Best of 2009 #3 - The Fans' Thoughts

I figured one last look back at the great year of 2009 was warranted, this time looking at the moments that folks here listed as their best moment of the year for Supergirl. When I said I was preparing my 'best of' list, I asked if anyone knew theirs. I loved the responses I got.

I think they are all great moments and deserve their moment in the sun, so here are 4 more 'best of' Supergirl moments from 2009 with credit given to the posters.

John Feer picked another moment from Cosmic Adventures for his best moment:

I like action, so Kara casually bursting the kryptonite chains Mxyie had foisted on her from Cosmic Adventures is my mark-out Supergirl moment from 2009.

That is another great moment from Cosmic and is an homage to the classic Neal Adams' cover of Superman #233. It is a big moment as the near omnipotent Supergirl defeats Mr. Mxyzptlk and sets things to right in the universe.



Gene picked another great Lana moment as his best of 2009.

Aside from her team up with Batgirl in World's Finest #3, I would nominate the panel towards the end of #42 when Supergirl asks Lana to call her Linda from then on.

This scene occurs right after the 'strongest girl of two planets' scene between the two. I think many of us are looking forward to seeing more Linda in the book. I want to see 'Linda' become the identity. I wonder if I simply have to wait until New Krypton ends.



Nikki, like me, thought that Supergirl standing up to her zombie father showed a new found inner strength. She simply quoted the scene she loved:

'and if you were really my father, I'd give a damn' *punch* from Blackest Night:Superman.

Eddy Barrows really does a great job on the art here, accentuating the brutality of the fight. I mean, Kara evicerates Black Lantern Zor-El in the last panel. But what I really liked was the first two panels showing only 'will' as Supergirl's resolve let's her ignore his hateful words. The subsequent rage seems like a natural extension of facing off against this abomination.


Talos liked the fact that Supergirl is still gaining new allies with her new attitude.

Hmm how about when we see Supergirl selflessly save Inspector Henderson's very life which leads him to believe that she's equally trust worthy as well as her cousin? :)

Another improvement on the title since Gates/Igle has been the addition of a supporting cast. Adding Henderson was great, giving Supergirl an insider in the police, her own sort of Jim Gordon. In the Superwoman arc, Kara saves Henderson from Superwoman. In return, Henderson takes down Reactron. That mutual rescue, mutual respect has set them up to be allies. I was glad to see him again this last issue.

And with that we bid 2009 adieu and move onto 2010!

Review: Supergirl #40 - Superwoman Revealed!

We all have been waiting for Supergirl #40 to come out so that Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle can finally reveal 'Who is Superwoman?' There was lots to love about this issue. And I couple of things I raised an eyebrow about.

But overall it was a solid issue ... and of course there was the Superwoman reveal.



The issue starts with Supergirl talking to Inspector Henderson and Lucy Lane about Superwoman. Lucy steps out to take a phone call while Kara opens up a bit to Henderson.

At this point, Kara is convinced that Superwoman is Thara, a bitter pill to swallow because it would mean that the head of Kandorian security and Supergirl's old friend is a traitor and an accomplice in the murder of Zor-El.

It is a nice exchange, especially the line from Henderson where he describes Supergirl's 'big life'. I can only imagine just how mentally fatigued Supergirl is right now - living on two worlds, losing her Dad, suffering with her mother, now with her friend potentially an enemy.

It is a big life right now ... maybe too big for a 17yr old girl to easily deal with.



Lane returns and tell Supergirl that Superwoman has been located on the corner of (Jerry) Siegel and (Dick) Malverne. Here was another nice little tip of the cap to old fans. Last issue it was the apartment at Binder and Mooney. Can (Wayne) Boring Avenue and (Curt) Swan Road be too far behind?

Enraged at Superwoman's deception, Supergirl flies off to capture her. While heading there, Kara imagines how Thara's betrayal would have happened in Kandor. You can see how Kara might be led to think that Thara was behind the whole thing.

Flying at top speed, Supergirl plows into Superwoman ... or rather what she believes is Superwoman. Instead it is a decoy with Superwoman's cape.

Kara admits that she was traveling so fast that she did not recognize that this was a dupe. In other words, there was no warning from her super-senses that this was a set-up. But you can feel how angry Supergirl is, especially thinking this is Thara, and how that rage led to this mistake.

As for why would Superwoman set up a decoy, well that is answered pretty quickly as Reactron jumps down onto Supergirl and presses the attack.

This small scan does not to the splash page spread the least bit of justice. For a better on-line look, you should head to Jamal Igle's blog: http://jamaligle.blogspot.com/2009/04/supergirl40-is-out-today.html

I do like how Supergirl responds to the sudden attack. She displays some nice battle instincts. Look at her fly into a nearby wall to try to scrape Reactron off like a bug. After all, as far as I can tell, Reactron isn't invulnerable.

