June 2015 Solicits

Convergence ends in May 2015 which means that June is a soft reboot for the DC Universe. I think the word DC is using 'rebranding'. And they are lauding 'canon over continuity'. And I have to give DC credit, they are expanding their line adding new and interesting books.

The solicits had been dripping out over a number of different websites initially but luckily they have finally all been released and consolidated. Here is a link: http://www.newsarama.com/23819-dc-comics-full-june-2015-solicitations.html

Now there is a lot I could talk about. My interest in Starfire, the new Black Canary book, and the weird decision to publish Doomed.

But I feel like I need to pause here to note that this is the first month since August 2005 that a Supergirl book won't be on the rack. That is a nearly 10 year run of Kara headlining a book. It has been that good of a decade for Supergirl fans (even with the creative ups and downs). Let's have a moment to reflect on that.


With that behind us, both the lack of Supergirl and the interesting new books, we have to look at the Super-books and what DC is doing to the Trinity in this soft reboot.

ACTION COMICS #41
Written by GREG PAK and AARON KUDER
Art and cover by AARON KUDER
THE JOKER Variant cover by DARWYN COOKE

The epic new storyline “TRUTH” begins! For Superman, there’s no more holding back!

First off Superman is reverting to the Morrison 'jeans and t-shirt' costume. He has no cape. The S-shield has a black background with yellow piping similar to the Fleischer cartoon symbol. And he has a crew cut. To be honest, I kind of like the look. I was a huge fan of the Morrison run and thought maybe that 'early Superman' was left too early.

I don't know if I like the bloody fists and grim countenance.

SUPERMAN #41
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art and cover by John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson
The Joker variant cover by Karl Kerschl

The epic new story line “TRUTH” continues with the debut of the amazing new creative team of new writer Gene Luen Yang ("American Born Chinese") and continuing artists John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson! What will happen when the big secret is revealed?

I am excited with the idea of Greg Pak and Gene Luen Yang leading the Superman books.

But I still am not a fan of Romita Jr. And it looks like he has Superman still in the costume under his street clothes here.

And I guess The Truth revolves around Clark's secret identity being revealed to everyone.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN #21

Written by GREG PAK
Art and cover by ARDIAN SYAF
THE JOKER Variant cover by JOCK

The epic new storyline “TRUTH” continues! In this chapter, what are the consequences of a bond broken?

Now we get a peek at what DC is doing to Batman after Convergence. He is in armor ... with bunny ears ... and a missile rack on his shoulders. Reminds me of Az-Bat.

I don't read the Batman solo books at all so I have no idea why this is happening. But really? Armor?

SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #18
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and others
Cover by PAULO SIQUEIRA
THE JOKER Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG

The epic new storyline “TRUTH” continues! As the pressure mounts, a relationship is tested!

And we get to see what DC is doing to Diana after Convergence. She is also in more armor, with big blades extending from her Amazon bracelets. Put a fleur-de-lis on her and she'd look like Azrael!

Two of the Trinity compared to Azrael! Sherman, set the WABAC machine for the 90s!!

And don't these two kids look like they are in love??

What am I doing with this title.

BIZARRO #1
Written by HEATH CORSON
Art and cover by GUSTAVO DUARTE
1:25 Variant cover by KYLE BAKER

“Hate HARLEY QUINN? Then you will super hate BIZARRO! Bizarro star of worstest comic ever! Go ahead and miss it! If there’s one thing this issue not have it these two things: Jimmy Olsen and Chupacabras!” Don’t miss the start of this six-issue all-ages miniseries!

After the excellent Bizarro issue of Action Comics, I figured I should plug the upcoming all-ages Bizarro book, one of those new ideas that DC is putting out after Convergence. I am interested in this enough to try it.

SUPERGIRL VOL. 6: CRUCIBLE TP
Written by TONY BEDARD, K. PERKINS and MIKE JOHNSON
Art by KARL MOLINE, JONBOY MEYERS, EMANUELA LUPACCHINO and others
Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO

Kara must deal with the fallout of the green Kryptonite skies over a dead Earth, and the horrors still to come! This volume features a SUPERMAN: DOOMED tie-in from the pages of SUPERGIRL #34-40, and SUPERGIRL: FUTURES END #1.

At least DC is doing the right thing and collecting the last issues of the Supergirl title into a trade. This book has been great over the last year. I'll be glad to have this trade in my collection. I would love a foreword from Perking and Johnson.

But ... that's it ...

No Supergirl. No Smallville. No Adventures of Superman.

