DC Nation #5

DC Nation, the company produced news and propaganda magazine came out last week. As usual, it was a great mix of puff pieces, interviews, process pieces, and solicits.

I have loved every issue. Yes, I love the stuff written about the things that I do read. But I also love the more in-depth looks at books I don't read. I don't often drop $4 on a whim for a title these days. So for all I know I am missing a ton of good material. So reading articles about titles I don't get might lure me into a impulse purchase. And you have to love the price point ... free.

Nothing particularly Supergirl in this issue outside of the solicit listing. But still, there are some nice bits for Super-family fans. And there is all the usual stuff too.

First off, there is an article listing the top ten villains in the current DC.

Coming in at number 9, Talia Al Ghul! What is interesting is that she is listed as appearing in Action Comics!

We know that the Invisible Mafia in the book is headed by an as yet unseen female leader. Perhaps that means that Talia is the head of the organized crime movement in Metropolis!

I'll also remind you that Talia led the group Leviathan, a word dropped in one of the pages on Perry White's desk. All the more reason for me to believe she is heading up the mob.

Lastly, we did just see her in the Super Sons before that title ended. Maybe Damian will show up? Or Batman?

What else?

Review: Justice League #9

Justice League #9 came out last week and this was another fine issue in what has been a very exciting title so far. If you have been reading my reviews, you know that one of the things that I have very much liked about the book is the absolute breakneck speed it has been going at. Huge concepts are just thrown at the reader and before you can digest it, the next huge thing is on its way. I have talked about needing to pause to take a breath intra-issue to get my bearings.

This issue is a that deep breath unto itself. While we get a smidge of plot progression, this is really about characterization. We see the Leaguers interacting with each other. We get a glimpse into how writer Scott Snyder sees these personalities. It really elevates the team dynamics here. After seeing them scurry for 8 issues, we see them rest. And, in what feels like the classic Silver Age trope of the team 'splitting up', we get a bunch of two hero vignettes. I loved it.

I have complimented Jorge Jimenez on art before. But I love his stuff. Here, we really get to see his range. From cafeteria scenes to outer space fist fights to literal world (or moon) building, Jimenez brings style and power to the images.

So if you are looking for an issue of this issue as a jumping on point, or an issue to recommend to a friend so they can sample what the book is like, use this one.

Onto the book.

Review: Adventures Of Super Sons #3

Adventures in Super Sons #3 came out this week and was another look at some DC Silver Age tropes in a carnival mirror. Peter Tomasi is really taking advantage of this last trip on the ferris wheel of fun. This current mini-arc of the sons fighting the super-villain fanboys of the planet Cygnus has been a blast, seeing the younger version of the World's Finest team trying to outwit an adolescent take on the Injustice League.

This time around is a hysterical look at the Superman Red/Superman Blue. The Jons don't like each other and seem more interested in fighting each other than the villains. It is a rare day when Damian is the voice of reason!

The art team of Carlo Barberi and Art Thibert continue to bring a sort of giddy energy to the book, bordering on cartoony but staying within the confines of more modern sensibilities. The images really jump off the page.

Add in a cliffhanger showing that our tour through the Silver Age isn't over and you have a confection worth reading. I love this book. And I will be said when this team goes away in the aftermath of the Bendis re-imagining.

On to the book.

Back Issue Box: JLA Act Of God

Just yesterday I wrote about the upcoming CW Flash/Arrow/Supergirl crossover event title  Elseworlds .

Today I thought I would review an example of an Elseworlds series in which Supergirl (Linda Danvers/Matrix) played a pretty big role. And so I present JLA: Act of God, a three part prestige series written by Doug Moench with art by Dave Ross. The premise is simple. What if suddenly all biologic powers disappeared? What would happen to the world?  I'll be highlighting the Supergirl portions predominantly but I'll keep you up to speed with the overall story.

I have to admit, this was a bit of cosmic serendipity. My comic store had just put out a large, well organized collection into the dollar boxes. All three issues were there and I find it hard to pass up prestige books in the dollar boxes, let alone complete mini-series. So I bought this on a whim. I was not expecting such a big Supergirl role so this was someone up there guiding my purchasing hand.

Now overall, I think this is just an 'okay' mini-series. There is a lot of plot points you just need to roll with. There is some goofiness that I would not have anticipated. Superman is treated pretty shabbily. But the fun parts definitely made it an enjoyable read, especially for the price.

I don't know Dave Ross at all. I found the art in the book quite nice with a fine-lined detailed approach. At times it felt a little like Rags Morales. That is a very nice compliment.

So where does Supergirl fit into all of this? Well, to put it in context, the Supergirl title was on Supergirl #50 during this run, the end of the long form Earth Angel arc by Peter David. It is that angelic Supergirl we see here. How did she fare? Let's find out.

