Back Issue Box: Action Comics #595

Yesterday, DC released the cover image for Supergirl #8, in whick Kara befriends a girl named Siobhan who also happens to be the Silver Banshee. I am glad that the Silver Banshee is remaining a Supergirl villain, someone who is a Kara-rogue first and foremost.

Throughout his work on the title, Sterling Gates had Supergirl and the Banshee square off, having her appear not only in Supergirl #34 but also Supergirl #48 and Supergirl #49.

Long ago, I even reviewed the PAD Supergirl's interactions with Banshee in Supergirl #11 and #12 .

With the Banshee now playing prominent roles in three incarnations of Supergirl, I thought I would take a look back at her first appearance in Action Comics #595.

Action Comics #595 was written and drawn by John Byrne in the early parts of his renaissance of the character. I always say that I really appreciate the Byrne run on the Superman books as he injected much needed vitality into the character. And it is amazing that he was able to handle all the creative pressures running so many books and still get things out on time.

This was during a time when we were still learning about this Superman. The post Man of Steel books were still less than a year running. And Action Comics was set up as a sort of DC Comics Presents book, with a different guest star in each issue and mostly 'done in one' stories. It was a brilliant way to re-introduce Superman to the DCU at large.

As for me, I have always been a sucker for '??' as a question mark as I try to figure out who it is before the story ends. I guess my favorite one was the original Brave and Bold #150. This was a decent cover with the Banshee standing over a dead Superman with his ghost in the background. Just what could be happening here! And who was the guest star??

The book starts with the Banshee walking down the streets of Metropolis. I guess if you have her power you don't need to skulk around.

She ends up being accosted by some construction workers who appreciate the female form regardless of the trappings. And, of course, that leads to them dying at her hand.

One thing I do like about this opening splash page is the panel border encompassing the men but not the Banshee. The guys' first comment is how tall the Banshee is and this accentuates her size. She seems to tower over them, even though they are in the background.

And the construction workers aren't the only one who face her wrath. She enters an antique book shop and promptly kills one of the workers as she searches for something.

It is an interesting first take on the Banshee. Initially it looks like her touch is deadly. But then we keep hearing about how eerie her voice is as well.

Her actions lead to the Metropolis police and Superman getting involved.

Banshee has killed a SWAT team style officer the page before. Here she is confused at seeing another similarly dressed policeman wondering why he is so resilient and why he isn't dead. Hmmm ....

She also seems to know a lot about Metropolis, commenting on their police force's tactics as well as recognizing Superman.

I do question Superman's flippant 'Pee Wee Herman' comment. Isn't there a dead cop on the sidewalk somewhere? A pile of bodies in the city?

And we learn that it isn't Banshee's touch that kills. It's her voice. She kills Superman right there on page 9!

Interesting that it isn't a banshee scream yet, just talking to the victim. More on that in a bit.

But Superman is apparently really dead. We see Lois' tearful response to hearing the news.

And we see the JLA' s response. Interesting to hear Batman call Superman almost a 'god'. And the League starts to wonder what their next steps should be. J'Onn thinks actions need to be taken.

I think I might be one of a handful of people who actually like that version of Black Canary's costume.

But my favorite response is Luthor's.

Like any arch-villain, Luthor is irate that someone else killed Superman. Superman was meant to die by his hand. That last panel is very good with a small Lex nearly sobbing. It adds to the feel that Luthor is a 'small' man. And it also shows just how much Lex defines himself as being Superman's adversary.

Byrne really plays up the 'Superman is dead' aspect of the story. We even get to see the funeral in Metropolis. Superman is placed in a glass casket so people can come pay their respects. Lois seems to be in charge here. I really liked Byrne's Lois.

The wake is interrupted when Superman's ghost rises from his body and says he cannot rest until his work is done, until he has stopped the Banshee.

Superman's funeral!! I almost wish this was 2 issues long to see more of this event.

Instead we cut to Superman's ghost tracking the Banshee down to another bookstore. And who else is there? Jimmy Olsen! Olsen has been trying to dig up information about what the Banshee is looking for.

