Review: Action Comics #886

With the War of the Supermen coming in May, the Nightwing/Flamebird story needs to reach it's conclusion. Action Comics #886 came out last week and provided some much needed back story for the Kryptonian demi-gods and eased the approach to the finish line. There were some nice revelations here and a decent cliffhanger.

The overall story has detoured a bit from the initial concept of 'Zod's sleepers' to this more religious storyline. Sure, Jax-Ur is here as a villain. But a couple of other sleepers haven't been mentioned as we have explored the Thara/Chris relationship more closely these last few issues. I wonder if Greg Rucka ran out of time because of some of cross-overs that intersected in this title like they have in Supergirl.

As I have said before, I have enjoyed Action Comics and the Thara/Chris story. So I am interested in seeing how this whole thing ends. I don't see them anywhere on the War of the Supermen covers. Do either Chris or Thara survive? If both die, I hope their passing is reflected in the other super-titles. Will Superman and Lois mourn as though they have lost a son? Will Kara mourn yet another loss in her personal life?


Much of this issue is exposition. Thara gives Chris a sort-of virtual reality Kryptonian bible. With it, Chris is able to literally enter the story of Rao, Flamebird, and Nightwing.

In a nice touch, Pere Perez does the art for the current storyline while Fernando Dagnino pencils the 'Book of Rao' pages.

Dagnino's art has a more visceral ... a more rough energetic feel to it which better suits the chaotic and fire-filled Rao pages than Perez' polished look.

The story unfolds as the Kryptonian creation story. In the beginning there was nothing and from that nothingness came Rao. He then creates the universe with Krypton as his 'jewel', his epicenter.

After creating the worlds and galaxies, Rao then gives out slivers of his power and creates a whole system of gods, demi-gods, titans, etc. As readers, we have only heard of Flamebird and Nightwing with any depth. It makes sense that there would be other gods in the Kryptonian pantheon but who knew there would be that many! 14 major deities and 211 demi-gods including Nightwing and Flamebird.

Flamebird is the goddess of rebirth. She is shown to raze the landscapes so that an even more glorious world can come to be.

And so, for the first time we read about Vohc The Builder. He is the creation god for Krypton, building the world and all in it. And each time he creates something for the world, Flamebird eventually destroys it. Her job is the purge the world. Vohc's job is to build an even better one.

I don't envy Vohc. His task sounds like Sisyphus. Nothing he made ever lasts. And yet, he seems pleased with his life and in love with Flamebird. Her actions spur him to even greater creations.


Vohc finds Nightwing on the periphery of creation and befriends him. Nightwing is described as a lonely presence, created by Rao to protect the world from evil. But in doing that task, constantly surrounded by the dark side of the world, Nightwing has become withdrawn and solitary.

Vohc extends his hand in friendship and eventually introduces Nightwing to Flamebird. The two fall in love, the darkness of Nightwing complementing the bright light of Flamebird. I love Chris' response here as he recognizes the primal nature of their love, the passion. I am sure he recognizes some of that within himself and his feelings towards Thara.

Of course, Vohc is taken aback by this. He has always loved Flamebird; it was unrequited, but it was love. In hopes of winning her, he creates a near perfect effigy of his love for her. When he shows it to her, she does what she does ... destroying it. With that act, Vohc turns to evil.


Vohc renames himself Vohc the Breaker and states this his purpose thereafter will be to destroy. And the first thing to destroy will be the love between Nightwing and Flamebird. Vohc creates a crystal rod which traps Nightwing in a 'phantom state' forever seperate from Flamebird.

And with that the story ends.

There are themes and elements within the Flamebird/Vohc/Nightwing story that echo with current events. This 'phantom prison' Vohc creates sounds like the Phantom Zone. And Chris was trapped within the Zone much like Nightwing is. In fact, Chris implies that he thinks the Nightwing entity is still trapped in the Phantom Zone (or some phantom state since the Zone has been destroyed). That may be why the Nightwing has never manifested within Chris. It is still imprisoned somewhere.

I can imagine that Chris finally manifesting the Nightwing spirit might be the climax to this story, happening in the last issue of this arc.


