Review: Supergirl #10

Supergirl #10 came out this week and for me was something of an up and down issue for me.

There was a lot of good stuff here, small nuggets that continue to build the foundation of this Supergirl's mysterious origin. Most of that is revealed in the opening scene of the comic. And Supergirl continues to show that her heart is in the right place, risking herself to fight the villain and save the innocent.

But the bulk of the issue takes place within the nightmare world inside the Black Banshee. And since we are in a dream world, basically all bets are off. Physical laws are somewhat meaningless. Thought can become a sort of reality. So the big battle lost some of its tension. The fight itself is inspiring, Kara using every skill she knows to try to get back to Earth. But I felt I simply needed to roll with whatever happened since this was a mutable place. Still, Kara definitely plays the hero here, showing some internal fortitude to keep her wits about her.

Michael Green and Mike Johnson continue to tease us with snippets of Kara's past which I continue to shuffle and reshuffle in my head to try to figure out just who this Kara is. Supergirl #0 is only three months away so things are building to a crescendo. I have to say slowly but surely this Supergirl is winning me over with her voice and actions.

And Mahmud Asrar continues to sparkle here. I have to praise colorist Dave McCaig as well for bringing the marker stylings of Asrar to life. In particular, the use of a dominant burnt orange on this cover, in contrast to the black of the dragon works wonderfully. It really stood out on the rack yesterday.

 Inside the nightmare world of the Banshee, Kara relives some memories from her time on Krypton.

First off, we see Kara being scanned by a gene-matcher on Krypton. It is implied that he somehow uses the information from the scan to pick an ideal mate for Kara, some sort of genetic match. This harkens back to a more sterile sort of Krypton, something more Byrne-like where there wasn't necessarily love or physical contact.

And I think you can glean a lot of information about how Kara feels about this by her reaction. She falls asleep. I don't think this was an important event for her. I doubt she is hoping for a computer-picked Prince Charming. She is more independent than that.

That memory swirls into a mother/daughter trip to the Fire Falls. Alura isn't happy with Kara's little nap.

So it is clear already that Kara's relationship with Alura is going to be complicated much as it was in the last Supergirl book. Zor-El  is training Kara to fight robots; Alura is arranging her marriage.

I am a big fan of the Fire Falls having written about them before. But here they are stunning cascades. Again, McCaig deserves a lot of the credit.

Kara  is angry about the whole thing. She didn't want to gene-scan to begin with and later states it is her choice.

But the more interesting part of this is Alura's comment above. She and Zor-El weren't gene-matched. They found each other ... uniquely. So what does that mean? Is it simply that Alura didn't abide to tradition that time but it was a one time thing. Therefore, Kara has to submit.

Or does it mean more? I keep worrying and wondering about Supergirl's origins. For example, is she made of 'world killer' tech. Could this 'unique' interaction be something more. That outside of the tradition, Zor and Alura were matched for potential super-gene offspring? It is all very Bene Gesserit/Kwisatz Haderach I know. I guess we'll see.

And yet, who knows if any of this conversation is real? This is a fever dream in the Banshee. Maybe these events didn't happen in this manner. In fact, Supergirl even realizes that these are warped memories remembering that she was absorbed.

And that leads to the arrival of the Banshee. He has taken the form of a flamedragon, a mythical monster from Kryptonian fairy tales.

This thing sort of has the feel of the Nightwing creature.

This whole opening memory scene is fantastic, adding another layer to the enigma of Kara's origins. I hope we see more of this mother/daughter relationship in the future. It speaks volumes that Kara's nightmare world is her spending time with Alura.

It does make me worry about one thing. I don't think I will be very happy if it turns out that Alura is the person who shot Zor-El, angered at Zor's plans for their daughter.

This is a dream world, so when faced with a dragon, Kara somehow thought-morphs her clothes into traditional armor. One thing I love about this panel ... it help explains those goofy boots of her current, more cermonial, outfit. The red coloration of the boot carries above the hinge of the joint but exposes another color when bent. That is a slick armor look and it mirrors her current open-kneed look.