Going in to the super-books with an open mind here. I have some trust in the creators.

Review: Action Comics #40

Action Comics #40 came out last week and as usual, Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder have hit another home run. This was a spectacular issue - fun, beautiful, retro. As someone who thinks the overwhelmingly grim world of comics is depressing, a stand-alone humorous issue like this is not only entertaining but needed.

As I have said in prior Action reviews, I like how Pak and Kuder always seem to push Superman into environments where he is uncomfortable or uncertain. Whether it is Subterranea or the horrific Smallville, when Superman is uneasy in his own skin, it makes for a more compelling story.

So putting him into the insanity of a classic Bizarro-world is genius.

And this is the classic, square-world, backwards thinking Bizarro world. This isn't a Luthor grown flawed clone. This is a flame-breathed, reverse talking, Bizarro Superman. Things are crazy here. And it allows artist Aaron Kuder to once more crack his knuckles and let the magic happen. Last arc was Lovecraft. This month, its Looney Tunes.

Buckle up your seat belts!

Last month ended with Superman and Lana talking in a graveyard.

This issue opens up with Superman 'somehow' finding himself flung into deep space ... 'straight past continuity'. Pak lets us know up front that this isn't going to make much sense in the current DC universe or storylines. Who cares!

I remember plenty of issues in the Bronze Age where we open up with Superman just flying in deep space and happening onto an adventure.

Retro and welcomed.

This magical trip through space lands Superman on the impossible square Bizarro World. A place with a moon made of cheese. A backwards place where Lois is married to 'Superman'. (How sad that a marriage is now considered backwards and bizarre.)

And a straight talker like Superman stands out on this place, marking him as a villain, and bringing Bizarro to the rescue.

Each writer brings a different sensibility to Bizarro-speech. Here 'many worries' I guess translates to 'no worries'. So only some of the speech is reversed.

As for Bizarro, I love how the S in his S-shield looks like a question mark if I squint.

And I love how even the sound effects are backwards. Kraaaakooom becomes Mookaaaark. Slick.

I also love how Superman's sound effects are not reversed. He really is out of sorts here. And that is a nice little flourish for this kind of comic.

Superman pretty quickly figures out the backwards nature of the place.

But then things get even wonkier.

The Bizarro Metallo shows up. He is remarkably lucid. And he is there to defeat the Bizarros.

Now there are a lot of backwards visual gags in this book that made me chuckle. But the best one is the statue Wonder Woman. Remember, in the 'old' DCU Diana was a statue that became alive. So I guess on Bizarro World, Diana was flesh and became a statue. That is a subtle but intelligent Bizarroism.

It turns out that Metallo is sane and forward-thinking because of his computer brain. He wants to tidy up the Bizarro world, put things in order. And that isn't what the Bizarros want.

Superman has to tell Metallo that he needs to accept the Bizarros and there differences. So what if they want to destroy their world with things like thrown toasters. They're happy.

I do love how casually Supes catches a bowling ball lobbed his way. Ridiculous.

And that would have been a fine story.

But Pak and Kuder decide to up the ante and the hilarity.

Out of the same portal that Superman came through, Doomsday appears.

Now I wonder if Pak is having a little fun with the overly clunky Doomed mega-arc. Bizarro ends up battling Doomsday, who once again explodes into deadly spores, infecting Bizarro.

Suddenly, he is a Doomzarro! There is too much to love in this page. I love the backwards talk as he turns into this monstrosity. It feels fantastic and pretty good. But I really love the ridiculous moose antlers that Doomzarro sports.

But there is more.

Of course this is Bizarro World. So instead of SuperDoom and his lethal doom spores with a withering doom zone, Doomzarro has silly powers. We get cute bunnies and tiny fairies and puppies and flowers. And one of those fairies de-beards Kal! Huzzah!

The art is just incredible.

I am stunned by what Kuder can do. Think about the demonic landscape of Horrorville and compare it to this Wonderland.

But cute bunnies in a dream-like paradise is the opposite of what the citizens of Bizarro want on their world. This would be their Doomsday. Much like Superman felt he needed to leave Earth when he was Superdoom, so does Bizarro contemplate leaving his world.

This is my favorite panel of the whole book. The 'angel' and 'devil' are sitting on Bizarro and trying to help him figure out what to do.

They both give the same speech! Of course the 'angelic' Bizarro has backwards meaning.

I love this panel! Love it!

Bizarro flies into the sun, sacrificing himself. And Superman tries to backwards console Bizarro Lois!