The passion we saw within the Book of Rao becomes evident on the physical plane. Thara and Chris finally consummate their love.

Remember, Jax-Ur recognized Thara as the Flamebird a few issues back and made a deal with her for Chris' life. Here Jax-Ur tells Flamebird (not Thara) that 'the bill's come due'. There is much here that I liked.

For one, it is now hinted at that Jax-Ur is the vessel for the manifestation of Vohc. It is the Flamebird that yells at him 'have you no love for me at all?'. Second, if that is true, how great is the love of Flamebird that she would deal with the devil like this? Has her passion blinded her? Has she missed the Nightwing so much that she would forsake the future for a few more moments in the present?


Jax-Ur tells the Flamebird to lead Chris and Thara to his lab in the desert.

Thara is clearly unaware of the actions of the Flamebird. In fact, she says the entity hasn't been talking to her much the last few days? Is that guilt on the part of the Flamebird? Can a demi-god even feel guilt?


Within the labs, Jax-Ur springs his trap. He incapacitates Chris by having sunstone crystals grow from his body. It seems his 'cure' of Chris also came with a side effect.

Crystals growing from a Kryptonian's body? For me, it brought back some bad memories of the 'crystal hell' Supergirl.



Jax-Ur then activates his device, bringing forth 'god' ... I presume Rao.

So there was a lot going on in this issue, even if the bulk of it was written in text as the Book of Rao. Certainly, the backstory of the two demi-gods helps flesh out the Thara/Chris relationship and the some of the events that have unfolded during this run.

I also think that this story will end with Jax-Ur/Vohc recreating the Phantom Zone. Could it be that it was the rescue of Chris, the removal of 'Nightwing' that led to the destruction of the Zone?

There are only 3 issues left to this story and I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would when it first started. So kudos to Greg Rucka and now Eric Trautmann for weaving a deeper story (religious manifestations, primal love) in the standard framework of good guys hunting bad guys.

I also want to say again how much I like Pere Perez' clean art style. He has really stabilized the art and feel for this title since becoming the regular artist.

Overall grade: B/B+

Review: Supergirl #48

Supergirl #48 was released this week and was fantastic.

After a year of stories tightly connected to the other super-titles, I have been craving a pure Supergirl story and that's just what this was.

As much as I have enjoyed the Superwoman/Reactron/Alura/Thara/New Krypton issues, I have missed what we first saw way back in Supergirl #34, the first Gates/Igle issue. I have missed reading about Kara and her world without someone else's story butting in a bit. Don't misunderstand me ... those are great issues that I loved.

But this was like a breath of fresh air. It was great to see Lana and Inspector Henderson and a non-New Krypton based villain.

The book opens up with Inspector Henderson investigating a crime in Suicide Slum on the corner of Austen and Byrne (a nice little 'shout out' to some comic professionals).

It is an eerie scene as Henderson and his men arrive seconds too late. After surviving an explosion of magical fire, the police find the dead body of a woman, her body covered in runes.

It is a good opening scene ... short, dense, powerful, creepy. In particular, this last panel with the victim's body awkwardly lying on the floor, bent like a rag doll, her face twisted in terror, her skin covered in magical text ... that's just eerie.

But we leave that supernatural horror for one all too based in the real world. Lana is sick and getting sicker. And now that Kara knows about it, she wants some answers.

The smashing of the fruit bowl is a little strong ... I mean its Supergirl's fruit bowl too.

That said, I can understand Supergirl's anger. Despite Lana's claim that she didn't want to burden Kara more, Kara feels she should have been told. I like how Lana brings up that she didn't want to bring back the feelings Kara had when she tried and failed in the 'Saving Thomas' arc. It was a nice little nod to continuity.

I also think Kara's anger may stem from feeling guilty that she didn't notice Lana's condition. Supergirl has been so busy with everything else in her life that she hasn't been there for her friend.

At least we finally get some answers as to what is ailing Lana. Well ... more like what it isn't. It isn't a typical cancer or infectious disease. It is something new, something effecting Lana's immune system, something even the best doctors in Metropolis can't figure out. Anyone with any new ideas as to what this is?

Before Kara can process all this, she is called to the Metropolis Police headquarters.

