August Solicits

I thought August was going to be a busy month for DC because of all the Blackest Night books. Turns out it will be very busy for the super-titles as well. Here is the post on Newsarama discussing all the super books: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/090515-superman-august-2009.html

And here are the ones I will be buying. We start out with a new title ... one I am pretty excited about.

ADVENTURE COMICS #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Francis Manapul, co-feature art by Clayton Henry

Covers by Francis Manapul

It's the return of one of DC Comics' longest running books and one of its greatest modern-day heroes – Conner Kent! In our first heroic issue, Superboy can't wait to jump back into his life – but which life will it be? With a clarity he's never had before, Conner makes a beeline for the greatest place on Earth...Smallville?Plus, in the wake of FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS, Starman heads off on an all-new mission in the present. And it's one that will not only impact Superboy, but the future of the DC Universe itself. Fortunately, the off-kilter Legionnaire won't be dong it alone! And in the upcoming months of ADVENTURE COMICS look for Lex Luthor! Brainiac! Lightning Lad! Superboy's pal Simple Simon! Sun Boy and Polar Boy! Ultra, the Multi Alien! Wonder Girl! Black Lantern Alexander Luthor! And many, many more new and familiar faces!

It was nice to read in a recent DC Nation comic that there was an editorial contingent that Supergirl should headline Adventure Comics. Even I have to admit that I don't think Kara could carry two titles on the market. So it is only natural that Superboy and the Legion co-host the titles revival. It sounds like it will be two books though 'Superboy' and 'The Legion' rather than 'Superboy and the Legion'. I hope there will be a couple of crossovers.

As a long time Legion fan I am really interested to see which team comes through Legion of Three Worlds. Johns wrote a great Legion in Action and Manapul drew a great Legion so I am there and plan to review the title here.

And the promise of Wonder Girl and Black Lantern Alexander Luthor (!!) has me licking my chops.

And now the Super-titles.

SUPERMAN SECRET FILES 2009 #1

Written by Sterling Gates, Geoff Johns, James Robinson and Greg Rucka
Art by Pete Woods, Jamal Igle, Renato Guedes, Julián López and various
Cover by Aaron Lopresti

There’s never been a better (or busier) time to be a Superman fan! With so many new characters and locations to keep track of, DC brings readers the definitive guide to the ever-expanding world of Superman. Here you will get profiles of characters like Nightwing and Flamebird, General Zod, Supergirl, Mon-El and more, plus maps of locations such as New Krypton’s Kandor and Metropolis.Also included is a bittersweet story about the friendship of Supergirl and Flamebird, and a story revealing the dark legacy of Pete Ross’ brief time as President of the United States. Plus, a week in the life of Science Cops Billi Harper and Jonathan (Mon-El) Kent. This SECRET FILES issue serves as an excellent primer to this month’s “Codename: Patriot” crossover in the Superman titles, so don’t miss out!

Well first off I have to say that I am a huge Aaron Lopresti fan. I have always thought he would draw a great Supergirl and his cover proves it.

I have to say I am a sucker of Secret File books like this with Who's Who style pages, maps, etc.

But of course I am most interested in reading the 'Kara and Thara' story. We have only heard that they were good friends on Krypton. We haven't exactly seen it since Kandor was released from Brainiac's ship. In fact, their few scenes have been strained. So I look forward to reading this and understanding their relationship more. I wonder if Gates/Igle are doing that story.

SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #6
Written by Greg Rucka & James Robinson

Art by Pete Woods
Cover by Fernando Dagnino & Raúl Fernandez
Variant cover by Eddy Barrows & Julio Ferriera

It’s chaos in Kandor as the 4-part “Codename: Patriot” storyline kicks off here and runs through the August Superman titles! Someone has been shot and Superman will stop at nothing to find the culprit! But when the shooter flees to Earth, can Superman stop him in time to prevent making the two planets even more hostile toward each other? Continued in ACTION COMICS #880!

So the big crossover event 'Codename:Patriot' starts here with someone being shot. Since Superman is investigating the crime, I can't be him. While Alura seems an obvious target, I hope it isn't her just because shooting both of Kara's parents in so short a span would seem a bit forced. So I guess that leaves Zod.

