DC December Solicits - Other Supergirl Appearances

Well, even after showing the "New Krypton" issues and the Teen Titans cameo issue, there are still more Supergirl issues to discuss in December. And I have to say I am sort of giddy about this first one!


SUPERGIRL: COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE EIGHTH GRADE #1
Written by Landry Walker
Art and cover by Eric Jones

Meet Linda Lee! She’s the newest kid on the block – and the planet, too! Find out how an ordinary girl from Krypton became the most extraordinary girl on Earth in the pages of this brand new monthly series. And if you think life is tough as a hero, try being in the eighth grade.

This series has been talked about by DC since April and finally we have a release date in December! This sounds like the perfect comic for 'tween' girls and boys, someplace between Super Friends and mainstream comics. And, of course, it will introduce Linda Lee to a whole new generation of Supergirl fans.

Linda Lee! Awesome!

Writer Landry Walker continues to drop hints and updates on his blog ( http://xray-studios.livejournal.com/ ) and says that there are 2 finished issues already with full scripts for issues 3 and 4. So it doesn't sound like there will be skip weeks here.

This should be a lot of fun!


SUPERMAN/SUPERGIRL: MAELSTROM #3-4
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Art and cover by Phil Noto

On a distant world under a red sun, Superman and Supergirl struggle to survive. Encountering a strange tribe of aliens, Superman is given a vision of the future while Supergirl is left to fend for herself. Elsewhere, the Apokoliptian woman known as Maelstrom continues her quest to become the bride of evil incarnate!

I like the idea of bringing the super-cousins to different locales and see how they act together. I don't think we have seen Supergirl on a red sun world yet, so this will be a novel experience for her.

And this cover has such a different vibe than the previewed cover for issue 1 where it looked like Superman was flying to Supergirl's rescue. Here she is front and center wielding a stick against some ornery looking aliens.

I really want this book to have a team-up feel to it rather than hero and side-kick.



REIGN IN HELL #6
Written by Keith Giffen
Art by Tom Derenick & Bill Sienkiewiczand Chad Hardin & Walden Wong
Cover by Justiniano

Pull up a front-row seat for a violent rampage through Hell! Dr. Occult finally meets up with the mystic alliance in Purgatory, and the new power in Hell threatens to change the meaning of life and death in the DCU!

All right, so it is not really Supergirl, but Linda Danvers is supposedly in this title and, as such, warrants mentioning. Hmmm ... a violent rampage through hell. I have seen Linda cut loose a number of times in the Peter David Supergirl title. Hopefully she is front and center.

And anyone else think that is Neron's head on the top of the pike? That would be an interesting plot twist.

Lastly, don't forget that Showcase Presents:Supergirl Vol 2 is also shipping in December, just in time for the holidays!

DC December Solicits - Supergirl and "New Krypton"

DC has really been showcasing Supergirl recently, having her appear in a number of titles and putting her on a bunch of covers.

December is no different. The entire month's solicitations are now viewable on http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?dat=20081207 and it looks like it will be a month of happy holidays for Supergirl fans. She will be seen in 6 titles!

As it is a heavy month, I will showcase the super-titles on this post and the other titles tomorrow. Having seen how well Supergirl has been handled in the Superman titles, I am anxiously awaiting the "New Krypton" arc. Here are the issues, in chapter order for this super-title crossover event.

ACTION COMICS #872

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Pete Woods

Cover by Gary Frank

Variant cover by Chris Sprouse

“New Krypton” part 7! As Superman attempts to free the other cities and abductees from Brainiac's ship – including the original monster military unit, the Creature Commandos – Lex Luthor experiments on Brainiac himself. Meanwhile, rebuilt and out for blood, Metallo and Reactron attack, and a major turning point for one of our characters sheds a dark shadow across all that is good.

So no official mention of Supergirl here, but as she is such a key player in "New Krypton", I am sure she'll be here.

I do like that Reactron is mentioned here. I truly think he is going to become the first official member of Supergirl's Rogues Gallery, a super-villain with a grudge specifically against her. And as mentioned before, it strikes a nice chord with us old-timers as Reactron was a Supergirl villain from way-back in the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl series.

