DC Nation #2 Supergirl Headline

We all have been waiting for news about Supergirl after the explosion of Brian Michael Bendis' arrival.

Of course, no news has led to the usual concerns of lack of a new book, being pushed aside, or headlining a team book.

Well, the slightest hint came out the other day, from C2E2. At a panel, DC revealed the covers for the upcoming DC Nation magazine. And if you squint close enough at the cover, you'll see a tease. Here is a link to Bleeding Cool's brief coverage on the magazine.
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04/05/sneak-peek-dc-nation-1-2/

So what about Supergirl? Well, it looks like we'll need to wait until July 4th to get some news. Of course, by then, Man of Steel will have ended.

Supergirl Poster Post-Hiatus

It is hard to believe ... and it seems inexcusable ... but the last new episode of Supergirl dropped on  February 5th. That's two months ago!

This season of Supergirl has been very strong, mixing action with DC Easter Eggs and overarching themes of humanity and caring and being 'alien'. I have been impressed with the writing and have been eagerly awaiting each new episode.

So it seemed a little bit strange for the CW to shove this 8 week hiatus on us.

There was never a clear explanation.

Was it because Black Lightning was on the air and CW had some rule about only having 5 super-hero shows on the air at one time? If yes, why shelve Supergirl? Why not DCLOT?

Was it because the casting out of Andrew Kreisberg set the show back a bit?

Was it simply that the episodes weren't done?

Who knows.

What it did do is slow down the momentum the show had going on. Everything was clicking. Two months later will people still care?

So I was very very happy to see this new 'poster' make it on to social media this last weekend. Caring the appropriate line 'Miss me?', it has Melissa Benoist striking a very iconic pose, standing amid ash and smoke.

Yes Melissa ... yes CW ... yes Kara ... we have!!!

One more week!

If they made this into an actual poster and someone has access to an extra, please send it my way!!

Review: Superman #44

Superman #44 came out this week, the second to last issue for the Rebirth team of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason and the final part of the Bizarroverse storyline. And, befitting of a story set on Bizarro world, it is an odd mix of crazy backwards fun as well as some gut-wrenching emotional scenes. That is a hard and fine line to walk and be successful but somehow Tomasi and Gleason pull it off. I have said it before but I will say it again. I will miss these two on a Superman book. They have really done something special here.

In the book, from the insane side, we see backwards sound effects, reverse versions of super heroes and villains, and the usual backwards speak which needs to be deciphered to get the point.

From the emotional side, we see that this Bizarro isn't an imperfect duplicate. He is the exact opposite. He doesn't save his adopted planet. He doesn't love his family. He doesn't like helping people. He isn't the goofy nuisance I grew up with. He isn't exactly a menace. But he is so self-absorbed, he is utterly unlikable. That isn't Superman. And this loathsome nature plays out on the page in a heartbreaking way.

I also think this book continues to stoke my idea that this is a backdoor pilot for a Young Justice or even a Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes book.

The art is by Doug Mahnke who has frequently assisted Tomasi and Gleason. Mahnke's stuff is always crisp and beautiful. Here, some pages are inked by Jaime Mendoza who brings a sparser feel to the proceedings.

And we start out with this fabulous cover of the Super-Foes facing off against the Legion of Fun. This team face-off book is a classic comic trope, seen on countless issues. But for me it always harkens back to the Secret Origins of Super-Villains treasury.

On to the book!

Laurel Gand's Origins in Legion of Super-Heroes #9

It feels a little like Legion week here at Comic Box Commentary. And I am doing a bit of self-plagiarism today, reposting a review I did over on the Legion of Super-Bloggers to cover Laurel Gand and her origins. 

I have been thinking about Laurel a lot these days. With Superman being rethought (not rebooted apparently) by Brian Michael Bendis, the future of Supergirl is a bit amorphous right now. It sort of reminds me of the Byrne era where Supergirl was removed from continuity. I doubt DC will be doing that now ... but who knows where this will all shake out for Kara.

With Supergirl removed by the Crisis, the Legion had something of a hole in their history. Creator Keith Giffen with Tom and Mary Bierbaum recreated Supergirl to fill that void in the character of Laurel. There are many overlapping origin points. Their powers are similar. Their relationships are similar. And Laurel is pretty cool.

