Poll Results: World's Finest

Well, the votes are in and it looks like the next book that I will be reviewing on the site will be the new World's Finest, written by Paul Levitz with art by George Perez and Kevin Maguire. I'd like to thank everybody who took the time to vote! As always, it is the community of Supergirl fans that keep me energized to run this blog!

As for the poll, it was something of a landslide.

World's Finest took 44% of the vote, well ahead of second place Justice League's 20%.

As a Power Girl fan and a Huntress fan, I will be happy to post my thoughts here. And I love George Perez's  art and Kevin Maguire's art. I am glad that they are alternating arcs as it gives both of them some leeway to get the issues done. I am a long time Paul Levitz fan but I have felt his stuff is a bit hit-or-miss these days. I have enjoyed his Huntress mini-series a lot, which bodes well for this book. But his work on Legion and Legion:Secret Origin hasn't been as good.

But that isn't what worries me the most. As I said before, I tried to keep this site Power Girl free. I truly think of her and Supergirl as two different characters.

So there is one thing about this opening preview picture worries me ...

It looks like Power Girl actually was Supergirl on Earth-2! And for some reason that doesn't sit right with me.

One of the things I liked about PG from the beginning is that she was her own person, she purposefully didn't wear the S-shield, she didn't have the weight of that shield on her. And she was able to be a different sort of character than I identify Supergirl as. Yes, she was Kara Zor-L, from Krypton, Superman's cousin. But she wasn't Supergirl.

So I think I am going to have to see how that all plays out. Will her origin be similar to the current Supergirl's, an origin we don't know yet? Why didn't she just come out as Supergirl, given that Supergirl just just arrived on our Earth?

I don't know much about Supreme (someone I have read this costume is a riff on). I will miss the old costume as it fit Power Girl's personality perfectly. But this past as Supergirl is just a tad off-putting (even if what I see of the costume looks great).

As always, I will go in with an open mind.

And thanks again for everybody who voted!

New Green And Johnson Interview

Over on Comic Book Resources, there is a new interview with Supergirl writers Michael Green or Mike Johnson. As always, the interview is well worth reading in its entirety. The link to the interview is here. As usual,here are some questions and answers that stuck out to me and I'll add some comments.

CBR News: You guys are finishing your first arc, you've just introduced Reign, and you're teasing the World Killers. Up to this point, Supergirl has been pretty reactive to the environment and the confusion she's been thrown into; do you see these next issues as a turning point for her becoming more proactive?

Mike Johnson: Yeah, I think you're exactly right in the sense that she's been reacting. As Michael said, we're playing it emotionally very truthfully. You would have these reactions first, and I think that really hit it's high point in issue #5 where Mahmud [Asrar] drew this amazing page and we just took the words off it because it you don't need words, where she lets out all her grief. I think once you look back on the series in its first year you'll see that scene and maybe even that image as a real turning point where she just lets it all out.

Michael Green: That was just our real turning point moment of recognition of who she is and it's time to grow up. We really liked this idea of her as a spitfire who makes a lot of mistakes in her initial reactions and is in a frightening environment and graced with a lot of new powers. A lot of time[s] her first reaction is physical! That won't always be the case; she's going to meet some people she doesn't punch on first sight!

Johnson: And there won't be as much crying! I think it's natural there would be a lot of crying given what she's been through -- I would still be crying, even now. 

I think one of the concerns that I and others have had has been just how quickly Supergirl has resorted to her fists to deal with confrontation. Yes, I have understood that she has been thrown into complete chaos, that she is completely lost. And so maybe that physical response might be understood. Still,  I think the worry was that this would be the default mode. So it is great to hear Green and Johnson answer straight on. She won't always punch first. And she won't always cry! That means we are going to get a more level-headed and thinking Supergirl.

And I concur that the silent scream splash page is an extremely effective piece of art by Mahmud Asrar.

CBR: You mentioned in "Supergirl" #8 fans are going to see a new Silver Banshee. How did you approach reinventing Silver Banshee for the New 52 and the new "Supergirl?"

Johnson: We knew that we wanted to give Kara a real supporting cast on Earth and now was the right time to do that, after she's sort of been through the gauntlet of discovering what's happened to her and dealing with it. We also knew we wanted to flesh out her rogues gallery in an interesting way, not just with new villains like Reign but taking a different look, kind of in the spirit of the New 52, and introducing Silver Banshee -- or Siobhan as we actually call her more often, because we meet her first in her human form -- that kind of killed two birds with one stone. It was a chance to reinvent a villain in a cool way while also fleshing out Kara's life and supporting cast on Earth.