Or does Bizarro sacrifice himself.

A page later, he is back to the glorious boos of the people!

Just a wonderful issue. So much fun! So visually stunning! A statue Wonder Woman! Backwards sound effects! Doomzarro and bunnies! This is like a wonderful palate cleanser for the grim DCU leading into Convergence.

But this also fits right into what Pak and Kuder have been doing on the book when not distracted by mega-arcs. We have seen Superman sort of cringe at his surroundings ... whether it is from terror or silliness. And seeing Superman have to rethink how he does everything because he is in a new environment makes these stories feel fresh.

I hope that Pak and Kuder can continue to walk their own path on the book once we get the relaunch.

Overall grade: A+

Supergirl Show: Malina Weissman Cast As Young Kara; Kara Danvers Sighting

There really aren't many roles left to be cast on the Supergirl show and there are even fewer after the announcement early this week that Malina Weissman has been cast as Young Kara. I first heard this on the Hollywood Reporter here:http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cbs-casts-young-supergirl-779887

So a young Kara has been cast. And we know Laura Benanti has been cast as Alura. My guess is that the Alura parts of the show will be done as flashbacks to Krypton. We'll see young Kara learning lessons about life, about the House of El, etc. These will impact the present day Earth-bound stories. Since we will be heading back to Krypton, I have to think that Helen Slater and Dean Cain will be Lara and Jor-El.

Weissman has some geek cred having played a young April O'Neil in the live action TMNT.

I don't know of any other major characters that are left to cast!

Review: Justice League United #10

Justice League United #10 came out this week and was a very entertaining ending to the Infinitus Saga Legion crossover. This was a great ending for any number reasons which I will go over. But for a Supergirl fan, this is an excellent reason. There are great moments for Kara here including one scene that floored me. Floored me as it should floor all long term Supergirl fans.

I am trying to wrap my head around this month in DC Comics in the grander scheme of things. We get two months of Convergence coming up. We get a rebranding, rethinking of the entire universe afterwards. And while Justice League United is continuing, we know that this creative team is gone. We have no idea who will remain on the team. I am calling it here and now ... Supergirl won't be there. But we'll see.

Indeed, when you read this issue, it could easily be read as a 'final issue'. And that is a shame because I have really loved this book. Thanks to Jeff Lemire for putting together a diverse and engaging team. Thanks for writing an interesting Supergirl without making her too hard and bull-headed. And thank you thank you thank you for writing a great Legion! We need a Legion book by Lemire!

Neil Edwards wraps up his work on the book as well (as far as we know) and continues to do a great job with the massive cast of the arc. The action of this issue ends relatively quickly leading to more character moments and dramatic scenes. Nice stuff on those quiet moments too!

You might remember that last issue J'Onn lobotomized Ultra, ending the Infinitus threat. Unfortunately, Brainy had already fired his ultimate missile, resulting in a black hole opening up in Thanagarian space.

Byth wriggles free of Colossal Boy's grip and falls into the black hole, nearly taking Equinox with him.

And so we come to the first great Supergirl moment. With Star Girl and Equinox about to also fall in, Supergirl streaks to the rescue, grabbing them and flying them away from the gravity well. Great semi-splash here of a determined Kara saving her friends. Love it.

While the Star Boy tries to slow down the black hole's effects, the others go into rescue mode. Unfortunately, Thanagar is in danger of slipping into the black hole, destroying the whole planet.

When all seems lost, Dreamy gets a prophetic vision, two planets in proximity to each other. The answer is clear. Thanagar must be teleported away.

Hmmm .... okay ....

It isn't going to be easy. But if all the Rannian fleet fire Zeta beams at the planet's poles, and with an amplification boost from Mysa, it just might work.

I am a big fan of the White Witch so it was nice to see her have a little moment in the sun. She is able to work her magic and Thanagar gets blipped away. The whole planet is now in the same system, the same orbit as Rann! Now that is interesting and certainly opens up an opportunity for someone at DC to do a 'Cosmic' book looking at the new dynamic of Rann and Thanagar.

And no doubt, they have saved Thanagar.

But is the black hole still out there? I guess so.

We have seen Lemire make a hodge-podge Legion composed of members of every continuity and reboot. Does anyone remember a story where Mysa actually did an amplification spell on Takron Galtos?

Now, the best Supergirl moment of the book. And the best moment of the book for me. And a fantastic moment for Supergirl fans everywhere.