Over on the Fire and Water Who's Who Podcast, the team of Rob and Shag talked about Laurel this week when reviewing her Who's Who page. It made me think of Laurel and her story once more. Realizing I had not reviewed it here, recognizing that it has enough Supergirl stuff in it to make it a worthy post, and also sensing the time was right to look once more at a reimagining of the character, I have decided to post the review of Legion of Super-Heroes #9 here. Hope that's okay. And it is reposted in total so bear with me. New content will be in blue. The old review will be in black.

Read below for the story.

Supergirl Show Renewed

I know it doesn't come as much of a big surprise but it was announced earlier this week that Supergirl (as well as almost every other show on the CW) has been renewed for another season. Here is the coverage over on Variety:
http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/riverdale-jane-the-virgin-arrow-flash-supernatural-renewed-cw-1202741489/

There isn't much more to say. Here is a list of the shows renewed. I was glad to see Black Lightning listed as coming back. And my daughter and I list DCLOT as a guilty pleasure so I am very happy to see that survive the axe.

The CW has renewed 10 of its current series, the network announced Monday.

The renewed series are: “Arrow” (Season 7), “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (Season 4), “Legends of Tomorrow” (Season 4), “The Flash” (Season 5), “Jane the Virgin” (Season 5), “Riverdale” (Season 3), “Supergirl” (Season 4), and “Supernatural” (Season 14). In addition, freshman shows “Black Lightning” and “Dynasty” have been picked up for second seasons.

This season for Supergirl has been exceptionally strong. Between the Earth X crossover, the delightful Midvale flashback episode, the inclusion of the Legion, and the threat of Reign, this season has had compelling stories and character arcs. I have really been following closely the 'being human and having feelings equals weakness' theme which has been running through the episodes. As I have said before, Sam's feelings for Ruby will be Reign's undoing proving that being human is a strength.

Yes, the Mon-El romance (especially coupled with the arranged wedding with Imra) has been a bot forced. But otherwise this show has been very strong. So I am thrilled the show team is getting rewarded with another season.

Hooray for us as Supergirl fans! Four season of live action! Incredible! 

Back Issue Review: Superboy And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #256

We are still a couple of weeks away from new Supergirl show episodes. And we are still completely in the dark about Supergirl in the comics. Will there be a new series coming out of the Man of Steel event? Is DC just pulling the plug?

And with no Superman book on the shelf last week, I thought I would thumb through the back issues for a review. And with Brainiac 5 playing a role in the show, I thought I would take a day to look at a Brainy-centric story. So today I will look at Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #256.

One of the more interesting aspects of Brainy's character is his somewhat unstable mental condition. Whether it is obsession or social awkwardness or outright occasional malevolence, he has always walked a fine line. He has created Computo, an evil computer intelligence, and has tried over and over to look back at that programming and hope to rehabilitate it. He created Omega, a being fueled by the hate of the universe, with which he hoped to eradicate all life. And he has mourned and nearly dipped into madness with grief after Kara died. Please note that linked review was one of the first issues I ever reviewed here.

Even on the show, we have seen Brainy be a little distracted and a little awkward and even a little brusque with people. At times this comes off as narcissism or overconfidence. But you also get the sense he is simply shy and sort of bad with human interaction.

With all that in the mix, I thought this was a good issue to review.

Amethyst Comic Box Commentary

Frustration.
It is a terrible feeling.
But that is what I have been feeling.

I had been putting together posts to celebrate my 10th anniversary of blogging at the end of this month and kept seeing repeating themes.

DC puts out an angry, angsty Supergirl.
Later, they realize this is wrong and put on a new creative team with a new direction.
Book flourishes and fans are happy.
DC cancels the book.

It has happened again. The current Supergirl book is great and it is selling well. It is creator hubris which is forcing DC to cancel it this time. I can't live through it again.

And I realized that maybe 10 years is enough time to cover one character. Maybe it is time for a fresh start. Maybe it was time to start writing about some other character? Maybe it was time to say goodbye to Supergirl.

And that is when I had a gem of an idea. Amethyst Comic Box Commentary. Why not cover another young female hero struggling to find life while living in two worlds! I've always loved the character. Now it is time to shine a light on her!

So I'm glad you found the site!

And what better opening post than to review her first appearance ever in the Amethyst Princess of the Gemworld Prevue story which was embedded in Legion of Super-Heroes #298.