Brainiac Who's Who Pages

With House of Brainiac showcasing all the forms of Brainiac and with my recent review of Action Comics #544, I was struck with how much Brainiac has changed over time. One of the ways I sort of try to catalog the changes on this site is to look back at some of the official biographies of characters ... the Who's Who pages.

We'll start with the original, the mid-Crisis 1985 Who's Who. This issue was on the racks just 2 years after Action Comics #544 and the same month as Crisis on Infinite Earths #6.  So this version of Brainiac was relatively new. 

This is a nice page with art by Ed Hannigan, the designer of the new form. There is a nice retelling of his origin, a 12th level intelligence construct sent out by the Coluan computer tyrants to reconnoiter worlds for them to conquer. Given Vril Dox as a pseudo-son to cement the humanoid persona.  I forgot about that aspect of his origin to be honest.

But this catches us up to the recent change to this emotionless 'unique organic' life form with infinite technology at his disposal. 

While this version only was around for 5 years or so, it struck a chord. I am glad this design remains around today either in the Brainiac ship form or the drone soldiers look. 

But the changes didn't stop there.

Who's Who: Black Orchid

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the Black Orchid story from Phantom Stranger #36. 

The reason behind the review? A 70s fan theory that perhaps Black Orchid was Supergirl in disguise. I have heard in a couple of places that Black Orchid had X-ray powers. And that story was the evidence behind that. She used xrays to reprogram a computer.

I was always a fan of Orchid. The mystery. That great costume. It worked for me whenever I ran across her. Only later when I heard the Supergirl rumor did my interest grow stronger.

As old as I am, I bought the first Who's Who off the rack as they off the rack as they came out. I loved Black Orchid's page. Art by Terry Austin! I know Austin as one of the premier inkers in the comic world. But he penciled this!

I love the almost playful pose Orchid is in as it emphasizes the crazy cape she has. And the surprint was supposed always show the character out of costume. So seeing all these different women made sense. Gorgeous.

Did the page bolster or dispute the rumor?

Who's Who: Krypto (And A Little Bit Of Action Comics #500)

Over the last several years, Krypto has more and more become Supergirl's pet. I don't know if it is that Superman is too old to be romping with a dog or if Streaky is way too Silver Age for people to take seriously but we have seen a lot of Krypto and Kara. And that relationship is only going to get stronger with the Dog of Steel heading into space with the Maid of Might in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

With that in mind I thought I'd share the Krypto page from the original Who's Who. Just fun art by Colleen Doran and Rick Magyar!

I had forgotten some of this history, specifically the timing of things. I knew his rocket went up before Kal's but I thought he was in suspended animation and delayed in getting to Earth. But instead he was floating in space for about a month until Krypton blew up and Kal's warp dragged him through too.

Some of this is downright silly especially his relative names. I love that he became 'Skip', Clark's dog with the big black spot for a while. 

But for me, I love that Krypto just always loved frolicking in space. That part makes his leaving with Kara every time someone has her leaving Earth makes sense.

Krypto is a good boy and a good friend. We learned that in the historic Action Comics #500.

Who's Who: Manhunter

I continue my deep dive into the history of Mark Shaw, Leviathan with a quick peek at Who's Who Update 1987.

This opens up the next chapter in Mark Shaw's life as he reclaims the moniker of Manhunter and tries to turn it into something noble.

I love the late 80's for DC. The aftershocks of Crisis had finally been stabilized. Legends had happened. And suddenly there was this fertile creative soil out of which tremendous and long lasting ideas and characters sprung forth.

Manhunter is one of them. 

I will remind people that Kirby's Manhunter issue happened in 1975. Englehart's ideas around it, tying a Manhunter cult into the Lantern Corps happened in 1977. 

10 years later, John Ostrander pulls Mark Shaw Privateer out of comic book limbo and makes a solo title out of it. 

Amazing!

Who's Who XVIII - The Privateer

In my quest to review the history of Mark Shaw as (hopefully) the sequel to Event Leviathan is around the corner, I recently showcased his story in the Justice League of America comics from the late 1970's. 