As before, she is stunned to see Superman still alive, or at least 'partially' alive. She lets loose with her full Banshee scream. While the scream is deafening and painful, it doesn't kill Superman's ghost or Jimmy for that matter.

I like the lower panel's composition. First off, you feel her screaming through her body language. And adding the EEEEs adds to that power.

And when that scream doesn't work, she pulls out all the stops, screaming until she appears to explode, vaporizing herself. And yet despite the power of this scream (it blows out the windows of the store and levels the book shelves), Jimmy and Superman's ghost remain alive.

I like the feel of this panel as well. Has a sort of Steranko feel to it.

When the dust settles, Jimmy sees not only Superman but his ghost (and the issue's mystery guest star), the Martian Manhunter. That explains the shape change and the intangibility parts of the ghost's makeup.

But was Superman really dead??

Nope, her powers put him into a deep coma. And Superman doesn't even know if he would survive andother round of that scream. Okay, maybe that is a little easy.

J'Onn deduced that her confusion about the cops in the first brawl showed that she somehow needed to see the victim, or know who the victim was, to kill them. Since the second officer was helmeted and since she thought it was the first officer, the second was immune to that personal scream (targeting the first cop). Interesting. By convincing the Banshee that he was Superman, the Martian Manhunter was immune to the lethal nature of the scream (even if it did hurt him). See it was aimed for Superman, not him (despite his form).

In later incarnations, it turns out that the Banshee can kill you if she screams your true name. That is why Superman believing he is Clark first, or Matrix being Linda Danvers and not Supergirl, made them safe in future adventures. I like that wrinkle about her power more than this original attempt.

Jimmy, being the investigator he is, also realized she was looking for some books from the Castle Broen from Ireland. Later, the Banshee is linked more to Scottish roots.

So this first appearance lays down some ground rules for the Silver Banshee but her powers and origin evolve a bit.

But for me, the best thing about this issue is the fact it is over in one book! A new villain! Superman's death and wake! Reactions from the DCU! And a quick resolution! Amazing.

I can't wait to see what this new Banshee is all about. And we get George Perez on art! Not a bad sub for Mahmud Asrar.

Overall grade: B/B+

Review: Superboy #5

There have been plenty of surprises in the DC relaunch. Titles I thought for sure I would love that I haven't (like Green Lantern Corps or Captain Atom). And titles I thought I wouldn't collect but was lucky enough to stumble upon and pick up (Birds of Prey and Demon Knights).

But all of the surprises, Superboy is the biggest. I have enjoyed this title more than I ever thought I would, especially when reading the pre-relaunch buzz. But somehow this title has churned along, revealing more and more about Superboy and N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and boasting a great and complex supporting cast.

Last issue was the first time that Superboy stood front and center, now supporting cast around him, and I wondered if he alone would keep me intrigued. He is growing as a new person in this world. Will his characterization match that of those around him?

This issue, the supporting cast is back. And Superboy continues to grow as a character. So this issue was a win. Scott Lobdell seems to be slowly letting Superboy form his own personality, free from NOWHERE's control. And right now, he seems like a powerful kid on the edge, albeit with good tendencies as we see here.

Add to that RB Silva's amazing art, and this book continues to shine.

The book opens with Superboy back at N.O.W.H.E.R.E., running through the usual tests, and ready to fulfill his mission of bringing in rowdy super-powered youths.

So it is interesting for me that Superboy is willing to trade Wonder Girl to NOWHERE to buy his own freedom. That isn't exactly noble. But he never exactly says outright that he is on board for that plan.

What I really liked was Superboy taking charge of his own life, including the 'Michael Corleone' like statement of tying off loose ends. Time to settle some family business.

We still don't know exactly what N.O.W.H.E.R.E. stands for or what there overall mission. But there has always been a sense of evil there. Here we see a more concrete representation of that evil. N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s supervisor Templar morphs into some sort of multi-headed demon which slaughters a crew of workers for their failure.

