Mahmud Asrar Process Pieces

Thanks to everyone for letting me know about iFanboy's recent article with Supergirl artist Mahmud Asrar. In the post, Asrar reviews his four favorite Supergirl covers as well as breaking down the process of creating the cover for Supergirl #65. Here is the link: http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/Process_Stories__Artist_Mahmud_Asrar_on_SUPERGIRL__1_and_His_Favorite_Kara_Covers
As always, please visit the site and read the whole piece. It is great to hear Asrar's ideas about Supergirl.

Now if there is one thing I love as a comic fan, it is process discussion. I love hearing about the evolution of scripts and art as they go from idea to completion. So this was my favorite part of the piece. Here is Asrar's discussion and my usual commentary.

Creating the Supergirl #65 Cover:

For this one, I had a tight deadline. Maybe just a few days. The idea for it was that Supergirl would be involved with a group called the Pajama Society and the editors wanted to convey a horror vibe. So I came up with a couple of sketches where Supergirl was trying to escape from this mob who looked like they were out to get her. The trick was we didn't want Supergirl beating up on these people, neither did we want her to look helpless. So I've tried to convey her agitation and distress while still remaining a powerful female character.

You can notice a compassion she has for people even though they're out to get her. This is in contrast of the new Supergirl cover of course where she looks stalwart, heroic yet a little distanced.

This explains why the cover doesn't necessarily jibe with the inside story. The Pajama Society aren't bad guys in the book. But here Asrar was told to give it a horror vibe and treat them as a mob. But I love how he talks about this Supergirl, distressed but powerful, not wanting to pound on these people. This distinguishes her from his approach to the DCnU Kara.

The cover has always reminded my of Action Comics #499.

As for my process, I initially come up with a loose sketch, either in my sketchbook or digitally. Sometimes both. Once it's approved and we've discussed further on it with my editors I move on to pencils. 

This is the stuff I love seeing. This is the thumbnail for the cover, the seed that grew into the final product. I wonder if there were other ideas tossed around before this one was settled on. When Josh Middleton was on the covers, he occasionally put process pieces on his blog including the thumbnails not used. I love that stuff.

When I ink myself I tend to do really loose pencil roughs. I just put in all the essentials for the figures, proportions, composition and lighting. 

Here are the loose pencils. The cover is there, but not polished yet.

The grunt work comes in with the inks where I finalize the image.

Amazing how sharp everything becomes once the ink is applied. I can't wait to see Asrar on interiors as well, especially given his marker approach. I hope we will see some process stuff on his own blog.

Sales Review: June 2011

I have to say that I have been spoiled over the last couple of years by ICv2, the site I use every month for my market watch. They do such a great job of breaking down the sales of comics by units sold, ranking titles.

For some reason, the site has not posted that level of breakdown for June making my review less than complete. I was able to find a breakdown of sales on The Comics Beat site, one of my usual haunts, a great resource, and extremely helpful here. Here is the link to their list of the top 300 for June:
http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/07/18/diamond-top-300-periodical-june/

 And here are the sales for Supergirl #65, the first issue of the Kelly Sue DeConnick/ChrisCross three part arc, the last story for this Supergirl pre-DCnU.

So without an issue count, it is hard to fully grasp these sales figures. Supergirl #64, the last Peaty/Chang issue ranked as the 82nd ranked comic in May. Here in June was see that Supergirl #65 is now the 116th best selling title. Was there a freefall in sales? Was there a 'this story doesn't matter' ennui that led to people dumping the title?

Or is this more a matter of there being more comics out there. Every Flashpoint crossover outsold Supergirl. There were a lot of Fear Itself minis above her too. Did people buy these new titles instead of Supergirl? Or as well as Supergirl? A number would be helpful.

Anyways, I hate to see Supergirl ranked so low regardless of a flood of 'event comics'. It also makes me happy that DC remains confident in the character enough to continue some version of Supergirl in the DCnU.
But it would be a shame if prior fans are missing out on this fun story by DeConnick and Cross. If you have left, come back!