I also am somewhat amused at all the old-time DC characters that Geoff Johns has been re-imagining or bringing back. In Brainiac's ship alone we have seen the bottle city of Kandor, Ultra the Multi-Alien, and this issue's guest stars The Creature Commandos. First seen in Weird War Tales #93, this combat unit consists of a human, a vampire, a werewolf, a Frankenstein monster, and a medusa. During their last WWII mission, the rocket they were riding to Berlin was knocked off course into deep space. It is certainly plausible that Brainiac would run across them and capture them. Who would think in this day and age that The Creature Commandos could somehow be a viable group of characters.

I am somewhat disappointed that Gary Frank is only doing the cover of this issue. But Pete Woods is a more than adequate pinch hitter. Woods' art might have been the only redeeming quality of the Amazons Attack mini-series. He was able to draw close-ups of characters as well as expansive battle scenes with equal excellent quality. And in that series he drew a stunning Supergirl. Again, he is one of those artists who's name alone will make me flip through the book if not out and out buy it.

SUPERGIRL #36
Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Jamal Igle & Keith Champagne
Cover by Joshua Middleton
Variant cover by Chris Sprouse

“New Krypton” part 8! In the aftermath of ACTION COMICS #872, the city of Kandor is rocked to its core and Supergirl angrily unleashes her full power! The Kryptonian population is pushed to its limits and the mystery of one of Kandor's vigilantes gets deeper and deeper! Meanwhile, just what is Cat Grant smiling about? And what's her latest article have to say about the Girl of Steel?

I have already gushed enough about Josh Middleton's cover art but man, this cover just rocks!

It will be interesting to see exactly who is on the receiving end of Kara's 'full power'. One of the threads I hope will be extensively explored in this arc is where Supergirl's loyalty lies. After all, Johns describes her as fighting for 'truth,justice, and the Kryptonian way' not the American way. She grew up on Krypton and hasn't exactly easily meshed with the culture here on Earth. My heart tells me that despite spending about 2 years here, she will jump at the chance to return 'home'.

I can only hope that this is done in a way that does not further isolate Kara from people and heroes here. I have had enough of the Kara who feels hopelessly alone, who prefers to sulk in her apartment, and is dripping with angst and anger. I want her to be a hero.

Hopefully, as this story unwinds, Supergirl will realize she belongs here rather than in Kandor.

SUPERMAN #683
Written by James Robinson & Geoff Johns
Art by Renato Guedes & Wilson Magalháes
Cover by Alex Ross
Variant cover by Chris Sprouse

“New Krypton” part 9! Violence breaks out on Earth as the Kryptonians, enraged by humanity's treatment of them and their newly passed anti-Kryptonian laws, strike back! Imagine 100,000 people, each with the powers of Superman but lacking his humanity – and they’re angry!

And so we start to approach the end of this arc. Of course humans will be fearful of a city full of Kryptonians on Earth. If Superman might be able to subjugate the population on his own, imagine what an army of Supermen could do. I like the hinted at 'anti-Kryptonian laws', something of a riff on both Kingdom Come and Civil War. My guess is the Kandorians won't be happy with being isolated in their city again and therefore will attempt to branch out and maybe take over. Given the abundance of Kryptonite on this issue's cover, I think I know how Superman will try to keep them in line.

As much as I am interested in Supergirl's take on the presence of Kandor, I am almost as intrigued with Superman's response. Let's face it, he is a midwestern farm boy before he is Kryptonian. He might not feel as attached to that culture as Kara. Will his curiousity about his origins overwhelm his morals? He and Supergirl are perfect foils for each other here.

I really hope that at some point there is a scene of the two of them simply talking about what their feelings are about Kandor being returned.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the variant covers on these issues. It looks as though DC is using the retail hook of variant covers as a way to attract new readers and sales to the books. Last month's chapters variant covers were done by Stephane Roux, a great cover artist. My guess is that the variants done by each artist will be able to be pieced together as a triptych style poster.