Narrowly escaping this initial attack, Kara discovers another soul ... Thomas Smythe, Siobhan's brother.

Usually souls that the Banshee has absorbed don't manifest like Kara has; they are fully absorbed. And Thomas has been roaming around this nightmare world since he was also partially absorbed.

Supergirl realizes that she hasn't defeated the Banshee by overwhelming him with her power. He has to get out of this place to help Siobhan in the outside world.

Again, there isn't much explanation about why Kara or Thomas hasn't been fully subsumed. But I guess I can chalk it up to her power and his familial connection. 

 The Banshee tracks down both of the lost souls in his world, thrilled to find them both in one place so he can 'kill' them, taking them over completely. And, at least he explains why Thomas' sacrifice from last issue didn't work. The curse needed Black Banshee to absorb his kin who bore 'the mark', Siobhan.

In another one of those moments I have to simply accept, Supergirl uses some of her remaining 'yellow energy' to form a Kryptonian battle sword out of the air. And then she jumps to try to ride the dragon. It seems a bit crazy to think that she should be able to grab a dragon and stay seated on it while splitting her mind sword into two ... but she does it. And then she defeats the Banshee's dragon form, beheading it.

I suppose I should simply think that this shows how strong Kara is mentally, that she can bend this nightmare to her will, doing amazing things in the dream-Matrix. And again, the fact that she is willing to risk everything to help Thomas and Siobhan shows that this Supergirl is a hero.

The 'death' of the dragon affects the Black Banshee and Supergirl and Thomas are both spit out of his body.

And dazed, Siobhan takes advantage and uses her scream to absorb him.

Hmmmm ... do you think absorbing someone as evil as the Black Banshee is going to affect Siobhan in the future? Do you think that maybe she will veer towards super-villain now? Or at least struggle with those thoughts?

Great panel here by Asrar. You feel the effort behind that scream of the Silver Banshee.

But the reunion between friends and siblings has to be put on hold. Guess what happens!

The police/military show up and threaten Supergirl with 'lethal force'. It is enough to make me cry. Supergirl scoops up the Smythes and flies off.

So what have we learned. Kara has a strained relationship with her mother, perhaps one built on the conflict between societal expectations and personal dreams. Zor-El and Alura met in a unique way, which may portend nothing more than luck and love. And that Supergirl will continue to fight to protect people and to defeat evil. All of that was great.

The fight with the Black Banshee seemed a bit too easy and too short (perhaps because there were plenty of splashy pages limiting story telling). And I hope I can get through an issue without the police or the army threatening or attacking Supergirl.

Still, this Supergirl seems to be growing more and more into the sort of new hero I expect 'Supergirl' to be. Now if only she could communicate with people and stop being treated like a villain.

Overall grade: B/B+

Sales Review: May 2012

Diamond Distribution has released the sales numbers for May 2012 and as usual ICv2 has done a great job of breaking things down so it is easier for me to digest. As always, that site does a great job covering the market. Here is a link to their review of the top 300 comics in May: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/23103.html

That link can lead you to their other market coverage. What interests me is that May seemed to be a 'boom' month for comics, increase dramatically from May 2011 and with 5 comics crossing the 100K mark. The Avengers vs Xmen issues broke 170K! DC continued to hang in with Marvel taking 7 of the top 10 (buoyed by Night of the Owls) and 12 of the top 20.

Supergirl #9 slipped 5 spots to the #65 selling title overall. But I don't care.

The book sold 35,129 which was up 8% from Supergirl #8! In this day and age, whenever sales go up on a comic, you have to stand up and take notice. This followed the Perez issue so I wonder if his fans decided to see how the story ends?

Regardless, this was great to see showing that Supergirl remains healthy in this current market.

Worlds' Finest #1 also came out last month. I wondered how this one would fare. The Huntress solo mini-series wasn't exactly a torrid seller. But this boasted great art from two masters, a legendary writer, and spun out of the Earth 2 book so it had a bit more buzz.

I was semi-surprised to see just how well it did sell. Landing in at #20, above recent darling Aquaman and the Superman book.

