Smallville Season 8 Interview; Kara Still Out

It is hard to believe that Smallville is coming back for an unbelievable 8th season next year. I get the sense that the show has limped along for the last few seasons. And while having a number of DC stars like Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Cyborg appear in episodes has been a nice touch, overall the story of Clark's interactions with the Luthors has become ponderous. I barely watched seasons 4-6.

The inclusion of Kara this season grabbed my interest and I watched this season closely. How sad that the writers on the show didn't seem to know what to do with the Kara character. I have lamented her use/non-use on the show in the past. She went from a pro-active protector to a meek follower of Clark to an amnesia victim under Lex's sway finally back to a hero only to be trapped in the Phantom Zone in the season finale.

Imagine, the show may have ended with Kara trapped in the Richard Donner 'floating mirror' Phantom Zone!

The show itself has suffered some growing pains this year with Kristin (Lana) Kreuk and Michael (Lex) Rosenbaum not signing up for the upcoming season. What's more, the influential creators/producers of the show Al Gough and Miles Millar also have moved on.

Newsarama has an interview with one of the new producers Darren Swimmer to discuss the upcoming season. Here is the link and the Kara bits.

http://www.newsarama.com/tv/080714-smallville-swimmer.html

NRAMA: It’s been announced that Kara is not returning as a regular in season eight. Did that stem from the writers feeling her storyline was tapped out or was it a case that the arc didn’t achieve what you intended?

DS: We had always imagined that Kara might only have one season. She had a great arc, coming to terms with her situation as a fish out of water on Earth, and at the same time, she served as a way for Clark to explore his origins and the history of Krypton.

NRAMA: Since she’s left hanging out in the Phantom Zone will we get resolution on her fate early in the season?

DS: We’re very interested in bringing Kara back for some episodes this season, schedules permitting.

I have read in different places that they brought Kara on board as a potential spin-off should Smallville completely unravel. Now they say they imagined her as being a one-season wonder? That her role was really to advance Clark's story rather than her own?

At least they leave an opening to bring back Kara for a few episodes next season ... schedules permitting of course.

The question is will Laura Vandervoort be able to or even want to return? She is now filming Into The Blue 2 and might want to stay in films. I thought she did an adequate job as Kara especially showing the feisty, stubborn, active side of Kara

It would be yet another slap in the face to Kara fans if the Smallville character stays in the Phantom Zone. Let's hope the producers do the right thing.

Supergirl Tonner Doll Exclusive at San Diego Comicon 2008

Look at what has just been announced as one of the ultra-exclusive goodies at the San Diego Comicon. A Tonner doll called the Phantom Zone Supergirl.

Here is the official blurb:

Phantom Zone Supergirl is limited to only 200 pieces (certificate of authenticity included) and will sell for $139.99. At sixteen inches tall, this bullet proof beauty comes decked in all white, trimmed in gold. Her cross-over midriff top is emblazoned with her gold super 'S' and she has white, thigh-high boots and gold laces. Because TONNERDirect are concerned with your convenience, the 28 eyelets are already laced (they zip from the back)! Aglets not included.

Aglets not included??

Okay, I have never even seen this sort of outfit on Kara, and I even have those nutty 70’s Adventure Comic issues where she seemed to have a new outfit every other issue. Nor do I understand why this is called the Phantom Zone Supergirl. Why would Kara dress like one of Captain Kirk’s flings only to be sent to a wraith-like existence for eternity?

Anyways, I guess we should be happy that it is Supergirl. Any publicity is good publicity, right?

I have never been to the San Diego Comicon being an East coast kind of guy. I can only imagine how much fun it is. And I suppose it is good I am not going because I might actually drop the cash for this.

As for Tonner dolls, they look great but are too expensive. They seem to be geared more for doll collectors than comics collectors, although there is some cross-pollination. They do have DCStars line that includes a very nice Supergirl doll that costs $124.99.


This is a very beautiful figure in my favorite version of Supergirl’s costume, the Matrix costume. It is close to perfect, but no pointy sleeve ends. I also think the blue is a little too light here, but the S-shield is a nice size.

You also can buy a ‘Krypton dress’ to put the doll in for *choke* $89.99.

