March Sales Review

ICv2 does it's usual great job in reviewing the economic state of comics and individual titles over on their website. Here is the link which discusses March 2009 sales in general: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/14745.html

Of note, one passage really stuck out.

For the first time since March of 2001, the month that ICv2 began tracking sales of periodical comics through Diamond Comic Book Distributors, no comic sold more than 100,000 copies in March of 2009. While sales of periodical comics were down 7% in dollars for the month, the decline in units sold was greater, considering the rise in cover prices of key titles versus their cost in March, 2008.

So maybe comics aren't recession proof. It strikes me that the comic industry thinks the way to survive in tough economic times is to INCREASE prices! Seems counter-intuitive.

So sales drop 7%, but individual comic book issues drops even more. Unfortunately this sales models probably means less titles (and less diversity) in the market, less time for a title to try and build an audience before being cancelled.

As for individual titles, here is the link for the list of the top 300 titles: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/14743.html Anyone who knows me can tell you I am no optimist. Still, I think things continue to look okay for Supergirl, at least from a sales point of view.



Supergirl #39 comes in as the 50th best selling title, having sold 33,713 issues. Supergirl #38 sold 34,225 issues. Thus, sales dropped about 1.5% in March.

But when you think about the market, this slight drop is actually sort of reassuring. The Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle team has found a stable audience. This couldn't be said about this title last year when it seemed to be hemorrhaging readers.

And that stable audience is there in the middle of a story arc without crossovers, variant covers, or other gimmicks. I think that is good news.

The same sort of optimism can be seen in sales for Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eight Grade #4.

Cosmic Adventures #4 sold 6200 units. Cosmic Adventures #3 sold 6222. Essentially, this comic sold the same number of issues. So again, stability in a volatile market is a good thing. It appears Landry Walker and Eric Jones have found their audience.

Is an all ages book that sells 6K a month a good selling book? I don't know the bench mark that Johnny DC books are aiming for. But when you compare that to mainstream comics around it, I think this book is a strong seller. Do you hear that DC !!!

Just for the sake of comparison and to spotlight a book I reviewed here, let's look at March sales for R.E.B.E.L.S. #2.

Despite what felt like a lot of publicity and sneak peeks, issue #2 limped in at 16,122 sold, a drop of 33% (!!!) from the modest sales if issue #1 (23,739 sold). In this market, how long does DC keep a new book that sells 16K? My guess is new books get a year to find their legs and then get assessed. For example, Squadron Supreme 2, which sits just below R.E.B.E.L.S. in sales, ends with issue #12.

Kudos to the creative teams for the Supergirl books though for holding steady in uncertain financial waters.

Review: Action Comics #876

Greg Rucka and Eddy Barrows' hot start with Nightwing and Flamebird continued last week with Action Comics #876. This was, in essence, an issue long beatdown by Ursa onto Thara and Chris but enough new information was slipped to keep the story going.

One thing that did interrupt the flow of the issue was some fill in pencilling by Sidney Teles (who looked like he was trying to mimic Barrows' style as much as possible). Barrows' pencils on last issue and much of this issue looked like his best work ever. So it worries me a little that he already needed a little help to keep up. We already know that Fernando Dagnino is listed as the artist for Action 878 and 879. I was hoping to see Barrows stuff throughout.

Anyways, onto the issue.

One thing that Rucka did here that I really liked was have the issue be told from Ursa's perspective. We are hearing her thoughts as she simply and efficiently physically overmatches Nightwing and Flamebird.

Her battle skill are prestigious, true. But her thoughts are absolutely frightening. She defines sadist. She talks about how much she enjoys killing. But she also talks about how much she loves the build-up to the murder. And there is a clear joy oozing from her words.

She has just punched Thara through a wall when she has this interaction.

First off, she talks about how she isn't going to immediately chase Thara. By giving Thara time to recover, Thara will become shaken with fear. And fear disrupts technique and reason.

Throughout the issue it is clear that Ursa doesn't fear Thara or Chris at all. In fact, her internal monologue sounds more like she is play with them, like a cat who has cornered a mouse. But while it is clear she enjoys her work, she also stay cool and collected. Look at how easily she delivers a powerful kick to her own son's jaw.

My guess is that Rucka is having a hell of a time writing Ursa. The villains are almost always more interesting.

We had heard just a tease about Thara's parents last issue when it was implied that they served under Zod and were killed by Ursa.