It seems that Inspector Henderson needs some super-help with the case he is working on. I really like that he trusts and feels like he can count on Supergirl for help. It is just another tangible way that you see how much Supergirl has grown over this year. The police see her as a hero and an ally.

I am also glad that Henderson addresses the "Metropolis Three' incident. Mon-El and The Guardian have backed up Supergirl's claims of innocence. Of course, Kryptonians are still illegal on Earth as per the UN edict.

Henderson fears the Silver Banshee is behind the killing he was investigating and he fears she is on the hunt.

As always, it is the small things in comics that often make me the happiest. I love how Henderson's board includes the cover of and a panel from PAD's Supergirl #11, a panel from Supergirl #34, and even a still from the recent Superman/Batman Public Enemies movie.

Supergirl provides some exposition, retelling the Banshee's origin albeit with (what I think is) a new wrinkle.

The Banshee is looking to rid herself of the curse placed on her by her ancestors. She can rid herself of it by finding 7 family heirlooms.

In the past, Hendeson was involved in a case where an odd coin was found in the murder victim's hand. The police officer who was in charge of the case, Captain Tanner, was a friend of Henderson's. Tanner was scarred by the case and ended up commiting suicide. Henderson vowed to find out the significance of the coin and solve the case.


Unfortunately, he found out the significance the hard way. It is indeed one of Banshee's heirlooms. And she hasn't been able to find it because the coin hides within the people who have them.

Henderson removes a glove and shows the coin embedded in his palm, the rest of his hand covered in the same glyphs the earlier victim had on her body. The Banshee was able to recover the coin from that murder victim and now she wants the Inspector's.

The Banshee arrives and attempts to cast a spell on Henderson but Supergirl intercepts and the two fight.

The Banshee screams and deafens Kara. In a nice twist, Gates has the last scene unfold just with Supergirl's inner monologue. She cannot hear Henderson or the Silver Banshee. And as readers, we only see empty word balloons. Is he telling her to do something? Warning her about something? It definitely builds the suspense of the scene.

Kara sees a box on Henderson's desk she thinks must hold another heirloom and grabs it.

And then something incredible happens ...

Supergirl hears the voices of what I presume are the Banshee's ancestors and we suddenly have a super-banshee.

Whew ... wow ...

What a phenomenal issue.

First off, this was clearly a Supergirl issue. She was in every scene but the first. The story revolved around her. No one else's story superceded or interrupted hers.

Second, it was great to catch up with the parts of the book that Gates initiated but have been put off for a while .. the Lana/Linda relationship, the burgeoning friendship with Inspector Henderson.

Third, the Silver Banshee is a great villain for Supergirl's rogues gallery. I like the new wrinkle to the Banshee back story. And that cliffhanger was unexpected and intriguing!

Add to that the best art I have seen by Fernando Dagnino and you had the recipe for a great issue. Dagnino's work here seemed softer, more fluid, more polished.

And next issue we have the end of Lana's story and the double sized fiftieth issue after that!

Overall grade: A+/A

Supergirl:Who Is Superwoman Trade

With all the news last week and reviews galore to go over, I almost forgot to comment on the 'Who is Superwoman?' trade that was released.

The trade has a lot going for it. For one, the cover is the spectacular cover of Supergirl #38, one of the most beautiful pieces Josh Middleton has produced for the title. There is something eerie about the spectral Superwoman looming over Supergirl. It is also tagged as a 'New Krypton' trade, broadening its appeal.

It also includes the variant cover of Supergirl #34 at the back of the trade.


Of course, one of the more interesting things of the trade is the introduction written by none other than Helen Slater. It is a warm piece comparing Supergirl's struggles to those of any teenager albeit written on a bigger scale. It is a nice piece and I am glad to see Slater is finding some place in the Supergirl family.

The trade itself includes Supergirl #34, and then Supergirl #37-42 - the first issue of the Gates/Igle run and the subsequent"Who is Superwoman?' arc. I have to say that in rereading the issues in one sitting, it is good read. In particular, that first issue still stands out as such a wonderful story - both acknowledging what has happened before and breaking from it.