This month's variants are being done by another great artist, Chris Sprouse. Sprouse has been most recently lauded for his work with Alan Moore on Tom Strong, a book which never quite did it for me.

And while I got a handful of issues of Tom Strong as well as his recent Ex Machina Special mini-series, I am most familiar with his art from the Legionnaires series released way back in 1993.

While his art has improved over these 15 years, I loved his work on this title. He definitely was able to handle the large cast and wild action scenes that were called for in Legionnaires.

I am very interested in seeing his version of Supergirl. Here are a few panels of Andromeda, Laurel Gand, of the Legion. With both Supergirl and Mon-El written out of continuity at this point, the powers that be created Laurel as a stand-in for both in the rebooted Legion continuity.
I liked his Andromeda so I am sure I will be pleased with his Supergirl.

We are a short month away from the Superman:New Krypton Special. This should be good!

Teen Titans #60

The DC December solicitations are previewed on Newsarama. Here's the link:
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080915-dc-december-solicitations.html

I will be covering all the Supergirl appearances (including a long-announced title finally being released). But I was intrigued at the blurb for Teen Titans #66, whose cover is shown above. Here is the blurb.

TEEN TITANS #66

Written by Sean McKeever

Art and cover by Eddy Barrows & Ruy Jose

Teen guest stars galore! With only four members left, it's time for the Teen Titans to hold a recruitment drive! Who will make the cut, and who will be sent packing? Who will refuse to even show up, and who will bring a boatload of trouble with them?

Yeah, that's Supergirl on the cover as one of the 'teen guest stars' galore. I really like Eddy Barrows' style of art. While just a tiny pic on the corner of the cover, you can tell he does a nice Supergirl.

As for her joining the Titans, I don't think she will. I can't imagine given the integration of Kara into the Superman titles, and with the creative new direction she is getting in the Supergirl title, I doubt DC would want her to be spread too thin.

On re-reading the blurb, I think Supergirl is going to be the one who 'will refuse to even show up.'

Supergirl has already tried to be a member of this team, starting back in Teen Titans #50. You may recall that it wasn't a successful relationship.

Early on in Teen Titans #55, we see this panel (drawn by now-Supergirl artist Jamal Igle). That's Kara storming off, telling Cassie to lose her number. After what seemed to be a nice friendship between Supergirl and Wonder Girl, shown in both Teen Titans and the Supergirl comic, there is a major falling out between the two.

Cassie admits to Kara that she was only her friend, that she only invited her to join the Titans, as a way to help Wonder Girl with her grief over Superboy. Cassie hoped that by having someone 'super' around her, she would feel a little comfort for Conner's passing.

When Wonder Girl realizes she needs to move on ... that she needs to mature, she kicks Supergirl off the team. Feeling used, Supergirl flies off angrily. I can understand both sides of this relationship.

I'll probably buy the issue, just to see how they show Kara ... to see if Cassie and Kara continue this mini-feud or if they resolve it amicably. Still, either way, I cannot see Supergirl joining the team right now. Besides, we already know that Supergirl has a slot on the new James Robinson Justice League, whenever that finally gets released.

Preview Pages of Action Comics #869

AintItCool has the first 4 pages of Action Comics #869 previewed. Even though we are only a couple a days away from the issue being released, it is still worth taking a peek. It definitely whets the appetite. Here is the link: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38332

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank have definitely re-invigorated Kara with their protrayal of her in Action Comics. Even in these 4 pages we see they continue to keep her on the right track of a heroic young woman.

First they show a natural response to her being confronted by Brainiac, the Kryptonian version of the Boogey Man. Yeah, she looks a little scared here as the Brainiac probes advance against her and Lois on the Daily Planet roof. And using heat vision as a range weapon makes sense, a way of both attacking Brainiac but keeping her distance.

I love this response though. When heat vision turns out to be useless, and even when Lois tells her to fly away, Kara does the right thing. She rolls up her sleeves and decides to get her hands dirty. It's time to confront the demon who killed so many on Krypton. It's time to fight Brainiac. It's okay that she invokes Kal's name when she does so. Kal didn't give up ... so neither should she.