Here just a bit more of the backstory is revealed. It seems Thara witnessed their killing. Ursa baits Thara out of hiding by calling her a coward for not rushing to her parents' aid.

Unfortunately for Flamebird, the baiting works. Thara bull rushes Ursa with little success. Instead, Ursa pounds her into walls and carves her up with a knife.

But it is more than a knife ... it is a Kryptonite knife with a frangible blade. For every cut, small pieces of Kryptonite have become embedded in Thara. And trust me, she was cut many many times.

This is the only part of the book that made me raise an eyebrow a bit. It seems a little odd that Ursa can so easily fight with such impeccable results while holding a chunk of Kryptonite in her hand. I know that she says it sickens her to hold it ... but I just felt it should effect her more.

Regardless, Ursa clearly has had the upper hand throughout the fight and moves in for the kill. In a blood soaked 2 page spread we see her stab Thara multiple times before burying the blade in Thara's chest. And when the probable killing thrust is made, Ursa rubs some verbal salt in the wounds ... 'Tell your parents I said hello.'

Brrrrrrr .... Ursa frightens me in ways Zod never has.

Luckily, before any further injuries can be inflicted, Nightwing recovers and is able to join the fray. It's funny to hear Ursa talk about Chris in a motherly way ... well, maybe more a Mommy Dearest sort of way.

Chris tells his mother that he is a hero and then discusses his unique status as a child of the Phantom Zone. Sure, he doesn't have the typical Kryptonian strength and invulnerability. But he does have some new powers. With a wave of his hand, he destroys Ursa's goggles, exposing her sensitive eyes to the light. We'll probably learn more about this, but at least it is the beginning of an explanation of the 'tactile telekinesis' we saw in 'New Krypton' which made us all think Nightwing was Kon-El.

He also shows that he is immune to Kryptonite.

It did strike me as a bit too convenient that suddenly Ursa is weakened from the Kryptonite blade that Chris is holding while several feet away. This was the blade in her hand 4 pages ago which she was wielding without a bead of sweat appearing.

Even more surprising is that Thara, cut in a million places and stabbed in the chest is able to stand up and talk to Chris. And she doesn't seem fazed by the K-knife at all despite being the same distance away.

Okay, maybe I am nit-picking. And maybe I am overlaying too much of my medical knowledge onto a battle between Kryptonians.

Thara basically tells Chris to murder his mother. But Nightwing takes the high road telling Thara that Superman wouldn't ... so he won't. Thara finally succumbs to her wounds and passes out. Chris scoops her up and leaves Ursa buried in under ice in the Fortress.

The scene cuts to the Daily Planet where Lois sees Jimmy's doodles about Project 7734 and how it is 'hell' upside down. Lois remembers that her father used to enjoy similar word games. It clearly makes her wonder about her father and whether or not he is alive and involved.

But while she is calling her sister Lucy to talk about General Lane, Chris shows up at her window carrying the limp and nearly lifeless body of Thara.

I thought overall this was a very good issue. I think like most Rucka stories, there are strong characters with 3-dimensional personalities. He has given the main players here (Ursa, Thara, and Chris) distinct personalities and voices. The fact that there is such a lush backstory for all of them ... Thara's parents, Chris is Ursa's son, etc ... only makes it a more complex story than just rounding up Kryptonian renegades. Even in this battle heavy issue, the story moves forward. And Barrows' art continues to be strong.

The only drawback was Ursa's use of the Kryptonite blade but that certainly isn't anything major.

Overall grade: B/B+

More Sneak Peeks on The Source.

Well there certainly has been a lot of Supergirl news this week and I have been trying to keep up. I haven't even had the opportunity to sit down and review this week's comics: Action Comics, R.E.B.E.L.S., and Tiny Titans.

But I felt those reviews could wait given the sneaks and information released over on DC's Blog The Source which covered a day in the life of super-title editor Matt Idelson. Here is the link:
http://dcublog.dccomics.com/2009/04/17/a-day-in-the-life-of-superman-group-editor-matt-idelson/

Of course, the whole post is worth reading but here are the Supergirl pieces.


Some more gorgeous pencils are in from guest-penciller Fernando Dagnino for SUPERGIRL #41—man, he’s SO good. Looking at our schedule, however, I’m thinking it might be more logical to ask Fernando to draw the upcoming SUPERGIRL ANNUAL rather than ACTION #878-879.

So it sounds like Supergirl #41 will be drawn by Fernando Dagnino, whose work I am not familiar with. I am pretty sure this was originally the issue slated to have Talent Caldwell as artist.