Within a year, writer Steve Englehart and artist Dick Dillin had rolled the Jack Kirby 1st Issue Special Manhunter idea into Green Lantern mythology. He then re-introduced Shaw as the Privateer only to have him turn villain.

That was 1977!

So where did he turn up next?

Well, in Who's Who, the Definitive Handbook of the DC Universe.

For 9 years Shaw stayed in comic limbo.

And even when he showed up, it was only as an entry in this, not a story. The art is by Stan Woch and is a decent representation of the Privateer identity. I do like that the surprint shows us Shaw in his Manhunter gear as well as the Star-Tsar.

It wouldn't be until Millennium in late 1987 that Shaw shows up again, predominantly in Suicide Squad and then his own book. 

No surprise it is Millennium we see him again. It is, after all, a Steve Englehart story about Manhunters. I'll be looking at Shaw's Secret Origin one more time as well as his time on the Suicide Squad.

But as I dive in so much of Event Leviathan begins making sense. His speech pattern. His claiming to be a hero. His hatred of secrets (maybe hitting too close to home?). His talk with Plastic Man. 

This has been fascinating and I think I have just started peel back the onion.

Who's Who Laurel Gand

I have been a long time fan of the Fire and Water Podcast Network. And in particular I have been a big fan of their Who's Who show, even joining in as a guest host on several Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes episodes.

Starting next week, Rob and Shag will begin their look at the 'loose leaf' Who's Who from the early 90s and I am very excited. I collected these when they were released so can't wait to relive them. Unfortunately, my binder of M-Z has been lost to time!

Anyways, to honor their hard work in this endeavor I thought I would review a Who's Who loose leaf page. But I already have reviewed the Supergirl one. And if you look hard enough here, I have also reviewed the Silver Banshee and even Maxima.

So this time I thought I would review Laurel Gand, the Supergirl analogue for the 5YL Legion run. For those who don't know, I reviewed the first 50 issues of the 5YL Legion over on the Legion of Super-Bloggers. I loved that run and I loved Laurel. Even though Matrix was around, I thought Laurel really captured the spirit of Supergirl.

And I love this Keith Giffen art. She is tall, proud, powerful. And I love how the red cape is a bit more of a darker, less primary red color. She was the muscle of the team. And that Darkseid head in the background has to be referencing the Great Darkness.

Just gorgeous.

DC Adventures RPG Supergirl Statistics

My thanks to blog friend Siskoid and the folks at the Fire and Water Podcast Network show Hero Points Podcast for pointing out the existence of this DC Adventures role playing game.

As a fan of role playing games in general and specifically the Mayfair DC Heroes RPG, I was thrilled to hear about this. In particular, the idea of there being a heroes and villains book of stats and histories made me think I need to hunt these down. This is the closest I have seen to a Who's Who book in some time.

And it has measurable stats! Once again we can see who is stronger, faster, smarter.

This site being what it is, I thought I would share the Supergirl pages. Thanks again to Siskoid for sharing them.

DC Comics Website Supergirl Page

So the other day I was on the DC Comics main website, mostly to check on what books were coming out the following week. While perusing, I noticed they have 'character' pages available, sort of an electronic Who's Who to give a thumbnail history of a character.

And yes they do have a Supergirl page:http://www.dccomics.com/characters/supergirl

I found it a little interesting that the one picture they have of her has her in the Michael Turner costume from 2004. That is two costumes ago, maybe three if you consider the changes that Jamal Igle made to it back in the day.

But I figured that the Turner picture is somewhat iconic for Kara Zor-El's return to the DCU so maybe I could understand.

Then I read the text ...

Supergirl In Who's Who Update '88

Over on the Fire and Water Podcast Network,  Shag and Rob have finished their review of Who's Who Update '88. This is an incredible feat. These two have gone through all the standard Who's Who books from DC in the 80s, page by page. It was the Who's Who podcast that introduced me to these guys and this extended group of comic fans I am happy to call pals.

