Supergirl Episode 7: Human For A Day

Supergirl episode 7, 'Human For a Day' came out this week and became my favorite episode of the show so far. But maybe I am damning with faint praise with that opening sentence. This was an absolute home run, a tremendous episode which moved plots ahead, added incredible depth to the characters, and had Supergirl take a major step along the hero's journey. And I have to say that this all was done with Supergirl being powerless for about 80% of the show. Now that is art.

There are two major plots to 'Human For a Day'.

The first is Kara coming to grips with her more human state, realizing that heroes can inspire even without great power. They can continue to inspire. And heroes also need to learn the rather hard lesson that even with great power, they will be unable to save everyone. It is a common trope in comics, the hero losing someone or having to recognize their limitations. It is an important and humbling step. (For me, one of the best examples of this is Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo's Flash #91.)

The second plot is Alex and her growing distrust with Hank Henshaw. Things come to a boiling point when a prisoner gets loose in the DEO headquarters. Hank continues to do questionable things, possibly nefarious, which makes Alex finally confront Hank. This plot comes to an unbelievably satisfying conclusion.

This one simply had it all.

The book starts with Kara being poked, prodded, and bathed in yellow sun rays in the DEO headquarters. Her use of the 'solar flare' power last episode to blow up Red Tornado has completely drained her. This is similar to when Superman uses that power but he recharges after 48 hours. Kara is beyond that and isn't feeling anything at all. She is simply human and therefore as vulnerable as we are.

Meanwhile, in the DEO, Henshaw is questioning J'emm, psychic despot who has conquered 12 worlds. Behind the neural disrupting glass, he is powerless. But he is certainly ornery, threatening everyone there.

I am pretty impressed that Superman's 'solar flare' power, still new to comics, has now become canon in the television universe. We learn that Superman named the power himself (Kara calls him a nerd ... brilliant). And, of course, Supergirl in the comics is no stranger to that power having manifested it first.

As for J'emm. Well, he might be called J'emm but he is definitely much more Despero here. J'emm was a gentle character, not this telepathic thug.

Kara can't simply rest and nurse her first cold. And Alex can't simply detain J'emm. An earthquake shakes National City, plunging the city into chaos. And the rumbling also rattles the DEO, forcing them to go into lockdown, and letting J'emm free to roam the complex and try to break free.

The first person to grab the spotlight after this disaster is Maxwell Lord. He hits the airwaves and begins to deride the government and Supergirl for not helping people. He, a normal person, is out there doing good. Unlike Supergirl who has disappeared in the city's hour of need. Later in the show he sounds downright Luthor-ian, saying that someone like Supergirl makes humanity complacent. And he theorizes, based on his study of Superman, that Supergirl has burned herself out and won't regain her powers.

Cat isn't going to let Lord destroy the more optimistic feel Supergirl has brought to the city. She decides, with Winn's help, to broadcast a message of positivity and heroism.

Sure, it seems like Cat is protecting her 'intellectual property' of Supergirl. But more and more you sense this undercurrent of nurturing in Cat. She isn't going to let Max insult Supergirl. Cat even gives Winn some words of wisdom to reach out and grab what he wants rather than sit back.

At the DEO, Hank leads two agents into the dimly lit headquarters to try to track J'emm. Wearing neural disruptors, the team tries to track down the alien. I love that Alex questions why she isn't going out. Hank says she needs to stay back as a leader but she questions his motives.

It doesn't help her distrust when Henshaw suddenly seems to disappear off their monitors, leaving the agents alone against J'emm. Alex can only watch on the monitors as those two agents are killed.

What I love about these scenes is the very 'horror movie', very 'Alien' feel to them. From dark corridors, to seeing J'emm run through the screen in a shocking way, to seeing their vitals go flat on the monitors, this all felt very very cinematic to me, in a sci-fi horror way.

Kara and James go to confront Lord about his messages.

The city is mess with people injured, the EMS system taxed, and looting happening.

And then we get that moment, that scene where a hero realizes they can't save everyone. Max, Kara, and James find themselves trying to save a man injured in a car accident. Max (who graduated medical school in a year ... trust me, it doesn't work that way) with no equipment at all diagnoses the man with a tension pneumothorax. But later he talks about the patient bleeding out. Without powers, without hospital equipment, the three can only watch the man pass on.