Green: We spent a lot of time talking about, now that Kara's going to be learning about our world, whose lens do we want her to see the world through? What kind of people, both friends and enemies, are going to teach her about this place she landed on, what are these human beings like? Do I like them or not? Is this a place where I'm making the best of it, or can I actually find joy?

I love the fact that both writers are talking about creating both a rogue's gallery and a supporting cast for the book. One thing that early issues of the last Supergirl run suffered from was a lack of both. This understanding that a supporting cast and a rogue's gallery was one of the first things that Sterling Gates talked about in his early interviews when he took over the book. It is basic comic storytelling. You need compelling villains and you need good supporting characters.

In this instance, the supporting cast will be extremely important because that is how Kara will learn about our world. Having Siobhan be a member of both is reminiscent of Lena in Cosmic Adventures.

CBR: It's interesting you say Banshee is similar to Kara, as Reign also seems to have parts in common with Supergirl, almost the person Kara could become if she was angrier and less compassionate. Will all the World Killers reflect different aspects of Kara?

Green: In a way we wanted her to meet a version of herself that was so corrupted that she could look at that and say, "Do I want to go that far?" She has every reason to be very, very angry and to take it out on the world if not the known universe. We want her to confront that, so she ended up making a choice to be the better version of herself, which is a much more difficult thing to do.

Johnson: And the best rogues galleries come out of your main character; they come out of the hero, they're a reflection in some way. The other thing Reign and the World Killers mean to us is they're elements of a much larger mystery that we're playing out over the course of our first year, into the second. Which is, exactly what the circumstances were to Kara arriving on Earth. As we saw in issue #5, it was her father's plan to put her in a pod. It was not necessarily her father's plan to send that pod away from Argo City, not to mention the fact that we saw her father was shot -- I don't know if I should say dead or killed. We just know that he was shot.

I called Reign a dark reflection of Supergirl. So I'm glad I hit the nail on the head. And it is clear that Green and Johnson are steering her away from that path. Again, not to beat a dead horse, but I don't think Loeb or Kelly did that. They had her veer more towards that unbridled anger. And that's not Supergirl. So once again, I liked this response.

As for the Krypton mystery, I think I have guessed wrong enough to just let it play out.

CBR: Is this mystery of how Kara got here and her father tied in at all to the "Superman"/"Superboy"/"Supergirl" crossover this summer?

Green: She's going to come out of that with a better sense of her current family.

Johnson: Her relationships will be changed by this crossover, though the crossover itself is not connected to the mystery we're talking about in "Supergirl."

Green: As far as the over arcing mystery in the "Supergirl" book, we have a lot going on. We see it as an ambitious four-year plan, hoping we get to stay on the book for the whole four years to tell it. We're not going to draw it out; we have enough meat to keep it interesting that long.

Okay, so I hope there is some sense of a Superman family after that arc.

But that isn't what grabbed me.

A four year plan!

Wow!

That sort of commitment to the character is refreshing. I think Gates would have loved to stay on the book for four years. The Earth Angel arc by PAD took 50 issues to tell. And that was a big story that kept rolling and becoming bigger and bigger.

I am glad that Green and Johnson are thinking that far ahead.

CBR: Anything you can hint at for what's coming up with Kara with the World Killers and beyond?

Johnson: It's been encouraging to see people embrace a new conception of the character and even old time fans of Supergirl who feel we are staying true to the core of who she is.

Green: It's very easy and fun to be cynical online but people have a lot of warmth and nostalgia for Supergirl. "You're playing with our girl," is the attitude a lot of them take and I feel like we got their trust and we're hoping to honor it.

Johnson: And we take it seriously, very much so.

Hey, that's also great news! It means they care about the character and her fans. I think there is some understanding of what is the core of this character.

I have said it in my monthly reviews. This book has been a very different read than the book pumped up by the early press releases. This hasn't been a disaffected, 'Hell on wheels', 'don't piss her off' Supergirl.  And, so far, I have been very happy with the book.

So more good news from the creators! Again, read the whole interview for even more goodies and hints about the future.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

On this day for romance, I thought I would share this page of 'Supergirl's Boyfriends' from Superman Family #177. Now certainly there have been a lot more men vying for Supergirl's heart throughout her history. Even in this issue, an alien named Ranar feels that Supergirl has been destined to be his mate.