It sort of looks like a cross between the Kryptonian garb they wore in the Richard Donner Superman movie and the ‘futuristic outfit’ Dr. Evil put Elizabeth Hurley in at the end of “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”

But this is what got me. For *gasp* $69.99, you can get a ‘Casual Identity’ outfit for a Linda Danvers doll that is not yet available. They are making a LINDA DANVERS doll!!!



Am I a huge geek because I may have been more intrigued/excited about the Linda doll than the Supergirl doll?

I advise every one to peruse the DCStars section of the Tonner website at the link below to see all the characters they offer. The pictures above are from this site.

http://tonnerdoll.com/dcstars.htm

As for me I am saving my pennies for the DCDirect Deluxe figure.

Review: Action 867

Geoff Johns continues to impress me on his run of Action Comics. He impresses me with his knowledge, appreciation, and acknowledgment of the Superman mythos while moving it forward. And, in particular, he impressed me with his handling of Supergirl in this issue of Action comics.

First off, on the title page she got her own little origin recap!! And what interesting wording. She fights for ‘truth, justice, and the Kryptonian way’?? Well, I guess she has been a Kryptonian far longer than she has been an American.

We have seen some beats like this in Puckett’s title, specifically when she fought Reactron and was trying to figure out his physiology rather than immediately neutralize him. I will be honest, I haven’t consistently collected the Super titles in a long time so I don’t even know what the ‘Kryptonian way’ actually means.

As for this issue, it opens with Superman and Supergirl in the Fortress looking at the destroyed Brainiac robot from last issue. Supergirl makes the statement ‘That is not Brainiac’.


It makes sense for Superman to ask Kara about Brainiac. She lived on Krypton when he attacked. She knows more about Krypton than he could learn from the crystals because she lived it. Supergirl tells Superman that all the Brainiacs he has faced in the past are drones or probes. That no one has seen the real Brainiac.

She relives the trauma of the Brainiac attack. How the public felt he destroyed Kandor, although Allura thought he may have stolen the city. How the planet felt as though its heart had been ripped out.

She talks about losing her best friend Thara Ak-Var in the attack (a nice reference to a silver age Kandorian, Van-Zee’s niece). That it was the worst day in Krypton history outside of its destruction. She clearly is shaken even by the destroyed probe, melting it with her heat vision.

Kal tries to comfort her. But she states how she wishes she had no memories of Krypton because she misses it so much ... it hurts too much.



Some detractors might explain that this again shows a ‘weak’ Supergirl looking to Superman for strength, but I think it makes perfect sense. Kara is a 16yr old girl who has suffered the massive stress of losing everything ... everything ... family, friends, world!! Of course, she is going to be depressed and traumatized. Of course she is going to put up a front of strength to hide this.

Clark then shares an evening with Ma and Pa and tells them he is going to go after Brainiac, especially now that there is a chance Kandor and other Kryptonians exist. Ma is concerned but Pa understands that Clark is simply doing the right thing.

We shift to Metropolis where Clark discusses his Brainiac plans with Lois. But first there is this exchange about Supergirl which again makes me excited for the new team.

First, a retelling of the Cat Grant impending editorial which apparently will lambast Kara.


Then, this simple exchange about how Kara doesn’t know who herself. How she has most likely kept everyone at a distance because she is afraid of losing everyone again.


And Clark mentions about how she is missing out on life on Earth because she is always wearing the cape. This only isolates Kara more. This probably means we will be seeing a secret identity in the Supergirl title soon.


Overall I think this is such a great angle to play up with Kara. This whole take on her keeping everyone at arm’s length all while being sad will make it easy for Gates’ to fold everything that has happened before in this title into continuity rather then ret-con it all away. That can explain the Kelly version - whether it be looked at as strength of character or arrogance. And it can explain the Puckett version who is trying to save even one person no matter the cost.

The issue ends with Superman using the Supermobile to track Brainiac and face him. Supes interrupts a Brainiac attack on planet Larroo. But after a brief skirmish with some drones, he is attacked by the Brainiac ship and then knocked unconscious when Brainiac detonates the system’s star.

Overall this was a superb issue. Rather than ignore all prior incarnations of Brainiac, Johns rolls them into a new comprehensible history. And the Kara scene was so wonderful.

Gary Frank continues to be a spectacular artist on this book, with the Reeve take on Superman dead-on. He, of course, drew the first issues of the Peter David Supergirl, a Supergirl that was most likely in her late teens and early twenties. He draws this incarnation as cute and expressive. Unfortunately, he draws the ‘belly shirt’ more like the size of a sports bra. I can only hope we get a more traditional uniform soon.

