Review: New Superman #2

I'm catching up on some old news and that includes my review of New Superman #2 which came out last week. I must admit right up front that this issue inserted a plot device that I absolutely dislike in comics - powers that turn on and off randomly. Yeesh. Was this enough to make me waver on this title? Maybe ...

I was pretty impressed with writer Gene Luen Yang's first issue which walked the tightrope of having a bully protagonist with a tragic backstory acting as hero. While overall Kenan Kong seems like a jerk, that first issue showed he had some hero inside him.

New Superman #2 continues to introduce us to the character and his supporting cast while deepening the environment and background plots. Again Kenan is an immature, self-centered kid blessed with powers and maybe becoming a hero. And for now, that hook seems interesting enough to keep me around a little longer.

Viktor Bogdanovic is on art and brings a breezy, scratchy style which seems suited for this book which is a mix of political pot boiler and silly teen superhero hijinks.

Music! Mon-El! Miss Martian!! Kevin Smith!!

Okay, I have been busy these last few days, specifically running around at the Boston Comic Con on the weekend. So, of course, a ton of new information would be dropped about the upcoming second season of Supergirl.

The switch to the CW was initially somewhat concerning to me because there was a lot of 'gloom and doom' talk about budgets and episode length and cutbacks. All of this news makes me think that was a lot of worry for nothing. There is a almost too much news that sounds like the CW is embracing the show and giving it everything it needs.

I understand this news is kind of stale by the time I am covering it so I won't go crazy, other than to give my thoughts and optimism. And I'll include some links but there is plenty of coverage everywhere.

We already knew that Superman was going to guest star on the show for a couple of episodes. Now it has been confirmed that the person in the pod is Mon-El. And we also have heard that Miss Martian will also be on the show. Here is a link:http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/supergirl-season-two-adds-miss-martian-mon-el

Now as a Legion fan, I actually like the idea of Mon-El being in the pod. Mon-El was rocketed from Krypton. He did meet a super-family member. So him appearing on a Supergirl show is a nice new wrinkle to his comic origins. Comic fans know he needs to be placed in the Phantom Zone to save him from lead poisoning. It is only in the future, with the Legion, that he can be cured. I can imagine some episode on Supergirl ending with him awakening around a Legion team. Unbelievable.

As for Miss Martian, I have always liked the character. She had a sort of bubbly innocence at times which was more evocative of classic Supergirl or Mary Marvel in the darker comic medium of the time. I do wonder if she will be revealed to be a white Martian. I wonder if she'll be embraced or pushed away by Hank.

There are a lot of story possibilities here. So I am thrilled.

The next big news was that Kevin Smith was going to direct an episode of Supergirl. Here is a link:
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/11/supergirl-kevin-smith-direct-season-2

Now I will admit that I am a fan of Kevin Smith. His movies are sort of juvenile fun. His pop cultural references are definitely my pop culture references. And I definitely loved his episode of the Flash. That episode was a gut punch of feelings. So I think that he is going to do something special here.

But if you don't believe me, listen to Smith himself in this very NSFW announcement about the gig:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHICbi2t6eE

There is no denying his love for the show or his passion for the job.

Then lastly, and almost inevitably, we learned that there will definitely be a crossover musical episode with Supergirl and the Flash.  Here is some coverage:http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/08/11/the-flash-and-supergirl-to-join-forces-in-a-musical-crossover/

This doesn't sound as if this is part of the big four show crossover but maybe a side adventure? With Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist both being on Glee, a musical episode has been bandied about since the Supergirl show was announced. And after seeing the chemistry the two had in their crossover Supergirl episode, you knew this was going to happen.

I am thrilled to see this. It is going to be such goofy fun. I anticipate a smile frozen on my face.

But one more rumor came out about that musical episode. Suddenly a rumor came out that Joss Whedon would be directing the musical episode. Unreal. Here is that news:http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/08/12/joss-whedon-rumored-to-direct-the-flashsupergirl-musical-crossover

Of course, Whedon made his bones on the Buffy, the Vampire Slayer show (a show I loved). And one of the things he did was a musical episode 'Once More With Feeling'. He would certainly how to direct his way around that sort of episode.

But really? Joss Whedon? Now that his star is so bright in the sky, would he do it? Can you imagine the publicity for the show if he did?