Still, these guys have seemed to stand the test of time.

Brainiac 5 will always have a connection to Supergirl, most recently rekindled by Sterling Gates during the War of the Supermen and Supergirl Annual #2. I think there is a strong contingent of fans who would love to see these two together.

Dick Malverne was around through the Silver Age and into the Bronze. His story was wrapped up in the Tim Sale Solo issue. Peter David then brought back a new Dick Malverne in his run on Supergirl. His story ended tragically as well.

The romance of Biron/Comet in the Silver Age was a bit offbeat to say the least. Still, he did try his best to court her when in his human form. Comet was also brought back in Peter David's Supergirl, this time as a woman, Ande Jones.

I hope everyone out there can find such long lasting love on Valentine's Day!

These early issues of Superman Family (which took over the numbering of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen) were mostly reprinted material. But there was new stories done in a rotating manner. You could tell who had the new material by however was on top of the column of characters on the left (and whoever had the 'big' picture on the cover).

In the Supergirl issues, they always included some page like the boyfriend one, sort of reviewing Supergirl's history. Other pages include reviews of Lena Thorul's history and a list of Kara's rogues.

Review: Legion Lost #6

One of the many new 52 titles getting a creative team change is Legion Lost, with writer Fabien Nicieza moving on and Tom DeFalco coming on board.  It is a change I am a bit leery of. You see, this was a book I almost abandoned after the first issue. I didn't like the 'trapped in time' story and I didn't like the 'stop the virus' plot either. But Nicieza really did a great job with the characters here, giving each Legionnaire a turn at being narrator, allowing us to see their inner thoughts, and learn about them more. And that characterization really worked for me, surpassing the virus plot and making this the Legion book I was anticipating most each month. Of course, Pete Woods awesome art didn't hurt.

Legion Lost #6 came out last week and was a transition issue with both Nicieza and DeFalco splitting writing duties. And Supergirl pinch hitter extraordinaire Matt Camp helped out with Woods on art. As the original team is still here, it is hard to know if any major change in the books feel is going to happen. This issue was narrated by Tyroc and continued the strong character feel of the book. And the issue ends with what might considered a finale for the opening arc ... maybe.

We know this book isn't selling like gangbusters, so the question is does DC decide to shake up what is solid storytelling to try to attract readers. Or will they let word of mouth bring people here. (Of course, the upcoming crossover with Titans and Superboy might bring people here too).

Last issue ended with a cliffhanger, with the Martian Manhunter stopping Timber Wolf and Chameleon Girl from rejoining the rest of the team. In something of a twist, he doesn't take them back to Stormwatch HQ and insteads lets them get captured by the military squad following. And the J'Onn tags along, all stealthy (although allowing TW to still see him).

Of course, Timber Wolf knows the Manhunter, something which confuses J'Onn.

I don't know if I understand why J'Onn allowed Wolf to get captured by this group unless he was also scouting them out too.

Dawnstar is able to track them to the compound they are being held in Tyroc decides assault is the best option. And Gates is the perfect advance trooper, blipping in and out stealing the soldiers' weapons. It is hear I learn that Gates hates all authority and would relish this task.

I did not Legion during the time Gates was around. So I don't know if this is new for him or always there. Nice use of multiple panels spanning one continuous image, giving the reader the feeling that Gates is moving around in time and space.

And Tyroc shares his own feelings of inadequacy as team leader here. He talks about feeling nervous telling them what to do. But really, who else could be the leader of this team. Wolf and Wildfire are too hot-headed. Gates hates authority. Dawnstar is an introvert. Tellus is ... meek. It has to be Tyroc or Yera.

So he has to pull it together and take control.

Man, that Matt Camp can draw. What a great panel of two of my favorite Legionnaires.

Meanwhile, Timber Wolf begins being interrogated by the woman leader of this military operation. We have seen her since issue one. I am telling you, that scar on her face has to be courtesy of some alien or maybe Alastor himself.

I do like the code words they have given the Legionnaires. Lenny Kravitz for Tyroc ... perfect. Big yellow frog for Tellus? Even more perfect.

But Wolf has little to say other than he can smell alien corpses in this place. This is as much a lab and morgue as it is a prison.