DeConnick Interview On Supergirl

I was thrilled last week to see an interview with upcoming Supergirl writer Kelly Sue DeConnick over on Comic Book Resources. It is a great interview covering a lot of territory, not just Supergirl. I highly recommend going to read it. Here is the link: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=31747

One of the things that irked me in the aftermath of Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle leaving Supergirl was the complete lack of publicity around the title. The announcment that Nick Spencer was leaving the title was a line buried in a DC Source post about THUNDER Agents. There wasn't much out there at all about James Peaty or Bernard Chang grabbing the reins of that arc. And DeConnick was named a while ago as being on board for a three parter after Peaty finishes up. But there wasn't much coverage of all of that. So I was glad to be able to read so much about DeConnick's background and approach to her Supergirl story.

As always with a long interview like this one, I have cut some sections that grabbed my attention (in blue) and added some of my comments afterwards. And I'll say it again, it is worth reading the interview in its entirety.

This June, DC Comics' Supergirl " will be going to college, compliments of "Sif" and "Osborn" writer Kelly Sue DeConnick.


The second woman to ever write the Girl of Steel's self-titled series (star of the 1984 "Supergirl" movie Helen Slater lays claim to being the first), DeConnick will helm a three-issue arc, with artwork by ChrisCross and Mark Deering. Best known for her work at Marvel Comics, DeConnick will not be staying on as the long term "Supergirl" writer, leaving once her arc is complete, but that doesn't dampen her enthusiasm for leaving her mark on the life of Kara Zor-El.


"I grew up reading DC Comics; writing this book is a dream come true for me in every corny way that it could be," DeConnick told CBR News before enlightening us on what to expect from her Supergirl, her favorite fictional heroines and thoughts on the portrayal of women in the comic book industry.

So the interview opens up with us learning that DeConnick grew up reading DC Comics and considers writing Supergirl 'a dream come true'. That certainly is reassuring to me as a Supergirl fan. I want the writer to care about the character, knowing that usually leads to a solid characterization and good stories.

CBR News: Your first issue of "Supergirl" hits stores June 15. What can you tell us about your arc?
Kelly Sue DeConnick: Gifted kids have started disappearing from the area surrounding Stanhope College and one of them reappears in Metropolis, unable to tell them where she's been or why. Lois Lane and Supergirl team up to investigate.


And there's a classic villain who should look familiar to DCU readers. How's that for a taunt? Don't worry; I don't actually keep it a secret for long.

I like the sound of this plot. Certainly the fact that it is set at Stanhope College is a nice touch. And a Lois/Supergirl mystery also is a good premise. Add to that a mystery classic villain and I'm interested.

Of course, this also comes right on the heels of another mystery set at a college where Lois recruits Supergirl. Still, this one probably won't include the younger heroes of the DCU or the mystery of Alex. I think it will read fresh.

CBR: With regards to the Kara/Lois team-up, what's your take on their relationship?


KSD: In my take, Lois assumes a familiarity that's unearned and the two have to figure their relationship out. It's awkward, but there's humor and mutual respect at the base, so they get there.


CBR: Is this awkwardness because Lois is comparing Kara to Superman?


KSD: I think it's an unconscious thing rather than a deliberate slight, but yeah. She's used to level of familiarity with Superman that's not really fair to assume of Kara. And I think Kara is rightly wary of that.

So this was the thing that stuck out the most in this interview as reading wrong. "A familiarity that is unearned"? Lois and Kara have already been through the emotional mill ... from Lois chastising her for the 'Kill Kal-El' time where Supergirl stayed away, through the problems of New Krypton, and the killing of Lucy Lane. They are familiar with each other, like family.

In fact, it is hard to say that Lois overstepped her bounds asking for Supergirl's help solving a mystery when in the current arc, the one just preceding DeConnick's, Lois asked for Supergirl's help soliving a mystery.

I hope this is a small part of this arc and not a major theme because that would just seem off.

CBR: Since there's so little in the way of Post-Crisis Kara Zor-El stories, relatively speaking, is your run more influenced by the Silver Age Supergirl?