Kara finds Brainy to let him know that everyone is gathering for final goodbyes. Brainy stammers around Kara a bit. And then ...

He says this is the first time she has met him. But he comments on something happening between them in the future.

Lemire references a Brainy/Kara relationship. We haven't seen a whiff of that in the New 52.

I love it!

So all that is left is character moments as the two teams part. I say it all the time. I love the small moments in comics as much as the big ones.

Here, Brainy has to admit that his plan as leader would have failed. Dreamy actually was able to save the day and she was only around because she disobeyed Brainy's orders. He nominates her for leader.

I have always loved the Dreamy/Brainy relationship. There is some grit there. They are both smart and strong-willed. I love when respect grows out of there differences.

And then this nice moment. Dawnstar gets to meet her hero from the past ... Equinox.

That just makes sense. And it is a beautiful small moment that makes me like both characters more.

Great stuff.

And luckily, Lemire removes one of the plots that has irked me all along. Brainy is able to remove what I call the 'zeta beam insanity' between Alana and Adam. They can now be together.

I always hate the 'powers turn on an off randomly' or 'people change places randomly' storylines because they always seemed forced. The switch never happens when someone would die. The switch never happens when someone is in the bathroom.

I am so happy this is gone!

The Legion  head back to the future, taking Ultra with them. And the Justice League end up back in Canada.

The first two arcs basically revolved around Ultra. With the big threat gone, what happens to the team.

Thankfully, Green Arrow and J'Onn recognize that this team is strong and worth keeping together. Suddenly we are talking about team names and monitor duty!

Like many super-hero teams, they were brought together by chance. But they stick together. Very classic!

And then the third great Supergirl moment.

Courtney and Mi are all excited that they are part of a superhero team! And Mi invites both Courtney and Kara to head into town to meet her friends. Happily, Kara accepts.

You might recall Lemire calling Supergirl stubborn. She was an outsider. I worried that she would be a foil to Star Girl and Equinox. That they would hate each other.

So to see the three become friends and hang out socially made me happy.

Of course, Byth all along kept talking about how he had lived the Ultra story already. He talked about things being different, changing, etc. Now we learn why. The black hole sends him back in time, to prehistoric Thanagar, where he begins his life again. He will arrange for Ultra and Infinitus to happen again, in his future, in hopes of changing things.

I guess that makes Byth immortal?

This was a tremendous arc and great first year for this title. I suppose it appealed more to Legion fans and those buying the book for the JLU might have felt cheated. But for me, this sizzled. And even if you aren't a Legion fan, the quality of the book was high.

And so I have to worry about what is happening next. Where is this book going? Who is writing and drawing? Who is on the team? I will miss Lemire and his approach to the characters.

Kudos to Lemire, McKone, and Edwards.

Overall grade: A

Kara Danvers On Set With A Linda Lang Vibe

I swear to everyone that this site will not become a Supergirl TV show news site. I will continue to cover comics/back issues/etc. I promise!

But there has been way too much news lately to simply ignore. Recently pictures of Melissa Benoist in her Kara Danvers identity have made their way to the internet. My favorite one is above. Tray of coffee in one hand, National City Tribune tucked under her arm, glasses on and hair in scrunchy ... she looks great. You get the vibe that she is sort of a gopher/assistant for Cat Grant and here she is making sure Cat gets her morning treats. I bet that isn't simply a coffee but is some double-this/half-that mocha something or other.

But you know what this really reminded me of ...

Linda Lang!

Back when Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle took over Supergirl way back in Supergirl #34 (god ... October 2008!), they gave her the Linda Lang identity as a way to integrate in Earth culture.

Hmmm ... glasses and a scrunchy. I know. Generic. But still ...

Here is another picture of Benoist as Kara Danvers on set. And here are a few more Linda Lang pictures.

A Jamal Igle commission.

Rags Morales take in Superman/Batman #55.

And Rafael Alberquerque's take in Superman/Batman #62.

I am just loving everything I am seeing. I better tamp down the optimism so I don't get too pumped.

Supergirl Show News: "The Commander" Is Casted

With the Supergirl show's primary characters all cast, we are now getting news about the ancillary roles for the pilot and the season. The latest, from KSiteTV, is that Faran Tahir has been cast as 'The Commander'. Here is the link:http://www.ksitetv.com/supergirl/cbs-supergirl-pilot-casting-faran-tahir-to-play-the-commander/59490

Unlike some of the more recent announcements, I have actually seen Tahir in other roles.