I would have liked to see issues #35 and 36 included here as we jump from the introduction of Linda Lang to a post-New Krypton, post-Zor-El murder world. We don't, for example, see the Kryptonite poisoning cure here or Zor-El's death. But those issues were so enmeshed with the opening New Krypton story I can understand the need to put them elsewhere.

Still, the trade stands up with a great Superwoman story and I am glad that #34 was included as that is such a key issue moving forward.

Review: Superman #693

Superman #693, written by James Robinson and illustrated by Fernando Dagnino, came out last week and the whole issue was devoted to Mon-El's plight as a captive of General Lane.

In some ways it was again gratifying to see an issue that didn't seem to jump around to all the subplots that Robinson was has been introducing. This was an issue about Mon-El and his story.

And the story itself was pretty good, showcasing the resilience of Mon-El, both physically and mentally.

As usual though, there are some parts of this issue that I am scratching my head about.

It is important to remember that the 'death of Mon-El' was a rallying cry for General Lane, another way to swing public sentiment against New Krypton and in particular the Metropolis Three.



The issue starts with Mon-El in a sort of sensory deprivation tank. While Agent Assassin attempts to pry into his mind, General Lane gloats over his capture. It is a nice set of panels, drawn from Mon-El's perspective. I thought that was a nice touch.

But there is another thing to point out here. All along I have felt that there is an undercurrent of malice between General Lane and Mirabai. For now it seems General Lane is commanding her. But I still get the sense that Mirabai is playing him as much as he thinks he is using her. Look at how they both say 'You're welcome' to each other. Things aren't 100% rosy between them ... I'm sure of it.



When the tank can't break Mon-El's resolve, Lane places the Daxamite in a prison chair beneath a red sun lamp and decides to talk to him.

It seems that Lane wants to convince Mon-El to join Project 7734. Now that is an interesting turn of events. Certainly Mon-El would be a powerful ally. In an attempt to turn Mon, Lane shows him everything that Project 7734 is up to. We see shots of the Human Defense Corps, Luthor battle suits, GI Robot, and alien experimentation. It looks like a fairly formidable army.

In fact, Lane tells Mon-El to follow him or be opened up on the operating table bu Dr. Calomar, yet another rogue scientist from Gorilla City.

While I understand that the red tint of these panels is emanating from the red sun lamps, it certainly adds a feeling of malevolence to the discussion.



But there is more to show Mon-El than just the troops of Project 7734. We see that Natasha Irons (still acting as Jenny Blake) and Major Force are also taking orders from the General (although in Irons case it is as a double agent).

Finally we see Lane's 'core team', the heavy hitters ... Metallo, Atlas, Parasite, and Mirabai.

Incredibly, Lane thinks that showing Mon-El that these would be his teammated would be a selling point for the hero. Lane does say that he thinks Mon-El truly wants to protect Earth and that means standing against General Zod. But showing this scum to Mon-El would not be a way to convince him.



As expected, the move backfires. Mon-El calls the core team what they are: a psychopath, a killer, a bully, and a trickster.

Showing some great courage, Mon-El says he chooses to be dissected rather than join Lane. Instead of granting him that wish, Lane decides to let Atlas treat Mon-El like a punching bag. He is beaten for two weeks.

I thought this was a very good scene, really letting the reader see how heroic Mon-El is, especially in the panel above, showing the shackled but defiant Mon-El.



Just when things look lost, just when Calomar starts talking about a 'strenuous battery of tests' he is going to run, Mon-El is handed a life line.

Turns out the Parasite hasn't bought into everything that General Lane is selling. He was captured and brought to Mirabai's world just like Mon-El was. But the Parasite didn't have the fortitude that Mon-El does. He joined Project 7734.

He joined, that is, until he can get away. And surprisingly he has a plan. The Parasite did a little drain of a technician and has absorbed the code for the portal home. But he needs Mon-El's help to get there.

With no other choice, Mon-El agrees.



The two fight there way through the ranks and get to the portal.

While uneasy allies, their differences are apparent. Mon-El just wants to get to the door. The Parasite doesn't mind leaving a few bodies in his wake. The fact that Mon-El jeopardizes his own escape to save some Project 7734 lackey again shows that he is a true hero.

