Back Issue Box: Supergirl #70

There's a global pandemic!

We just passed Easter and Passover!

There are no new comics on the shelves!

So today I bring you a back issue review of Supergirl #70 from 2002! It encompasses all those things! Plagues! Supergirl heroics! Fun!

This was an odd time for Supergirl to say the least. Where the first 50 issues of this Peter David run hold up as an amazing super-longform look at religion, redemption, and sacrifice, the following 2 year run (which this issue is near the end of) was a bit rougher.

Linda Danvers, a deeply flawed human who is trying to be better and has come far from her darker past, is trying to reclaim the angelic portion of the Supergirl Earth Angel. She has been depowered, having the abilities of the earliest Superman (leaping not flying, bursting shell invulnerability, etc). She is following a chaos stream to Hell to find that aspect. She needs Buzz, a demon turned human which she loves/hates to get her there. Meanwhile, Lilith, the original wife of Adam, is on a revenge tour against Supergirl. Supergirl defeated her son The Carniverean, the first vampire in those forst 50 issues. To torment Supergirl, Lilith is sending demons to fight. Luckily, Linda has Mary Marvel as a pal who can see demons even when they are disguised. It's a road trip!

Whew ... a lot of back story there.

But an underlying theme here is that Linda is unsure if she is worthy of her powers or the angelic nature of Supergirl. Does she deserve to be reunited with that holy being. And Mary, while helpful, is so pure that Linda is constantly reminded of her own shortcomings. No doubt there is a twinge of inferiority and of self-loathing here.

God, I miss this Linda Danvers, as complex a character as you will find. Peter David was really at the top of his game here.

 The art is done by a guest penciller, Todd Nauck, whose style goes well with the youthful heroes. You may notice the cover being signed by Nauck when I saw him at a con in 2009.

On to the issue!

Young Justice (1998) #1 - Supergirl Homage

Count me among those folks who were thrilled when Brian Michael Bendis announced his Wonder Comics imprint and Young Justice #1 specifically.

I am a fan of classic Conner. I am a fan of Cassie. And I am a huge fan of Amethyst. So knowing they were coming back, in a way that makes sense and that honors those characters, tickled me. I was on board. And the first issue didn't disappoint. It was a rollicking good time with the reintroduction (somehow) of these classic versions of the Young Justice characters with a big dollop of Gemworld on top. Bendis and artist Patrick Gleason are solidly on their game.

I have always wondered why I didn't collect the first Young Justice series from 1998. I was in the middle of residency and I wasn't reading an extended pull list. That probably explains it best. Somehow it slipped by. What makes this doubly amusing is that I was all in on Peter David's Supergirl book which was still on the shelves at the time. Back then, I tended to try anything David wrote.

But like the current run, this team consisted of Conner, Tim, and Bart. Others would join shortly afterwards.

I was reading reading the Waid Flash which occasionally had Impulse crossover. I had read the early Kesel Superboy stuff too. But somehow it missed this.

I recently ran across some of the issues in the bargain bins and grabbed a handful, including the old Young Justice #1. I was surprised to find a Supergirl moment tucked in it.

Todd Nauck Commission

I went to a great little convention this last weekend in Northern Massachusetts sponsored by Larry's Wonderful World of Comics (http://larryscomics.net/).

The main guest was Todd Nauck of Young Justice and Spiderman fame. Above is the commission I got him to do for me. I knew his slightly manga-y style would make for a great commission and I was right.

Nauck was a great guy, easily approachable and easy going. I saw him taking the time to talk to some of the younger kids who were there and that is great.

As for the convention, there were also a lot of local artists present and a lot of dealers as well. Since I was only aiming for a commission from Nauck, I had time to really thumb through all the dealers there and found a few gems. It looks like this show might happen every couple of months so I will definitely put it on my radar.



One issue I could not find that I was hoping to see was Young Justice #13, a rare Peter David Linda Danvers cross-over issue I don't own. It would have been cool to find it and have it signed by Nauck. No such luck.