If you haven't listened to the Who's Who podcast (or any of the excellent shows in the feed) I highly recommend it. Here is a link:
http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/show/whos-who-the-definitive-podcast-of-the-dc-universe/

All that said, in this last issue, Shag and Rob blew by what I thought was the most important entry. Because it was in this book that the future of Supergirl was hinted at.

I'll remind everyone that a year earlier in Who's Who Update '87, Supergirl's erasure from the DC Universe was spelled out in unflinching black and white.

Here we were a year later and Supergirl was back ... sort of ...

Silver Banshee Who's Who

Silver Banshee is scheduled to be in the Supergirl show and I couldn't be happier. I have covered the Banshee a lot on this site over the years but I realized I never posted her Who's Who entries. For those who don't know her, these pages are excellent primers!

First up, from the Who's Who 1988 Update, is a page lovingly drawn by the all-star art team Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell. Unreal art team there! The image is perfectly eerie for the character. She is horrific, wailing, in tattered clothes which look like smoke or flame. Her pose is appropriately defiant. And the surprint with a barrel chested Superman squaring off against her and the ancient Scots adds a lot.

The history recaps the Banshee's first two adventures without giving us too much of her background. We know she wants a particular book. We know she has supernatural powers. But otherwise we don't know much else.

In the 1990's, DC put out the 'loose leaf' Who's Who which allowed fans to catalog the pages however they chose.

Here is the Silver Banshee page from that compendium. I don't like this art as much as the prior. The Silver Banshee logo is rather bland. Artists Dusty Abell and Terry Austin really play up the sort of sexiness the Banshee can have. That is one prominent backside we are seeing. Because of this pose, we barely see the Banshee's face.

The text page is much better. I like the close up of the Banshee's face. I love Superman trying to mute the Banshee's scream by covering her mouth.

The origin story is much more complete, reviewing the clan McDougal curse, Siobhan's desire to run the clan, and the Crone saving her from Hell.

I can't believe that I live in a world where Supergirl is a live action show and that Kara will be fighting Silver Banshee. Unbelievable!

Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 Fallout - Who's Who '87 Update

I thought I was done with my review of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 when the 30th anniversary of that issue occurred last month.

But I thought I would look at a couple of things which occurred as a sort of aftermath of Supergirl's death.

Supergirl had been shown in the original Who's Who series from 1985. But the Crisis had erased her from all continuity. There was no Supergirl in the couple of years post-Crisis. And the timelines of the DCU was shifting with Power Girl replacing in Supergirl in some stories.

In 1987, DC put out a Who's Who update. And in the last issue of this supplement, there was an appendix, a way to do brief updates or changes to some characters that didn't need a completely new entry.

And Supergirl got an entry.

"In the recreated DC Universe, Supergirl never came to be."

Yep. That about says it all.

After a year of recovering from the death of Supergirl, this entry still felt like someone ripping the scab off a healing wound.

But DC also threw out something of false hope to Supergirl fans. Could Supergirl have existed in the dreaded 'pocket universe' of the Time Trapper in Legion? Could there be a Supergirl hiding out there?

The answer ends up being 'yes, sort of'. There is a Supergirl there, but it is Matrix.

Who's Who The Cadre

First there was Byth. Then there was the Unimaginable. Then Ultra.

And now, Jeff Lemire is bringing back another older DC property ... this time from the Bronze Age ... The Cadre!

Here they are, now as a squad of brawlers working for Byth, trying to get Ultra. And they are squaring off against the JLU and the Legion.

So who are they?

Well, in the 1985 DC Universe, really in the midst of the Crisis, the Justice League of America comic was tinkered with significantly. Gone were the 'big 7'. Instead we got the Detroit Justice League, headlined by Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter, with such lesser known and new characters like Vibe, Steel, Vixen, and Gypsy.

The formation of the League occurred in a story aptly called Rebirth, written by Gerry Conway with art by Chuck Patton. That team's first challenge was The Cadre, here seen as a whole team on the last page of Justice League of America #235.

