Supergirl Show 605: Prom Night

Supergirl episode 605, titled Prom Night (another movie title!), aired earlier this week. This series has veered towards overly serious and overly topical at times. So I was thrilled to watch this episode as it was one of the most entertaining episodes I have seen in a long time.

Yes, it is a time travel episode and with that it is filled with the usual timey-wimey conundrums. And we already had an 'Arrowverse' time travel episode this season on The Flash.

This one rewards long time viewers of the show by leaning into the history of the characters. Obviously, it harkens back to Midvale from way back in season 3. It shows us some of the early moments of Kara as she tries to figure out her place in the world. But this is a post-Crisis history and so there are new elements to this history, changes, 

But it is the actors that make this episode as special as it is. Jesse Rath gets to let it all hang out, cut free of any reins he has had on him. Eliza Helm channels  Calista Flickhart as a young Cat Grant. And the absolutely uncanny performances by Olivia Nikkanen as young Alex and Izabela Vidovic as young Kara that makes this a delight. Seriously, Nikkanen does such a spot on Chyler Leigh, down to expressions and speech emphasis that I felt like I was watching Leigh. 

There will need to be some explanations about how this current history jibes with what we know to be true (Kara hiding her powers, Alex losing her way and getting recruited by the DEO, etc. But that can be worked out later. For now I'll just enjoy it.

On to the details.

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary Is 13 Years Old!

Hard to believe but I celebrate 13 years of blogging today!

The blog has been a safe haven for me, a place to talk about comics and hear what the Supergirl fandom thinks about things that are happening with the character.

Throughout the 13 years, Supergirl's presence in the DCU has shrunk and grown and shrunk again. 

The last year has been a bit tough for Supergirl. Her character was dragged through the mud in Death Metal. Her book was shelved, the last two issues going out only digitally. The show went on a long hiatus. And then the Future State Kara Zor-El book was a non-Supergirl Supergirl book. 

It's okay. She'll be back.

Right now we are waiting for the Tom King mini-series, hopeful it will once again make Kara the hero she should be. The show is back on for a final season. And Sasha Calle has been named as the big screen Supergirl. 

So I don't think this blog will be going anywhere. 

The last year has also been one where the DC universe was soft rebooted. Brian Michael Bendis left the Superman books, ending a 2 plus year run of excellence. The Legion came back and finished its first two arcs. And I did a fun side mission exploring Mark Shaw in anticipation of his return as Leviathan in Checkmate.

Let's not forget that this last year was impacted greatly by the pandemic. So there were no 2020 conventions for me to comment on. There were no commissions to share. Hopefully all that will change.

Anyways, the best thing about this site is all of you who visit and chime in! I have made so many friends here and I appreciate all the comments I get. 

So here is to a baker's dozen of years of Supergirl Comic Box Commentary! Thanks for joining me on this ride!

Leviathan Wednesday: Manhunter (Vol 3) 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10

Welcome to Leviathan Wednesday, a running series where I look at the history of Mark Shaw while looking forward in time to his becoming Leviathan.

I have gone through much of his history and I have been fascinated how themes of truth, deception, honor, loyalty, identity, and masks have played through. When you see those themes, the idea of Shaw becoming a charismatic leader whose identity is his mask and his cult, who is against secrets becoming Leviathan makes perfect sense.

We are rounding the last corner with Marc Andreyko's Manhunter series, the third volume bearing that name. And bear with me, this post doesn't have Mark Shaw in it per se. We are early on in this Kate Spencer series. She is just getting a handle on her super-heroing under the name Manhunter. She is trying to get a better handle on the tech she has purloined for her purposes.

But it is clear that Andreyko did his homework about that Manhunter name. You will see in this post that the Manhunter legacy is an important part of this series. In many ways, Spencer is the polar opposite of Shaw. He was a Public Defender. She is a prosecutor. No wonder he held a grudge in Event Leviathan. 

The art by Jesus Saiz and Javier Pina is wonderful. There is a fine-lined elegance to the proceedings. And the coloring is moody and evocative, giving this superhero book a sort of Noir feeling at times.

Let's dive in.

Review: Superman Red And Blue #2

Superman Red and Blue #2 came out last week and overall was a better issue than the first issue of this mini-series. I know that is an awkward opening sentence for a review but I was basically let down by the first issue and worried that this mini-series wouldn't be a celebration of Superman but instead using our hero as a plot point to celebrate others.

That unfortunately continues in this book. We get a Ma Kent story. We get a Val-Zod story. We get a Lex Luthor story. And we get a story about Ava, the sweet heroic school girl. And we get a Cyborg Superman story. Of these, Superman is really only involved in the last two. And of those, he really only uses his powers in the last one.

These are all fine stories. They all have something to say. And they all give us their message very nicely. Unlike last issue, this doesn't feel like every story has an important social message to tell that a tangential Superman story is bolted on. But this felt more like a Superman family book than a Superman book and that isn't what I am hoping to get out of a six dollar prestige book titled Superman Red and Blue. 

Maybe the Bolland cover alone is worth the price. Love it!

On to the particulars.

Review: Justice League #60

Justice League #60 came out this week and was simply a great issue. We are in the Brian Michael Bendis era of the League and we are in the early stages of his team coming together. There is an underlying plot, the incursion of powerful aliens from Naomi's home dimension. But for me, the juice of this issue, like the one before, is the character interactions as the team comes together.

This issue we get some fun Naomi moments. We get some great Hippolyta moments. We get some informative Black Adam moments. But the axle the book spins around is Superman. I suppose I am biased but I am loving how Superman is the inspirational leader here. And I love seeing how people around him respond. 

I loved how Bendis wrote Superman so I am thrilled to still get him on the character.

David Marquez remains on art and his stuff is just wondrous. I love the expressive work on the characters. You can see what they are thinking easily. The action spots are kinetic and dynamic. And it all is so smooth. Dazzling. 

A solid start to a new direction! I am very happy.

On to the book.

Supergirl Show 604: Lost Souls

 Supergirl episode 604, titled 'Lost Souls', aired this week and was another fast paced, 'hold on I have a crazy comic book explanation' episode which already seemingly tied up one of the major plots of this young season, the plague of phantoms on Earth. Alas, I can't think of a movie title which ties into the episode title.

As I said, we wrap up the Prime Phantom plotline here but with the most insane science a Bronze Age writer could shake a pencil at. Whether it is soul percentages, Ghostbuster homages, mirror portals, soul chrysalis, or DNA sensors, you just have to roll with it. Astonishingly, it all works. I grew up on comic book science. It is fun to see it on the small screen.

Outside that, the strength really has been the character development we have seen in this handful of episodes. It is great to see Kara act the hero here, pulling her dad forward. And it great to see that inspiration still impacting her friends on Earth. In fact, like last week, Katie McGrath kills it as Lena Luthor with several excellent scenes. 

And it was great to see the old series opener again with Kara talking of being a refugee and referencing her saving Alex's plane! It made me nostalgic. 

On to the show.

New Tom King Tweet

When Tom King was announced as the writer on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, I was a little worried. Okay, maybe more than a little worried.

And then he tweeted about how great his new character was going to be in the mini-series making me nervous again. 

Earlier this week I read his Superman Up In The Sky trade and was surprised at how he seemed to understand Superman. 

And yesterday Tom King put out this tweet. And for a second, there was hope.