To be honest, the off-screen slaughter works so much more for me then actually seeing the heads impale these guys. The unknown sense of what could makes a 'splortch' sound works better than an actual panel of flesh being rendered.

The best character of the book for me so far has been Rose Wilson. She is tough, takes no prisoners, and strong-willed. But she was also good friends with Fairchild. We know Rose knew Caitlyn's secret but kept it to herself, not letting NOWHERE know. She is a true mercenary, working for but not necessarily espousing her employers beliefs.

She took off a couple of issues ago but is back now. I hope at some point Lobdell fills in what prompted her to return. Here Superboy gives it to her, wondering where Rose was when 'Red' got taken. I love how Silva let's us know just how self-defeated Rose feels, slumped against the wall. It is the first time we have seen Rose in a position other than strength or battle.

But part of the loose ends for Superboy is saving Caitlyn who is being taken to 'the colony'. Maybe he didn't say this to Rose because he doesn't know just where her loyalties lie.

Conner has no problem stopping the truck Fairchild is being transported in, scattering the Metans that N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has guarding her.

I love this red flare effect of the tactile telekinesis. Beautiful.

And he saves Caitlyn, turning her over to whoever she was working for. Could this be the DCnU introduction to John Lynch?

But it is clear that Superboy hasn't bought into what N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is doing, doesn't trust anyone there, and wants to save the one person who fought for him. Nice character growth.

As for Rose, she stumbles upon a jump drive hidden in Caitlyn's quarters and rather than give it to N.O.W.H.E.R.E. she peeks at it herself.

And Rose is on there, named Ravager, and part of 'Culling Day'. Culling day? Must be N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s plan to send out their brainwashed young Metans to kill someone ... maybe older  heroes?

My guess? N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has implanted a control chip in Rose as part of their plans to convert her to Ravager. In turn, Rose removes the chip herself by ... gauging out her eye to get to it. You heard it here first!

And Superboy sneaks back into his quarters so he can't be implicated in the Fairchild rescue. And he starts to push back against his masters. It is all coming to a head here, nicely.

Hopefully, next month's brawl with Supergirl is handled well. And hopefully I don't need to read Titans to see how this all turns out ... because I am not.

And man, RB Silva just continues to do fantastic work here!

Overall grade: B+

Dollmaker Designs And Jamal Igle's Run

We are nearing the end of Jamal Igle's look back on his Supergirl issues over on his blog. This series of posts has really been a joy for me, a way to relive those issues and get a look into the creative process. Here is the link to his review of Supergirl #58, the first part of the Dollmaker story:
http://jamalligle.blogspot.com/2012/01/from-vaults-supergirl-58-finale-part-1.html

Here, Igle reviews some of the concept art for the Dollmaker, the Toyman's estranged and insane son. Above was the settled on design which works well giving him a sort of 'wetworks' feel with the apron.

But here were the other designs.

The tophat and goggles look gives him a steampunk feel, something Jamal Igle says Sterling Gates was going for. But it also smacks a bit too much of the Mad Hatter, especially the Depp Mad Hatter.

Igle says he wanted a demented 'Little Lord Fauntleroy' feel to the Dollmaker and so came up with this design. But DC said it looked too much like Klarion. I agree.

And then there was this design with the Dollmaker as an angry young modern man. I am glad this wasn't decided on. For one, this looks too ordinary ... like a kid that lives in anyone's neighborhood. You need a good super-villain look to be a ... well ... to be a super-villain.

Jamal reviews #59 here: http://jamalligle.blogspot.com/2012/01/from-vaults-supergirl-59-final-issue.html

Here is a closing statement by him:

Thank You Sterling, for being one of the best creative partners I've ever had. Thank you Keith Champagne, Jon Sibal, Marc Deering, John Dell and Robin Riggs for keeping up with my maddening exponentially growing obsession with detail. Thank You Nei Ruffino, Blond and Tom Chu for the beautiful color work you did. Thank you to all of the letterers who worked on the series. Thank you Nachie Castro, Wil Moss and Matt Idelson for showing faith, allowing me to experiment visually and pushing me to imrpove.
Most of all, Thank you Supergirl fans, for the love and occasional ire that you showed me over the years.