Once inside, Dawnstar and Gates are able to pinpoint just where their friends are. Wildfire wants to split up. Tyroc doesn't want to. But Ty concedes. He isn't quite ready to overrule Wildfire, especially when it comes to a battle.

But Tyroc knows there is risk too.

He and Wildfire go to rescue Yera and run into J'onn. J'onn isn't sure what is going on.

Of course Wildfire reacts like Wildfire. He blasts the Martian and engages in battle. But like Wolf, Tyroc immediately recognizes J'onn and commands Wildfire to stand down. And when Drake won't listen, Tyroc puts some teeth behind his order. It was definitely nice to see Tyroc finally act like a leader.

When cooler heads prevail, J'onn and the Legionnaires talk about their plight. J'onn finds a Durlan corpse which will supply Yera the needed biomass to purge her body of the Hypertaxis virus. And J'onn is able to get the temporal signature of the Legion, something he was looking for since intercepting Brin.

Timber Wolf and the others mop the floor with the soldiers and it looks like everyone is going to get out of this thing in one piece. But then J'onn drops a bomb on them. Time travel is one way.

I think the Legion all along have known this in their hearts. But having it said by someone else makes it sink in. This use of repeated panels to convey the passing of time is a well traveled technique in the decompressed writing style. For me, it is a Bendis technique. Sometimes he would have the same panel cover the whole page to really give the feeling of time passing.

I don't mind it as a story-telling method if used sparingly. The more it is used, the less story we get. Here it works nice, showing the shock on the Legion, paralyzed by the news.

As for Tellus, who was left guarding Alastor, he fails in his one job. He 'falls asleep' and when he awakens Alastor is gone and completely cloaked. You would think that J'onn would help stop Alastor when he learned of this threat. Who knows, maybe he did, taking Alastor away.

So does this mark the end of the Hypertaxis arc? Sort of. But my guess is ... and I hope ... that the Legion still tries to contain the plague. Or will the Legion's hope of getting home become the dominating thread?

Regardless, next issue is set in New York, as far away from the plague epicenter as you can get.

So overall, I thought this was a good issue, showcasing Tyroc's fears as well as bringing the team finally back together. And, the Woods/Camp art was top notch.

But the J'onn guest star seemed a bit superfluous and maybe a little forced. And I hope the Alastor/plague story isn't swept under the rug. I don't like it ... but I want resolution.

Overall grade: B

Superman Family Adventures

We got our first look at the upcoming Superman Family Adventures book yesterday on the DC Source blog. Here is the link to the announcement:
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2012/02/10/exclusive-first-look-at-the-cover-for-superman-family-adventures-1/

Included in that post are quotes from the Tiny Titans creative team putting the book together, Art Baltazar and Franco. Here were some phrases that caught me.

First from Baltazar: ACTION! ADVENTURE! HUMOR! BIG GORILLAS! GIANT ROBOTS! LOIS! JIMMY! PERRY! and…SUPER PETS!!!! Whaaaa? Yep, that’s a true story right there! SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES is gonna rock! Aw yeah Krypton!

And then from Franco: The book is going to be filled with amazing adventures, stories and humor featuring the entire cast of the Superman family – Lois, Jimmy, Supergirl, Superboy and even a few surprises you haven’t seen in a while like Fuzzy The Krypto Mouse.

I was a big fan of Tiny Titans so I can't wait to see what they have in store for the Superman family. And these two certainly sound excited about this book. It sounds like a more typical comic book with the heroes fighting villains rather than going to kindergarten with them.

And I have to say I like the look of what I see with the Super family sporting sleeker versions of the DCnU costumes. Look at how good Supergirl looks sporting the new high collar cape but with a red skirt rather than the red crotch guard. And a headband! Superman looks good with solid blue tights without the armor accents.

Looks like me and the supergirls at home are going to have a new title to share together. And that is always a good thing. Can't wait!

Review: Superboy #6

Superboy as a whole has been a pretty enjoyable comic for me, as this version of Conner struggles trying to figure out just who he is.

Superboy #6, which came out this week, continues that Superboy's slow march towards self-realization and independence. Each issue, he takes a tiny step closer to being a 'good guy' rather than a weapon or a tool for someone else to use. Unfortunately, those baby steps occasionally seem to be going in the wrong direction as we see him have moments of epiphany offset by his lashing out physically. Okay, I get it ... he's confused and doesn't know where he fits into this world.