I know we are only 2 issues in but this book so far has been a nice entertaining treat, sort of 'old school' comic with Paul Levitz' trademark great characterization. It will be interesting to see just what happens in subsequent months.

And a third 'Supergirl' book also came out last month. The much-anticipated and decently hyped Superman Family Adventures #1 came out. This book had been given a good push by FCBD as well as blog post on the Source.

Amazingly, the book sold just over 13K, a great number for a 'Johnny DC' (do they even call them that anymore) all ages book. I don't know if sustaining these sales is possible for this book but what an opening salvo! I wonder if people missed Tiny Titans so much they gobbled up this book.

So overall, a very good month for comics in general and Supergirl in particular. That was great to see!

Review: Supergirl #9

Supergirl #9 came out this week, the next chapter in the Silver Banshee story. As the middle chapter of this three-parter the issue did it's job, providing information and moving the story ahead so that it is set up for a conclusion that can be aptly told in the last issue finale.

As I have said before, writers Michael Green and Mike Johnson are slowly building up the character of this Kara, showing us who she is as she gets a bit more settled in this new environment she has found herself. In this issue, Johnson and Green show us that this Supergirl has the appropriate crucial character traits of her prior incarnations. She is a good friend. And she will defend the helpless even if she has to sacrifice herself to do so.

Unfortunately, this issue continues to show that despite the right heroic aspects, Earth seems to be conspiring against her. We already have seen that despite defeating the World Killers, Kara was attacked by the army. Here we see that her best intentions have some lousy outcomes. It would be very easy for this Supergirl to adopt a defeatist attitude and simply stop trying. I hope that this semi-forced isolation and alienation gets resolved before we have a sulky Supergirl. That said, this Supergirl seems to have a somewhat stubborn streak in her, a solid core that makes me think she isn't going to abandon who she is easily. And she is easy to root for because she is saying and doing the right thing.

As usual, I enjoyed this issue quite a bit but left with the same questions I have had since the inception of the title. Where is Superman in all this? When will Supergirl be able to communicate, so that her intentions are more easily understood? And when will she be recognized as at least an untried hero as opposed to a villain?

Mahmud Asrar returns on art and brings his best work to date. With the addition of magical elements, Asrar is able to stretch his work a bit into the surreal. But there is a definite kineticism to his stuff here which makes the fight sequences that much bolder.

As seen in the released preview, Black Banshee, Siobhan's father seems to be some wraith who tried to claim her as his own 13 years earlier. It is unclear if this was to nurture her or possess her.

Regardless, Siobhan's older brother Tommy won't let him hurt her. To end the curse, he lets his father 'take' him. By the rules of the Banshee curse (not further explained), as eldest the son has that right. He is absorbed into Black Banshee and both disappear.

We will see throughout this issue that Asrar really brings a mystical and surreal feel to the art, helped immensely by the colors of Dave McCaig. So the swirling energy, the warped Thomas, or the blinding energy within the Black Banshee all add up to a great image.

With the semi-origin flashback done, we find ourselves back in the coffee house where the Silver Banshee is squaring off against her father.

Kara's internal monologue works pretty well here. For the first time in a long time, she felt at peace. She had a friend. She was going to relax. But now all that seems foolish on this alien world. For all Kara knows this is normal behavior. She hasn't been here long enough or dealt with people enough to know better.

After a brief skirmish in the bar (complete with distorted souls of patrons swirling around the Black Banshee), Siobhan and Kara retreat to a back alley.

This might be my favorite moment in the book. Despite the bizarre nature of what is happening, despite Siobhan's pleas that Kara run away and save herself, Supergirl doesn't leave. Instead she dons her costume and tells Siobhan that she won't face this challenge alone.

This isn't someone with no affection for the human race, someone completely isolated. This is a hero helping a friend in the face of danger. The calm expression on her face connotes this idea that there isn't a debate here. This is something she has to do. Really wonderful.

But that quiet moment of resolve is abruptly ended on the next panel when The Banshee arrives.