And I don't know what to say back except thank you Jamal. Thanks for everything. Your approach to the character, the costume, the story-telling. Your run with Sterling Gates was really a high point for the character.

Review: Legion Lost #5

It feels funny to be reviewing Legion Lost #5 the day after DC released a list of cancellations a mere 5 months into the DC relaunch. Why funny? Well, I worry that this book won't be given time to find its audience, for word of mouth to seep out that it is a quality book.

So I feel I need to do my part to spread the word that this is a very good book. (Of course, I say this knowing that Tom DeFalco comes on as the new writer in 2 months ... so who knows what it will be like then.) As I have said before, there are two great strengths to this book.

The first is the great characterization that writer Fabien Nicieza is bringing to this cast of Legionnaires. We have had rotating narrators since issue #2, allowing not only some deeper introspection for that character, but also to see how the other characters are perceived by their teammates. Tellus provides the narration in this issue, probably the biggest spotlight on that character since his inception.

The other strength is Pete Woods art. Woods has always been a favorite of mine but he has improved with each issue on the book, maybe as he becomes more comfortable with the characters and their personalities. But he sparkles here.

And while, as I have said before, the overall plot of 'a released mutating virus the Legionnaires have to stop' isn't one I necessarily think is great, the rest of the book is so good that I can look past it. In fact, we have moved forward in the plot enough to keep me happy.

The book picks up right where last issue left off, with the unlikely pair of Tellus and Dawnstar taking on powerhouse brute and Hypertaxis virus index case Alastor.

I do like this initial panel with Dawnstar thinking of the 73 ways in which the two can desperately retreat while Tellus thinks now is the time to stand up to the villain. And, as sometimes is the case, a telepathic attack might be the Achilles' heel for Alastor. It shows tremendous courage on Tellus' part, something I wouldn't necessarily list as a quality I think of in him but one I do think of for Legionnaires.

The '73 ways' reminded me of the famous scene in Dark Knight returns where Batman thinks of 7 ways to disarm the thug chasing him, 3 cripple, 3 disarm with minimal contact, 1 hurts. No where in that list was 'desperately retreat'.

Last issue was Dawnstar's spotlight and we learned how she is constantly bombarded by information from her tracking senses. How that information overflow makes her center herself, steel herself, and not give in to her emotions.

I like how hear Tellus recognizes that in Dawny, discussing how she is 'burdened' by passion. I wonder if living in our 'more savage' times is going to make those passions bubble to the surface.

I also had to include this panel to showcase just how fantastic Woods' draws Dawnstar.

And maybe she does give in to those passions as she is able to at least briefly hold her own against Alastor, dodging, weaving, and striking for a while against the triplicated giant. Her job is simply ... distract Alastor while Tellus tries to worm his way in psionically.

But the sparrow can only avoid the hawk for so long. She starts to take damage.

Tellus' has to make a tough decision. He can always lobotomize Alastor, save Dawnstar. But that would be crossing an ethical line. Again, this gives the reader a glimpse inside Tellus. He is powerful, maybe more powerful than I suspected. But he also has that internal core of heroism.

Realizing that he and Dawnstar might be in over their heads, he calls out to the rest of the team. They disable the Black Razors and try to join the fight. Wildfire leaves at top speed. Tyroc follows as fast as he can. And Timber Wolf throws Yera over his shoulder and leaves on foot.

Digging a little deeper, we learn Alastor's origin. His sister was killed while a student on Earth, a victim of xenophobic terrorism. Overwhelmed by grief and pain, Alastor gets to Earth, meets a disgruntled and drunk Psion, and create the Hypertaxis virus.

This overwhelming weight of this pain, this hatred for humanity makes it tough for Tellus to break through.

Now I have to say, I don't necessarily need all my villains to have a sympathetic back story. Sometimes I just want my bad guys to be bad guys. But this does add some dimension to Alastor.