How interesting that Superman might be investigating the attempted (?) murder of his enemy Zod. And who is the shooter? Someone working for General Lane? Maybe the Project 7734 woman from this month's Action? Or a freelancer?

Anyways, while the theme of split characters and a crumbling S-shield is a good one, Dagnino's art seems a bit awkward and murky.

ACTION COMICS #880
Written by Greg Rucka; co-feature written by James Robinson & Rucka
Art by Julián López; co-feature art by CAFU
Cover by Fernando Dagnino & Raúl Fernandez

“Codename: Patriot” part 2! Nightwing and Flamebird are hot on the trail of the psycho sleeper agents Nadira and Az-Rel when the heroes run into another deadly duo – Reactron and Metallo! What do these two want and how does it tie in with General Lane’s plans? Meanwhile, Superman and Supergirl arrive on Earth searching for the shooter – but will their actions here cause more harm than good? Continued in SUPERGIRL #44!And in part 2 of the new co-feature, Captain Atom’s memory is falling apart right in the heat of battle – can he keep it together without annihilating an entire town? Luckily a deadly new player is about to take that choice out of his hands – permanently!

I like how Action is living up to it's title. I think mixing Nightwing and Flamebird with the murderous bank robbing Kryptonians Nadira and Ax-Rel would probably lead to another slugfest. But now Rucka is throwing in Reactron and Metallo! Now this should be interesting. I assume that Chris' invulnerability to Kryptonite extends to Gold K but I guess we will see.

But what I really like is that it sounds like Superman and Supergirl arrive on Earth together ... as a team ... to find the mystery shooter. I love seeing the cousins work together.


SUPERGIRL #44

Written by Sterling Gates

Art by Jamal Igle

Cover by Fernando Dagnino & Raúl Fernandez

“Codename: Patriot” part 3! It’s Supergirl and Mon-El versus Nightwing and Flamebird! Find out what happens when the Girl of Steel has to face off against Flamebird, one of her oldest and dearest friends! At Project 7734, General Lane puts the next part of his plan into action – with the help of the man known as Atlas. Concluded in SUPERMAN #691!

I guess it was only a matter of time before we saw Kara vs. Thara. I wonder what leads up to such a fight? Perhaps Supergirl thinks Flamebird is the shooter? Chris and Thara are acting outside of Kryptonian law. But we also see the 'mystery woman' here. Look at how part of what she is wearing is a version of Kara's uniform (midriff, belt). I am saying it here ... she is some Amazo-like being absorbing parts of the folks with powers she comes in contact with.

And I am glad we are finally going to see Atlas back in the fray. He seemed so determined to conquer when Robinson introduced him. I could never fathom why he was hanging out at a diner.

SUPERMAN ANNUAL #14

Written by James Robinson

Art by Javier Pina

Cover by Renato Guedes

Since Superman freed him from the Phantom Zone, Mon-El has spent all his time learning about Earth and its diverse cultures. But how much does he really know about Daxam, the homeworld he fled years ago? A gift from the Legionnaire Tellus allows Mon-El to explore the ancient history of Daxam – from its founding as a Kryptonian colony to its connection to the Mayans of Earth to its bloody civil war. Join Mon-El as he discovers that the planet he always believed to be peaceful and dull is actually anything but.

In the middle of the month we take a quick detour away from 'Codename:Patriot' and get a little background to Mon-El and Daxam. Seem like an odd time to release this, smack dab in the middle of a big crossover, but I suppose Annuals are summertime events.

SUPERMAN #691
Written by James Robinson
Art by Renato Guedes & José Wilson Magalhães
Cover by Fernando Dagnino & Raúl Fernandez

It’s a slam-bang, knockdown epic fight in the sewers of Metropolis in this fourth and final chapter of “Codename: Patriot”! What are the stakes, and who are the players? Everything and everyone, Superfans! Except one key player is missing – Superman! He has to stop the shooter from taking yet another course of action that would cause the situation between Earth and New Krypton to grow exponentially worse. Which, of course, is just what General Lane wants...

Wow. A promised 'epic fight' to end this crossover. And Superman speeding to stop another incendiary event!

I know the details are purposefully sparse in the solicit details. But even vague, this sounds pretty good!

SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #2
Written by James Robinson
Art by Matt Camp

Cover by Pere Pérez

Jimmy Olsen has put all the pieces together regarding the mysterious Project 7734, and it’s worse than he imagined. With The Man of Steel temporarily out of the picture, though, it’s all up to Superman’s Pal to take action. Thankfully he has the help of Mon-El and Steel’s niece Natasha Irons – but will they be enough to defeat Codename: Assassin?

Hmmm ... Codename: Patriot .... Codename:Assasin .... looks like we have a probable shooter.

But Superman 'out of the picture'? That sounds ominous.

That is seven super-books in August. And that doesn't count Justice League:Cry For Justice or any of the Blackest Night books. And I thought the Supergirl Annual was scheduled for August too.

August is going to be busy busy busy.

August Super-titles Cross-Over: 'Codename:Patriot'

DC had been touting an August crossover event in the super-books for the last month or so. Now we actually get to learn a little bit about it over on Newsarama. While the whole interview is worth reading, I have posted the bits that stood out to me. Here is the link:
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/050915-CodenamePatriot.html

The four part “Codename: Patriot” will encompass all of the Superman titles (as well as a new Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen Special for a tangential “part 5” of the story), and promises to shake up the Super status quo. The storyline begins with a cliffhanger in World of New Krypton #5, officially kicking off in World of New Krypton #6 and then moving to Action Comics #880, Supergirl #44 and concluding in Superman #691.

One thing I like about this is that it is such a short arc, one month's worth of stories in all the titles. With so much happening in the books, I am glad that they are not breaking away from each title's main plots for too long.

That said, all these characters have interacted with each other, all have interwoven stories and origins. It only makes sense that at some points there stories overlap.

Newsarama: James, let’s start with you – where did the idea for “Codename: Patriot” come from in the first place?
James Robinson: It came out of us meeting in New York, and we realized that fans weren’t going to want to have Superman so totally removed from everything else for a year, so we felt that six months in would be a good place to have a crossover to remind everyone of the big picture, and that this is all working towards an endpoint.

NRAMA: So it’s a natural halfway point of the larger storyline?
JR: Obviously, we have to be careful about what we say here, but one of the things that is kind of interesting about it is that by the end of the crossover, every character will be different. Each of the books will be different because of this crossover.
Greg Rucka: Right – the status quo changes for every single one of the characters. James is being coy here – and there will be a changeup in the cast – somewhat – in at least one book, but to say which one or how would be to tip our hand. I don’t want this all to sound like a collection of clichés, but honest to God, this is the changeup. Everything is in place, and now we start beating the characters over the heads with bats, and make their lives really, really, really miserable.

Six months in ... the tipping point. One thing that is comforting about the super-titles right now is that I have a lot of trust in the writers. So when James Robinson and Greg Rucka say 'things will be different after this event' I tend to believe them. I don't think it is a sales pitch.

The last time I heard something like that was right before Zor-El got murdered and I think we would all say things have been different since.

NRAMA: So as for the nature of the story – is this one large adventure that sees all the characters appearing in all of the books, or is there more of a hand-off from character to character as the throughline weaves throughout the books?
GR: The story very organically incorporates all of the characters, each in separate ways. So some will be standing side by side, and some will not be, but they are all there, logically. An event happens in Kandor that has repercussions that pull in everybody else.

We learn in the August solicits that this event is someone being shot. Those solicits will be posted and previewed here tomorrow.

Well, it was Arch Duke Ferdinand being shot that started WWI so maybe a shot starts a Krypton/Earth war. Who could be the victim? Alura? Zod? Kal-El? Tam-Or? Hmmmm .... sounds like a poll in the making.

I am glad to hear that this story seems like a natural progression for all the individual plots rather than being a forced cross-over (something which happens all too often in comics).

August is 3 months away so let the speculations begin!

Review: Action Comics #877

After last month's brutal fight between Ursa and Nightwing & Flamebird, Action Comics #877 was like a calm spring day. While there was some action, it was no where near the intensity of the last month's brawl.

The tranquility after last issue's storm did allow for a lot of story progression and a couple of very interesting plot points.