Jimmy gives her some hard core wisdom. 'A hero can't save everyone. But a real hero doesn't stop trying.'

While I love this scene, showing Kara that she can't be everywhere, she can't save everyone, the medicine is so nonsensical I had to just put it behind me. (I know, I can deal with heat vision but not Lord diagnosing things on the street. I have to just put it behind me.)

Then we get one of the best scenes in the show.

Kara sees a liquor store robbery about to go down and decides she can't stop trying to save people. She changes into her Supergirl costume, a sort of bluff but also a way to inspire, and confronts the robber. I love Melissa Benoist here. We see her trembling a bit. And she gives a great speech, about how everyone is scared but they are all in this together. She says that people are better than this but we can choose to be more, we can be better. And amazingly, the robber listens and gives her the gun.

It is a brilliant scene by Benoist. I got goose bumps.

But this scene runs concurrently with Cat Grant giving a similar speech to the masses. She asks people to be more like Supergirl, to see the best in each other and rise above. Last episode we saw a nice back and forth directing choice where we cut from Alex fighting Morrow and Supergirl fighting Red Tornado. Here the moving back and forth from Kara to Cat, hearing their speeches, hearing them riff off each other was a smart artistic choice.

Alex's distrust of Hank grows to the point where she leaves her post to hunt down J'emm and Hank. Things look bad when she discovers that the neural disruptors on the fallen agents are operational, not broken as Hank had reported.

Reaching her breaking point, Alex confronts Hank about his lies, about her father, and about her lack of faith in him. She handcuffs him to the wall and baits J'emm into facing her in the control room.

In my second favorite scene, we see Alex fight J'emm. She has stashed weapons around the control room and unloads an assault rifle, a shot gun, grenades, and two-handed 9mm into him with little effect. Chyler Leigh is just wonderfully violent here. I would not want to cross her.

J'emm is barely effected. But then Hank shows up and somehow defeats J'emm in hand to hand combat. How did he escape the cuffs? How did he beat this villain?

 I am skipping a fair amount of stuff that happens at Catco. Jimmy divulges that his father died in the Gulf War. Winn figures out that a sudden dose of 'Kryptonian adrenaline' will jump start Kara's power. Winn also catches Kara hugging James and calls her out on it. He is disappointed that she would do that with someone in a relationship. And then, the three have to save people in a burning area of the Catco building. When James almost dies, Kara's adrenaline kicks in and Supergirl is back.

We then get a wonderful montage shot of Supergirl flying around the city. She saves a school bus. She blows out a smile. All with this broad smile. She is so happy to be back, making a difference, helping people.

Later Kara, as Supergirl, talks to Cat. She thanks Grant for being the hero for the city in Supergirl's absence. And Supergirl thanks Cat for being so inspiring. I love the relationship we are seeing between these two.

But let's not bury the lede.

Alex confronts Hank again. And this time Hank tells the truth.

He isn't Hank Henshaw. The real Hank, with Jeremiah Danvers, tracked an alien to Peru. This wasn't a Fort Rozz escapee. This was an innocent alien, a refugee (such a powerful word these days). And when Henshaw tried to kill this alien, Jeremiah took the bullet. Jeremiah and Henshaw both died. And this alien a shape-shifter, promised Jeremiah he would protect Danvers' daughters.

That alien ... now acting as Henshaw ... is J'onn Jonzz, the Martian Manhunter!

Ahem ... CALLED IT!

But the creative team keep the pedal down. While this would have been a fine moment to end the show on, they tack on the Cat/Kara scene. And then end it on a cliffhanger. Astra is back!

Whew!

That was a lot to stuff into a review, let alone an episode. But I loved this episode. This is the sort of world building and character building stuff that makes a show excellent. These aren't 2 -dimensional cookie cutter people. They have hopes, dreams, back stories.

I keep thinking this show can't get better. But they keep proving me wrong.

Wonderful!

Supergirl Digital Comic

For the longest time, Supergirl fans have been wondering why there isn't a comic on the shelves starring Kara. In particular, folks have been wondering why there isn't a digital tie-in book, linked to the show, similar to what we have seen DC do with Arrow and The Flash.