In particular, I thought he was brilliant as (not) The Mandarin in the first Iron Man movie. He was captivating, scary, and dominated scenes. I think he will be able to pull off the role as described below.

KSiteTV has gotten official confirmation that Tahir will be appearing in the pilot as a character known as "The Commander." He is described as "an alien military expert leading the forces aligned against Supergirl."

Now how do you decipher this description?

Is he an alien and a military expert?

I wasn't initially leaning that way. But now, after reviewing all we know, I think he is an alien. We have learned from the leaked Lumberjack audition tapes that the Lumberjack is an alien, with 3 hearts, and was sent by an 'unnamed' him. So maybe the 'him' is the Commander who sent his alien ally to get a measure of Supergirl

 If this is true, maybe 'The Commander' is actually the Martian Commander Blanx! I won't go into too many details about Blanx because I would only be cribbing from the ultimate source of information on the Martian Manhunter and his villains: Idol-Head of Diabolu

Now if he is a human who is an expert on aliens and also a military genius, he might be some sort of version of General Lane. Obviously not Lane ... but a sort of homage. Lane all along has been paranoid about aliens and has wanted to rid the world of them.

He has worked with non-humans before ... like Atlas or The Wraith. So an alien Lumberjack could be working for him.

Anyways, this is another great casting move.

Tuesday Musings

Okay, I will pause from Supergirl show news for a day to get back to comics.

It was something of a slow comic week for me with only 2 issues in my pull file. With a few extra bucks in my hand, I decided to make a couple of impulse buys. And, as is often the case, luck was with me as many had a Supergirl moment for me to ponder. So I figured I would share my musings.

First up is Scooby Doo Team Up #9, a fun little issue where the Scooby Gang have to foil the plans of the Prankster while trying to rein in a Red Kryptonite enraged Superman.

Writer Sholly Fisch and artist Dario Brizuela already gave us a great issue teaming up the Mystery Machine and the Superfriend in Team Up #6 in a story that included 'Rupergirl'!  So I figured I should grab the issue and have some fun and then play it forward to a younger reader.

We don't get Supergirl in this issue but at least she is name-dropped.

The Scooby Gang uses Jimmy's signal watch to try to bring Supergirl to Metropolis. But she doesn't respond. Instead Krypto arrives.

Things get even crazier as they try to stop both the monstrous Superman and the Prankster. At one point, Shaggy drinks the Elastic Lad serum and Scooby gets powers.

While there weren't many new books for me to buy, the dollar box was plentiful. I was in the midst of a 'nearly only Vertigo' period in my comic collecting so I wasn't getting Superman on a monthly basis. So this issue, Superman #20, was missed. There is was in the dollar box!

As I have said, I liked Byrne's reboot if only because it breathed new life into the mythos, a way to reimagine and meet these characters again. Plus, there is the Doom Patrol!

But then I got this treat! The Matrix Supergirl!!

We first met her back in Superman #16, buried under the ice.

Here she is in Smallville, living with Lana. We knew almost nothing about her at this time. She was sort of a blank slate. But here she is, in that red skirt costume I love, hoisting a tractor.

The sight of Ma and Pa Kent is shocking to her. She says they are dead. She talks about Lex. And then she goes catatonic.

Next issue began the incredible important Supergirl Saga, redefining Supergirl and having Superman execute the Phantom Zone villains of the pocket universe. That story sets up Superman's exile into space and opened up a whole other year's worth of stories.

I am sooo happy I bought this. I love Byrne's art in this time period and Matrix is perfect!

This is my favorite version of Supergirl's costume ... similar to the upcoming show's costume!

Now this issue I know I did own at one point but it had become lost!

So I was so happy to find another copy of Secret Origins Annual #1, another John Byrne/Doom Patrol issue!

In case you can't tell, I love the Patrol. So this issue, the prequel to the rebooted comic by Paul Kupperberg and Steve Lightle, is a great primer on the team.

So what is the Supergirl connection here?

Well, this was only 18 months after the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The history of the DC universe was still in flux. What was in? What was out? How do you rewrite things when key characters ... like Supergirl ... no longer existed. Ever.

Well, it means that the prior Supergirl/Doom Patrol crossover, the adventure when they fight Reactron together, is now a Power Girl/Doom Patrol crossover. This was just months after Power Girl's origin was rewritten as Arion's descendant.

But this just reminds me that there was a time when Supergirl simply didn't exist. Her adventures were recast or erased. And that seems so foreign now in a world where she has had hit books and a television show in production.

Anyways ... those are my Tuesday musings.