The pages I posted on April 16 from the DC blog showing the Supergirl/Superwoman fight were Dagnino pieces. His style seems to complement Jamal Igle's work more than Caldwell's.

But look at that Superwoman above with one red eye. Makes me want to think about voting android a bit more. Actually when I saw it the first time I immediately thought of one person ... Cyborg Superman! He would actually fit in soooo many ways. And that would be absolutely devious.

And I am tickled to hear that we will get a Supergirl Annual this year.

All of the sudden it’s 1:30, which means it’s time for the weekly Superman writers’ chat. Liz, Sean and Wil reemerge from their offices to join me, and we phone up Greg, James and SUPERGIRL writer Sterling Gates and begin a very focused discussion on our next crossover between the Super-books in August. What these guys have come up with is simply amazing, and I’m getting more and more excited about the event. About five minutes in, Geoff Johns joins us—in person!

Well, after the success of New Krypton and the re-integration of Supergirl into the Superman titles, I am glad to hear that another crossover event will be happening. August isn't that far away. That is only a third of the way through World of New Krypton and smack dab in the middle of Blackest Night. Maybe the crossover event is trying to take down the Zombified Kal-L?

Anyways, looks like good stuff is planned. I am excited.

DC Nation Page - Unfortunate Navel Gazing

If you bought any DC Comic this week, you no doubt noticed this DC Nation page.

It is hard not to notice, what with Supergirl's breasts so prominently displayed, thrust in your face.

The thing that strikes me here is not Supergirl's physique here, although that clearly is a more buxom Kara than we have seen recently. No, the thing that strikes me here is the composition of this page.

This isn't Kara in the foreground of the picture. We don't see her looking at some villain defiantly. We don't see her poised for battle.

No this is only Kara's breasts and midriff in the foreground. I don't think I have ever been given such an up-close view of her navel.

By deliberately not showing Kara's face, this panel sort of dehumanizes her. She isn't a whole woman, a hero. Heck, she isn't even a person. Nope, this panel seems to suggest that the only thing of Supergirl worth showing is her breasts and flat abs. Isn't this sort of off-putting?

And there is no reason for this composition other than the salacious positioning of Kara. Move the viewpoint back another 5 feet and we would have a Supergirl standing in front of the Justice League ... maybe leading them. Move Kara back 5 feet and she is standing amongst the men, a member of the team.

By only showing the top quadrant of her body, you remove any chance to recognize her as a person. Instead you reduce her to a prop: two big breasts on the 'hot' girl member of the team. It doesn't help that Green Arrow and the rest of the JL men seem to be staring at her chest.

Sigh. Doesn't Supergirl deserve better than this? Don't we as readers deserve better than this?

The sad thing is that I had such high hopes for this Justice League series when it was first announced so many months ago. James Robinson on a team book? Sounded too good to be true. Now between the incredible delay in its release and its downgrade to a mini-series and now this prurient breast shot, I'm worried.

Is this really the image that DC thinks will best promote this mini-series? (I don't think this a better panel than any of the pages recently spotlighted on the The Source all of which were wonderfully rendered.)

Is this the best Justice League:Cry For Justice has to offer ... titillation?

Isn't this the upper body equivalent of a Supergirl 'panty shot' ... an unnecessarily suggestive pose put in simply to arouse some section of fandom? And I think you know how sick I am of those.

I was just shaking my head after seeing this. I'm still shaking my head as I write this. What a misfire for DC.


I want to again state that my dislike of this portrayal of Kara is due to her positioning in the panel and not due to her sudden pulchritude as shown by Mauro Cascioli. Heck, I even complimented Cascioli for his 'statuesque' Kara as shown above from a Wizard cover. Her body type there seems the same as that on the DC Nation page. I understand that different artists are going to draw characters differently ... not every artist is going to draw Kara with the physique that Jamal Igle and Gary Frank have done recently.

No, it is how Kara is seen (or mostly not seen) on the DC Nation page that bothers me. It is pandering.

And I think Supergirl deserves better.

Supergirl News On DC:The Source

Some previews of Supergirl are now being showcased on the new DC Blog, The Source. Here is the link: http://dcublog.dccomics.com/2009/04/15/some-supergirl-art-to-close-out-the-day/

The first preview is a couple of pages from Supergirl #41. Remember, this is the last issue of the 'Who is Superwoman?' story arc and supposedly takes place after Superwoman has revealed herself to Kara.