10 Years Ago ... Supergirl #34

Just earlier this year, I celebrated by 10 year anniversary of doing this blog. One of the reasons why I felt compelled to start this blog and focus on Supergirl was because of the rather shabby treatment of the character (in my mind) since her re-introduction into the DCU.

Over on Twitter 2 days ago, Sterling Gates tweeted out that it was his 10 year anniversary since the release of Supergirl #34, his first issue on the book. I am amazed at how quickly time flies. Both Gates and artist Jamal Igle tweeted out some recollections and thoughts about this issue.

TEN YEARS AGO.

That is crazy.

But if any character needed a soft reboot, a bold new direction, a creative team that cared about her, it was Supergirl.

As a new blogger who needed to believe in Supergirl, the news hit me. And this was one of the things that seemed a bit of cosmic luck. Just five months into stubbing my toe trying to blog, Supergirl was getting a new team.

I had never read anything by Sterling Gates and scoured shelves for some Green Lantern Corps issues to get a sense of his style. I had a smattering of Jamal Igle books in my collection already, including a fill-in issue on Peter David's Supergirl run and pulled them out to remind me of his art. 

And you can see how excited I was back then. Supergirl #34 is listed in 16 posts! Sixteen!
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/search/label/Supergirl%2034

I reviewed the book the day after it came out! That just doesn't happen anymore!
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2008/10/review-supergirl-34-wait-is-over.html

I covered the sales. I covered other sites reviews. I culled blurbs from interviews and publicity pieces. I showcased Fernando Pasarin, the artist on the variant cover. I looked up Joshua Middleton pieces since he was on covers. And I kept my fingers crossed.

 And I was floored.

There was this self-realization by Supergirl that she was maybe heading down a wrong path and needed to reinvent herself. The creative team acknowledged the rough parts that came before but smoothed them out. We got Linda Lang. We got a Kara that embraced Earth and wanted to help.

It was the beginning of an incredible run ... maybe *THE* run of Supergirl to date.

So congratulations to Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle for their Supergirl run and hope they celebrated their 10th year anniversary! As a Supergirl fan, I can only say my appreciation for their run and for Supergirl #34 has only increased over time!

Supergirl CW Crossover: Elseworlds

The annual CW crossover story for Arrow, Supergirl, and Flash has been officially named Elseworlds
and this comic fan couldn't be happier.

In 1989, DC Comics published Gotham by Gaslight, a story imagining Batman in the 1880's Gotham, hunting down Jack The Ripper. It is a great book, written by Brian Augustyn with art by Mike Mignola. Spurred by the success, DC began printing all sorts of books tagged with the logo 'Elseworlds', stories where familiar characters could be re-imagined or have their lives changed.

Let's face it, they were imaginary stories.

So you could see 'what if Superman was raised by the Waynes?' and 'What if Batman met Houdini and fought vamipires?' and 'what if Superman was around during the Civil War?' and 'What if Batman existed in a world where America was a Theocracy?'

Released in the wonderful Prestige Format, and usually with great creative teams, they were enticing. And as they existed 'outside continuity', as a reader you could pick and choose which stories intrigued you. I got a bunch of these and liked most of them.

So is the television Elseworlds going to be a similar take? Will there be new worlds? Changes in reality? Is Batwoman present because the idea of 'Batman' has been rewritten?

My guess is yes. But there is even more going on perhaps making this feel more like a certain Crisis.

Read on!

Heroes In Crisis #1

Heroes in Crisis #1 came out last week, the first issue in DC's big company crossover and a sad return to the days of grim, gory, dark story telling of recent years. Unfortunately, this shouldn't surprise me.

One of the things that spurred me to start this blog was the darkening of Supergirl's character in the Loeb/Turner era. I wanted to shine a light on her more heroic past so new readers woundn't think she was always the sullen, sulking, angry girl who just wanted to be left alone.

And over the 10 plus years of doing this, I have witnessed the descent of the DCU into a dark place. Some of the more notable lowlights I have covered include Cry For Justice and the  ripping off of Red Arrow's arm, the graying of all DC in Forever Evil . and the grim nature of Future's End.

Where was the optimism? Where were the heroes spurred to help humanity because it was the right thing to do? Where was the light which was going to save us from the darkness?

It was only a few years ago that DC had a course correction, deciding that they couldn't go down any further. It was time to correct the mistakes of the New 52 and subsequent stories and bring back the ideals, the hope. We got Rebirth  and for a short period of time we were happy.

I got into comics to read the exploits of heroes and be inspired to do more. Yes, even then they had human problems – love, finances, fatigue – but they always rose above. But you get the sense that things are turning and we are heading back to a DCU where (per Dan Didio) heroes can't be happy. Now the trend is to make them utterly relatable, to give the characters not only feet of clay but whole bodies of the stuff.

Heroes In Crisis is a story purportedly about PTSD and healing. Instead of that, we get a bloody, brutal issue.