2011 Year In Review Part Two: Top Supergirl Moments: Honorable Mentions

I have to say that these end of the year reviews are both a lot of fun to put together and some of the more difficult posts to put together.

2011 was an interesting year for Supergirl. There were 2 creative teams on the old volume. There was the relaunch and the DCnU. She was the muscle in the Justice League and suffered through another bout of 'Dark Supergirl'-ness. She was a member of the Superman Family as it fought through the Reign of Doomsday. And she continued to pop up in other places like Tiny Titans, DC Retro-Active, and even the DC Universe Online Legends comics. It's great that Supergirl has been such an active character in the DCU.

And that made it unbelievably tough to cone down to just the Top Ten Moments. As in the past, I have some Honorable Mentions, the events that almost made the cut to Top Ten.

# 5 - 'Red Skies' - DC Retro-Active Superman 1980s
With the DCnU around the corner, DC put out a number of Retro-Active books, a look back at some of their key characters in the prior decades. Superman got a Retro-Active treatments for the 70s, 80s, and 90s and Supergirl appeared in the first two. It was great to see those older versions of Supergirl, both in attitude and costume, one last time.

Marv Wolfman wrote the 1980s Retro-Active and the story revolved around the Monitor testing Superman's will, his resolve to continue to fight when faced with overwhelming despair. Superman is shown all the parts of the grim and gritty DCU that would happen in the near future. And then he is shown the death of Supergirl in the Crisis. That was the key moment in testing Superman. Would the Man of Steel wilt in the face of Supergirl's death. It did the opposite, making Superman want to fight even harder.

In this scene, Superman calls Kara to talk after waking from the visions the Monitor barraged him with. I have to say, it was interesting to see Wolfman, the man who killed Supergirl, acknowledge that her death would be a monumentally huge event for Superman. And it was fun to see this Supergirl again, albeit briefly, hanging out in her pajamas and petting her cat.

#4 - 'Affection For Humanity' - Action Comics #904
The Reign of Doomsday was the last story arc for the old Superman and the old Action Comics. And I will admit, I enjoyed it more that I thought I would. It was a wild, action filled story with crazy fight sequences even if some of the plot points were muddled.

Supergirl had some very nice moments in Paul Cornell's issues, enough to merit a couple of honorable mentions. Throughout the arc, and in this scene, Supergirl is shown to be extremely strong and a leader. And she often voices her feeling about how she is fighting for more than just herself. She cares about her family and the people of Earth. She isn't going to let anything hurt them ... not if she can help it. And that includes even unstoppable villains like Doomsday. Just pure heroics here.

#3 - 'The Meaning Of Heroism' - Action Comics #904
Reign of Doomsday was also picking up on some of the aftermath of Grounded (which was churning to a close in Superman). In Grounded, Superman was constantly questioning himself ... his role on Earth, his duty to the people of Earth, his purpose. I love how Supergirl can see through all that nonsense and set Superman straight.

When Superman wonders if he should continue to be a role model to people if it sometimes leads to tragedy (like the death of the Eradicator). Supergirl states the obvious, personal sacrifice for the betterment of all is a good thing, it is what it means to be a hero. Of course that's a good thing!

The student has become the master here. Superman needed to shake off the angst he was carrying and move forward.

#2 - 'The New World's Finest' - Batgirl #23
In a short period of time and over a couple of key crossover issues, Steph Brown/Batgirl and Supergirl became very good friends. There was something pretty magical about their crossovers. They seemed so natural together, easy pals still learning the ropes of super-heroics and willing to team-up and learn together. There was joy in these issues. What a great new World's Finest.

In this scene, Batgirl was trying to break up a prison riot and interact with her father and knew she needed help and called on all her friends, including Supergirl. Supergirl wonders out loud if their teaming up should be a regular thing. I would have loved to see an annual cross-over between these two but sadly it won't happen in the DCnU, at least not anytime soon.

This scene was the favorite of blog friend Gene.

#1 - 'Know The Risks' - Supergirl #62
James Peaty had a tough task ahead of him, following Sterling Gates on Supergirl while trying to pick up the pieces of Nick Spencer's plots.  And yet, he and artist Bernard Chang put together a great arc. For me, the best part of this arc was just seeing a more mature Supergirl understanding what she needed to do and then going out and doing it. Yes, she was still her own worst critic in this arc, a part of still being on the hero's journey, but that didn't stop her from being a hero and being recognized as a leader by others.