The first sneak page shows that a battle is ongoing with Supergirl fighting Reactron and Superwoman.

Nice semi-splash here of Supergirl face-planting Superwoman into a wall.

The next sneak page shows Kara on the losing end of the battle. Reactron gloats over her, Gold K spilling from his chest.

I pity the police officers who are trying to stop Reactron. I don't think they are long for this world.

Unfortunately, nothing on these pages to add to the 'Who is Superwoman?' mystery. In fact, I find it interesting that Superwoman is still wearing the cowl.

Also shown is the cover of Supergirl #43, a stunning picture of Kara flying happily in the sky.

We have seen this picture before. Joshua Middleton actually had it posted on his blog waayyyyy back in February 2008! Here is the link including a nice breakdown from rough sketch to finished piece: http://joshuamiddleton.blogspot.com/2008/02/supergirl.html

This doesn't take away from how great this cover is. Unfortunately, it doesn't clue us in to anything happening in the issue either.

No matter what, it was good to see Supergirl promoted on DC's blog.

One Last Easter Egg Post on Cosmic Adventures #5

My thanks to all who posted about the Easter egg hunt in Supergirl:Cosmic Adventures In The Eighth Grade #5. As usual, I missed a couple and wanted to be complete.



First off, thanks to frequent poster and blog friend John Feer for pointing out that the werewolf Kara is talking about with her mother was an homage to a story from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #44.

Apparently in the story Jimmy Olsen is turned into a werewolf by a magic potion. The only cure is a kiss from a pretty girl. Supergirl ends up kissing him thus returning him to his human form.

This story has been recently reprinted in the Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 3 trade.

And thanks to Landry Walker himself for pointing out that Lex Luthor's ship was based on the Lex Soar 7 ship from the Super Powers toy line of the 1980's.

Looks like a nasty piece of work! The ship was armed with a removable Kryptonite crystal, laser cannons, and 'gripper claws'.


Seems a little strange that he would need to lie down in it to drive. Still, a very nice Easter egg that I would never have picked up on. Thanks again!

It has been mentioned here before, but we should write to DC in some format to let them know how great this mini-series has been and that they should authorize a sequel/monthly of it.

Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #2

Superman: World of New Krypton #2 came out last week and continues to explore what it means for Kal to be a 'stranger in a strange land' even if it is his home planet. Written by James Robinson and Greg Rucka and beautifully drawn by Pete Woods, this issue moved things along at a faster pace than I thought possible.

And that fast pace is all the more interesting since the book now sports the line '2 out 15'. That's right, this is now a 15 issue maxi-series.

The issue starts somewhat ominously with the Guardians sizing up what a planet of Kryptonians means to sector 2814 and the universe as a whole. They speak about a prior Kryptonian conquest from a millenia ago. These Oans have a long memory and perhaps know first-hand what 100,000 Superman could do to a galaxy.

They decide to send in Hal Jordan to see what he can find. It will be interesting to see how Zod and his troops respond to a Universal Police Officer telling them what is allowed, etc.

One thing that I like about the book so far is that Superman is shown as having a very pro-active personality. He is not shy about stating his feelings or doing what he thinks needs to be done.

This is crystallized in his intreactions with General Zod. While he might be serving Zod on New Krypton, he doesn't have to like Zod or kowtow to him. When Zod points a new police weapon (double barreled - red sun energy from one, bullet from another, lethal to Kryptonians) at Kal, Kal cooly responds 'this isn't the first gun pointed at me General'. The usual knock against Superman is that he is a pushover, a boy scout. I have never got that feeling from Johns' portrayal and I haven't felt it here either. Kal will stand up for himself, physically if need be.

And as usual, I liked the origin blurb. Now it states he is Kal-El, as opposed to Superman. Very nice.

Zod introduces Kal to his second-in command: Lieutenant Asha Del-Nar. Kal is the commander of the Red Shard Tactical Response Unit, handling law enforcement and civic defense. Kal-El has become a police officer on New Krypton.

Nar then leads him to the Red Shard bunker. There a bunch of his troops are watching as Non battles a Kryptonian Torquat (sort of a mix of large dog and porcupine). Angry that the animal is being mistreated, Kal breaks up the fight and comforts the beast. He then rips into his troops. It is clear that Kal isn't going to suffer fools lightly in his unit. He lets the troops that such nonsense isn't going to be allowed. He then 'punishes' them with a day's worth of flying drills.

