Sales Review: July 2011

July sales for comics were in general down in comparison to both the prior month as well as to the year before. As always, ICv2 does a great job covering all aspects of the comic market and I highly recommend going to their site to look things over. Here is the link to the list of the top 300 selling comics for July 2011:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/20795.html

There are so many reasons for comic sales to continue to erode. Yes, there is the instability of the print market. And comics represent a niche of that world, sequestered in their private stores, away from casual readers.

But on top of that, there was/is the uncertainty of the American economy. Comics are basically luxury items. Sure people will always pick food over comics. But what about the luxuries in life - internet or comics? Cable television or comics? These are what comics are battling in tight times. And comics will probably lose that battle every time.

And, of course, I think comics sometimes are their own worst enemy. If you flood the market with big 'event' comics and crossovers (like Flashpoint mini-series) which will be essentially meaningless in a couple months, I don't know if people will pay out more money to purchase them. Now I buy comics for entertainment first so stories will always win out. But in tight times, I am probably less likely to purchase new comics especially mini-series for a self-contained story.

Or the reverse might happen. Readers might step away from a monthly to get an event mini-series and then never return to the monthly book.

So let's see that how that all would effect the sales of Supergirl #66. Now this has been a fun story by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by ChrisCross. There is a real 'fun' feeling to this arc, one that I have enjoyed.

Supergirl has been selling around 22-23K for a while.So this drop to 20K has been the most precipitous drop on the title in a while. Why?

Well, every Flashpoint mini-series outsold it.Every one. Could some people who would normally have bought Supergirl instead bought a Flashpoint book? Probably.

And this Supergirl is going away in 2 months. Was the relaunch the time that some people decided to jump off rather than jump on? Maybe.

And could people have a few less dollars in their pocket and Supergirl was a fringe title in their collection. Sure.

Will more people come on board for the relaunch? I guess we have to wait and see. 

Review: Supergirl #66

Amidst all the hue and cry about the DCnU and my waning optimism about Supergirl in the relaunch, Supergirl #66 was released. This was the second part of Kelly Sue DeConnick's three part 'This is not my life' arc, the final story for this Supergirl, a mere 7 years after her introduction.

I will say up front that I thought this was an okay issue, not as great as last issue. I think the thing that detracted from this issue were the somewhat jarring scene transitions. There were a couple of times I had to go back to make sure I didn't accidentally skip a page. That might be more a product of this being the middle chapter of a three issue story. The middle chapter has to fill in almost everything from introduction to conclusion. DeConnick had to stuff a lot of progress into 20 pages. As a result, the lead-in to some scenes might have needed to be truncated.

But there is still a lot of goodness here. As someone who applauded the creation of the Linda Lang  secret identity (here undercover as Linda Lane), I was happy to see Kara acting as Linda. For the most part, prior to this story, the Linda identity has been pushed to the background without much story actually showing Kara being Linda. Sure there was a scene here or there but never this much. It also has been fun to see Linda interacting with non-powered people that are her age. No 'feeling alienated or isolated' here, no 'lack of affection' for humanity. Linda is a girl in college, with friends. Add to that some humor and this works. There was just a hint of 'Daring New Adventures' here, Supergirl as Linda with classmates and friends.

I also thought the best part of this issue was how Lois was handled. Now I know that Supergirl should have the best moment in her book but as a Lois fan, I'll never complain when the reporter is treated well. In fact, between James Peaty and DeConnick, Lois has had her best moments of the last year in Supergirl.

And, unlike many of the stories I read, I actually feel that DeConnick brings the story to a place where an effective ending is possible next issue.

ChrisCross art is solid here. As with last issue, some of his characters' expressions are a bit exaggerated and somewhat odd looking. But the panel perspectives are interesting. And I also liked that his panels seem to be laid out on a template with an S-shield. Novel idea.

Last issue ended with Henry Flyte's apparent kidnapping, the latest in a run of highly intelligent college students suddenly going missing. It turns out that Henry, charming rogue he is, was merely trying to trick Linda and her roommate into thinking he was grabbed while he slipped into some of the catacombs below Stanhope.

Unfortunately while in those tunnels, he actually is kidnapped. So I chuckled when the guy said 'Henry!'. It reminds me of old Tom and Jerry cartoons when that usually meant a giant muscle-bound rooster was going to pummel Tom for a bit.

But I also liked that Linda is using her super-senses to try to get to the bottom of what was going on secretly.

The Gardner couple seen last issue working with Professor Ivo, kidnapping the best and the brightest, turn out to be on the administration of Stanhope. The woman is the President. The husband is on several of the university's boards. And they discover Lois snooping around their file room.

I loved this scene as we see Lois start off friendly and unassuming then baring her journalistic fangs. It is like watching a snake circling her prey.

So first this opening salvo, putting the Gardner's on the defensive asking them why they should look guilty. Wonderful.

Lois continues by saying she is concerned for her niece Linda's safety given the rash of disappearances recently. She opens up the wonderfully saccharin line that she is there 'for the children'. Cross works well here with Lois having her go from friendly and unassuming to confrontational and bold.

