Review: Supergirl #7

Supergirl #7 came out this week, the first issue since the opening Cyborg Superman arc ended. Written by Steve Orlando with art by Matias Bergara, the issue is a nice breather after the intensity of that opening storyline. If you want an episode to give someone to let them see who this #Rebirth Supergirl is, this is a fine primer.

From the very beginning, Orlando said that his take on Supergirl is of a young hero who will stop you from committing crime but then check in on you to make sure you are getting better. She is someone who will throw a punch but also someone who cares deeply. We have already seen it with her visiting a the crook she threw into jail. In this issue, Orlando gives us the follow-up to his Supergirl Rebirth #1 story of Lar-On. In that issue, Kara promised she would help Lar-On. Here she shows she meant it.

The story takes place in Lar-On's mind which means it is something of a fever dream. The landscape is chaotic, ever changing, and the frightening. But it also gives Kara the ability to look into Lar-On's psyche and try to help alleviate his troubles. Lar-On's issues resonate somewhat with Kara's life which gives the book an extra level of emotional weight.

And Orlando has clear respect for the DCU history as well. We get the usual dose of references and homages which just show how rich the mythos is.

The art in the issue is by Matias Bergara. His style is semi-similar to Brian Ching's so there is a nice sense of continuity in the proceedings. Bergara really gives a sense of movement with his work. There are plenty of panels where you can feel the action  play out.

On to the book.

March 2016 Solicits

The March solicits for DC Comics were released earlier this month and as usual there were a couple of surprises and some interesting things to mull over. I have to say, I am very excited for March not only for the Supergirl stuff but also the Superman stuff. It seems as if things might be coming to a head with the summer peeking around the corner when these issues come out.

While I'll be looking forward to the super-books, here is a link to look over all the solicits:
http://www.newsarama.com/32436-dc-comics-march-2017-solicitations.html

SUPERGIRL #7
Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art by MATIAS BERGARA
Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Variant cover by BENGAL
“Mission Mind”! Supergirl’s powers mean nothing when she’s trapped inside the consciousness of a killer. Creeping through the mind of a Kryptonian monster, Supergirl finds herself on a suicide mission to return Lar-On to sanity inside the D.E.O.

This seems like a great concept. Supergirl in Lar-On's mind trying to help his madness. These sort of Dreamscape stories give the creators a lot of liberty which should make this interesting.

I don't know Matias Bergara's art at all so I look forward to see what he brings to the book!

And there are more books!

Direct Currents #1

Last week I went to the comic store and was delighted to find a nice surprise. Direct Currents #1 was on the rack, a promotional magazine put out by DC Comics, big and glossy and covering all of the titles in some fashion. And best of all it was free.

I remember the pre-internet days of Direct Currents being present in DC Comics, basically a list of the upcoming title solicits. And I also like the Daily Planet faux newspapers, the occasional DC Profile of creators, and even the straight up news columns that occasionally would grace DC's books in the 70s and 80s. So the name and format struck a nostalgic chord.

But more importantly, it's in print!

I guess I am going to sound like a Luddite but I like the print format. I picked this up looking forward to reading about the super-titles. But I read about the Suicide Squad and the Flash books as well. I'll probably end up reading this cover to cover. Because while I was sipping my coffee it was easy to simply flip the page.

I don't think I would necessarily have clicked on an article about, for example, The Flash. I certainly wouldn't have done it on sites where you need to click through ads, slides, etc.

So thank you DC! I am hoping that the #1 on the cover means this might be a recurring thing.

The book opens up with a letter from Dan Didio.

He starts out talking about the JL/Suicide Squad crossover. He touches on the upcoming Batwoman and Super-Sons titles.

And he ends the missive by saying "Rebirth is about a voice, a tone, a sensibility. We're crafting a strong, cohesive universe."

I rolled my eyes. I suppose some might derisively snicker. Didio was in charge for the years were things were off-tone and insensible. Hard to take him seriously. I will say I have been happy with the post-Rebirth DCU.

And I liked that he mentioned Mr. Oz and said that story is coming to the forefront soon.

There is a nice article about the Superman books in which we hear how Dan Jurgens, Peter Tomasi, and Patrick Gleason work together to get the long form stories right. It is worth reading.

And Supergirl gets just a strip of one page (three columns on the page promote Supergirl, New Superman, and Superwoman).

It is a brief and to the point. The middle section lays out the foundation of the book and defines the DEO. But the last paragraph does give us our first glimpse into what will happen after the Cyborg Superman.

Looks like the DEO is going to try to weaponize Lar-On!

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Supergirl promised Lar-On that she would be there to help him. Will she support this? What if Lar-On doesn't want to do this? Will Supergirl side with him? He might ask her to kill him, given his curse. What will she do then?

I'm glad Orlando is bringing him back. I wasn't too keen on the idea of him just lying in the DEO sedated.

Anyways, head to the LCS and pick this up. It's free! And I'll let you know if this Direct Currents leads me to buying a new title, the ultimate goal of something like this!