Anyways, that is a lot of information, all of it which makes me have a ton of optimism for the upcoming season. Incredible!

Review: Action Comics #961

Action Comics #961 came out this week and continued the Doomsday storyline. Once more the issue is packed with a huge brawl as the villain and heroes demolish the countryside. It is big and loud and somewhat glorious in its action sequences, reminiscent of the original Doomsday where page after page was bonecrushing punches and devastating attacks.

But there is only so much action I can read before punches become repetitive and kicks become tedious. I need story behind the action and luckily, mercifully, we see some progress with some of the plots that have been simmering since Doomsday first tromped onto the scene.

Writer Dan Jurgens has been making Action Comics live up to its name. But frankly, I think Doomsday is a bit overused. And there needs to be something behind the monster for me to get completely engaged. I am hoping the end is near.

Stephen Segovia and Art Thibert step in on art for the issue. Their style is more on the Kirkham spectrum than the Patch Zircher side of things. In fact, in places it felt almost like Leinil Yu.

But the biggest thing for me about the issue was the ending, as it marked some progress in this 12 round fight.

One thing I have been trying to deal with is the 'Lex as Superman' arc. Perhaps the best thing is that Jurgens continues to show us glimpses into Alex's soul. He isn't a hero. He definitely seems to be selfish, occasionally deluded.

Nothing said that more this issue than these panels. Instead of being happy that Superman and Wonder Woman took the fight away from Metropolis, Lex instead thinks this love means they abandoned the city.

That's crazy. And a little self centered. It shows just who Lex is.

Now initially I thought that Mr. Oz was the villain behind everything that is happening. But more and more it seems like he is merely observing. He isn't moving these game pieces; he is merely noting them. Makes me wonder about who he is. Maybe I have another theory.

And then we get a classic comic book trope. Lex examines the craft Doomsday fell from and notes that, despite having worked with every metal on Earth, that this one is different.

So where did Doomsday come from.

But then we get a lot of battle on the outskirts of town. Doomsday pounding Diana. Doomsday pounding Superman. Superman pounding Doomsday. It is a lot of back and forth. Wonderfully rendered. But just a brawl.

It is only when Superman is truly in danger that we see something new. Jon lashes out with his heat vision and does some damage. It reminded me of Jon's big moment in the Superman book.

Temporarily free, the Man of Steel says goodbye to his wife and family. Their safety is his primary goal. I have liked these tender moments again showing why Lois and Clark work so well as. Couple.

Superman convinces Diana to take his family off world to the JLA satellite while he tussles with Doomsday more.

Interestingly enough, Mr. Oz decides that the time is right for him to get involved. Doomsday needs to be taken off the board. 

Suddenly a henchman arrives and Oz gives some orders.

So this was both progress and a bit of a letdown.

The mysterious Mr. Oz seemed like a zen-master, almost mystical. It seemed like he was operating from limbo. He was so enigmatic he seemed like something bigger than the usual villain. Now I know these are my perceptions. But the way he talked, and how he acted, he seemed like someone outside of or bigger than reality.

But then he goes and has a henchman. Something rather tawdry, ordinary. He goes from being a philosophical force to being akin to the head of Intergang. The appearance of this flunky somehow minimized Oz.

But then the henchmen squad go out and save Superman! Using force beams, they corral Doomsday.

Hmmm... this kind of looks familiar.

That can't be by accident. It certainly looks like Jurgens is riffing the original story. 

And so now I need to rethink my guess about Mr. Oz. you may recall I recently thoug he might be Jon Osterman. But now, having henchmen, talking like he did, I'm wondering if he is something more mundane. Maybe he's another survivor of the pre-Flashpoint universe? Someone from Cadmus? Hopefully not that version of Luthor. That'd be too trite.

I'll continue to hope it's Osterman. 

And at least the appearance of these flying men trying to capture Doomsday is a new wrinkle to the plot, moving things along. Maybe this Mr. Oz thing will wrap,up sooner than I expected.

Overall grade: B

Review: Superwoman #1

I have been reading comics for a very long time. I thought I had seen every twist and turn. I thought I could anticipate where a story was going. It has been almost 2 score years since I started this hobby. I have seen it all.