This scene seemed to encapsulate so much of that. She understood that there was a major threat out there, she knew she needed lead other heroes against it, and she knew that there was some risk in facing off against this enemy. And yet, despite that, she forged ahead. Knowing the risk isn't belittling it. It means going in with open eyes against the threats ahead. This was a calculating Kara ready to do what was right no matter what. And that showed a more mature hero. One with an unshakeable resolve. This scene almost made the top ten.

And those are the 5 honorable mentions for the Top Supergirl Moments for 2011. Tomorrow, the year wrap up and the Top Ten Supergirl Moments in 2011!

2011 In Review: Part One - What Might Have Been

Let's face it, 2011 was a crazy year for comics in general and DC Comics in particular.With sales down and cries of gloom and doom for in the industry echoing, DC gambled, blowing up the DCU, relaunching the DCnU, and churning up the mainstream publicity machine. And so far that gamble has been a win.

With that much upheaval as well as with all the great stuff that happened this year, there was simply too many Supergirl moments to have only one 'year in review' post. So this year I'll have three.

Today I'll review what I call the 'what might have been' moments of 2011, things that were hinted at or discussed ... things that might have come to pass with Supergirl if things had happened differently.

We'll start off with the appearances of future Supergirls in variant costumes in comics. So techinically these 'did' happen. They are just things that some day might have been.

First off, JSA All-Stars #17 we saw an alternate timeline were a super-hero named Regal eliminated evil from the Earth and led a massive Justice Guild to patrol the planet. One of those guild members was this snazzily dressed Supergirl, complete in a one piece blue dress. I loved Freddie Williams' art on this book and thought this was slick.

At around the same time, in Red Robin #19, Tim Drake set up a virtual future Justice League to safeguard the Unternet, the criminal internet world. This was the current Titans and next generation heroes as the League and front and center is Supergirl, again wearing a more classic one piece all blue uniform. I don't think it is coincidence that Kara is in front. She would lead that team.

The variant costume, some version of an all blue dress has popped up now and then, usually as a colorist or artist error.

But the DCnU relaunch put an end to those storylines. And it also put an end to the future plans that some creators had for their books. These may have been throw away ideas but they might have been real arcs planned.

James Robinson had put together a very enjoyable run on Justice League of America with his unique team of legacy heroes and other versions of the Big 7. That run came to an end with the old DCU and in JLA #60 Robinson teased some of the future stories he might have had in mind for the team.

Robinson always had his League fighting the most monumental of threats and these glimpses of what he had planned next were of the same caliber. In this one, Supergirl saves the day, stopping The Construct from firing off all the Fortress' weapons leading to a robot Armageddon. While this page showcased Supergirl, the other teases (fighting Martians, fighting Dark Opal) were just as interesting.

While the relaunch affected Robinson's JLA, it basically erased Steph Brown's career as Batgirl. And that is a shame because Bryan Q. Miller's book was a pure joy, a book I looked forward to month in month out.

Much like Robinson, Miller gave us some glimpses of his future arc ideas in Batgirl #24, the last issue of that book. This one looked great, the young female heroes of the DCU cast as Disney-style Princesses in the Queen of Fables world. Check out Kara as Cinderella. How I wish this one actually happened.

I miss this book.

But the 'New 52' happened and with it all the changes to the DCU.

Other creators on-line had their own ideas about what should be in the DCnU. Mike Maihack designed this Supergirl/Batgirl cover for the 'DC Fifty-Too', a site devoted to 'might have been' books for the new DCU. Maihack's cover got such buzz that he has since written and drawn a couple of well-received web comics with Batgirl and Supergirl. This is a 'sort of might have been' book because future strips still might happen!

But what else might have been in 2011?

Well way back in Superman #700 (June 2010), Sterling Gates reviewed his 2011 plans for Supergirl on a preview page he got to write about the book. While we got to see some of those stories, we missed out on a lot. Gates planned on sending Linda Lang to college. There was going to be another showdown with Superwoman. And it sounds like there was going to be a massive brawl with all Supergirl's rogues. But more importantly, it sounds like Gates was going to give us a happy Supergirl, stronger for all the lessons she learned in New Krypton.

Despite this long term plan and the printing of this page, Gates was taken off the book a short while later. I would have loved to see these stories as it would have really been the next phase in Supergirl's heroic journey. This is no knock to either James Peaty or Kelly Sue DeConnick, both of whom wrote arcs I thoroughly enjoyed. But it seems like Gates had a long term plan until he was presumably bumped for Nick Spencer, who lasted 15 pages. Ahh ... what might have been!