Well, it looks like we won't have to wonder much longer. There is going to be a digital first comic. And we have Supergirl.tv for the scoop. Here is the link: http://supergirl.tv/supergirl-companion-comic-a-go

And the release, part of an Amazon solicit for the book, confirms the book:

SUPERGIRL: DIGITAL FIRST VOL. 1 ties directly into critically acclaimed Fall 2015 hit television show Supergirl, continuing storylines as they appear on the show.

Kara Zor-El landed on Earth after many years stuck in en route from her now-destroyed home planet Krypton, having followed in her famous cousin Superman's footsteps. Upon arriving, she was taken in by the lovely Danvers family and taught to hide her un-Earthly powers from sight. As the world falls in love with her super hero cousin Superman, Kara starts to feel the urge to embrace her powers, especially when her powers can save someone she loves.

But does National City want a Supergirl? Is the world ready for another super hero? And what other-worldly consequences arrive once Kara Danvers reveals her true self? Find out in the stories between the episodes in SUPERGIRL: DIGITAL-FIRST VOL. 1!

So hooray for us! A book is going to come out ... FINALLY!

Now comes the fun of picking over this relatively generic promo piece.
There has been no official release from DC Comics, so this reads like something very preliminary.
First off, I can't imagine the title is Supergirl:Digital First.
Second, there isn't a creative team listed.

So while we now know that there will be a book, we don't know much more. So everyone start thinking again about who your dream Supergirl creative team would be.

Review: Action Comics #47

Last month in Action Comics #46, writer Greg Pak has Superman absorb so much of Wrath's inky anger that he had been reduced to a snarling beast, a monster in the form of Superman. This seems to be the underlying theme of 'The Truth', the mega-arc in which Superman has lost his powers and apparently his senses. Now, in Action Comics #47, subtitled 'The Wrath', Pak pushes the envelope even further albeit while ending the issue on something of an up-note.

This still isn't my Superman. Not by a long shot. This is a Superman who seems to be craving power. A Superman willing to make a deal with the devil to get it too. It seems all wrong. Gone is the inspirational figure, leading by example. Instead, we have solely a man of action, apt for the title.

Maybe I am being too harsh here. There is progress here, finally. Too much of The Truth has been treading water. I'm just looking for this whole thing to come to an end. At least here we get a conclusion of a subplot, even if the ending was a bit too easy.

The art in the issue is by Georges Jeanty. I have enjoyed his work on other books and this isn't any different. He has to run the gamut from giant action sequences to human moments and does so nicely. There is a sort of Cully Hamner feel to things here, always a good thing.

The book starts where last issue ended, two monsters pounding each other. The wrath-powered Superman is standing toe to toe with Frankenstein's Monster on the battlefield.

Wrath's plan seems magnanimous. She'll infect the world with Wrath, let those prone to the base emotion burn themselves out, leaving the pure to rebuild the world. And to prove that her wrath is powerful, she is going to debase Superman. In this way, Wrath hopes to prove to Lee Lambert that this planned cull is the only solution. Those who can be effected, even Superman need to be removed.

We see it played out in this splash page, Wrath saying there is no difference between Superman and Frankenstein, both monsters.

I, of course, dislike a monster Superman. And that is all that DC has given us for some time.

After seeing Superman rip through Shadow Demons in Batman/Superman I was glad to get this little bit of exposition.

These things are not alive after all. The Wrath substance has burned out the human hosts, leaving them dead flesh and rage. So at least I have that going for me.

We then get a bit of sympathetic back story, perhaps explaining why Wrath is who she is. It's a little heavy on the exposition, veering towards monologuing. But I suppose if Wrath is trying to tell Lee why she is doing what she is doing, she has to tell it.

Growing up with her single mother, Wrath was fearful of the world, always afraid of dying. But her mother was a voice of strength, someone who protected the family, and helped Wrath accomplish a lot in life. It is clear that this mother was Wrath's hero.

But then disasters happened. Brainiac stole Metropolis. Wrath's mother died in that catastrophe. Superman couldn't save her. And then he became Doomsday and even more people died. It was more than Wrath could bear.

It doesn't help that other Kryptonians appeared on Earth and, at least by Wrath's perceptions, were monsters. Even more danger. And then Vandal Savage approached her with the gift of the Wrath Shadow.