Despite this decent cliffhanger, I actually didn't get the next issue!

As a result, I need to rely on my friend Who's Who to learn about the team.

The leader of the team is the enormous Overmaster who gathered this team to take over the world. In the end, it turns out the Overmaster was being controlled by some alien parasite. I think his uniform is evocative of the Infinite Man so I think it is a little inspired that Lemire has them working as acolytes for Infinitus.

But after the dynamic and imposing Overmaster, the rest of the team sounds like a bunch of losers. No wonder an underpowered JLA could beat them. Fastball is an ex-minor league pitcher who has a suit allowing him to throw spheres really fast. Crowbar has an energized ... crowbar. Shatterfist is a martial artist with destructive energy auras around his hands. Not exactly inspired.

The other member at least have a little bit more creativity and better looks.

Black Mass can control gravity and is enormous, a difference from his 98 pound weakling real identity. Nightfall looks a lot like the eventual update of Nightshade. She even controls shadows! And Shrike is a sort of flying Black Canary.

The story sounds a bit forgettable.

I suppose they are utterly forgettable which makes Lemire's reinvention of them that much more delicious. We'll have to see if he can make them more formidable because Justice League United has some bigger guns than Vibe and Gypsy.

Supporting Cast

It is hard for me to believe that I have now lived through 4 different incarnations of Supergirl in comics.

Whenever a new creator or a new direction is about to happen, the writers and artists usually say the same thing in regards to Supergirl and her book. One, she needs a rogues' gallery. And two, she needs a supporting cast.

I always chuckle a bit when I read it because if everyone seems to know that those elements are part of a great book, why have so few been able to achieve it with Supergirl?

I suppose those that decide to portray her as a bitter, disaffected, angry loner might have a hard time with writing characters that want to hang around Kara.

It seemed like Tony Bedard was working his way towards a supporting cast. And it looks like a school setting will immediately provide K. Perkins and Mike Johnson with supporting characters. And I am hoping that Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler will give Supergirl some interesting characters around her on the show in 2015.

With all this in mind, I thought I would take a look at one of my favorite Supergirl supporting casts, the citizens of Leesburg in Peter David's run.

It all started at home with Fred and Sylvia Danvers.

These were great three-dimensional characters who struggled initially with the Supergirl/Linda fusion but then became 100% supportive.

Sylvia was an extremely devout woman who relied on her faith for guidance. With the religious overtones of the book, she was an interesting sounding board at times. She slips into alcoholism when she learns of the merging of Linda and Matrix but then literally 'sees the light' and stands by her daughter.

Fred started out as a no-nonsense dad struggling with Linda's rebellious ways. Early on he seemed to be a vicious man with a quick temper. But then we see him soften, struggle with his wife's dependency, but then become a rock of the family.

Linda also has friends in town.

Dick Malverne is her boyfriend dealing with health problem that he is hiding from everyone else. Despite coming from tremendous wealth, he is an everyman with an 'aw shucks' quality to him.

Mattie Harcourt is Linda's best friend, a young physician in training, and dealing with some fallout from her brother's death during the Final Night. She remains a good friend to Linda, helping her through issues.

And Cutter Sharp is a reporter for the local newspaper with a sharp tongue. He was investigating Linda's disappearance when it happened and ends up as Supergirl's agent. He often provided the humor of the book and at times seemed to give a 'big picture' speech about the problems people were facing.

And then there was Comet, super-speed cold-powered half-horse mystery man who turns out to be the other identity of Ande Parks, Cutter's ex-wife, lesbian feminist. Ande has a very deep backstory dealing with isolation from her parents because of her orientation and struggling to walk the line between good and evil.

They all had histories, distinct personalities, and seemed so well-rounded for a cast. And I haven't even mentioned Wally and Twilight and the Carnivarean!

This series was so solid.

For those interested, these Who's Who pages are from the Team Superman Secret Files book from 1998. I have divulged more of their histories than what is presented on those pages.

Maxima!