This issue guest stars Supergirl making it the first time these versions of the characters have met. Supergirl is confused and doesn't know where she fits into the world. She also is making strides in getting her bearings, closer to being a hero, and while she has moments of epiphany she still lashes out physically too quickly.

To be honest, with both characters in the same boat, it felt a little too early for them to be crossing over. How are these two going to interact in any meaningful way when they aren't sure of anything? Writers Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco make the most of the interaction, moving both characters stories forward ... baby steps of course. Still, I can't wait for the characters to be settled and maybe truly team up.

As always, RB Silva's art is just slick and ratchets the book up a couple of notches. There are some nice art flourishes in this issue that complement the story perfectly as well as some splash pages and big panels. Despite that big art, the story seems full enough.

The book opens up after the events of Teen Titans #5, in which Superboy demolishes the Titans in the name of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. His mission was to bring in Wonder Girl. But after throttling most of the team, he suddenly has second thoughts.

It helps that Solstice, a Titan I don't know, is also an escaped N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agent and clues Superboy into the upcoming Culling event. She knows there will be blood and that Superboy will be part of the mayhem if he sticks with N.O.W.H.E.R.E.

Somehow he senses she is telling the truth and decides to leave the Titans free and go quit N.O.W.H.E.R.E. completely. See, that's a step forward. He realizes he is playing for the wrong side. But then, as he leaves, he head butts Solstice knocking her out. Why? Couldn't he have just left? Baby step back.

He flies to his N.O.W.H.E.R.E. pick-up squad and tells them he is done working for them once and for all. And that his handler Zaniel Templar should expect him to come home for a nice chat, for some answers.

And then, he goes and sulks a bit. He realizes he's alone. He has no one, unlike the Titans who have each other. He doesn't like hurting people. Is he finally getting a sense of ethics? Of morals? Is he finally not simply a blank slate for N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to scrawl on?

It's a nice moment, made nicer when he calls himself a sort of Pinocchio hoping to become a real boy. Very nice moment here.

Except that his angst for hurting the Titans is offset by the Solstice headbutt a little.

While he is brooding, Supergirl suddenly arrives. She just happened to be scanning, saw the S-shield on his uniform, and thought she would investigate. Seems a bit random. And I hope she isn't investigating all the people sporting Superman t-shirts on Earth. (Of course, his being on top of a bridge probably distinguishes him a bit.)

I do like that he calls Supergirl an angel. And that is driven home a bit by the composition of the panel, our point of view looking up at Kara, her arms out. Nice. That said, if even Mahmud Asrar and RB Silva can't make the corners of the red groin area look good, it is time to redesign. Just get rid of the corners and make it smoothly transition to the blue area and it will look a lot better.

I also have to wonder just when in Kara's story this takes place. This has to be post-Reign, right?

Initially the two can't communicate as Kara is still only speaking Kryptonian and Superboy doesn't understand it. Still with some smiles and gesticulations, the Superboy is able to show Kara his feelings.

Supergirl seems to sense his sadness, his feelings of being abandoned like she is. Maybe that is more super-intuition?? Regardless, I love how the 'alone, abandoned' feeling is echoed with the lack of background here. Art and words complementing each other. And Supergirl looks very much like a teenage girl here, always nice.

When Supergirl touches Superboy, however, it floods his mind with information about Krypton. He sees a world at war, clones fighting for their lives, devastation. This very much echoes back to old school Krypton, and most recently John Byrne's notion of cloning causing unrest on the planet.

Again, this splash works best because of the way it is set up. By having all of Superboy in the panel, you get the sense that he is engulfed by all this knowledge. It also allows Silva to show the planetary devastation writ large. I think this works better than, let's say, just Superboy's head being in the middle of all this information. This is a lot of information so keeping him intact and small echoes that.

Overwhelmed by the information, he blasts Supergirl away. But know he can speak Kryptonian. And he tells Supergirl that he is half-clone.

That knowledge impacts Supergirl in a strong way, making her punch Superboy into orbit as she calls him Kon-El. Like blog friend Mart Gray, this was the first time I realized that 'Kon-El' is 'clone' spelled phonetically sideways. How could I go this long without realizing that?

But, again, this is sort of a step backwards for Supergirl. Why so quick with the punch? Clearly he isn't Kryptonian so why assume he is a Kon-El (whatever that is).