Overall grade: A

It Came From the Back Issue Box: Supergirl 7, Who is Linda Danvers?

It struck me after posting the cover to Supergirl 7 in the last post, that reviewing the character of Linda Danvers might be a great way to get ready for Reign in Hell.

In the Peter David Supergirl, the Matrix Supergirl was called upon by Fred and Sylvia Danvers (a cop and devout Christian respectively) to save their 'sweet innocent' artist daughter Linda. Supergirl finds Linda near death, sacrificed to a pagan god. Supergirl somehow merges with Linda, creating one being where there was two.

Early in the series and initially after merging, Supergirl has little recall of Linda's life. In issue 7, she decides to review the art Linda was producing to try to jog her memories.

They aren't good memories as we find out that Linda was certainly not sweet or innocent. Oh she starts out that way, but like most adolescents she begins to question the authorities around her.

She is sent on an errand to the local pastor's house and looking in the window, she sees him beat his wife to death.

While confused about all she has learned about a loving God and the goodness in man, she meets a man named Buzz who begins to seduce her to the evil there is in the world. Buzz later turns out to be a chaos demon on Earth.

First Buzz begins to have Linda question the authoratative nature of the bible; he even quotes noted dark magician Aleister Crowley.

Then with Linda intrigued by his bad boy nature, he shows her his world, bringing her to a demonic orgy ... a place of evil she finds attractive.

Later, as Buzz's girlfriend, he sends her further down the path to damnation. He kidnaps the pastor from the earlier scenes with the plans to kill him. It is strongly implied that Linda takes part in the killing.

Supergirl realizes that she has saved an evil person who wallowed in sin. Disgusted with the person that she has merged with, Supergirl vows that the evil that was Linda will die as she was meant to.

Over the course of that series, Linda/Supergirl comes to realize that the sacrifice made by Matrix to save her has made this new being an angel on Earth. She fights the Carnivore, a demon bent on overthrowing heaven. Eventually she wins that fight but has the angelic aspect of her ripped away.

That series was so wonderful. First we see the redemption of Linda. Her soul speaks to Supergirl in issue 9 telling her that she regrets the things she has done. We also see evolving humanity of the Matrix aspect, a being we learn was lost, feeling soulless like an automaton.

So the question becomes which Linda will we see in Reign in Hell? The cultist murderer? Or the one redeemed? As I have discussed in prior posts, it is not as if Linda has reason to serve a higher power unflinchingly since that power robbed her of her daughter.

Poll result: the 'Ayes' have it - Reign In Hell reviews

Thanks to everyone who voted on my first blog poll!

The question was : Should Reign in Hell, starring Linda Danvers, be reviewed on this Supergirl blog?

The results - 19 votes:

Yes: 73%
No: 10%

Doesn't matter: 15%

So starting at the end of the month I will throw reviews of Reign in Hell on the blog.

Let's hope Giffen and DC do the right thing with Linda.

Things I do not want to see:

1) Linda as agent of Hell

2) Linda killed in mini-series

3) Linda scantily clad a la Witchblade, etc.

And if all three happen, I think I'll cry.

It Came From the Back Issue Box: Superman 415

With all the talk about Supergirl being a major player in Final Crisis, I thought it would be interesting to re-visit her role in Crisis on Infinite Earths over the next couple of months. And while COIE #7 is her most significant part in that story, I will hold off on that for now (figuring I will recall that when *this* Supergirl plays out her major role in the current crisis).

So we'll start out with this Crisis Cross-over, Superman #415, the cover sporting a great tagline '"Revealed at last ... Supergirl's secret marriage!" The issue is written by Cary Bates and drawn by the legendary Curt Swan.

As this issue opens up, and despite the fact this takes place in the middle of the Crisis with the universe falling apart, Superman is on a rather mundane mission - oil-drilling in the middle of the ocean. Supergirl has already died at the hands of the Anti-Monitor and Superman is still grieving. Suddenly, a hypersonic alarm from his Fortress of Solitude goes off, an alarm that was only used by Supergirl! He flies to the arctic and finds an alien being at the Supergirl shrine.



This is an interesting Fortress tribute here. Kara had changed her uniform a couple of years prior to the 'red shoulders, headband' look, but Superman chose the 'hot pants' version of the costume for her memorial statue. Maybe Superman preferred that look? Or maybe Swan preferred it?