Mon-El is able to escape, crossing over back to Earth, only to stumble upon the wreckage pf Project 7734. The exit point is the site of Brainiac and Luthor's escape and we saw how violent and destructive that was in Adventure Comics.

There is some nice dialogue between Mon-El and Lane here.

First off, I know foreshadowing when I see it. So when Lane says he knows that Mon-El will take his orders eventually I believe it. Whenever the Earth/New Krypton war happens, Lane will be on Earth's side and so will Mon.

But I find it odd that Lane simply let's Mon-El go. Sure there isn't anything the General can do about it. He is there alone. But he doesn't even give a threatening speech to Mon-El. He tells the Daxamite to go to the Daily Planet.

It just doesn't feel right. Lane has to know that the public sentiment he has so carefully orchestrated could backfire when Mon-El tells all he knows. He has to understand that all his secret plans could be laid before the public. Even if it is empty threat, wouldn't he warn Mon-El to stay quiet ... or else?

Much like Lane's releasing of the Metropolis Three, this quiet acceptance of Mon-El's release is perplexing.

Mon-El vows to show General Lane just what it means to be named Superman's successor. My guess is part of that is for him to don the new outfit with Superman's shield on it.

Regardless, it is a good thing that Mon is heading back to Metropolis because the Science Police look like they will have their hands full with Bizarro.

Overall I thought this was one of the better recent issues of Superman. It did not have that choppy sloppy feeling other issues that dealt more with the ancillary characters in the title. And while I have never claimed to be a big Mon-El fan, this issue did a good job of showing just why Superman would ask him to protect Metropolis.

I also think that Fernando Dagnino's art was one of his best efforts here as well. I think each issue of the Super-family he has done has been better than the last. In particular, I really liked his Parasite.

Overall grade: B+/B

Sales Review: September 2009

I found this month's review of comic sales to be fascinating. I wondered what effect on sales would come from so many titles raising their price to $3.99. My thoughts were that the comics on the edge, the lower sellers, would suffer because readers would have less money to spend. Let's face it, my $12 now can only buy me 3 issues instead of 4.

As usual, ICv2 does a great job of breaking down the September 2009 sales. Here is the link:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16022.html

One thing they noted was that some books with the $3.99 cover price dropped a bit precipitously from month to month. In other words, people are less likely to continue to buy more expensive comics unless the story really grabs them. One thing that is evident is that Blackest Night is of high quality as the mini-series, the GL books, and related mini-series like Blackest Night:Superman all sold very very well.

Personally I have always been concerned about the effect of this price increase on some of my favorite books. Will pricier more popular titles mean less people buying Supergirl or R.E.B.E.L.S. ? Let's crunch the numbers.



Supergirl #45 sold 32,240 units down from the 33, 819 units Supergirl #44 sold. That means sales were down 5%.

Now Supergirl #44 was a part of Codename:Patriot and so may have brought in more readers. But Supergirl #45 was part of the crossover Hunt For Reactron. So to see numbers drop a bit is sort of discouraging.

32,240 marks the lowest sales for Supergirl since the Gates/Igle revival. Sales have always hovered closer to 33K. I am not going to quibble over slight ripples in sales since I think the title is still very healthy. But in looking at all the sales, Action Comics and Superman sales are both around 36K. I wonder if Superman fans have reached their limit for the 'Year Without Superman'.

That said, the solicits for issues #47 and #48 seems much more Supergirl-centric and less a part of the New Krypton aftermath. I will be interested to see how sales look there.

As semi-discouraged as I was with sales of the main title, I was encouraged by the sales of Supergirl Annual #1. This issue had a lot of things going for it. First off, it had this unbelievably powerful Renato Guedes cover. This might be my last chance to say how much I loved this cover.

It also was the 'first' Linda Lang story.

And it also had 'The Origin of Superwoman', a character that got a lot of publicity and a story that sold very well.

Still, an annual is an 'extra issue' on readers' pull lists.

I was pretty impressed to see that Supergirl Annual #1 sold 28,862. I wonder if some Supergirl fans were simply torn between buying with the Annual or #45.