KSD: Is my Kara more influenced by the period before or after 1986? Well, after. Because, I mean, I'm not rebooting. Though my story isn't continuity hamstrung and I'd like to think that it's the kind of thing that someone who's never read a Supergirl comic before could pick up and not be lost, it's still happening in the here and now.

Well, I think that is sort of a weird question to be asked. Sure, releatively speaking there aren't many stories ... assuming the denominator is all comic stories since the 1930's.  But the current Supergirl has been around since 2004. The Supergirl title is now 5+ years old, she's been in Superman/Batman, JLA, Teen Titans, Brave and Bold, all of the New Krypton arc (2 Superman titles, 3 mini-series), and played a big part in Final Crisis. There is a big foundation to build a Supergirl arc on. She's been everywhere. So why would CBR ask it in that way?

And while I like that DeConnick wants to let new readers come to the comic and be able to understand it, I do think you need some sense of continuity, without being hamstrung. That comment in conjunction with the Lois/Kara familiarity comment makes me wonder if DeConnick has read the current title recently.

CBR: While we're talking about the past, were you a "Supergirl" fan as a kid?


KSD: Yes, comics were a big part of my life growing up -- I grew up on military bases overseas and we only got one American TV channel -- AFRTS (or A-Farts, as we called it). There are huge gaps in my pop culture knowledge base as a result. Gaps shaped like "The Brady Bunch," for instance. My friends and I gobbled up comics to make up for our lack of TV. And, as it happens, I was a DC girl. The Linda Carter "Wonder Woman" series probably had a lot to do with that, but who knows for sure?

So this really wasn't an answer to the question. Outside of the opening 'yes', I can't tell from this answer if DeConnick is a Supergirl fan. Still, the Stanhope reference (and an earlier Comet reference in another question) makes me think she is or at least has a working knowledge of Supergirl's older adventures.

CBR: So, did your experience working with Japanese comics influence the way you view and write American comics?


KSD: I think so, yes. The clearest point A to point B line can be drawn from spending years focused on polishing dialogue to writing scripts with an emphasis on dialogue. I write my dialogue first, then I break scenes down into pages and panels. I'm sure that's how I'm most comfortable.


In the "Supergirl" script, I was also more specific about fashion than I think most American comic book writers are. That, I'm certain, comes from a healthy diet of shoujo, where fashion is very much part of the appeal.

I have always talked about how I like to hear about the process behind comics. Usually I hear about it from the art point of view, how the artist goes from thumbnail layouts to roughs to finished pencils. So I loved hearing this part of DeConnick's approach to stories, writing the dialogue first. Fascinating.

And does a focus on fashion mean more Linda Lang on campus? I hope so.

CBR: You're only the second woman to write for an ongoing "Supergirl" series -- do you think you bring a fresh perspective to the character because of this? Or is gender irrelevant to the story?


KSD: As far as Kara and I go, she's a bit tricky for me to write, not because of her gender or mine, but because she's more reserved than I am as a human being. My first instincts are not hers, and if I'm not careful I run the risk of confusing "reserved" with "passive." She's not passive. She's cool, rational, cautious without being timid. As much as I think every adolescent is a boiling cauldron of dueling vulnerabilities and passions -- and Kara's no exception -- the rough start that she's gotten in life and the mantle or responsibility that she shoulders have left her more guarded, more contained than most. She's a natural leader. I'm more of a natural pain in the butt, I suspect.

'Cool, rational', 'a natural leader'. And a mention of the 'mantle of responsibility that' Supergirl shoulders. These all were nice descriptions of Supergirl and make me think that DeConnick has a good idea of the core of the character. We have all seen Supergirl also lose her cool and lash out so the 'boiling cauldron' also fits.

I think that the current Peaty run also drives home the 'natural leader' part of the character, a nice aspect of Supergirl I would love to see explored in depth.

CBR: Marvel really doesn't have an equivalent character to Kara, nor do they have a solo female series with a 60-odd year history behind her the way Supergirl does. How is it moving from Marvel to writing DC's "Supergirl?"