Pressing the advantage, Reactron exposes the Gold K in his chest. Supergirl feels that twinge of nausea associated with the sudden loss of powers. She shouts 'Rao' as Reactron casually drops her from several stories up.

Another thing I like here is Kara's internal monologue as she plummets. Her mind is jumping back and forth between two trains of thoughts. One is an emotional response - how she is about to die, how she failed her father, how her mother was crying as Zor-EL died, how it can't end like this.

The other train of thought is that of the well-trained hero. We get a quick glimpse at a conversation with Batman who reminds her that her powers can be warped or stolen ... how Kara needs to be able to react when she has no powers. That sort of internal dialogue as the hero pushes down the fear to act was a nice bit of writing.

Remembering this training, she grabs the corners of her cape making an ersatz glider, and is able to make it onto a nearby roof. In no ways does she seem to be flying, this is merely a way to slow down. Her landing on the roof is not graceful.

Still, this was one of the parts that I was a bit underwhelmed with. I just don't know if the 'cape as glider' would slow someone down enough, let alone give some directional control to aim for the roof. It just felt like a minor stumble.

While the Supergirl/Reactron battle ensues, we cut to Jimmy Olsen, Lana Lang, and Cat Grant who all are attending a banquet for journalism students.

Lana does have a costly slip here, as she cannot easily answer Cat's questions about Linda Lang's parents. Cat is no fool and a decent reporter. Such a startled response by Lana might intrigue Cat enough to have her start asking tougher and more pointed questions. Maybe that is an upcoming storyline?

I feel this was another slight misstep. Lana has been keeping Clark's secret forever. You would think that Linda's backstory would have been ironed out and that Lana would be able to rattle it off. So the astonished response by Lana seemed a bit wrong.

Luckily, before Cat can ask anything else, the crowd is distracted by explosions from the Kara/Reactron brawl.

The rest of the battle with Reactron was really the high point of the issue for me on many levels.

First, I love that Gates includes a reference to Reactron's first appearance in the comic back in the early issue of Kelley Puckett's run. Gates even explains the change in Reactron's powers but more importantly the change in his personality. Remember back in the Puckett issues that Reactron was talking about how he had the consciousness of a galaxy, that he controlled stars. He seemed a bit more cerebral than this sadistic version. Even though the explanation (he was being funny the first time) isn't the best, I am glad it was explained rather than ignored.

Then, there is an explanation of his new powers. The star-suit from Puckett's run was curing Reactron of radiation poisoning. But in that first battle, Supergirl destroyed it. That's when General Lane stepped in with a new cure and a new set of Gold-K based powers.

Best of all, these new story elements cement Reactron as a Supergirl villain. He gladly allowed the changes in his body to get his revenge on Kara. And he did when he killed Zor-El. That sort of personal vendetta is present in all the best rogues.

Then we see the still-depowered Kara actually press the battle. She picks up a length of re-bar and gets a few shots in, surprising Reactron who must have been expecting her to cower.

This is my favorite panel of the issue showcasing a strong and confident Kara. That is just perfect.

And she knows first level 'Klukor' - be still my Silver Aged heart. Is that really a reference to the Kryptonian martial art style that Lois used to use?

But a depowered Supergirl still isn't much of a match for Reactron. He moves in for the kill which is his biggest mistake. Supergirl realizes that if it is the Gold K which gives Reactron his powers than maybe it is also what powers him as well.

She reaches into his chest and rips the rock out, tossing it over the roof. He jumps after it and seemingly disappears.

You would have thought that Metallo would have told Reactron about that weakness.

Still, that whole battle was great and showed just how tough and perservering Supergirl has become.

Her powers returning and her body healing, Supergirl takes a closer look at Superwoman's cloak and sees something she had not seen before, something which tells her just who Superwoman is.

I have talked about how great Jamal Igle is with facial expressions; this is another great example. You really feel Kara's shock and surprise.

As Supergirl streaks to face off Superwoman, we see that things are not going well for her friends.

First off, Lana collapses as blood pours from her nose. Jimmy yells for an ambulance. Hopefully we learn more about her ailment soon.

And Inspector Henderson tries to find Lucy Lane but instead runs into Superwoman who blasts him in the chest with her eyebeams.

And so we finally have the reveal. Supergirl crashes into Police HQ and attacks Superwoman, yanking off her cowl and revealing her to be none other than Major Lucy Lane.

Whoa - I have to say I really didn't see this coming. Lucy has never been high on my list of suspects.

So the question now is how to explain everything we know about Superwoman now that we know she is Lucy Lane. And there is a lot to explain.

How is she a friend of the House of El? (I don't think she knows Clark is Superman and if she did I am sure she would tell her father.) How does she know fluent Kryptonese? How can she fly, shoot eye beams, survive in deep space? How can she be in Kandor or on New Krypton undetected? Why would her father tell her 'I know who you are?'