It's been a couple of months since the announcement of K. Perkins and Mike Johnson taking over the Supergirl book in November. That solicit included Supergirl joining the Crucible Academy, a school for those destined to be heroes.

At the time I thought that the idea of a school would be good because it would mean instant supporting cast of friends, enemies, professors, and frenemies.

And somewhere along the way I wondered if it would be like the 'school' on Okaara in the Wolfman/Perez Titans, a school where students were taught battle skills as well, a school where people could and would get injured.

Well this week's back material in DC's books gave us a couple of nuggets to mull over.

So there we have it.

First off, the Crucible Academy is a school where survival is not guaranteed. So maybe it is a bit like Okaara. Or maybe it is an attempt to grab onto the zeitgeist of Hunger Games and Maze Runner.

I do have to say, I was all ready for Supergirl to be established on Earth as a hero and to have some straight up super-hero stories without the anger, angst, isolation we saw before Red Daughter. Tony Bedard and Greg Pak have shown us glimpses of that Supergirl.

So sending her to a dark school in space where students can die reads like a step backwards. I can only hope that things don't once again veer to the darkness with this book. How many swipes at a 'Dark Supergirl' will DC make before they give it up as a failed concept.

As I have said before, I look forward to this new direction and remain hopeful that they will build on Bedard's work rather than raze it.

But the bigger news for me was the reveal that Maxima will be one of the other students there. I guess we get a sneak peek of her on the cover, the half face in the circle above Kara.

As not everyone may remember Maxima, I figured I'd include her 90's 'loose leaf' Who's Who page.

Historically, Maxima has always been a Superman 'villain'. Initially, she wanted to mate with Superman, feeling he was one of the few who was worthy of being her consort. Superstrong with psionic blasts, she could back up those claims.

She went through the usual arc for many villains. She started out as a villain for Superman. Then, when Brainiac destroyed her homeworld, she joined Superman to battle the Coluan. Afterwards, she joined the Justice League. Unfortunately, after again being spurned by Superman, she turned rogue again. Her final act was one of heroism, sacrificing herself to save Earth from Brainiac yet again.

I liked Maxima as a rogue for Superman, feeling she could hold her own. I actually thought her turning hero after the destruction of Almerac had some nice symmetry to Superman's origins ... maybe moreso Supergirl's origins.

Her first appearances have her dripping with feelings of superiority and power with a sort of petulant entitlement vibe. So I can see her being the 'villain' or bully of Crucible. She would be the type to try to goad Kara into a fight, trying to claim the 'alpha student' label, and wanting to prove herself better than a Kryptonian.

And I wouldn't mind seeing the enemies eventually become best friends route with these two.

Anyways, two very interesting tidbits in that piece. See you in November.

Who's Who: Ultra The Multi-Alien & The Unimaginable

One of the things I very much have enjoyed about Jeff Lemire's Justice League United has been how much he has been injecting some Silver Age plots and characters into this young book. The best way for me to review the history of these characters is to thumb through one of my favorite title from the late 80's ... Who's Who, the definitive handbook of the DC Universe.

 Let's start off with the main villain Byth. Byth was the first opponent of the Silver Age revival of Hawkman.  That Byth was also a shapeshifter, based on swallowing an experimental pill that gave him control over his body. There was no limit to Byth's abilities turning into tiny creatures or dinosaur sized monsters. There was something intellectual and oily about Byth which makes him the perfect foil for the new League.

I wonder if in this book, Byth will have obtained his powers through genetic manipulation.

We learned at the end of the JLU #1 that Byth has been successful in genomorphing his ultimate weapon Ultra The Multi-Alien. Judging what we have read so far, Byth has been combining different genetic material to try to make some super-powered being.

So who was the original Ultra The Multi-Alien? Here is his Who's Who page!

First appearing in Mystery in Space (fitting given the cosmic nature of the JLU book), Ultra was a human who was blasted by a weapon which would turn the target into a copy of whoever was firing it. That makes little sense. Why not just kill your enemy rather than transform them. Well,  Ultra had the unluck of being struck by 4 weapons fired by 4 different aliens.Each alien had a different ability.