And, as if being denied those Gates' stories was tough, in 2011 we also saw some glimpses of what might have been if DC had given the green light for a Cosmic Adventures in the Ninth Grade. Landry Walker had a lot planned for their Kara and had some concept pictures to share. A team up with Batman?? The Locker of Solitude??

The first Cosmic book was near perfect. These glimpses of a potential Ninth Grade book only make me want to see a sequel even more! While this is a 'might have been', it really should be a 'make it happen'!

And so those are the 'what might have been' moments on 2011, a crazy year in comics as it was reflected by Supergirl.

Tomorrow, the honorable mentions for the Top Supergirl Moments of 2011.

Sales Review: November 2011

The DCnU reboot/relaunch certainly led to a massive uptick in comic sales and DC sales as a whole. Comic sales were robust, DC ruled to comic landscape, and comics were suddenly being promoted in mainstream media.

But could that momentum be maintained? Could the bloom stay on the rose? Or would entropy set in?

Well sales from November are interesting to peruse. As always, ICv2 does a great job breaking things down. Here is a link to their site and sales tables: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/21712.html

While DC continued to lead the market, the lead over Marvel has shrunk. Certainly, there are some thing about the DCnU that worry me. The changes in creative teams feels like there was a lack of foresight, a lack of the big picture long term in these books. DC is already talking about cancelling some books ... cancelling after 3 issues of sales, without allowing a book to find its market ... seems like too quick a trigger finger.

As for Supergirl #3, sales dropped pretty dramatically. The issue sold about 10K less than the prior! That's a 17% loss. What could have driven that many people away. And it is a shame because I thought the third issue was the best of the book so far, less decompressed and with more moments revealing who this Kara is.

Of course, you need to put these things in perspective. If a year ago you asked me if I would be happy with Supergirl selling 45K, I would of course say yes. But I don't know what to think about this ... and I don't want to overthink it. A drop of 20% this early can't be considered a good thing.

Hopefully we won't see a further freefall.

Review: Superboy #4

I didn't know what to expect from the Superboy comic in the new DCnU when it was solicited. I had never really read any Scott Lobdell comics. Conner sounded like another 'angry young hero', disinterested and angsty. And the 'old' Conner had just come off a quirky run by Jeff Lemire.

Surprisingly, I have rather enjoyed the new Superboy comic and that means the creators have had to overcome my pre-release apathy. But as I have said in prior reviews, my love for the comic has mostly been built around the supporting cast and the locale rather than Superboy himself. I don't think I should be surprised by that. This Superboy is a blank slate. So it is hard to like/dislike him at this point whereas 'Red' and Rose seem to be more fully developed and interesting people.

Superboy #4 was released this week and was really the first time the title character was the 'star' of his own book, as opposed to feeling like a player in an ensemble piece. This issue therefore gives us the opportunity to learn more about the character. Unfortunately, I don't know if I like him that much right now. The story this issue seems a bit scattered as Superboy runs through a gamut of emotions in a short time. And, of course, his being the star of the book meant little Red and no Rose, my favorite parts of the book. As a result, this issue has been the weakest of the bunch.

That said, RB Silva continues to shine on the book. The art here continues to be dazzling.

The book starts where last issue left off, with Caitlyn 'Red' Fairchild at her most She-Hulkiest, throttling Superboy for invading her quarters and threatening her. The opening page of her holding Superboy in a choke hold is crisp and definitely conveys the strength Caitlyn has in this form. I especially love how her costume/underwear have the green/purple color combo of the classic Fairchild.

Moreover, we learn a bit more about her as the fight continues. She is impervious to telekinetics; all thirteen of her group are. Hmmm, a new Gen13 I suppose.

While she is too slippery for telekinetics, the rest of her apartment isn't. Superboy implodes the place into them both and this attack renders her unconscious. It will be interesting to see just how invulnerable/durable this Caitlyn is.

Unconscious, Fairchild reverts to her smaller form and is quickly scooped up by a NOWHERE squad.

This only adds to her mystery. Who is she? How is she? Why is she in deep cover in NOWHERE? And who does she work for? Bio-terrorists? Really? I do hope we get to learn more about her story and soon.

This also introduces us to Centerhall, a NOWHERE agent who is now Superboy's handler. And this guy seems completely slick. Unlike the others, Centerhall wants to give Superboy all the information he wants. He wants to give Superboy some autonomy. He even seems chummy. But something about him seems too friendly, almost oily.