I have to say I am thrilled to see Supergirl and Superboy in a DC comic, even if it is a warped flashback. How could I not include these panels?? These characters exist but have simply been forgotten. Where are they? Why hasn't Superman even thought about his family?

Jeanty draws a very young appearing Supergirl. Interesting.

The bulk of the issue is Superman and Wrath fighting in and out of the shadow realm. Clark can utilize his shadowy infection to blip in and out of that dimension, stopping one of the Black Mass bombers.

But Wrath is better versed at utilizing the shadow dimension. She ejects Superman out of her realm specifically in front of people who still have faith in their hero. So he is dumped in front of the children he saved last issue and even Jimmy Olsen. And, of course, since he is using the shadow-power, he is sporting the roiling, growling  horrific form.

The art works very well here. Superman is far from iconic here. There is no hands on hip, looking off the horizon here. He is spat out onto his knees awkwardly. It says to me 'look how the mighty have fallen'. Wonderful in conveying the message.

It is clear that Superman can't outright win this fight. He needs an edge. And he has a something of a revelation. He'll absorb all the wrath into himself. And he succeeds.

I don't quite know if I buy this. There isn't enough of an explanation behind how this is possible. Does this mean Superman is a good receptacle for total wrath? Should he really have more control over it than Wrath herself? Why does this even work?

Maybe I am asking too much? I suppose we have seen Superman slowly imbibing more and more of this stuff. I guess we have been leading up to this month!

However he does it, Superman is thrilled by it. He is suddenly swimming in dark power. Using it, he stops the last bomber. He really is elated by his inky strength, smiling widely and accepting this new reality.

Vandal Savage won't have any part of it. He won't let his 'gift' of wrath be utilized for good. He shows up, calling Wrath by a human name ... Jennifer ... and takes back his shadow gift. It recedes back into the box it came from, stripping everyone of The Wrath,

More interesting is Savage calling Jennifer his daughter. We knew from solicits that Superman would be fighting Savage's children. I just didn't expect her to be one. Does this mean Angle Man is also now retconned to a Savage son?

This was a quick ending to the Wrath threat that has been going on here for several months. Just like that it's over. I should be glad to see it end.

The book ends with a sort of odd moment. I like that Lee is around, cured of her power, and talking about Superman is still her hero. She believes he could handle all that rage and fear but glad he didn't have to. That's nice. I like Lee and glad she didn't lose faith.

But hearing Superman lament not having the power, even when it was based on anger, seems a little off.

One more issue in this depowered run is in the books. We have a Superman embrace anger and try to use evil for good. In some ways it is similar to Wrath's idea, trying to have the ends justify the means. It doesn't work for me.

Still, we have put Wrath behind us. And for that I am glad. Plus, Jeanty brings a nice style to the issue.

Overall grade: C+

Super Friends Supergirl

Hat tip to blog friend Craig who emailed me some images of Supergirl as part of the DC Super Friends merchandising line. I haven't seen this version of Supergirl here in the States and Craig said that these images are from international sites.

As someone who bought this Super Friends comic book when it came out (art by J. Bone in places!), I was waiting for Kara to appear but she never did.

But there she is in the upper right corner, wearing her white t-shirt, DCAU costume. One of 8 heroes on the cover!

And here is her 'Who's Who' page in the Super Friends book. "Don't let her sweet smile fool you - Supergirl is an unstoppable force for good!" I love it.

There is a fresh, young, sweet look to this version of Supergirl which I love. And I am a complete sucker for the 'Gwen Stacy' head band look.

Craig also pointed out that this version of Supergirl was also a toy in the Happy Meal equivalent at Quick restaurants. I never heard of Quick so I had to do some research. I bet the Suprême Cheese tastes great.

But onto the toy. Pretty slick toy with a nice base sporting the S-shield. Again, just a lovely look to this.

And it has some action! You can push the button on the back and her arms move up and down.

Such a nice design. If only I lived in Belgium when these were out.

And the Quick love isn't done. They also came out with Super Friends sticker books. Supergirl versus the Riddler? Seems almost unfair. But the Supergirl stickers are lovely.

As part of the DC Super Friends line, we get some 'chapter books' including a Supergirl one. This one sports a New 52 costume and looks pretty stylized. But it also includes 30 sparkly stickers! How much fun!