KSD: You know, I don't want to get into any kind of DC versus Marvel thing. I've worked at both companies; I've been treated with respect and dignity by both.


DC and Marvel have both been guilty of misusing their female characters in the past, and both are making concerted efforts correct that in the present. There's also, I think, been more thought given to potential female readership in recent history (particularly in light of the manga boom of a couple of years ago -- one that proved women and girls would not only buy and read comics, but they'd spend $8-$10 a pop), which, beyond being progressive, makes good business sense. We keep cannibalizing that same core 30-some year old white male Wednesday comic buyer and we're eventually going to fold.


Which is not to say that I want to take comics away from 30-some year old white males, or that I have anything against 30-some year old white male Wednesday comic buyers -- I don't. As it happens, I'm married to one and I think he's just about my favorite person in the universe.

Well, as a just-turned-40 year old white guy who goes to the store on Wednesday, I am all for methods or stories that will bring in new readers. As the father of the three young supergirls at home, I am always looking for good and appropriate comics that I can get them. So I welcome this.

Just in case people don't know, DeConnick's husband is Matt Fraction, a great writer whose work I always enjoy.

There is a lot more to this interview than just these questions. It is a great read. DeConnick clearly is well-read and well-versed in all media: books, films, and comics. She comes across as intelligent and witty. And she seems to have a nice understanding of Supergirl. I just hope that the surrounding material, the continuity stuff, doesn't make this seem off.

Supergirl #65 Solicit - Enter Another New Creative Team

The June DC solicits are now up everywhere and I will discuss the usual ones at some point. But the Supergirl #65 solicit warrants its own post.

SUPERGIRL #65

Written by KELLY SUE DECONNICK

Art by CHRISCROSS and MARC DEERING

Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR

Co-ed of Steel? Supergirl goes undercover on a college campus to help Lois Lane uncover the truth behind a string of recent student disappearances! What they uncover, though, leads Supergirl directly into a confrontation with one of the DCU’s deadliest villains!

So it looks as though we have another creative team coming on board. I will be completely honest is saying that I haven't read anything by Kelly Sue DeConnick. In looking on line, she has done mostly Marvel titles like the Osborn mini-series and the Sif and Rescue one-shots. I have seen the Rescue and Sif books on the shelves of my comic store, so I might pick them up to get a sense of her style.

I know ChrisCross mostly from the under-appreciated Peter David Captain Marvel series. I have some of his Firestorm run as well. I have always liked his work so can't wait to see his take on Supergirl. And Mahmud Asrar does the cover here as he did on Supergirl #64.  I like this cover a lot, as their really is a sense of eeriness here.

Unfortunately, based on her Twitter account and a report on CBR's Robot6 blog (link: http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/03/kelly-sue-deconnick-and-chriscross-take-on-supergirl/), it sounds like DeConnick is only on board for 3 issues. So that means in Supergirl #68, when a new writer comes on board, we will have had 5 writer (Gates, Spencer, Peaty, DeConnick, and the new one) in 10 issues.

What this title needs is committed and excited creative team. I hate to keep going back to the Gates/Igle run but I remember when they were announced as coming on to the book. There were interviews with them on lots of sites; they talked about their history with the character. They talked about their long term goals on the book. I want a creative team like that to come on board, creators with passion and plans.

This solicit also makes it clear that the tenure of the creative team of James Peaty writing, Bernard Chang penciling, Amy Reeder on covers was a brief one.  I know the Alex/Clone arc is half done but I want to thank them all for their work so far. I am sure it wasn't easy for James Peaty to pick up Nick Spencer's story and act as a 3+ issue pinch hitter. But he has captured Kara's voice nicely. Bernard Chang's two issues so far have been beautiful (as were his BizarroGirl issues). His Supergirl is athletic and beautiful and tough. And Amy Reeder had the hard task of following Josh Middleton but really produced some wonderful covers. In many ways I am sad to see this team go. If this blog reaches you, I wish you all the best.

But as usual, this raises the 'cancellation concerns' in my head. I don't think I would be surprised if the last words on the solicit for Supergirl #67 were 'final issue'.