I really enjoyed the Annual thinking it was a strong issue and a good hook for new readers. It will be interesting to see next month's sales report to see if the main title rebounds or improves.

Unfortunately, despite unbelievable coverage by DC in all areas, R.E.B.E.L.S. still seems to be sliding.

The book has been promoted on all the big sites, mentioned by Dan Didio in lots of places, and is a fun book. It just can't find it's footing.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #8 sold only 11347 units. This is down slightly from the issue before.

I can't wait to see the sales for R.E.B.E.L.S. #10, the Blackest Night tie-in linked to the Indigo ring giveaway. Does anyone think it will triple the books sales that month? Quadruple it?

Overall, I think sales numbers for Supergirl remain stable. I wonder what direction the sales will go once the New Krypton/Reactron issues slow down. My hope is Supergirl #50 will draw in the curious and increase the reader base.

Review: Supergirl Annual #1

With the events of New Krypton and Codename:Patriot occupying the bulk of Supergirl, some plotlines hinted at in Supergirl #34 have been pushed to the background.

The Cat Grant feud and the Lana Lang illness, for examples, have not been examined as much as I'd like. In fact they have barely been touched upon. It is not that the recent issues have been lacking quality ... there's simply only so much that you can squeeze into 22 pages each month. And the New Krypton and Superwoman stories have warranted the space they have been given.

So I have ben greatly anticipating Supergirl Annual #1 which promised to deal with two such wayward plots: the Linda Lang secret identity and Superwoman's origin. To be honest, these are two plots that I have really been looking forward to. As a proponent of the Linda Lang idea, it has been touch to only see her in only a couple of panels of Superman/Batman.

It did not disappoint. Given the two story nature of the annual, I have a few more scans than usual and probably a few more words.



As we saw on The Source preview, the Linda Lang story has Kara, as Linda, infiltrating a bank robbery/hostage. She quickly subdues them (off-screen) with superspeed and heat vision.

The K Squad arrive and quickly suspect a Kryptonian must have defeated the robbers and so an investigation for a rogue Kryptonian ensues.

I really liked this scene where Linda fumbles with the most basic questions about her secret identity. She hasn't been Linda for very long. Unlike Lana who has dealt with secret identities all her life, Kara is very new to this. Slip-ups are bound to happen until Kara gets more settled in the role of Linda.

Petty prejudices begin to spread through the crowd with people accusing each other of being Kryptonian. Then the K Squad brings in the ultimate interrogation tool ... a chunk of Red Kryptonite. Whoever reacts will be the Kryptonian.

Before they can reach Kara, a mother and her young son make a break for it. When the child is exposed to the Red K, he mutates and goes beserk. It turns out that Supergirl wasn't the only Kryptonian in the bank!

This whole early part of the story felt like a riff on John Carpenter's The Thing, both the grwoing paranoia and specifically the 'blood test' interrogation scene. Both scenes, the viewer/reader is set up to expect a reaction in one character (here Kara) only to be shocked when it happens to another. Anytime I compare something to John Carpenter's The Thing, it is a huge compliment.

With the boy going wild and the building falling down around them, the troops and the hostages scatter. This allows Linda the chance to change into Supergirl. I love this panel, a classic heroic pose of the superhero shedding their secret identity to reveal their costume below. Wonderful!

Supergirl is able to corral the boy and fly him into space where the direct yellow sun light purges his body of the Red K radiation.

As the boy regresses to his normal form, Kara is ambushed by his mother.

When Supergirl awakens, the unnamed female Kryptonian reads her the riot act. It turns out this woman fled New Krypton rather than stay and suffer as a member of the Labor Guild. She came to Earth and went into hiding to try to give her son a new life outside of servitude.

Could this be Kryn Kel-Ur, the woman whose apartment Lucy Lane was hiding out in?

As if that wasn't strong enough, the woman really pulls no emotional punches, telling Kara that Zor-El would be ashamed of her. Talk about going for the jugular.

Of course this is a pretty thin argument. I don't think Zor-El would have approved of this woman standing around doing nothing in the bank while police officers and hostages were being gunned down. But Supergirl is stuck in the moment and considers what the woman had to say. We have been shown in World of New Krypton what a life in the Labor Guild means ... life as a slave. I can understand why this woman would do anything to spare her child that fate. And I can understand how her harsh words might touch Supergirl.