Hope someone out there got to enjoy these treats! And thanks again to Craig for sharing!

Review: DC Bombshells #5

DC Comics Bombshells #5 came out last week and continued to impress. Writer Marguerite Bennett has the difficult task of reinventing the characters we as readers no so well, putting them into the WWII world while maintaining some sense of familiarity. Perhaps what impresses me the most with Bennett's efforts, especially in this issue, is how she is now reaching beyond the main characters and introducing other characters from the DCU.

I also am impressed that we really are running really disparate plotlines right now. These are the origins of these characters. And while some are now interacting with others, we are far away from a 'team book'. Characters are in different countries, serving different regimes. You get the sense that the circle is closing. But scope of this book is pretty impressive.

The art on the book also continues to shine. Here, Ming Doyle supplies the pages for the Batwoman/Catwoman/Joker's Daughter pages. This chapter is steeped in dark magic which suits Doyle's style nicely. The Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy pages are a bit sillier and much more suited for the cheesecake, somewhat cartoony style of Mirka Andolfo. And Bilquis Evely continues to bring a sort of scratchy realism to the Supergirl/Stargirl pages. This book just looks good.

The book starts with Batwoman's secret mission, deep into Germany, where she is to meet with the Contessa diGati, better known to us as Catwoman. After seeing Kate supremely confident in the early chapters, I like that Bennett humanizes her by making her sound a bit more cautious. This isn't the mean streets of the city. She isn't wielding a baseball bat. She is trussed up in a ball gown, heading to a Nazi soiree, trying to work with Selina.

As I said earlier, Bennett is reaching out a bit into the DCU. Here we see that Kate is picked up by Lex Luthor, an American industrialist who just might be working with the Germans. Still, Luthor is an American. Selina is in Germany, throwing parties for the Reich, and known to work with the black market. Lex tells Batwoman not to trust Selina.

But can you trust Lex?

Kate is brought to a soiree thrown by Selina. It is a high brow bash with high ranking German officials. Given the relationship with Amanda Waller, the assumption is Selina is on the right side of the war here. Going this undercover must be difficult.

But Selina has always been morally ambiguous making Luthor's warning apt.

I do love that Selina warns Kat about Luthor. Lex is trying to keep America out of the war and his rivals seem prone to dying.

Who can Kate trust here?

As if that wasn't unsettling enough, Kate is then brought to a makeshift altar in the place where Joker's Daughter sings a spell, resurrecting a fallen German soldier into something demonic. It is clear that she has been tainted somehow, her arm now inky and deformed.

It is interesting how singing is such a big part of this book. Mera sings her water control. Joker's Daughter sings her possession spells.

It is clear we aren't in Gotham anymore. This is insanity.

Now the one character I am having to wrap my head around a bit is the Harley one. There is a fair amount of gravitas to this book given the backdrop of the war. There is humor here, but subtle and well timed.

Harley almost feels like the comic relief of this book. She is a sort of wild lunatic here, again singing her way through adventures.

Here, she rides a bomb like Dr. Strangelove into a greenhouse. Somehow she survives and meets the owner of the place, Poison Ivy. Harley is immediately smitten with Ivy. Ivy works for Selina as a smuggler. But she has also used her feminine wiles and some special perfumes to lure the German occupant troops and presumably castrate them.

Harley tries to convince Ivy to join her. She wants the two to head into Berlin and fight more Nazis. The decision is sort of forced when German soldiers invade Ivy's house. Harley and Ivy fight back, blow up the house and head on their way to the front.

Again, this is the cheesecake-iest of the storylines. We see a lot of Harley here. I'm not against it necessarily. The wackiness of the story works well with her appearance. It just feels a little out of place next to the other characters' arcs.

We then cut back to the Supergirl/Stargirl storyline.

These two have realized they are being used by an unscrupulous administration. They decide to turn their back on the communist government and head off to rescue their parents.

I really love the characterization here as the two, who had been good soldiers for the cause have had to deal with this revelation. I also love how Kara, who had previously sounded bold and invulnerable, realizes her actions have led to the pain of others. It is a humbling experience. And it is one she wants to rectify.

General Arkayn has invaded the village and is holding Kara's parents at gunpoint. Even Supergirl isn't fast enough to save everyone. Kara has a choice, surrender and be experimented on or be responsible for a massacre.