First off, this was the first issue with no Eddy Barrows. Sidney Teles, who drew part of Action #876, takes over pencilling here and seems to be trying to channel Barrows' style. While the art was not as stylistically intricate as Barrows' stuff, I did think it was a notch over average. At the very least, the similar styles made the transition from issue to issue smooth.

The issue starts with Ursa freeing herself from the wreckage of the Fortress. With her goggles smashed, she ties a strip of cloth around her eyes to protect herself from the pain of the light. She does not sound happy about the end of the fight when Chris defeated her. As she vows to find 'Lor-Zod' she hears Tor-An, the captured sleeper agent.

In the meantime, Chris has run to the only place he thinks he can run to on Earth, Lois and Clark's apartment.

Lois is at first confused at how much Chris has grown. But she then tells him he knew where to go. He went home. It is a touching little reunion. It is such a different moment than anything we have seen in the action-heavy Action since the 'World Without Superman' stories started.

Figuring that the best way to help heal Thara is to expose her to as much yellow sun energy as possible, Lois calls in Dr. Light. Dr. Light seems intrigued that Lois has her number. I guess she is unaware that Clark is Superman.

They move Thara to the roof. A quick burst of yellow sun photons later and Thara is at least stabilized.

One small complaint I have here is that this seems somewhat risky in terms of Clark's secret identity. Won't people start to question why a Kryptonian went to Lois' apartment? How she knew Dr. Light? Kryptonians in Clark's apartment, Clark is gone, Superman in on another planet .... hmmm. Wouldn't this make your average person ask some questions? Or am I being too silly? I can accept Kryptonians and star-powered people but I can't accept characters not realizing Clark is Superman when things like this are done?

Anyways, it turns out that Project 7734 had a drone tailing Dr. Light as well as other members of the Superman family. I thought this was a nice shot showing panels taken from the other titles and put in here. Boy, General Lane is keeping an eye on everyone these days.

And here is where I need help from you guys. I have no idea who this character, walking around the Project 7734 headquarters, is. Should I know her?

There are a couple of things I am curious about her even outside of her blue and green body/body art. She is clearly not formal military. She is in jeans and a black shirt. She also talks very casually and almost sarcastically to General Lane. I don't think that General Lane takes sass from most people. So she must be very powerful or very important or both.

While Thara recuperates, Chris and Lois continue to catch up. He does his best to explain his growth spurts.

But then he comes out with this piece of information. There is Brainiac tech in the Phantom Zone, tech that Zod was trying to use. And one of these 'machines' did something 'really bad' to Chris' mind. Now that is an interesting piece of the puzzle. I like how Chris' origin and story is slowly being revealed. Regardless, I can only wonder the torture this machine did to him until Thara 'rescued' him.

I do wonder how that Brainiac stuff ended up in the Phantom Zone though.

Thara is left recuperating on the roof allowing one of the Project 7734 drones to capture her on film. And after a little cross-reference, they learn that Flamebird is Thara. Well, there goes the 'we wear the armor to hide our identities' secret. 3 issues in and the government is in on the gag.

Thara is still recovering though and General Lane is not one to lose an advantage. He decides to go after her. And after a small discussion, the mystery woman shows that she does indeed have some powers. She convinces him to let her go after Thara and teleports out.

I wonder just what she means when she says 'she needs to gather (what she needs) herself. That's how it works.' Is that some statement about how her powers work? Does she leech off of others? Or is it just talk about how she likes to be in on the hunt.

If someone knows anything about her, please let me know. Otherwise we have another mystery to solve.

Meanwhile, Chris realizes that if Thara is recovering than Ursa has most likely completely recovered. He flies back to the Fortress and discovers Tor-An dead on the floor from what looks to be a neck wound. Ursa admits to freeing him and killing him because his sleeper status was compromised. Man, I love how crazy and ruthlessly efficient Ursa is. It makes her a very formidable opponent.

In fact Ursa is about to fight Chris when he reminds her that she is out in the open as well. If her presence on Earth is discovered, it will jeopardize her sleepers and her mission. Surprisingly, she sees the logic in his argument and takes off. While she does say the rather cliched 'this isn't over', I still feel she would still probably try to attack and overpower him. It seemed just a tad out oof character that she would listen to reason this time.