The alien invader, Salkor, seems to be most interested in a device that is laid at feet of the statue. He even claims he has a right to owning it. Salkor grabs the trinket and takes off. After a brief skirmish, he tells Superman his story.

Salkor, his planet's super-hero, was in space on patrol, when he came across Supergirl's body floating, covered in a faint green radiation. He takes her back to his home planet Makkor and is able to revive her. But, alas the exposure to the radiation has had a side effect.



That's right, the presumed contact with Kryptonite has given Supergirl amnesia! Salkor gives her the name Jasma, the name of the most beautiful flower on his world.

With no place to go, she remains on Makkor and begins a relationship with Salkor. They fall in love and are wed in a standard Makkor ceremony.

His wedding gift to her is the device which was the base of the statue, called a 'hokku'. A hokku records a person's inner thoughts as soon as they think them. Salkor hopes she will treasure it.



Sounds a little creepy to me. I don't know if I would want access to my wife's every thought. But Supergirl loves it.

Shortly thereafter, Kara and Salkor have a battle with his arch-enemy, a being named Naxx who wishes to conquer the world. While they are able to defeat Naxx, Supergirl seems dazed afterwards. It is unclear why. What is clear is what Salkor discovers when he wakes up the next morning!

That's right ... the old empty bed. Supergirl takes off in the middle of the night with no talk, no message, no clue as to where she went. All that she took was the hokku. Seems kind of cold to just leave your husband high and dry like that.

Salkor becomes determined to find his beloved Jasma and traces the hokku's telepathic traces to Earth. En route, he learns of her career as Supergirl. Unfortunately, his enemy Naxx, bent on revenge against Salkor and Supergirl, follows him to Earth and attacks the fortress.

After a fierce struggle, Naxx is once again defeated.

Salkor and Superman return to the Fortress. Superman gives Salkor the hokku as a memento. Suddenly the hokku activates a recorded message from Supergirl ... a message for both Superman and Salkor. She even rigged the hokku to activate the alarm when Salkor came close, knowing it would draw Superman there. She wanted both men to be together for the message.

Supergirl explains that when her original memories returned after the first battle with Naxx she lost all memories of her marriage on Makkor. Only after a recent battle did all her memories return. She recorded this message to play on the event of her death as a way to say goodbye to the two men in her life. Salkor comments that Kara must have had a premonition of her death to have recorded this message, a plot point reiterated in the other Supergirl Crisis Cross-over DC Comics Presents #86.

The story ends with Superman and Salkor knowing that they are "both blessed and better for having known the love of Jasma ... and Kara."

This is a strange post-script to the life of the Silver-Age Kara. I don't know if I quite understand the 'hows and whys' she left the planet Makkor. Let's play this out. She's in bed with Salkor when her pre-Makkor memories return. But she has no recollection of her marriage to him. So she looks at the strange guy she's in bed with and just takes off into space back to Earth? Like I said ... strange.

And Salkor and Naxx are utterly forgettable characters. Seems a shame that DC would put an alien marriage in the canon of Kara.

Of course, a few short months later the Crisis would wrap up and no one would 'remember' Kara in the DCU anyways. She would be ret-conned away to allow Byrne's Man of Steel, 'last survivor of Krypton' version of Kal to be written.

I did feel some nostalgia in reviewing this issue. The Crisis was my first mega-event as a reader and I actually bought *all* the cross-overs! That meant nearly a year's worth of All-Star Squadron and Infinity Inc. ! I no longer do that.

Curt Swan is a legend, so any time I can see his rendition of Kara is fine with me.

But in its entirety, this issue is not key to any Supergirl collection and might be best forgotten.

Publishers Weekly DC Sales Report

There is a very in-depth look at DC's current economic woes at Publisher's Weekly. Here is the link:

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/07/02/dc-month-to-month-sales-may-2008/

The writer does an incredible job at breaking down the numbers, not only of DC as a whole but each individual title, looking back at not only the last several issues sales but also prior incarnations of the title going back years.

Here is the breakdown of Supergirl. The numbers are sobering ... staggering ... depressing. I had no ideas the title had hemorrhaged readers so badly.