Just when all seems lost ...

A giant Swamp Thing comes tearing through the house, battering the soldiers and allowing Kara to grab her parents.

Now this came out of nowhere. While I knew General Arkayn was a name drop for Anton Arcane, a known Swamp Thing villain, I didn't expect we'd see the big green guy. Whenever I am surprised in a comic I am happy.

Kortni had prayed to the forest spirits her mother used to. This mix of science and superstition in this family is fascinating.

But before everyone can be whisked to safety, the girls' father is captured again. He tells Supergirl to fly on without him.  Remember, in this continuity, he invented the cosmic rod. I have to imagine we will see something more out of him before this is all over.

I really love this particular arc. Yes, I am partial to Supergirl. But there are serious character beats here as these two have to deal with loyalty, distrust, science, and mysticism.

So overall, this book continues to keep me engaged and entertained. And I can't really ask for more. It is a delight to read and the individual art styles are well-suited for the particular runs. I keep hoping we will eventually see all these heroes together in one League-like team.

Overall grade: A

Supergirl Episode 6: Red-Faced

Supergirl episode 6, 'Red Faced', came out this week and was a very good episode, building all the characters' back stories and showing how Supergirl is growing. The title works in a couple of ways. Anger is a big component of this plot, how to control your anger and how to channel it. But red-faced can also mean Red Tornado, the villain of the week here.

I am going to sound a bit repetitive but one of the reasons I love Supergirl as a character is that she has these great powers but she is beginning her hero's journey. She is much more human to me, much more fallible than Superman. She is optimistic but she can be fierce if she sees people wronged. So having her come to grips with rage and, in some ways, sadness in this episode was wonderful. And how that thread of anger is bounced off the supporting cast works well in making them three dimensional as well.

And, to again sound like a broken record here, Melissa Benoist completely shines in this episode. She shows such a range of emotions, played out often just in her expression and body language. She is amazing.

 We start with a very happy Supergirl flying high in the clouds, just clearing her head and enjoying herself. Her alone time is interrupted when she hears two drivers engaging in crazy road rage, banging into each other like a demolition derby and nearly plowing into a kid soccer team crossing the street.

Kara sounds almost a bit annoyed that she has to break away from her flight to stop these guys. And when one throws a punch at her, she defiantly yells at him and accidentally injures him. Captured on all the kids' cell phones, this is another episode where the public might distrust her. And Maxwell Lord takes the opportunity to hit the airwaves and talk about her brutality. Meanwhile, Hank Henshaw tells her she needs to control her anger or people will be afraid of her.

This is the first time we have seen Kara irritated when helping people.

I do like that she takes the time to help with small crimes like this as well as big threats like Vartox.

 Back at CatCo we finally meet Cat Grant's mother. The woman is a psychologically abusive woman and a product of her generation.

She belittles Cat constantly, calling her Kitty, saying Cat can't read and would rely on audio books, questioning Cat's importance, and even saying she prefers male heroes and doctors.

All this needling definitely gets under Cat's skin. And that anger is redirected at Kara and the staff.

Two episodes of anger both which end wrong.

Lucy let Jimmy know that her curmudgeon of a father is in town and we learn why. Lane is testing a new military deterrent codenamed Red Tornado and he wants Supergirl to fight it as a test. Lane's judicial counsel is none other then Lucy who informs both Hank and Supergirl that she has a written order from the President that the DEO needs to comply.

Lucy looks just as she did in the Jamal Igle pages of the Supergirl book. I love it.

And General Lane falls in line with his pre-New 52 persona. He hates aliens. He dislikes the DEO's 'foreign assistance' with Supergirl. And he is definitely a prickly personality, throwing blame at anyone but himself.

The night before the test, Kara hosts Game Night at her home. Earlier we hear her describe Game Night as the last shred of normalcy she has in her life. Unfortunately, this isn't the escape she wants as she sees Lucy and James dominate in games, clearly knowing each other well, and acting perfect. Meanwhile, #PoorWinn can't answer one question right with Kara.

Kara's general annoyance is unleashed on Red Tornado the next day. After initially being tossed about by whirlwinds (very nice effects here), she pulls a Bugs Bunny, burrowing underground, popping up next to the android, and batters him. I mean, it is like old school Nintendo Punch Out.