Lois quickly brings up Charlize Yue, the rescued girl from the beginning of last issue. Look at Lois now, brow furrowed, pointing in an accusatory manner while denying she is making an accusation. This is the Lois I know, asking the tough questions. Just a great scene seeing Lois operate.

But it is too much for the Gardner's and Lois is shown the door.

Lois' investigation pushes the Gardner's timetable up. Whatever they are planning with these kids, they need to do it now. Even with Flyte captured (we see him tied up), Ivo needs more children to complete this experiment.

Ivo is sort of a funny character.  Here he is flummoxed by the change in plans wondering how he will get more student material for this plot. Should he wiggle his nose like Bewitched? And then, magically, there is Linda and the crew searching for Henry. Of course, I don't think these other students have the CV that the other kidnapped students have. Is silly Shirley really the cream of the crop?

Ivo sends out a mob of robot rats to surround the group. Thinking quick, Supergirl douses the rats with some nearby water and makes it appear that someone else's dropped flashlight shorted them out, all while she circles at superspeed, frying them with heat vision. Nice double page spread here.

It has been a long long time since I have seen a Linda using her super-powers secretly to stop a disaster while maintaining her secret identity so I liked this.

But it is suspicious to the students who at first didn't even know the rats were robots, let alone wondering how 6 volts of energy from a battery powered flashlight could have enough juice to explode anything.

But as fun as it was to see Supergirl work stealthily, it all ends the next page. She hoists this giant cabinet on her shoulder to block a passageway teeming with more rats.

While I thought it was a bit of a misstep, I did laugh at the internal 'whoops'. With the rats blocked off, Supergirl is able to breakaway and try to save Henry.

Ivo does try to comply with the Gardner's request, tossing Henry into his test tube menagerie. Henry is something of a hoot, singing his Faerie song even in the midst of danger. I know I was never that cool in college.

I still think the goal of this is the create a 'perfect child' or maybe a 'perfect student' for the Gardners. Maybe some Amazo-like college kid to sit on the Stanhope College Bowl team? Or the Gardner's hoping to have a perfect baby from a genetic point of view?

And then a great hook at the end, Supergirl busting into Ivo's lab. This was an all-Linda book except for this last page which I am fine with. But I am ready for some Supergirl action next time. And the panel of her bursting in as well as this one, heroically hovering over the Ivo's robot army are both really great.

So the middle chapter did it's job and we are set up for a Supergirl-style smack down next issue. DeConnick really writes a great Lois so toss her name onto my long list of people I would love to see write a Lois series. And her Supergirl here is smart, wants to do what's right, but isn't perfect, is still learning the job. That's okay with me.

And then, after that issue, this smart, strong, heroic Supergirl, still working towards of her destiny as a hero, will simply go away.

And I'll get to meet (re-meet) a bitter, angry, isolated Kara who either doesn't care or feels above it all.

Can't wait for next issue.

Overall grade: B/B+

Kelly Sue DeConnick Interview

The DCU is going to relaunch and the 'new' Supergirl #1 is coming out in September.

But that is the future. And I am not forgetting the present. We have a three issue story arc by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist ChrisCross before that happens. I didn't not want to ignore these issues, the last of this current incarnation of the Girl of Steel. I was lucky enough to ask a few questions of DeConnick about her run on the title. Hope you guys enjoy it. Supergirl #65, DeConnick's first issue, is on sale today!


Anj: I know from prior interviews that you have been a comics fan, and a DC fan, since childhood. Any particular creators or story arcs that influenced you as a fan or writer? Any favorite characters?

Kelly Sue DeConnick: I’m not sure I can point to any direct influences; I don’t tend to see other people’s work in my own—not that I’m not sure it’s there, I’m certain it is—but I don’t think I have the proper perspective on my own work to be able to see it. If someone else were to say, “you can see the influence of XX in scene BLAH BLAH,” I could probably evaluate it well enough to agree or disagree, but I don’t think I’m able to spot those things myself.

That said, I can tell you that I loved pretty much anything George Perez ever touched—particularly Wonder Woman--and the Marv Wolfman run on Tales of the Teen Titans was a big favorite of mine. I remember finding a stack of them second-hand and having my mind blown. Even the PAPER was nicer than anything I’d ever seen before. (Does anybody know what that was about? Was there a run in the late 80s on really good paper? Issue #66 was definitely part of the run I remember so fondly.)

I loved Nocturna. I was obsessive about that character during her brief life. NOCTURNA!
And of course, as I’m a plucky gal of a certain age, Lois Lane has a special place in my heart. Cliché, but true. I may or may not have a LL-related collection. I also may have published a zine in my youth called “Lois Slain.”

Anj: Have you always considered yourself a Supergirl fan? As a creator, what about her appeals to you? Any of her past stories that resonated with you?

KSD: I adore her! But I don’t want to misrepresent myself, like, oh yeah—I’m this HUGE Supergirl fan from way back. That would be a lie. The woman in the Super-orbit who always drew my attention was Lois Lane. I had to do research before I could properly pitch Kara.
That said, it wasn’t hard to fall in love. I feel... proud of Kara. It’s a strangely maternal affection.