Now I freely admit that Wildfire is my favorite Legionnaire so I might be biased about this book. But I really like the tortured relationship he has with Dawnstar. There is a lot said in a little here as Wildfire comes to her rescue.

Dawnstar knows he will be there to save her 'whether she wants it or not'. So maybe Dawnstar isn't as interested in Wildfire as he is with her. Maybe a simple way to curb her passions is to attach herself to a man who can never be passionate with her. Maybe this relationship is even more dysfunctional than the obvious first pass tells us. It is this depth of character, hinted at but there, that makes me like this book.

And, as a Wildfire fan, I had to share this splash page of some anti-energy glory as Wildfire tries to simply vaporize Alastor. I mean, this is what you live for as a comic fan!

But like any good Dragon Ball Z fan will tell you, it's never that easy. When the smoke clears, Alastor is still standing.

And that leaves Tellus to get back to business. I do like how he ends up doing breaking through this wall of hate towards humanity by showing Alastor a vision of the future where Alastor is revered as a savior for bringing Hypertaxis to Earth, uniting humanity with the galaxy.

It is very interesting way of shutting Alastor down, bringing him peace and love to break through the hate. Making his 'weapon' Hypertaxis into an olive branch. And that complete disconnect of his hopes ... being the hero rather than the villain ... psionically shuts Alastor down.

And to add to the relief of that victory, the Legion is given more good news. Gates is alive, albeit mutated a bit by Hypertaxis. We don't know how he survived, although I guess next issue he gets to play narrator.

But I love that the Legion actually smile here, happy their friend is alive, happy they were victorious, happy they are making headway.

Meanwhile, Timber Wolf continues to plod along to regroup with the team. That is ... until the Martian Manhunter shows up. So it seems that the Legion have finally got the attention of the super-hero community.

So, what can I say? Progression of the virus plot. Nice Tellus' characterization. Some deepening of the Wildfire/Dawnstar relationship. And one huge anti-energy blast splash page! What wasn't to love here.

I hope that Tom DeFalco picks up where Nicieza leaves him. This book doesn't need a 'new direction'. It needs publicity.

Overall grade: B+

New DC Titles - World's Finest; DC Cancellations

Just a couple of days ago when I was reviewing sales, I wondered when the news of the next wave of DC titles would be coming out. I didn't have to wait long. Over on USA today, Bob Harras revealed news of the next titles DC would be launching. Here is the link: http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-01-12/dc-comics-unveils-six-new-series/52504982/1

For me, the most interesting reveal was a World's Finest comic starring Huntress and Power Girl.

Here is a blurb about the title:

while Huntress and Power Girl are stranded on our world and want to return to theirs in Worlds' Finest, written by Paul Levitz with art by George Perez and Kevin Maguire in rotating story arcs. "What does that mean to be exiles from that Earth 2?" Harras says. "We thought it'd be a nice thing to bring this concept back and to really, as we did with the 52 initially, reconcieve it and freshen it up."

So, as a Huntress fan and a Power Girl fan, I am going to be in for this title. Add to that art by two of my favorites, Perez and Maguire, and I will definitely be in. I have liked the current Huntress mini-series so hopefully Paul Levitz can continue the momentum he is building there.

Now you know what I would have really loved? A World's Finest book with rotating Superman/Batman family members. Supergirl/Damien? Superboy/Batwoman? Batwing/Steel? All sounds good to me and could keep the title fresh. I have talked many many times here about the next World's Finest and who it should be. I had hoped Supergirl would be one of the members.

The other titles include Batman Inc. by Morrison (I'm in), Earth 2/JSA by James Robinson and Nicola Scott (I'm in), Dial H (probably not), Ravagers (probably out) and GI Combat (probably out).

In reviewing sales, I also wondered when the first cancellations would be announced. I didn't have to wait long for that either. Here is that quote:

to keep the line of books at a tight 52, six series launched in September are ending with their eighth issues: Men of War, Mister Terrific, O.M.A.C., Hawk and Dove, Blackhawks and Static Shock.