As a kid, whenever I saw Ultra I would think how hard it would be to be the artist drawing him.

Interesting that Lemire is making him into a villain. Maybe this Ultra will overcome Byth's influence.

As for the alien that Stargirl and J'Onn defeated in the issue, I thought it was based on the Appellax meteor aliens. But Lemire let me know on Twitter than it was based on anothed old JLA villain, the Unimaginable.

The Unimaginable is just that ... unimaginable. We as humans cannot comprehend or even imagine what he is like. Instead, he is invisible and portrayed by artists as a sort complex polygon. The Unimaginable wanted to join the League but when Metamorpho was picked, it attacked.The storyline of the Unimaginable as reviewed in Who's Who are ludicrous and perfect for their time and an adventure with Metamorpho. What I liked best ... even his powers are unimaginable.

So we'll need to see where all of this goes in the pages of Justice League Unlimited. I do love that Lemire is honoring the shadier corners of the DCU pantheon.

Who's Who: Reactron

Folks who come to this blog enough have probably heard me talk about the Fire and Water Podcast a weekly comics podcast run by Rob Kelly of the http://www.aquamanshrine.net/ and the Irredeemable Shag of http://firestormfan.com/

As you can tell by the name and their blogs, the podcast is Aquaman and Firestorm centric although they often cover DC comics in general and other trending news. It is must listening for me on Monday mornings. The two also, as an adjunct, have a Who's Who podcast where they have been reviewing the 1985 DC Who's Who page by page, character by character. It is my favorite of their family of podcasts and are definitely worth listening to. I have promoted it before but I don't mind talking it up again.

And what better reason to do it than on this day when they are reviewing Who's Who The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Volume XIX which includes one of my favorite Supergirl rogues ... Reactron

Now don't ask me why Reactron is spooning with the Reverse Flash on this Ernie Colon cover. That looks like a invasion of personal space although Reactron's smile makes me think he's okay with it.

And here is Reactron's Who's Who entry, a half sheet just above Red Bee.

It is the standard Carmine Infantino pose for most of his Who's Who pages. But the surprint is a nice action shot of Reactron blasting Supergirl. The origin is brief recapping Ben 'Reactron' Krullen obtaining powers after radiation  exposure in Vietnam and then gaining control when he teamed up with The Council. It does ignore his connection to Tempest of the New Doom Patrol. Josh Clay served with Krullen.

Reactron is one of the true Supergirl rogues who has had some longevity. After Supergirl was erased from continuity in the Crisis, his history was linked to Power Girl. He then had numerous interactions in the Doom Patrol comic that emerged post-Crisis. Of course, he was then recreated by Sterling Gates around the time of New Krypton, playing a significant role in Supergirl's life ... killing both her parents! You can read my prior posts on Reactron here: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/search/label/Reactron

I have not covered Reactron's Doom Patrol appearances. We just finished Psi-sightings. Should we do a run of Reactron Reactions?

Who's Who: Blaze (1990's)

We've seen her skulking around the corners of The Block, an apparent captive of Shay Veritas.

So who is Blaze?

Well this is the New 52 Blaze, so who knows exactly who she is. But she has existed in the DCU in the past as a Superman villain. Here is the Blaze entry from the 1990's Who's Who series, the 'loose leaf' version of Who's Who.

You can see that the 'giant horns, face in the shadows' look has been around since her inception. Nice art here by Brett Breeding.

And this is a relative early entry it seems as her sibling relationship to Lord Satanus isn't even mentioned.

Here we learn that she does indeed rule a netherworld dimension with a vast amount of tortured souls under her thumb. She also is able to give powers to some of her minions, creating the DC villain Skyhook.

I always wonder about villain's motivations. Despite her rule over an entire dimension, she comes to Earth, sets up a rock club (aptly called Blaze's) to use as her headquarters to corrupt the entire world. A nightclub?

Regardless, this was early in her career.