Unfortunately she does her job too well. She rips off a forearm, triggering a self-preservation program in the Tornado. He takes off in stealth mode, completely invisible.

General Lane quickly blames the DEO and Supergirl for this. Of course, he can't see that he is the one who created a semi-self-aware killing machine.

Her emotions simmering, Kara gets laid into my Cat for being late. And, for once, Kara lashes back, yelling at Cat for being mean. What I love about this scene is not only that Kara stands up for herself but her immediate recognition that this isn't who she is. Melissa Benoist is incredible here, shaking a bit and putting her hands in front of her face. It shows how distraught she is by all this.

Instead of being infuriated, Cat decides to mentor Kara more. While under the haze of martinis, Cat drops some wisdom. She talks how women can't easily show their emotions. Perry White can toss chairs like Bobby Knight and he is lauded. She can't do anything like that without it being professional suicide. Cat had to learn how to find 'the anger behind the anger', to find out what she is truly mad at and deal with it. 

After another encounter with the Red Tornado where she has to rescue General Lane and stop a twister from ripping the city apart,  Kara decides to box to let off some steam. She heads to a garage with James where he hits the heavy bag and she punches a car.

This was such a pivotal scene for the Supergirl character. She talks about Cat. She talks about being angry that she doesn't know how Jeremiah died. She talks about how, as a woman, she has to smile and keep her feelings in check.

And then she has this moment where she gets to the bottom of her anger. She wonders if she will never have a normal life. She is angry that she doesn't have a Game Night partner. She is angry that her life changed when her parents saved her. Nothing will ever be normal.

Once again, we see Benoist just dominate the screen. She hovers on tears, nearly shaking. This is sort of moment of understanding of what her life is.

 But the moment ends when Alex figures out how to track the Tornado. Working with Maxwell Lord, Alex has learned that the Tornado is now under the control of creator T.O. Morrow who was fired by General Lane.

In a great ending scene, we see a nice montage of two fights. Alex fights Morrow. Kara fights the Tornado. The director cuts back and forth brilliantly between the two.

Alex kills Morrow, cutting the telepathic cord. But when the Tornado remains active, Kara unleashes a primal scream, blasting it with her heat vision while visions of her youth, of her being rocketed off Krypton fill her head. It is an unbelievably powerful ending, with Benoist showing all the emotion we need to see.

This blast, perhaps the most intense heat vision blast I have ever seen, vaporizes the android.

And I am convinced that when Morrow was killed by Alex, his consciousness went into the robot. Someone will find that head, rebuild him, and find Morrow's intellect within. Mark it down!

There is nothing left but the wrap up.

Lucy finally realizes her father is misguided. She resigns her commission.
Cat finally stands up to her mother.
Winn, who has been hacking into the DEO, tells Alex that her father's last mission was in South America with Hank Henshaw.
And Alex discovers she is vulnerable, cutting her hand on a glass.

There are other great moments in this episode. Lord continues to woo Alex. At one point Alex reveals that Jeremiah worked for the government. It makes me wonder if Lord has telepathic powers like he did in the comic.

Hank at one point steps up and almost angrily defends Supergirl when General Lane attacks. He doesn't seem to be a villain. I am keeping with my Martian Manhunter guess.

Winn is coerced to hack the DEO when he learns it is about Jeremiah, noting he has daddy issues.

And the reveal that Henshaw and Jeremiah Danvers went on a mission together and only Henshaw returned, with no recollection of what happened, has led me to crazy guesses. Could Henshaw be Jeremiah? Did they discover J'Onn there and the Manhunter accidentally killed the two of them? This could sort of mirror the Erdel death in J'onn's origin.

But the high point here was Kara's self-discovery of her pain and anger and where it stems from. It is like she sort of turned a corner here. This isn't fun and games. This isn't jumping up and down on her couch like when she saved the plane. To be a hero like this is a vocation and it means sacrifice. And that can be difficult. That primal scream at the end was just a perfect capstone to that revelation.

This show continues to shine. I am one happy fan.

Review: Superman Lois and Clark #2

Last Wednesday was something of an interesting week for me to digest as a Superman fan. In one short week, we see that DC Comics simply doesn't have a cohesive vision for Superman.