It's worth a close up to once again showcase Gary Frank's excellent artwork.

These pages were as close to perfect as you can get. Here we see a heroic young woman not only facing her fears but confronting them head on. This is just what I am hoping to see with Supergirl ... that growth of a hero.

With Geoff Johns helping Sterling Gates write the Supergirl title, I think we are all in for one hell of a year.

Of course, a full review will be up later this week.

It Came From the Back Issue Box: Action Comics #289

I know the back issue reviews have been coming fast and furious recently. I hope people don't mind.

This weekend I am going to be the Best Man at my best friend's wedding and with romance in the air, I couldn't help but dust off Action Comics #289. Written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel and drawn by Supergirl wunderkind Jim Mooney, two major legends, it is titled 'When Supergirl Played Cupid!' Plus it has one of the potentially Supergirl creepiest panels ever!

Ahhh ... ain't love grand!

At the beginning of the issue, Linda (Supergirl) Danvers has just finished watching a tear-jerker romance movie with her adoptive parents Fred and Sylvia Danvers. After seeing the character in the movie end up alone, she vows to find an appropriate wife for Superman.

Despite protests from her father that Superman should find his own wife, Kara comes up with an idea and speeds to the Fortress of Solitude. There she realizes who would be the most perfect woman for Superman ... none other than Helen of Troy!

Supergirl travels back in time and leaves a note for Superman to follow her back in time. While in ancient Greece, Kara is unable to achieve her goal of having Superman fall in love with Helen. In fact, Supergirl gets involved in some adventures and shows her charm, grace, and strength so well that she supplants Helen as the most beautiful and wonderful woman in the land.

After being hailed as 'The Toast of Troy', Supergirl faces the ire of a rather jealous Helen. Realizing that this match-making effort has failed, Kara and Superman return to the present.

But Supergirl isn't finished. She realizes that there is someone else who might make a great spouse for Superman ... Saturn Girl, or rather her grown-up self Saturn Woman. Supergirl convinces Superman to fly into the future with her. There they spend a holiday party with the Legion. Superman is rather taken with how beautiful Imra has become. In fact, it feels like love is in the air! And Kara helps fan the flames by putting some mistletoe up, leading to a couple of rather steamy kisses between Superman and Saturn Woman.

And boy it looks like he is a super-kisser too! Saturn Woman seems to be melting in his arms! Of course, she neglected to tell Superman that she is 'happily married' to Lightning Man! I guess no woman can resist the Big Red S! Sheepishly, Superman releases Saturn Woman from this kiss.

Realizing that this attempt has failed as well, the Super cousins return to the present again. There Kara reveals that she is only trying to make sure Superman is happy in the future and hopes to find him a wife. And then we get this panel in which Superman says that if he were to marry ...

Okay, it is a tad creepy that Supes is talking to his teenage cousin this way, don't you think? In the prologue of the Supergirl:Many Happy Returns trade, Peter David talks about this panel and says (and I am paraphrasing) 'so the only thing keeping Superman's hands of his jail-bait cousin are the moral codes of a world long dead!?'

That said, what is not to love about Supergirl? Who wouldn't love someone so super and lovable?

I just don't know if a 30-something cousin should be this into her.

Supergirl seems unfazed by this ... heck maybe a bit flattered. Realizing that Superman hopes for a woman just like her, she gets back on the trail.

And with the help of her super-computer, she finds a near duplicate super-heroine on the planet Staryl. Her name is Luma Lynai, continuing the curse of the initials 'L.L.' in Superman's life.

And once again, Superman shows he has all the moves as Luma also quickly swoons. The two fall in love almost immediately. After a short time on her planet, she agrees to join him on Earth forever.

Unfortunately, Staryl is a planet in an orange-sun system. The yellow rays of Earth's sun act like kryptonite to her. Luma cannot live on Earth and so must return home. Superman is so in love with her after such a short courtship that he actually says he will leave Earth to live on Staryl with her! Wow, he must really be in love with her! Luckily, she knows better and tells him Earth needs him and so he must stay.