She has the usual array of demonic powers which makes her a nice villain for the super-family. I think she will be a great villain for Supergirl.

And the last time I saw Blaze was in the strange, inscrutable, and relatively awful Reign In Hell mini-series. There was a muddled reappearance of Linda Danvers and her flame wings (something I always try to forget). In the end of this series, Blaze has killed her brother Lord Satanus and has named herself the Queen of Hell. That's Neron's head on a pike before her! I can't believe I just commented on Reign in Hell again! Yeesh!

Let's see what Tony Bedard has in mind with the New 52 Blaze.

Forever Evil ARGUS - Psi!

While Forever Evil as a crossover event hasn't really grabbed me, the Forever Evil A.R.G.U.S. mini-series has been a wonderful little offshoot, highly entertaining.

I will admit that I only picked up the book when I saw writer Sterling Gates was on board. I have rarely (I don't thin ever) been disappointed with Gates' books. Between reading Suicide Squad, Vibe, and Justice League, I felt like I knew enough about ARGUS and the internal workings of these secret agencies in the DCU.

So far I haven't been disappointed. Steve Trevor has really shined here. And I really like the new more tragic Killer Frost. This book has really read more like the Ostrander Suicide Squad. These are a mix of characters with a mix of motivations but all working towards a good goal. This book really makes me think that Gates would shine on a team book. And god knows DC has a bunch of teams on the shelf or about to be canceled. I'd love to see Gates' on a Checkmate style book.

But wait ... there's more ...

Oh my god ... it's Psi!  A new Psi ... but Psi nonetheless.

One thing I appreciate about Gates is his ability to take some of the lesser known DC characters and bring them back, even as an Easter Egg. So we saw BizarroGirl, Reactron, Satan Girl, and Superwoman in new incarnations in Supergirl. We just got the new Killer Frost. And in Vibe we saw a new Gypsy as well as all the crazy inmates in the Circus.

So while not surprised to see Gates bring back a little known Supergirl villain in theory, I am surprised to see Psi again. And this one looks downright bizarre, mouthless, metallic, other-dimensionally. At first I thought she looked Cronenberg-y. But now I think she is more like a Clive Barker character. And there is a whiff of evil in her, or an out of control nature. She grabs Steve Trevor and sort of assaults his mind.

Moreover Gates has Steve Trevor talk about when Psi first breached into the DCU she was stopped by Vibe and ... Supergirl!! An untold tale of Vibe and Supergirl, a heroic Supergirl who helped Psi get help from ARGUS. There is an mysterious and unseen Green Man, a long-time ARGUS agent who I am guessing is the Spectre. And then Gates calls the prison tubes in ARGUS Draper tubes, a nice Easter Egg nod to Moosie Draper, the Master Jailer. Awesome sauce!

But back to Psi, the real focus of this post.

If you re-introduce a Supergirl character to the current DCU, you know I am going to have to showcase them.

So in the first of several looks back at the little known character Psi, I present her entry in the 1986 Who's Who book. The history section will review her story as seen in Daring New Adventures of Supergirl  1-3, but don't worry, I'll cover them in detail. (In fact I have already reviewed Daring New #1 and, as a result,  Psi  here.) Suffice it to say, Psi had tremendous psionic power, enough to floor Supergirl when they tussled.

The art here is by comic legends Carmine Infantino and Bob Oksner, both of whom were nearing the end of their creative years. While I like the oversized flowing black cape/cloak, the rest of this costume is pretty ugly and silly.

Expect a couple more looks back on Psi over the next couple of weeks! And thanks to Sterling Gates for bringing back a Supergirl rogue. Would love to have Tony Bedard bring her over to the main title.

Who's Who: Buzz & Linda

 

Last week I reviewed Supergirl #9 (1996), a pivotal issue in Peter David's Supergirl run, beginning a story of redemption.

One of the things that rereading that issue reminded me was that Linda was pretty dark, a tainted vessel for Supergirl to merge with. It makes her appearance in Supergirl #9, that bruised soul telling Supergirl the path of light is the better way, that much more powerful.