We had JLA 3001 #6, where there is a classic Superman and a murdered depowered narcissist of a Superman.

We had Superman #46, another chapter of The Truth where a depowered Superman is fighting for money.

We had Superman/Wonder Woman #23 where our 'heroes' batter a helpless villain and then team up with him.

And then we have Superman:Lois and Clark #2, the most classic of the Superman books with an aspirational hero working with his loving wife and life partner Lois Lane.

Luckily, we get this book by Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks reminding me of the true versions of these characters. This is a strong Lois, investigating evil and putting herself in danger. We get Clark, a Superman fighting crime but forced to do it in hiding. I love this book and I am glad it is on the shelves.

As for this issue, it didn't move things along too much. It builds on the foundation the first issue did, showing the struggle for this Lois and Clark to acclimate to the darker main DC world. And we see that the threat of Intergang is real. But, we knew both those things last issue.

Weeks is a more classic artist which is perfect for this book, even evoking Jim Steranko at one point.

Still, I can't help but like this book.

We start out with a flashback of Clark and Lois' early years on this planet. Lois has to adapt to being a sort of homemaker as the two try to settle in. She is Mrs. White, home with Jon. Not flashing press credentials. Of course, we know that Lois ends up using her skills as an anonymous whistleblower.

But how can I not like The Whites, living at house #1938. There is a lot of classic Superman stuff here.

Superman is off stopping a supervillain named Shockwave. Shockwave has the ability to set off earthquakes and wants to level Chicago.

Below the ground, Superman is trying to stabilize the tectonic plates, holding up the city.

There is something evocative of here of King-Size Hulk by Jim Steranko, also bringing a classic feel here. I love it.

At super-speed, Clark is able to defeat Shockwave and strip the villain of his armor.

But this Earth doesn't love their heroes. As Lois states, they had to adjust to the fear and suspicion of this world. It wasn't easy.

Even here, after stopping Shockwave and streaking away at superspeed, Clark is tailed by fighter jets who fire missiles at him. This isn't his Earth where there would be applause.

Now back in the present, we see that Clark isn't as hidden as he used to be. The government is investigating that Jupiter probe landing and Hank Henshaw. In particular, an investigator named Mr. Chambers is really looking closely. Perhaps, Chambers knows of Clark's existence?

Of course, given the current DCU, I assume Chambers is a 'bad guy', someone who will want to shut Clark down. Maybe he is a good guy?

As for Lois, she has been called by the school to pick up Clark who was caught watching the Jupiter landing on his iPad rather than paying attention.

I love the conversation between Lois and Jon. Lois thinks that she would have been watching the landing rather than school work as well. There is a very nice feeling of parental love here. And it shows that Jon is truly Lois and Clark's son.

The two don't get to chat more because a vehicle filled with gunmen run them off the road. Lois calls Clark and activates Protocol Omega.

While on the run, somehow Jon is able to take out some of the men with a tire iron.

Shades of Superman Returns!

I don't know why Lois looks so surprised. While this may be the first time Jon has maybe used 'powers', certainly she must have been watching for something to emerge over time.

Hopefully, I will like this kid more than the one from the Superman movie.

Clark ends up arriving and takes out the remainders of the gunsels.

And he then scans all the men and vehicles, removing any trace of who or what they men were trailing.

This whole thing about staying hidden is coming to an end. The spotlight is closing in on them. It is only a matter of time before they get revealed.

I do hope when that happens we hear a bit from this Clark about why he hasn't stepped out into the light during things like Doomed, or even now with The Truth.

Lois is sure these men were from Intergang. That would make sense given she is about to publish her expose on them. All these precautions aren't going to work anymore.

And then we get three reminders of ongoing plots. One, we see Jon peeking out the window listening to his parents talk. It is clear Jon knows what is going on. Second, Chambers saw that Henshaw was in the ship that landed. So where is he? And lastly, we see the alien hunting the Oblivion Stone.

It was great to read this couple again. This is the Superman and Lois I love. So even if this felt a bit like a filler issue, even as the second issue, I wasn't too let down. Still, as a mini-series, I was hoping for things to move a long a bit quicker. I suppose the chase sequence defines the threat, shows the secret is coming out, and shows us Jon. But there wasn't earth-shattering about those reveals.

Overall grade: B/B+