So when I comic actually surprises me, when I am gobsmacked by a plot twist or cliffhanger, it is akin to gold.

Phil Jimenez's Superwoman #1 came out yesterday and it surprised me twice. Maybe in retrospect I should have only been surprised once. But nope, twice. That alone made this a great opening issue to a book I had been looking forward to.

But when I add to that the layers upon layers of characterization that Jimenez puts in this first issue and I have a winner. But Jimenez also did a fine job of mixing old classic tropes with this new universe, the very purpose of Rebirth. And when I take a step back and realize that this is a heavy read, almost two issues for the price of one when you think of what happens, a compressed story in a world of 2 minute reads, I was even happier.

This is the first chapter of an ongoing serial. There is a lot to digest. There is a lot to mull over. But from an entertainment point of view, I was thrilled. And entertained. And surprised. And impressed. And frankly, the older I get the harder it is to do all of those things.

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #295 - Lena Thorul

I am a little late in blogging about this but a while back Katie McGrath was cast as Lena Luthor on the Supergirl television show. Here is a link:http://tvline.com/2016/08/04/supergirl-katie-mcgrath-lena-luthor-cast-season-2-the-cw/

I have seen exceedingly little of McGrath's work although plenty of people tell me her work on BCC's Merlin was exemplary. So I am looking forward to see what she brings to the table.

The character of Lena is no stranger to Supergirl or the DCUniverse. She was a recurring character in Supergirl's Silver Age adventures, she popped up in Superman Family, she was an antagonist in Cosmic Adventures, in a vegetative state in the pre-Flashpoint world, and has been in opposition of her brother in more recent times.

I have covered Lena a lot on this site but I was surprised to discover that I have never covered her introductory story to Supergirl and so I thought it was time to rectify that. (As an aside, you know you have been blogging a long time when you can't remember which issues you have reviewed!)

'The Girl with the X-Ray Mind' was originally printed in Action Comics #295 back in late 1962.
For the sake of transparency, I need to let you know that my scans are from the Super DC Giant Supergirl issue from 1971. I don't own Action Comics #295 (yet).

The story is a brief 13 pages but, like many Silver Age stories, it is jam packed with story. This is no decompressed tale. Creators Leo Dorfman and Jim Mooney spin a yarn which introduces us to Lena and her power set, talks of Lena's early years, sneaks in a Luthor guest spot and reviews his origin, has Lena become a criminal, and wraps it all up in a bow. Whew ... they knew how to tell them back then!

I love this splash page. Lena is fetching in the red cocktail dress and domino mask, invoking images of the old pulp heroine the Blonde Phantom.

Superman Encyclopedia: Lar-On

Amazingly, we are one week away from  Supergirl Rebirth #1.

I have been eagerly awaiting this book as everything writer Steve Orlando has said has sounded perfect. He seems to have an great understanding of Kara. And Emanuela Lupacchino is on art and we know how perfect she is for Supergirl.

But I also have been looking forward to this because Orlando plans to dust off a 'one and done' character from my youth, the Kryptonian werewolf Lar-On. I have reviewed his brief comic history here -

http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2016/07/review-worlds-finest-256.html

and here -

http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2016/08/back-issue-box-world-finest-258.html

But there was one more piece of his history I thought I would share for completeness sake, his entry in the Superman Encyclopedia.

While the facts seem a little loose about the actual encounter, one thing stood out. Here it says Lar-On was a scientist fascinated with physical transformation who experimented on himself. That is new information not presented in the stories at all. Suddenly this isn't a curse or a disease, this is a self-inflicted condition.

I don't think an encyclopedia should be providing novel information. And I don't know where that information comes from unless there is another Lar-On appearance I'm not aware of. But it makes his feelings of guilt (as seen in the comics) more painful and palpable.

DC Superhero Girls: Doubles Trouble

It had been a while since I had checked the DC Superhero Girls site. Despite my lack of traffic, I was surprised to see that I was three short films behind. Here is a link:
http://play.dcsuperherogirls.com/en-us/videos#recent

The latest is titled 'Doubles Trouble' and really focuses on Supergirl. DCSHG really has played up Kara as a stranger in a strange land, have her respond adorkably to her new home and 'out in the open' powers. It makes her a very endearing. She remains positive despite her silly gaffes.

On to the show!