But it also was reminded that this story is as much about Buzz's redemption as Linda's. He is a demon working for the Lords of Chaos. His job is to bring about evil. He lured Linda down her dark path. And yet, in that issue, he is shaken from his devotion to malevolence. He helps Supergirl come to her senses and reject evil. In the end, he becomes something of a good guy!

With the characters so fresh in my mind, I thought I would post their Who's Who page from Team Superman Secret Files and Origins #1. The text, written by then-Supergirl scribe Peter David, is more about Buzz than it is about Linda but touches on their troubled relationship. It talks of him falling in love with Supergirl. Later in the series we learn his origins and how he sold his soul.

Perhaps most interesting about this art team.

It is penciled by Amanda Conner and inked by Jimmy Palmiotti! I love the expressions here, the leering, devilish Buzz accompanied by the cynical, hard Linda. I love Conner's work.

The cover date for Team Superman is May 1998, meaning it was released about 2 years into the PAD run. We didn't know too too much about Linda's angelic powers at this point. The issue itself is worth hunting down for fans of this Supergirl as it has lots of Who's Who pages for many of the characters in the book including the Danvers, Comet, and Supergirl herself.

I suppose over the course of time I will post all of them and review that interesting 'Lost Diary of Linda Danvers'.

Who's Who Volume 13 - Supergirl, Streaky, the Legion of Super-Heroes, etc.

I figured it was time to plug one of my favorite things on the web right now - the Fire and Water podcasts - which are available every Monday. The link to the accompanying tumblr site is http://fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com/

The podcasts are hosted by the Irredeemable Shag who runs a Firestorm site ( http://firestormfan.com/  ) and Rob Kelly of The Aquaman Shrine (http://www.aquamanshrine.net/) hence the fire/water title. The hosts have great rapport with each other, the shows sounding more like conversations. The podcasts cover reviews of the Aquaman and Firestorm books, DC role playing games, Power Records, and general DC comic news. But the topic I love most is their reviewing of the classic DC Who's Who book from the eighties, issue by issue, page by page.

This week they reviewed Volume 13, my second favorite issue as it covers a bunch of Legion entries as well as a boatload of Superman related stuff. But there was enough Supergirl stuff in this issue that I felt I needed to include some coverage here.

First off, look at the lower right cover.

That's right, it's Streaky the Super-cat getting some love from Lilith of Teen Titans fame. Good for him to get one last nuzzle before being shunted to comic book limbo.

Yes, there have been subsequent Streakies in other mainstream Supergirl incarnations but never a X-Kryptonite fueled, cape wearing daredevil! (Makes me miss Landry Walker and Eric Jones Cosmic Adventures even more).

As this is the L book, we get a gorgeous splash page by Greg LaRocque of the Legion of Super-Heroes. And LaRocque brings his A game here, including everyone who has ever been in the Legion, including the honored dead.

I will say I was somewhat disappointed that the team only gets a small 'history'. Sure it opens up way more space for the beautiful art. But Legion fans pride themselves on their knowledge of the team's lore. Surely something else could be written about their history. I do like that they are called 'unquestionably the most powerful team in the DC universe'.

As I said, LaRocque put in all the Legionnaires. That includes Supergirl.

She had been killed 6 months earlier in the Crisis. So I remember being happy to see her here amongst friends again.

Also in the issue is the Legion of Super-Pets which includes Supergirl's animal pals Streaky and Comet. I had forgotten about this entry completely and was glad to see that these characters that are important in Supergirl's history merited a small blurb in this encyclopedic book.

And I also had to include the Lois Lane page as she was (I believe) the only supporting character who got a page on her own merits. Jimmy Olsen got in as Elastic Lad. Alfred Pennyworth makes it in as The Outsider. Lana Lang is in as the Insect Queen.

Lois is Lois. That's good enough.

And boy, I love Bob Oksner's art.

Anyways, I highly highly recommend the Fire and Water Podcasts as a great comic forum. And if you are a Who's Who fan, you need to listen to those episodes in particular.