And lucky she did or she would have been discovered. The General tracked Chris when he flew from Lois' apartment and had a couple of fighter jets follow him. We have heard from Chris that his physiology makes him a little weaker than the average Kryptonian and here we see some proof. He gets kicked around a little bit by a couple of standard missiles. Even these Project 7734 guys question if he is a Kryptonian because of this.

But weaker than your average Kryptonian doesn't mean weak. He is able to recover and destroy the drone jets following him.

One slight editorial error here is that his clothes have magically repaired themselves after being shredded a bit by the missiles the page before. Of course, his 'tactile telekinesis' may have simply rewoven the threads.

The issue ends with us seeing the two next sleeper agents on the list, a couple of Kryptonian bank robbers with a penchant for murder.

As I said before, we needed a 'plot' issue after last month's 'brawl' issue. This issue put us back on track advancing all the principal characters stories and revealing a few new tidbits. Outside of my concerns for the use of the Kent apartment as a superhero respite home and Ursa's running away, I thought this issue was another solid chapter in Rucka's run.

For a super-title without Superman, I have to say, so far so good.

Overall grade: B/B+

Word Balloon Interview With Sterling Gates And Jamal Igle

There is an unbelievably in-depth interview as a podcast with Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle over on Word Balloon. Here is the link:

http://cdn2.libsyn.com/wordballoon/WBsupergirl.mp3?nvb=20090515145606&nva=20090516150606&t=0b617dbb201042632876a

I will say, make the popcorn and get a soda. It is over an hour long! But it is great to hear these guys talk all about the book. And it really covers all angles of the book - from how the team got the book, in-depth discussions about characters and their motivations and background, and Supergirl's role in the DCU overall.

There is just way too much to cover here but I did pick out a couple of things that was worthy enough for me to jot down on a nearby pad.

Zor-El's death: Both Sterling and Jamal talk about how they drew upon personal experiences to create that scene and how that helped make it as powerful as it was. But also they talk about how the decision was made to kill Zor-El off in New Krypton in the first place.

Alura: there is a lot of stuff Alura's personality and how she might be pushing Kara away to spare Kara some pain should Alura die. But they also talk about how Alura's position makes Supergirl sort of a 'princess' on New Krypton and how that effects how Kara is perceived on the planet.

Fashion: There is a great discussion about the changes in Supergirl's costume sepecifically Matt Idelson telling Jamal that he never wanted to see Supergirl's panties again. But also there is a great spot about the origins of Lana and Cat's wardrobe and how further shows how those characters are foils.

Lana: There is a clear love of Lana Lang in both Sterling and Jamal. It seems like her illness comes to a head in Supergirl #47.

Supergirl Annual #1: This sounds like it is going to be great. Not only will there be a story called 'Linda Lang Day One' but also the 'The Secret Origin of Superwoman' !!

If you have some time on your hands, I recommend listening just because it really is a super-comprehensive discussion about Supergirl. I was really struck by how obvious it was that both Sterling and Jamal really care about the character.

Supergirl #41 Preview

Supergirl continues to get some publicity around the web including a nice 5 page preview Supergirl #41 over on Newsarama: http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=27931

This issue was pencilled by Fernando Dagnino, who I believe is also doing some upcoming Action Comics. From what I have seen of this issue, I think he will do a fine job standing in for Jamal Igle for an issue.

After a page showing Lana being wheeled into a hospital, we cut right to the action - starting out in Project 7734's headquarters. Seems like they have those flying drones everywhere and are able to look in on Supergirl and Superwoman's battle.

It is implied that the troops all knew Lucy was under the cowl.

It is also interesting that General Lane tells his men to have Reactron not re-enter the fight. He wants to see what Lucy can do on her own. He always seems to measuring people's worth, in this case his own daughter. No wonder Lucy is a bit addled. His love and respect is not unconditional.

I was pretty impressed with the art on this 2 page splash. In particular, I think Superwoman/Lucy is rendered very well here.

It is amusing to read along with Kara's thought process about the reveal. She is trying to put together the clues and timeline just like we the readers are.

I also chuckled when Supergirl asks the very question I have been asking since the reveal last issue. Why? Why is Lucy acting as Superwoman?

It is going to be a long week until I get this issue in my hands. I am pretty pumped to read the conclusion to this arc!