This scene again enforces the difference between Clark and the Kryptonians. Cruelty isn't in Clark's make-up.

Zod assigning Non to Kal's unit is also an interesting subplot. Will Non learn to respect Kal? Or simply stay loyal to Zod?

This issue also gives us the first sympathetic look at Alura in a long time. Here we see her break down a little when talking about Zor-El to Kal at an art gala. Alura has been unrelenting in her harsh personality in Supergirl so it was nice to see some of her humanity finally come forward.

Perhaps the best thing about this scene is her little exposition about the guilds. While Zor was in the artist's guild, he was a scientist. These 'artistic scientists' seemed to view science as a branch of philosophy or as the work of god. It was this outlook on life that made him special. It makes a bit more sense that there would be subdivisions within the guilds to explain how Krypton worked.

While at the gala, Kal runs into a couple of people. First he see Tyr from the labor guild who tells Kal that he has heard rumors of some unrest amongst the labor guild. Tyr worries these angry labor members will express their outrage in an inappropriate manner. I am surprised that this subplot came to fruition so quickly. I thought for sure that this would be something handled midway.

Then Kal sees Kara. It was nice to see this happy exchange between the cousins! Their relationship has just grown so much over the last year. I really like the way Pete Woods draws Kara here ... happy, healthy. That said, it is hard to reconcile this carefree appearing Kara with the emotionally distraught hero in the Supergirl title. The last issue there she wished Alura dead. Here she seems happy that Kal, Alura, and her are 'together - a family'. It felt like a slight misstep but maybe she is simply overjoyed to see Clark.

Lastly, Kal gets called to duty by General Zod who states that a stampede of Thought Beasts is threatening some power generators and need to be put down. Kal mobilizes the Red Shard and flies off.

The thought beasts seem to be able to project hallucinations or fear into people who approach them. The squad wants to simply gun them down. But Kal uses some old-fashioned farm know-how to create a cattle run by burning a pen and chute into the ground with heat vision. He effectively leads the group despite the horrible visions the members suffer. Clark sees his father dying and Metropolis burning. Non sees himself pre-lobotomy. Others fear banishment ot the phantom zone or burning.

Thanks to Kal's level-headed guidance, the animals are corraled safely.

Again, the Kryptonian way of 'shoot first and ask questions later' is admonished by Kal. "Easier doesn't always mean better," he tells his troops.

But the plight of this planet is more than just these wild animals. The thought beasts were hunting for the non-existent food on this rock planet. It even makes Nar shiver when she sees the similarity between the beasts plight and those of the Kryptonians themselves.

My guess is the lack of natural resources was never much of an issue in the time-slowed Brainiac bottle. Now that time is running normally, the small amount of workable planet might not be able to sustain all of Kandor/New Krypton.

One quick shout-out to another re-imagined Silver Age concept. Thought Beasts were part of Silver Age Kryptonian lore. Although in those stories, the thought beast had a screen-like head plate onto which the animals' thoughts were broadcast. For example, from Adventure Comics #395, Kara sees the thought beast is thinking about eating her. I don't know if that physiology would fly with the sophisticated comic reader of 2009. So updating the animals to have some crude telepathy was slick.

The tension between Zod and Kal continues to mount. They clearly don't like each other and have no problem letting it be known. I like that Superman isn't hiding these feelings to better worm his way into Zod's plans. I like that he isn't sugar-coating anything to fit in. Kal is here and is watching the General closely.

Well, it turns out that Tyr's concerns were well-founded. A faction of the labor guild has armed themselves with the 'red sun rifles' and are holding some of the gala hostage in hopes of getting equal political recognition on New Krypton. My guess is that Tyr is going to end up being the leader of the Labor Underground.

Kara luckily is not in the gala any longer, but there is Alura held at gunpoint. Before Kal can think of a diplomatic solution, Commander Gor comes up with his own plan ...

If the armed labor guild members don't surrender, Gor will slaughter a bunch of unarmed labor guild members he has cordoned off.

This whole issue has been about Kal's Kansas-raised outlook and contrasting it to the Kryptonian way. He isn't interested in torture or slaughter ... be it animal or man. But those seem to be the first inclination of most Kryptonians. As such, Kal does seem like a stranger here, trying to find his way. Given that theme running through the issue, I like this cliffhanger. This is the flashpoint of these two views on life.

So far so good. I have enjoyed the first 2 issues here much more than I thought I would.

Overall grade: B/B+