I don't know if replacing two failing war books with one new war book makes sense. I am sad to see Hawk and Dove go, mostly because I bet Sterling Gates had great ideas for that book long term.

Wow ... never a dull moment in the DCnU!

Super Family Cross Over

Over on the Superman home page, Super-editor Matt Idelson dropped some hints about an upcoming crossover event. Here is the link to the news and interview/Q&A session: http://www.supermanhomepage.com/news.php?readmore=10759

And here is the relevant blurb:

Many things that will be factors in Action this year are being established in issues #5-6, Frank. Grant (with the help of guest-artist Andy Kubert) has sprinkled an incredible amount of fun hints inside a really challenging story. Meanwhile, Keith and Dan are plotting some really star-spanning stuff for Supes, though before that we’ll be doing an event between Superman, Supergirl,  and Superboy in the summer. Superman hasn’t met Superboy yet, and his relationship with Supergirl isn’t exactly lovey dovey. Seeing how they function as a unit under those circumstances should be interesting, to say the least.

So, on one hand I am glad that the three will be getting together for a combined story, the first look at the 'Superman Family' in the DCnU.  After all, one of the appeals of Superman is his legacy, the family he has surrounding him. And, despite New Krypton and Grounded, I thought that the relationship Superman had  in the old DCU with both Kara and Conner actually was great. They had all grown together to love and respect each other. And maybe this is that first step.

That said, I have the same worries about this story that I have about Super-team in general in the DCnU. Who wants to read books where Superman has a lousy relationship with Supergirl or Superboy? And his relationship with his only living relative, between the only surviving Kryptonians 'isn't lovey-dovey'. I would suspect that both sides would want to embrace each other for support and friendship. Will they still not be talking to each other ... not trusting each other ... nearly a year into the DCnU?

I know this is a half a year away and much will have changed. But I really hope that this is a team up where the three learn to work together, trust each other, and become a family.

Sales Review: December 2011

It's that time again when sales figures for last month's comics come out and I try to analyze just what the heck it all means. I sometimes wonder if I was better off when I didn't know these numbers existed, when I didn't try to survey the comics landscape and try to anticipate just where a comic fits into the pecking order of the almighty dollar.

As always, I thank the folks at ICv2 for doing a great job of not only giving a big picture analysis but also showing some of the details. Here is a link to December 2011's top 300 selling comics: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/21881.html

Now last month's sales showed that maybe things are settling a bit after the explosion of the New 52. Marvel was able to reclaim the top spot in 'market share' while DC dominated the top ten selling books, claiming 8 of the top 10 and boasting 4 books that sold over 100K each. That's incredible.

While there is no doubt that there is a top tier for DC sales, there now seems to be a middle tier and lower tier as well. Not everything is selling as wildly as it did the first month.

 

Supergirl seems to have settled nicely into that middle tier, performing solidly last month. While sales for Supergirl #4 were down 13% from the prior month, her rank remained stable (rising one spot to #42). As each issue of this title seems to be building momentum, I am glad that readers are sticking around.

So Supergirl selling nearly 40K is wonderful and hopefully sales will remain this brisk. But shedding over 10% of readers a month for the second month in a row is somewhat concerning. And yet, the rank holding steady seems to imply that people are simply shifting their comic spending money around or shedding titles everywhere.

This isn't a big surprise to me. I said myself that I would try a bunch of the new 52, settle on some, try some for an arc, and reassess. (That should be a month to month process really.) Within the next couple of months, I will drop DC Comics Presents (once the Jenkins/Chang arc ends) and I anticipate dropping Hawk and Dove.

And remember, there is that lower tier of the new 52's. I arbitrarily chose 21K as a cut-off mark for sustainable sales. There are 12 of the new 52 below that line. This includes Hawk and Dove (which I currently collect).

How will DC respond to this lower level is the most interesting question. We have already heard about creative team changes and 'new directions' a mere 4 months in. How long will DC keep these lower selling titles afloat to see if they can find an audience before pulling the plug?

And when will the 'new new' batch of title be announced?