Eddy Barrows Off Action Comics; Julian Lopez Named New Artist

I was somewhat disappointed when I read on the DC blog that Eddy Barrows is leaving Action Comics and that Julian Lopez is taking over. Here is the link:
http://dcublog.dccomics.com/2009/05/05/julian-lopez-takes-over-action-art-duties/

I hope that Barrows finds more work in the DCU. Hopefully the reason he is off the book is because he has another project within the DCU. But what could supercede Action Comics? Could it be that he was having a hard time making deadlines?

The thing is his stuff in Action was spectacular. I will miss it.

Julain Lopez has been named as the new regular penciller. A sketch he did of Nightwing and Flamebird is seen above and looks pretty solid.

Lopez seems to be splitting pages on Oracle:The Cure with Fernando Pasarin. He also pencilled Superman #676. I include a half-splash of Superman.

And given the amount of fighting we have seen in Action Comics, I figured I would include an example of a more dynamic scene from the same comic. Here Superman and Alan Scott are battling Solomon Grundy.

His art in that issue was pretty straight-forward. The sketch above seems more solid.

Hopefully Barrows finds his way back to one of the super-titles in the future.

One Last Cosmic Adventures Easter Egg Post

Supergirl:Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade has been an absolute delight on too many levels to list. Great story, great characterization, great art ... I know, I am gushing.

For the long time Supergirl fan, one true treat has been combing through the issues to look for all the homages to Supergirl and DCU tales past. These Easter eggs might be lost to the newer readers but I have loved them.

Let me say again, I was absolutely giddy with the Krona 'universe hand' in Cosmic Adventures #6. Giddy!

Anyways, both Landry Walker and other posters have told me about some Easter eggs that I missed, some of which are so obvious I am kicking myself. For the sake of completeness, let's take a look.


Here Supergirl shatters Kryptonite chains that Mxyzptlk tries to trap her in. Clearly, this harkens back to the famous Neal Adams cover of Superman #233.

In this storyline, all Kryptonite on Earth has been changed to harmeless iron after an experimental power plant explodes. The explosion also releases an extra-dimensional being who takes the form of a sand Superman and begins draining Kal-El of his power.

I cannot believe I missed this one! First off, I love that storyline so much that I have hunted down the creators at conventions. That is my collection's Superman #233 above, autographed by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and inker Murphy Anderson. Secondly, the 'sand Superman' is my Blogger picture!

I can't believe I missed this. Thanks to frequent poster John Feer for pointing it out to me and making me feel silly.

At the end of the 10th dimensional battle with Mxyzptlk, Supergirl immolates him after sprouting flame wings.

To be honest, I couldn't quite make out they were flame wings, especially with the cape still present.

But flame wings was an homage to Peter David's Earth Angel Supergirl. As I have said countless times, I think the first 50 issues of PAD's Supergirl is one of the best runs I have ever read, a really heady read about religion and redemption in a world of super-beings.

After the battle with Mxy, Lena is in rough shape. First she talks about 'bewaring red skies', a reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths.

But she also talks about the 'space brains singing'. Of course, it was an interaction with a space brain that gave the Silver Age Lena her ESP powers.

Here from Action Comics #295, Supergirl (having travelled back in time), sees Lex show a young Lena a space brain he found.

Lena then touches the brain, receiving telepathic powers but destroying the brain in the process.
Sorry about the B&W scans; these are from the Supergirl Showcase TPB, vol. 2.

Thanks to Landry Walker for pointing these out to me. I can't believe I missed these as well.

Lastly, when Mr. Mxyzptlk reveals his big plan, he says it feels like 1958 all over again.

Of course, the first Supergirl was magically created by Jimmy Olsen in 1958 in Superman #123. This was not Kara but a construct made by a wish Jimmy made while holding a magical totem. This was the prototype for the Supergirl we all love who was introduced a year later in 1959.

Thanks to frequent poster Gene for tipping me off to this Easter egg.

From what I read, the trade for Cosmic Adventures is solicited for December. I wonder if an Easter Egg index should be included in the back?

Either way, I can only hope that this isn't my last post reviewing a Walker/Jones Supergirl comic. Hopefully DC will announce a sequel.