After a brief skirmish, the two begin to just talk, Kara calling him an abomination to the house of El, a clone who will eventually become a mindless killing machine. So lots to mull over here.

Is the House of El responsible for cloning technology on Krypton thus making all clones an abomination for them? Is that why they are called Kon-EL?  Or is it just that Superboy is wearing their shield that does it?

Did all clones become bizarro-like beings on Krypton? (Remember in the Silver Age, General Zod tried to take over Krypton with an army of Bizarro-Zods. Is this playing on that?). I just hope that all the Super-titles are on board with one history of the culture.

Still, it was nice to see Supergirl calm down reasonably quickly. Of course, you could also argue that if Superboy is destined to become a killing machine, she shouldn't calm down at all. Or that she shouldn't have punched him in the first place.

Their fight brings the locals who fire on the two of them without warning. Not very nice.

I did like that Supergirl's immediate response is to protect Superboy. I think, more and more, we are starting to see the heroic elements of Kara's personality surge forward.

And see how much better the lower costume looks here when the blue and red nearly blend. Those deep corners have to go.

Superboy pushes the police copter away with his TK and Supergirl takes the opportunity to run away. Funny, but his power seems more straight forward TK than tactile telekinesis. He didn't touch the copter, he just 'Force-shoved' it.

From a distance Supergirl wonders why everyone on this planet seems to want to attack her. Just like Superboy wonders why everyone attacks him. Just like the two of them are always attacking people. Hmmm, I am seeing a pattern here.

I am at least glad to see that this time Supergirl threw her punch only after she thought Superboy was a killing machine and not simply on sight.

But it is strange that clones seem to have such an ominous reaction from her, sort of on the level of the 'world killers' in her own title. When she says here that she knows what 'must be done', the implication is that Superboy must be put down. Then why stop the copter's bullets or call off her attack?

I will say, overall, I was pretty happy with Supergirl's appearance here as she initially reaches out to Superboy and then tries to protect him. But I will be much much much happier when she and Superboy are out of this 'origin' phase of their stories, start reacting immediately with their fists, and start acting like heroes. And I hope that eventually we'll get a Super-family that aren't at each other's throats.

Superboy fulfills his promise to go back to N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to get some answers. But he is immediately met by Rose who is looking for a fight. More fisticuffs!

So overall we get some character progress from both Superboy and Supergirl here. But I think I need to have things move forward a little faster here. I mean, we are six issues in ... a half a year ... and we are still just scraping the surface of who this Superboy is and what he wants to be. We have had baby steps of Superboy realizing he has feelings, isn't a weapon, and wants to be independent. How about a big step and get there? I still think this was a decent issue. But this feels like a slow simmer of an opening arc.

Moreover, I am very worried that this title is going to be inextricably linked to Teen Titans and The Ravagers, two titles I don't think I want to read. If I can't understand this book without those, this book might lose me.

No complaints about the art though.

Overall grade: B

Sales Review: January 2012

Comics in general rebounded in January 2012, as sales seemed to be overall up from the previous year. While I certainly haven't felt more foot traffic in my local comic store, I do realize that my own pull list is about as bloated as it has been in the last several years. That means good stories are being made as I don't stick around otherwise.

As always, ICv2 is my favorite 'go to' site to pick apart sales numbers. I advise everyone to go there. Here is the link to ICv2's article detailing the January's Top 300 Comics: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/22085.html

So how did Supergirl do?

Well, Supergirl #5 ranked at #49, down 7 spots from the prior month. It sold a calculated 37301 issues. That was down 6% from the prior issue's 39,762.

I'm sort of done trying to understand attrition like this. I suppose it means that stores are ordering less so there are fewer back issues on the shelf. That also means fewer issues the casual reader can pick up on a whim.

I also have started to look sales as more about the company the comic keeps. Supergirl sold just below a Matt Fraction/Pascual Ferry Mighty Thor book. It beat out X-Men Legacy. And it is ranking with the other Justice League comics. That is a pretty good group of comics.

The other big news was that DC swept the top 10 comics for the month. It is a crazy month for sure!

So four Batman books beat all X-Men, Avenger, and Spiderman books. Aquaman beat all Marvel books. DC has to feel pretty good about that. As for me, it's great to see Superman back up there as well. Action is worthy of 100K sales.

Still, the tenth best selling book only sold 65K? And both Legion books were in the 20K range. Man, we need to get more people buying comics!