And thus ends another whirlwind romance. Luma leaves and Superman returns to his normal life stating perhaps fate has another woman in mind for him. Kara is crest-fallen and returns home to tell her parents the tale.

She vows never to play match-maker again.

This is such a fun Silver Age story! Kara showing up Helen of Troy. Superman professing a hidden love of Supergirl. Gorgeous Jim Mooney art. This one sort of had it all. I can almost laugh off the slightly creepy innuendo from Superman.

The truth is I think there are a lot of Supergirl fans who are guys who fell in love with Kara as boys while reading her adventures. Of course, we are going to agree with Superman when he says he hopes to find someone as super and lovable as she is. Definitely an issue to look for and buy if affordable.

Overall grade: A (drippy with Silver Age gooey-ness)

As I am celebrating my friend's romance, I probably won't be posting again until early next weekend. Talk to you all soon!

Palmiotti and Gray on Superman/Supergirl:Maelstrom

Sorry it has taken me a week to get to this story. Over on Newsarama, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray were interviewed about their upcoming Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom mini-series which is coming out in November. Here is the link:
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/090805-SUperman-Supergirl.html

Now I have to say that I was excited about this mini-series as soon as it was announced, but most of that excitement was secondary to my absolute love of Phil Noto's art.

Some may recall that I had some trepidation about how Palmiotti/Gray would handle Kara given her disinterested rave girl personality they gave her in Supergirl #12. I have to say that a lot of that worry has dissipated after reading this brief interview. I recommend reading the whole thing, but here are the bits that stuck out to me.

NRAMA: Thanks for talking to us, guys. Let's talk about Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom – how did the idea for this come about?

JP: We were looking for something interesting to do with the two characters that hasn’t been hit on yet and this series was originally going to be a Superman Confidential story until we all agreed it was too important, and too big for that series and even more that we were going to be featuring Supergirl more than we would have the right to in a Superman book, we all figured it would work better as a stand alone mini series or a hardcover.
JG: The heart of the story looks at the relationship between Superman and Supergirl.

There is a lot to like about this response. First off, the powers that be felt that the story was too important and too big to be 'condemned' to Superman:Confidential. Let's face it, this story will probably sell more and be noticed more as a mini-series. But it was even considered for a hard-cover release. That speaks pretty loudly that this is going to be a good story.

But I also like the fact that the heart of the story is Kal and Kara's relationship. Let's face it, that is relatively uncharted waters. In Superman/Batman she spent some time in the fortress, but most of her time on Paradise Island. In Supergirl, she avoided Superman either to 'find her way' or to not listen to some embedded suggestion that she needed to kill him. And while Kelley Puckett clearly showed that they have a working relationship, we have never really seen them interact as family for any length of time. So I am intrigued by this.

Throw that exploration into the ingenious and original overlying plot of an Apokoliptian woman trying to woo Darkseid by killing Superman ... well that sounds very interesting!

NRAMA: And how specifically does it tie into Final Crisis?

JP: This does not tie into Final Crisis at all and we see that as a good thing.

I am actually happy about this. I like that this is going to be a 'stand-alone' story. After the cross-pollination and confusion of the New Gods in Countdown, Death of the New Gods, and Final Crisis, it will be almost refreshing to read about those characters in a more classic portrayal. Heck, for all we know Darkseid might be dead again in Final Crisis by the time this mini-series ends.

My guess is that this story will be in 'quasi-continuity'. Maelstrom will probably be seen again. Who knows exactly when this story takes place? But in the end, if it is a good story, who cares? We can mentally squeeze it into any convenient pre-Final Crisis moment we want.

NRAMA: This isn't a two person operation – you've got frequent collaborator Phil Noto turning your words into pictures. This is a big gig for him, being one of his first superhero works and doing it with Superman and Supergirl. How's he doing?

JP: Look at the work...the guy has the storytelling down pat, the action is brutal and the art is beautiful. He really has stepped up to the plate on this one and personally, having worked with Phil for years, this is his best and most passionate work to date.
JG: The style is much more open and cinematic rather than the intimate claustrophobia we wanted in his Jonah Hex stories. As usual Phil comes in and kicks all kinds of ass like a pencil wielding pencil arts master!