74 - SUPERGIRL
05/2001: Supergirl #58 — 20,376*
05/2002: Supergirl #70 — 19,156*
05/2006: Supergirl #6 — 102,860
———————————
05/2007: Supergirl #17 — 50,429 (- 2.4%)
06/2007: Supergirl #18 — 50,279 (- 0.3%)
07/2007: Supergirl #19 — 48,576 (- 3.4%)
08/2007: Supergirl #20 — 46,862 (- 3.5%)
09/2007: Supergirl #21 — 44,656 (- 4.7%)
10/2007: Supergirl #22 — 41,758 (- 6.5%)
11/2007: Supergirl #23 — 45,460 (+ 8.9%)
12/2007: Supergirl #24 — 37,922 (-16.6%)
01/2008: Supergirl #25 — 36,459 (- 3.9%)
02/2008: Supergirl #26 — 34,186 (- 6.2%)
03/2008: Supergirl #27 — 32,596 (- 4.7%)
04/2008: Supergirl #28 — 31,379 (- 3.7%)
05/2008: Supergirl #29 — 30,192 (- 3.8%)
—————-
6 months: -33.6%
1 year : -40.1%
2 years : -70.7%
Supergirl sales keep dropping at an alarming rate. Yet another “regular” new creative team (the sixth one to date, if you’re keeping count) has been announced, meanwhile.

70.7% loss of readers over 2 years. 33.6% over the last 6 months recorded.

70.7 % !!!! 33.6%

So ... how do we interpret these numbers? Let's look at some of the key issues.

Issue 6: 102,000 issues. I expected sales to be brisk at this point in the title. The title was just coming off the Loeb opening arc. Churchill's art was being relatively well received. This was also a jumping on point for new readers with a new storyline that was in essence One Year Later. There was a variant Churchill cover. It also marked the return of Ed Benes to a Supergirl title and guest starred Power Girl. Greg Rucka had just been named new writer. I thought issues 1-5 were okay, although I thought the ending of the story was not satisfying. But I had optimism for this new team and story.

Issue 19: 48,500 issues. Well, after a number of creative teams and what I felt was an absolutely abysmal run by writer Joe Kelly, I was not surprised to see that the title had lost about 50% of its readers. The buzz had faded. The story and art was uneven. And the boards unfortunately showed a fractionated Supergirl fandom. To be honest I am surprised the title sold that many at this point. This was the really awful 'mad Zor-El, kill Kal-El' storyline. The Garza art was uneven at best, muddy at worst. Kelly continued to write (for me) an unlikeable Kara. I almost dropped the title myself.

Issue 23: 45,500 issues. This represented a slight bump in sales from the prior dreadful Countdown crossovers. The new team of Kelly Puckett, who wrote Batgirl so well, and Drew Johnson were coming on board. There was a variant cover by Adam Kubert. Maybe some new readers were brought in. Maybe some old readers came back with the end of the Joe Kelly run.

Issue 24: 38,000 issues. Uhhh ... were did all the new readers go? Well, when it is a new team and you expect new readers, you need to hook them. But issue 23, Puckett's first issue, which was nearly wordless, was probably not a great way to reel people in. So 7ooo readers left. For me, these issues were a breath of fresh air. It immediately redefined the Superman/Supergirl relationship. Kal called on her for help. Sheacted heroic, going to her absolute limits to try to accomplish the mission. Even better, in issue 24 we see a loving Zor-El!

Still, I think about Birds of Prey 56, the first Simone/Benes issue. That had a hook ... great dialogue, great cliff-hanger, eye-catching cover.

Heck, it even said 'Bold New Direction' on the cover. Comics readers are suckers for that line! That's what this title needed in issue 23, a hook to keep new readers.

Issue 29: 30,000 issues. Right in the middle of the 'Saving Thomas' storyline and we are at 25% of sales from issue 6. 30,000 is probably on the cusp of cancellation. But just like Kelly's run was loved by some and hated by others (like me), it seems Puckett has the same effect. I think if you hated Kelly, you like Puckett. And if you liked Kelly, you hate Puckett.

Issue 34: ??? issues. My guess is that DC will do some ads about the title, emphasizing the link to the Superman title. Let's hope Sterling Gates is a unifying force for the polarized Kara fans, bringing together the divided Supergirl house. I think this pic from the Igle website will be a variant cover, maybe drumming up orders.

And I am hoping for about 38,000 in sales for that issue. I don't think this title can afford to lose more support.