I include this panel for 2 reasons. One, the change in tone from the last panel to this one is great. It is surprising and would be a 'jump in your seat' moment if this was a movie.

Secondly, Asrar's art is fantastic here. This is my favorite panel of the book because you can tell by the bodies of Kara and Siobhan that they feel this scream, that it slams into them. Look at how they appear to be buffeted on the wind, thrown aside by the power of this. When a static image conveys that much of a kinetic feel, it succeeds on the highest level.

This is where things get a bit out of hand for Supergirl. Somehow the Banshee's cries seem to energize her such that her power levels are through the roof. So she accidentally tosses this man aside as he tries to help her stand. Of course no one is going to trust Supergirl on this world if she is throwing people into cars 20 ft away.

It made me kind of sad that even when she is trying to do good like save her friend and nearby people from the Black Banshee it appears as if she is 'dangerous'. I really hope that this 'Supergirl perceived as out of control monster' is a relatively short lived phenomenon. Of course, if she could talk to people she could say she was here to help.

The Banshees end up squaring off and automobiles get tossed around and the whole scene becomes a disaster site. Moreover, at least briefly, the evil part of this curse seems to take over Siobhan as she revels in the destruction, burying her father under cars. Luckily, she is able to reel it in and get control again. She tells Supergirl that it was the magic talking.

I love the look of surprise on Kara's face at the word magic. It's in quotes as if there is no Kryptonian equivalent. She even asks what magic is. It is clear Kryptonians are still vulnerable to it even here in the DCnU. It will be interesting to see how someone from a purely scientific culture like Krypton even comprehends magic so I hope that is explored somewhere down the line.

But the Black Banshee comes back and squares off against Kara. After she tries to outscream him (funny), he smashes her with another scream which ups her power and energy even more. She loses control of her heat vision and then erupts with a Corona Wave (my name for this solar flare power), scorching the street, trees, buildings and friends.

So I still wonder what to make of this new power. Does Kara need to discharge spare energy every so often or she'll erupt like this (a statement which reminds me of the old 90's character Damage)? Is this simply pooling the energy she has absorbed and releasing it as a last ditch maneuver? I hope this becomes part of her arsenal and not a 'signature move'.

But even this discharge hasn't dissipated the energy she has. Supergirl actually feels like she might explode if she can't get rid of this juice. And if she explodes, she most likely will kill Siobhan and all those around.

Rather than endanger anyone else, Supergirl does either the smartest or stupidest thing she could do. She flies directly into the Black Banshee (she has seen him absorb souls into his core). I suppose she might think that the energy she is crackling with might hurt him from the inside out. That said, even if smart or stupid it is brave. And it is done with the right intentions, to not hurt anyone who is innocent. As I said earlier, Supergirl really had her heart in the right place throughout this issue.

Again, great art here with the yellow tones of solar energy contrasting with the cold blue of mystical power.

Unfortunately, The Black Banshee simply absorbs the power and now becomes Super-Banshee. And he isn't very happy with his daughter. Nice cliffhanger.

So what happens next. My guess, based on the cover to next issue, that inside him is almost a mystical realm where Kara has to battle back to reality. I hope within there she is able to free the souls that the Banshee has absorbed so far. And I hope she can communicate with them in there.

So nice characterization of Supergirl who seems to have the right moral core, the right heroic ideals. And spectacular art that had great synergy with the words. But my guess is that people won't be happy with her given she immolated a city block and tossed some people around accidentally. I am not saying that I need a saccharin world where everyone loves Supergirl. But I don't want to read a book where the hero is hated by both villains and the common man alike. That won't be a fun book to read - especially given how likeable this Supergirl is so far. This is much closer to the Gates/Peaty characterization of Kara than it is the Loeb/Kelly Supergirl. This one wants to do the right thing.

It still begs the question 'Where is Superman?' Even if being a family member and another Kryptonian wasn't enough to have him track her down, now she is hurting people and causing infernos. It is time for the super-cousins to meet again. Meet again and talk ... not exchange punches!

But that is thinking about the future. I should stay in the now. And the now is that this was a very good issue.

Overall grade: B+