.

Overall grade: B+/B