Still, he is at least partially up front with Superboy. Centerhall doesn't really know what NOWHERE's mission is. And each wing of NOWHERE seems to be oblivious of the others. Even on the Superboy project, no one group oversaw the whole thing. As a result it is hard to know just what Superboy's genetic make-up is. Each group did a little strand of DNA and no one seems to have the master blueprint. Centerhall is candid. That missing DNA might be from a killer. Will the half Luthor part of the old Superboy remain intact in the DCnU?

And Centerhall gives Superboy his freedom, letting him leave the NOWHERE Headquarters and live as a normal person. On the one hand it seems like a positive gesture. And yet, just how is Superboy expected to thrive in an environment he knows nothing about? A world which he doesn't know and which doesn't know him.

There are several pages of him wallowing a bit in his existence as a freak, a weapon, as someone who doesn;t understand the mundane world around him. And that wallowing leads to some rather brattish episodes where he lashes out at Christmas carolers, people eating in restaurants, and even igniting a Christmas tree.

I had to surpress an eye roll reading these pages. Poor poor Superboy ... so misunderstood. Even he doesn't know who he is. It just comes off a bit too cliche. I mean ... lighting a Christmas tree on fire?

His  little tantrums scare the citizens but really do no lasting harm. And when he witnesses someone being potentially hurt, he springs into action, saving this person pitched from a skyscraper by the super-powered teens we saw last issue.

Now this will be an interesting thing to examine in this book. And I hope Lobdell plans on exploring this. Why does he help people? His VR training? His genetic make-up? Because he is partially human and want to help his fellow person? And if he does want to help, why is he so conflicted about it at first? Why did he lash out before?

Basically what rules him? Is it nature or nurture which makes him decide to be a hero? And what about the other side of his nature (assuming it's Luthor)?

Nice panel here as Superboy confronts the teens. He decides to act 'like a human' and bring these murderers to justice.

And people should listen to him because he's Superboy; that should be enough.

This leads to a fight sequence where Silva really shines with glimmering red TK strands float amidst pyrokinetic flames and supermalleable limbs. It really is a slick couple of pages with nice angles and panel composition.

But these two aren't in Superboy's league and he quickly dispatches them. At one point he say that the only reason they are alive is because he isn't like them ... at least not this night. It does show that there is some conflict in him. He is really is a blank slate. Which way will he veer.

For now though, I like that avenging the people killed by these villains feels right to Superboy. There is more good in him.

But this is a pretty big emotional swing to happen in a few pages. I usually complain about the slow pace of comics these days. This epiphany was reached pretty quickly. My guess is there is more psychological internal conflicts to come.

Realizing he wants to be a force for good and stop killers like these two, Superboy returns to NOWHERE and re-ups. He wants to help round up other 'kids stirring up trouble'. This has to be what Centerhall was hoping for all along, something to happen to make Superboy run back to the only home he knows. The first one on the list:Wonder Girl.

So I have no intention of collecting Teen Titans so I hope this solo book becomes a partner book with TT. I suppose that until everything is up and running in the DCnU, some degree of crossover is necessary. I just hope I can understand this book without that one. Because I am more apt to drop this book than I am to pick that one up.

So overall, an okay issue albeit a bit too pat in some places. And I am sick of the conflicted hero wondering why they should help people. Can't people just be heroes any more??

Overall grade: B/C+

More From Jamal Igle's Blog

I have posted about this before, but Jamal Igle is reviewing his time on Supergirl an issue at a time over on his blog. The individual posts are great with Igle discussing his thoughts about his approach to the art, the story, and the characters. It is the 'behind the scenes' stuff that I just love to read. Here are some links and some great pics starting with Supergirl #35: http://jamalligle.blogspot.com/2011/12/from-vaults-supergirl-35.html

Here Igle talks how he wanted to mimic the 'de-powering chamber' from the Donner Superman II movie. It is so obvious now that he says it! Of course this was the simple way that Sterling Gates removed the angst/anger/crystal powers that plagued the earlier versions of the character. This crystal drained the Kryptonite poisoning from Kara.

And here are some thumb nails from the book. I have to go back to the issue and compare these to the actual layouts of the pages.

Supergirl #36 was the dramatic 'death of Zor-El' issue. Here is the link to that review:
http://jamalligle.blogspot.com/2011/12/from-vaults-supergirl-36.html

Igle does a great job reviewing his approach to that death scene and is definitely worth reading his words.