Anj: The solicits for your arc have Supergirl thwarting a kidnapping plot at college (I thought I had read somewhere it was Stanhope), which sounds like it could be a Silver Age plot from her Adventure run. Is there a retro feel to your arc? Are there other hidden Supergirl Easter Eggs we should look for?

KSD: There is definitely a retro feel, though you’ll find more Easter Eggs of the 80s movie variety than Silver Age Supergirl, I think. But you’re right about Stanhope.


Anj: This is your first arc in the DCU. And I know a classic villain shows up. Were you tempted to bring in any other guest stars?


KSD: I wasn’t, actually! I kind of wanted to keep the DCU out of it as much as I could. I was afraid of it getting continuity-hamstrung, you know? When I was doing my research I was having to hop around a bunch of different titles to get caught up and it was frustrating, confusing—and expensive! It left me wanting to section off my little arc and make it as self-contained as possible so that it would be accessible to, you know, people like me. (I had no knowledge of the reboot when I pitched the book, but I have to say, I having been away from most of the DC universe for a while and having just had to try and get caught up, I certainly understand the impulse.)
Oh, wait—that’s not entirely true. I put Lois in of my own volition. Just in case this is the only book I ever get to do for DC, I’m going to write Lois Lane, dammit!

Anj: It sounds like Lois plays a big part in your arc. As a Supergirl fan, I think it is interesting that Lois acts as a catalyst so often in Kara's stories. She played key roles in both Sterling Gates' and James Peaty's runs, both positive and negative. What is your take on the Lois/Kara dynamic? Why do you think it is prevalent in Supergirl stories?

KSD: In the first issue, I wanted to play with this idea that Supergirl and Superman are not inter-changeable, right? I’m sure you heard me say this already, but if you can replace Supergirl with Superman and the story still works, I think there’s a problem. So I illustrated that by having Lois assume the same banter-y relationship with Kara that she has with Superman and having it fall flat because it’s unearned, because the dynamics of their relationship are different.

Aaaand in execution, I’m not sure it works. Or rather, I think it works overall, but there’s one exchange in one scene that I’m afraid comes off as more antagonistic than what I intended in concept. I expect I’ll take some heat for that and that’s fair.

As for why Lois is so often such a big part of Supergirl stories, I suspect it’s because they’re so different. From a storytelling perspective, that’s incredibly appealing.

Anj: Your arc also takes Supergirl to a new frontier, college campus. Was it fun to put her in that environment, a stranger in a strange land? Any chance of romance in the arc?

KSD: I loved it. I wanted to give her a taste of being a regular girl. And yes, there is absolutely a love interest in the form of one Henry Octavius Flyte, Bastard Ne’er-Do-Well, physics prodigy and my attempt to reverse the gender of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope.

Anj: Can you talk about your approach to this arc knowing you were only going to be on the title for 3 issues? You can't really make any major changes but the story still needs to be compelling. Is it a similar to how you approached the one-shots you have written for Sif and Rescue?

KSD: It is similar, but not exactly the same. With Sif and Rescue I was looking for things worth addressing that there hadn’t been room for in regular continuity—ways to fill in gaps. For Sif, I wanted to give her her spine back, to help her exorcise Loki. For Rescue, I wanted Pepper to acknowledge Happy’s death was still a thing she had to live with. People don’t bounce back from the death of a spouse, they just learn to live with the loss.

With Supergirl, I was presented with an opportunity to pitch on 3 issues of self-contained story and it seemed to me the last few years had been mostly about the Super, so it seemed logical to focus on the Girl. I spent a lot of time thinking about what it’s like to be Kara, saddled with the mantle of responsibility that comes with those powers, everything she’d been through with regard to her parents and I thought this poor kid needs to catch a break. So I tried to write a gift for her, a story that’s fun and romantic and playful and dances with themes and images from childhood and adolescence. And now, knowing what this story is in the larger context, I’m doubly happy with it. I got to put the period on the end of that sentence and I did it in a love letter.

I’ll leave it to you to judge whether or not I was successful, but I’m really happy with it.


Anj: You are one of a couple of women to ever have written Supergirl, and the first to have an arc on the title. Did that influence how you approached Kara?

I don’t think so. I hope not, anyway. I don’t want that to be true.

I was told straight away that one of the reasons they approached me was my gender and I had mixed feelings about that, but I decided that my gender had worked against me enough in my life that I was willing to accept one in the win column.

Anj: Your three issues are probably already close to being finished. Did you have as much fun writing Supergirl as you thought you would? What other projects are you working on that we should look for?

KSD: They’re done! And I actually had more fun writing it than I expected. I think I got more comfortable as I went, so I really, really loved Issue 67. I was surprisingly emotional putting that together.

Castle: Deadly Storm! I’m having a ball. Look for that in September, I believe.

Anj: Thank you so much for stopping by and answering some questions. Can't wait to read your Supergirl stuff.. And I'll be sure to look for Castle:Deadly Storm!