Review: Action Comics #967

Action Comics #967 came out this week and started the 'God Killer' storyline which focuses on Lex Luthor. When the #Rebirth titles were announced, I was worred when Action was labeled the Luthor book, the superbook where Lex would be the star. That hasn't been true. This is clearly a true Superman book, even if Lex calls himself that now. But while he isn't the star, Lex is basically a cast member of the book now. Gone are the days of Luthor attacking Superman now and then. He is a part of the machinery now.

All that said, this issue clearly focuses on Luthor and the ramifications of some of his recent actions. There is some mystery here, some new plotlines which had me stroking my chin. And we are again reminded of Luthor's history, the foundation on which his ethos is built. While Lex is in the spotlight, we get a lot of Lois here as well. Some 'Other Clark'. And some great Clark and Jon moments as well. Writer Dan Jurgens really understands these characters. These quiet scenes are my favorite part of the book.

Add to that the burgeoning threat of the God Killers, and this was a winner of the book.

Tyler Kirkham is back on art and really sparkles. There are several splash pages in this book, moments that deserve big art. But Segovia does a great job of using smaller inset panels on the non-splash pages to make sure the meatiness of the story moments is kept. And the art in panels of all sizes shines wonderfully.

On the the issue.

Review: Supergirl #3

Supergirl #3 came out this week and was a very solid issue for this new title. I have said all along that I'm not a big fan of Zor-El as the Cyborg Superman which made this opening arc something of a tough sell for me. But writer Steve Orlando did the miraculous and actually had me care for the Cyborg Superman, sympathize for him. It is clear that this Zor-El simply wants to do anything he can for his daughter. But the path to Hell is paved with his good intentions.

And Kara really shines in this issue as a teenager coming to grips with her new life, her new role as a hero, and someone still in mourning. She runs the gamut of emotions here and is proactive in fighting against injustice and abominations. There are great moments between her and the Danvers and her and her birth parents which provide some nice grist for the literary mill. It is a nice contrast to play up. And both sets of parents are thinking of her as their daughter and want to care for her.

Add to that a nice new wrinkle in the Cat Grant arc and overall I was very pleased. This is the type of story I am hoping to read in Supergirl. I closed the book and was already wanting to read the next installment.

The art is done by Brian Ching and his style is slowly winning me over. It is rougher than I thought it would be. His expressive work is very good. But his not drawing any face on smaller renditions irks me a bit. And I had to include the Bengal cover as it really emphasizes the pressure Kara is feeling. It reminded me of the classic scene in Spider-Man #33 where Peter is buried under wreckage.

On to the story!

Supergirl Episode 205: Crossfire

Supergirl episode 205:Crossfire aired earlier this week and was an incredible episode for character growth. Obviously, the biggest moment was Alex basically coming out to Maggie Sawyer. But James, Mon-El, and Winn also had great moments as well.

In fact, I think this episode is encapsulates what the overarching theme of this season seems to be about. Self-discovery. Kara is trying to find herself as a journalist. Jimmy wants to be more than a publisher. Winn is happy and confident in his new role in the DEO. Lena wants to shed the negativity of the Luthor name and become something new. J'Onn is trying to grow into the role of mentor for M'Gann. M'Gann is trying to be a Green Martian because she is ashamed of her White heritage. And Alex ... well Alex is dealing with the fact that she has denied her sexuality for some time. Everyone is in some state of evolution. And it is incredible.

I also have to say that you need a strong cast of actors to pull off some of this stuff. And everyone of these performers has risen to the task so far.

And all this personal growth is happening with the threat of Cadmus happening in the background. Cadmus is a dark reflection of the DEO, looking to eliminate all aliens from threatening the world. And they are willing to sow the seeds of fear to sway people. Much like last episode, the allegory of fearing the 'other' is pretty big here. It is impressive.

Other than one awkward scene, maybe a personal issue with me, I thought this was the best episode so far. This whole season has been a fantastic. On to the episode details.

Day Off

Recovering from an overnight shift and a late night watching the election results. 

Will resume normal blogging tomorrow!

Sorry!

Election Day Back Issue Box: Supergirl #55

Our national nightmare is soon to be over.

Today is Election Day 2016 in the United States and after a long horrible year of odious politics, it will finally be over.

I have never seen an uglier year in politics. I am one of those people who doesn't like either candidate. I can't believe that these two people are the best we have as possible leaders of the free world. I just can't. And I have been a little repulsed by the muck and hatred that both sides and their followers have slung at the other. 

With that in mind, I thought I would review Supergirl #55 today, a book from early 2001 which touches upon politics a smidge. In this book, Supergirl is disgusted that Lex Luthor is the President of the United States. She wonders just how something as inconceivable as this horrible villain landing in the oval office could happen. And yet, she also is compelled to defend him from an assassin. This Supergirl's conflicted feelings about Lex are well known but adding the layer that he is the Commander-in-Chief is an nice wrinkle.

The art on the issue is done by fill-in penciller Derec Aucoin. His style is similar enough to usual artist Leonard Kirk's that it felt pretty natural. I thought the art here was solid.

A bit of background. This is the Linda who has been stripped of the Earth Angel aspect of Supergirl. She has powers more akin to the Golden Age Superman, leaping not flying, and relatively invulnerable. And she is on a quest to find demons and bring her closer to reclaiming that part of herself.

On to the book.

DC Superhero Girls: Hits and Myths

I caved in last week and bought the DC Superhero Girls second trade Hits and Myths. I will remind people that all ages books are books for all ages, even old fossils like me. I have been pretty floored with the entire concept of DCSHG as it mixes DC history, empowering messages, and fun! And I have been impressed with how writer/creator Shea Fontana gives each character a unique view on life without making them caricatures or two dimensional.

Hits and Myths continued this streak. Fontana loosely bases the long form story on the Odyssey. She also adopts a tried-and-true storytelling format by having the Girls split into teams to investigate a crime. It is shades of classic Justice League.

And, as usual, artist Yancey Labat brings a bright freshness to the art here. I also love his interpretations of some of the quirkier DC characters we get here. In particular, I love the Silver Banshee! But the whole book is gorgeous!

I'll try to keep this review brief, just hitting on some of the highlights that struck me.

Review: Superman #10

Superman #10 came out this week and continued the wonderful run that Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason are having on this book. If any character needed a #Rebirth, it was Superman who seemed to toil for the last decade or so, acting far from the Superman I grew up reading. Now, in this 'new' DCU, I have Superman books I can look forward to, Superman books I am loving. I haven't been able to say that for a while.

This issue reads more like a prologue to the upcoming Super Sons title. But that works for me just fine. For one, I am interested in that book. But more than that, this plays up the differences between the sons and the differences between the heroes. This isn't going to be an easy alliance between these young adventurers learning the ropes. And certainly, Superman and Batman are exactly the World's Finest these days. While this pre-Flashpoint Superman seems open to a more classic friendship, things are strained.

And so, in this issue, we see the senior heroes clench their fists and then calm down. And we see the younger heroes act calm and then clench their fists. We see Superman's optimism and wisdom play out in Jon. And we see Batman's preparedness and quasi-paranoia apparent in Damien. That's solid stuff.

Add to that a healthy dollop of humor and a hypnotic art style by Gleason, and I was sold on this issue. Solid stuff.

Back to the art, earlier in this title, I talked about how Gleason's current style felt a bit 'Rankin/Bass' to me. That it was a bit off, a sort of 'uncanny valley' feel. But over the issues, I have been more and more enamored of it. It is very engaging.

On to the book.