So as I have said often, I love Noto's art and can't wait to see a Kara-centric book illustrated by him. Noto is one of those professionals who's name alone will get me to buy an issue. Now I have not seen any outrageous super-hero interiors drawn by him.

But he has done plenty of spectacular covers on super-hero titles.

And I have certainly seen him do more street-level action before. I loved his issues of Jonah Hex which had the usual face-offs and gun-fights.

He also draws stunning women! I would post my Supergirl commission from him again, but I have already posted it twice before. And as shown in Scarlett: Declassified, he can draw beautiful women in tense action scenes without missing a beat. His web-site ( http://www.notoart.com/ ) is stuffed with more of his work so brew a cup, plop down in front of the PC, and just browse.

Overall, Mr. Palmiotti and Mr. Gray have piqued my interest for the title and make me feel that Kara will be treated seriously and portrayed appropriately. And Mr. Noto is doing the art! I am really looking forward to this book.

Kingdom Come - Supergirl and Brainiac 5's Daughter?

My many thanks to frequent poster Talos who brought up the presence of a Brainac 5/Supergirl daughter in the great Elseworld series Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid and beautifully painted by Alex Ross.

Now I have read Kingdom Come probably a billion times and did not recall anyone fitting that description. So I had to go back and thumb through the issues to see if I could spot her.

Here she is on the back cover of the letterbox Ross cover. There she is ... the green-skinned woman behind the Flash and Cyborg.

Now, at the end of the weekly series 52, it was revealed that the multiverse exists again but is limited to 52 universes. The 'Kingdom Come' universe was designated Earth-22. The Earth-22 Starman and Superman are currently playing significant parts in the Geoff Johns' Justice Society of America comic.

What do we know about the Supergirl of Earth-22?

Well, in Kingdom Come #1,the Spectre is discussing super-heroes to Reverand Norman McKay and he lists several who have simply stopped being active or left, leaving humanity to its own fate. On that page we see the above shot of the Legion. And who is flying right at the front of that phalanx?

Yeah, it's Kara. And that is probably Conner flying next to her. So Kara left the troubled present to spend her days in the brighter future. We can only conjecture why she would do that. Love of Brainiac 5? Frustration with present day Earth? Need to be in an environment more advanced like the one she knew best on Krypton?

What does seem apparent is that there is a Supergirl/Brainiac 5 amalgam, presumably their offspring, who is active in the present day. Here is her biggest showing in issue #2, albeit 2 panels and no lines of dialogue.

There she is in the lower right hand corner, flying in during this skirmish.

And here is the best shot of her. How the heck did I miss this despite my many readings of this comic over the last decade?

First off, she is basically a green-skinned Kara. But look at that costume design. The 'S' shield is the entire front of the tunic. The 'yellow' areas of the 'S' shield are actually cut out of the tunic, with her green skin showing in those areas. She has the choker and cape. Clearly this is someone linked to the super-family. Given everything we know, it makes perfect sense for this to be Kara and Brainiac 5's daughter.

Despite looking closely at all the issues, that is about it for her in the series. Maybe she is seen in the background of a couple of panels. Maybe.

Now Talos (another tip of the hat) wrote that the character's name was Kara Dox ... a mix of her alleged parents' names. Also a nice play on the word paradox. Of course her fighting in the past while her parents are in the future is sort of a paradox.

So mystery solved, right?

Not so fast. Look at how she is listed in the apocrypha section of the Kingdom Come trade paperback. Brainiac's daughter? Ancestor of Brainiac 5? Makes little sense, especially given her resemblence to Kara and her costume choice. Maybe this entry was an error?

Does anyone have any more information? Maybe from the Absolute Kingdom Come edition?

Regardless, whatever her origin or bloodline, we know her fate. She was not one of the survivors of the nuclear attack on the super-human war in Kingdom Come #4.

Anyways, my thanks again for having this brought to my attention. I still am flummoxed how I never saw her before.