But this page stuck out to me. First off, Igle was the first to showcase crystal architecture (like the Fortress in the Donner movie) in the New Krypton arc. This was also the first appearance of the white cloaks as part of the Kryptonian culture.

I love that last panel as Kal and Kara look concerned when they hear Alura's bellicose words.

Looking at these pencil pages just remind me what a great and complicated character Alura was. I didn't always like her as a character. But I definitely missed her once she was gone.

Supergirl #37 included the introduction of Superwoman to the Supergirl rogue's gallery. New Krypton was just hitting its early strides and the mystery of 'Who is Superwoman?' was a big part of it. Here is the link to Igle's review of that issue: http://jamalligle.blogspot.com/2011/12/from-vaults-supergirl-37.html

One thing I didn't realize was the Superwoman's, Nightwing's, and Flamebird's costumes were designed by Alex Ross. Here is a picture Ross did.

There was a time I thought Nightwing was Conner (returned from the dead) and the Flamebird was Linda Danvers! That would have been a wild story!

We also meet the 'new' Inspector Henderson in this issue. Here is Igle's character design sheet for him.

I have to say I have been enjoying these posts, especially the production parts. There are now posts on Supergirl #38 , Supergirl #39 and Supergirl #40 as well. Moreover, it just reminds me how invigorating these early issues were. I feel like I am reliving these moments again, except now that this run is over it is almost bittersweet. In 4 issues we had a couple of new rogues, new supporting cast, and all of New Krypton! I don't know if I appreciated what Gates and Igle were doing as much back then as I do now with the run in my rear view mirror.

I highly highly recommend going to Jamal's site and reading his thoughts too!

Superman Family Adventures

Recently on the DC Source blog, an announcement was made that a Superman Family Adventures all ages title will debut in the spring. Here is the announcement link and a blurb: http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/12/12/announcing-superman-family-adventures/

This May, the Eisner Award-winning creative team of the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling TINY TITANS, Art Baltazar and Franco, will continue bringing their wonderful and unique humor to DC Comics with the new ongoing monthly series, SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES. The series will be starring (you guessed it!) the whole Superman gang – Superman, Supergirl, Superboy, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Bizarro, General Zod and … Fuzzy the Krypto Mouse!

But wait, there’s more! Before SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES hits stores, you’ll be able to get a sneak peak at the series in the DC Nation 2012 Free Comic Book Day Super Sampler!

So I am thrilled ... thrilled ... that the entire Superman family is being showcased in the book including Supergirl. I have gushed in the past about Baltazar and Franco's Tiny Titans book so I am interested in seeing what they have in store. Will it be primarily a humor book? An adventure book? A mix?

One thing I really like about the book is that it will introduce the extended Superman mythos to the next generation. Batman certainly has had the lion's share of the DC all ages market between Brave and Bold and all the solo titles tied into the various cartoons on television. Now Superman (and by extension Supergirl) gets a moment to shine.

Will this be in place of the rumored Super Best Friends Forever book? Or is the Supergirl part of this book the SBFF strip?

And, not to beat a dead horse, but isn't there room for Cosmic Adventures on the shelves?

Anyways, I am pumped for this book, will be at my LCS on FCBD with the supergirls to get the book, and anticipate reviewing it here.

2011 Year In Review

This splash page from Supergirl #59 was my number one Supergirl moment for 2010. It was the culmination of the Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle's run and symbolized just how far they had brought Kara over their time on the title. It even mirrored the opening page of Supergirl #34, their first issue, a near perfect bookend. That list is here:http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-in-review-and-top-ten-supergirl.html

I am starting to put together my 2011 Year in Review posts, a crazy year for the DCU and Supergirl. There were James Peaty's and Kelly Sue DeConnick's runs. There was her time as the muscle in James Robinson's JLA. And even as part of the Superman family in Reign of Doomsday. Plus any number of guest spots.

The plan right now is for a three day recap of the year for Supergirl. Day one will be '2011, what might have been'. Day two will be the 5 honorable mentions on the Best Supergirl Moments of 2011. And day three will be the big wrap-up, the Top Ten Supergirl moments of 2011. I am going to try to get these done by next week.

So which Supergirl moments will rise to the top for me?

More importantly, which one rose to the top for all of you? As always, one of the things I like the best about this blog is hearing from other Supergirl fans. So did any moments stand out in your mind? What were your favorite 2011 Supergirl moments? Let me know!