What's worse, this whole thing made the news, fanning the anti-Kryptonian fire.

The story ends with Kara questioning the ultility of her secret identity. This is another panel I really love. While Kara puzzles over her future as Linda, she holds up her eyeglasses. Of course, the glasses are a physical representation of the secret identity. But the composition of the panel, her holding the eyeglasses like a magnifying glass in front of her eye as she puzzles away ... the way a detective closely examines a crime scene ... just a nice mix of words, feelings, and art.

I can't imagine that Sterling Gates will get rid of the Linda Lang idea right after introducing it. But I do think that there will be and should be some growing pains around the Linda identity. It makes sense and should lead to some good stories.

Now as much as I wanted to read about Linda Lang, I was even more interested in reading the Superwoman story. My one complaint about the 'Who is Superwoman?' arc was that it ended without giving us any answers about how and why Lucy donned the cowl. And while I know that story ended just a few months ago, it has felt like ages. So I was glad to see at least some of my questions being answered here.

The story starts with an unsuspecting hiker tramping through the woods of Maine at the site of Lucy's death. For no obvious reason, purple energy manifests and crackles around him while he heard Lucy's voice. The energy incinerates him.

And just as suddenly, Lucy is recorporalized.

She's back!

It sort of reminded me of the first Hellraiser movie where people killed on the spot of Frank's death reconstitute him back to the living world. Hey ... that's two references to classic horror movies in one Supergirl review.

While Lucy lies still in the woods, we see her remembering key moments in her life.

We see how she was made to feel completely inferior to Lois in all things in her childhood. Her father is emotionally abusive to her belittling her accomplishments. When older, Lucy even moved to Metropolis to be near Lois hoping the mere proximity to her older sister will lead to General Lane noticing Lucy.

When that fails and when General Lane is declared dead, Lucy decides to honor his memory by enlisting in the military.

Rising quickly through the ranks, Lucy is nearly killed during the Washington DC fight during Amazons Attack. I love how we see Supergirl in the background ... so nearby while Lucy is fighting for her life ... it just adds another layer to Lucy's feelings about Supergirl.

Wounded on the field and about to be killed by Amazonian troops, Lucy is rescued by Agent Assassin and brought to Project 7734.

Lucy is reunited with her father and thrilled to find him alive. More importantly, General Lane seems proud of the choices that Lucy has made, acknowledging all she has achieved. Ever willing to do anything she can to earn his love, she agrees to put on the Superwoman suit, not yet adorned with the S-shield.

As important as it is for me to see why Lucy would become Superwoman, it is also important for me to see how she could do all she could do. It couldn't just be a cool suit or General Lane would be mass producing them. So seeing Mirabai and the scientists making the suit, seeing it is a combination of science and sorcery, it makes more sense that Lucy could act as Superwoman and do all the things she did.

And we see the suit do some things we haven't seen before ... like hand beams and invisibility/cloaking.

Armed with the suit and well trained, Lucy was more than willing to infiltrate New Krypton, donning the symbol of her enemy and preparing to strike back at them.

In some ways this story humanizes Lucy a little. You can see how a life where she felt unloved, where she was made to feel unworthy, would make her emotionally fragile. How it would make her willing to do anything to feel loved ... even if that meant kill.

But this is the most interesting panel in the whole issue.

The boys at Project 7734 seem surprised that Lucy is back. And what's more, they don't think General Lane is going to be happy in hearing she is back. Maybe they weren't expecting this. And is she manifesting powers now without the suit? That is very interesting!

So I think there is still a lot to learn about Superwoman. But at least I feel I have seen enough pieces of the puzzle to have a clearer idea of what the big picture is.

Everything worked in this Annual. I have been waiting for these storylines to continue for a while and Sterling Gates did not disappoint. I thought that these were the strongest pencils I have seen from Fernando Dagnino, especially in the Lucy story. And, of course, that Renato Guedes cover is spectacular and could be a poster.

Nothing but goodness here.

Overall grade: A