As friends have pointed out, she has had access to Brainiac technology which could answer a lot of things. Or maybe the Lucy reveal is a fake-out itself - and we see who Superwoman 'really' is after this fake reveal.

Anyways, I will need to hear the explanations before I give final commentary on the reveal. I have to wait to read next issue. And the Gates/Igle team have earned enough respect from me to wait for the finale.

Still, even though it surprised me, it clearly was expected by many fans. Lucy was a popular pick on the web.

Overall grade:B/B+

Review: Supergirl #37

We are fresh out of the official New Krypton storyline but the plots started there are far from over. Supergirl #37 begins the 'Who is Superwoman?' arc but so much more of the fallout from the crossover event is being sifted through.

This was a very good opening chapter. The Superwoman mystery is clearly front and center. But the state of New Krypton and the leadership of Alura are featured too. The Superman fans who are following the aftermath of New Krypton have plenty of hooks here to stick around as readers.


The issue starts from Superwoman's perspective. She talks of how early attempts to terraform New Krypton have been unsuccessful. How she wants to help her people, her family. How no one can know who she is.

She also remembers her murder of Agent Liberty. She talks with resentful respect for General Lane,who "intimately knows the Kryptonian race", "hates them", and knows how to exploit them.

This is a great opening for the issue. Most comic readers like a good mystery and trying to figure out Superwoman's identity is a big draw for the issue. So why not start out with a scene that gives us some tiny clues to help build a case. Her hair is shown in one panel as being dark ... but that seems to be more shadowing than true color. Her eyes are definitely blue. She calls the House of El her family. She may be working for Lane but I don't think she is doing so out of loyalty ... looks more like blackmail. And she has been given orders by Lane. Interesting.

That's a good amount of almost no information ... but what little hard info there is certainly can help build theories. More on that later.

I also find it interesting that New Krypton is no lush paradise. It visually evokes memories of Richard Donner's Krypton from the Christopher Reeve movies, a landscape of ice canyons. Seems not all Kryptonians were happy to leave Earth and go to this ice world.

We cut to Kara in space, soaking in some rays and just getting away from it all. It is a nice touch to hear that this is where she went to grieve her father because she didn't want everyone to hear her sorrow. I also like the smaller font when she says she misses Zor-El. We all have that smaller voice in our head. By simply shrinking the words we feel her inner pain more as a reader.

Superwoman shows up to briefly interrupt the meditation but is clear that Kara and her are becoming friends. Does their near mirror positioning mean anything? Is that a clue?

Earthside, we meet a new supporting cast member. Inspector Mike Henderson is a new Metropolis police officer who investigates metahuman crime. The body of Agent Liberty has been discovered in the harbor. His suit was able to transmit a signal to bring people to his corpse but also may have recorded some pertinent information about the actual act of murder.

Henderson seems like a no-nonsense guy who (I hope) will become a sort of Commissioner Gordon presence for Kara ... a colleague rather than a foe.

Kara seems a bit apprehensive about Superwoman. Who is she? What does she want? Kara also seems surprised to hear that Superwoman was able to search the whole planet for her. That is pretty fast. Is that a clue? Is it speed she has in abundance? Or is there another way she could have tried to find Kara?

Superwoman tries to convince Supergirl to stay on New Krypton and not return to Earth. Superwoman talks about how humans hate the Kryptonians, how Kara should focus on the events on the new home planet. Why would she be so vehement about keeping Kara on New Krypton? Is that what Lane wants? Or is that to protect Kara from Lane's plans?

This is the fun of a mystery like this. Almost every line could mean something ... or not.

Kara does seem pretty happy here though. She seems to be enjoying her time as a 'normal girl'. I am somewhat surprised that Supergirl really seems to want to support her mother and help her. You may recall that in the last issue I thought Kara might have gone to New Krypton to stop Alura from doing further damage, to keep a close eye on her. Instead it seems she wants to be a 'good daughter' and fall in line.

Alura is unhappy with Kara's little jaunts into space and promises punishments. But before that, she has a mission for Kara ... go to Earth, apprehend Reactron, and bring him to New Krypton for justice. The Kryptonians have some intel that show Reactron is going to be in Metropolis that afternoon.

Look at this creepy room. Are the films of Zor-El's murder on continuous loop? I don't know if this is a healthy place for Alura.

Alura asks Kara if she can trust her with this important mission. Kara agrees.

One thing that I really liked about this issue is that Kara's grief over Zor-El's death is not being ignored, swept under the rug. It is effecting her and should effect her. I am glad that it is out in the open and not just inferred. Of course that event is going to have a huge impact on Kara. And what better way for Alura to try and bring Kara into the fold than by sending her out to get her father's killer. In some ways, this is a more decpetive form of emotional blackmail on Alura's part. It might not be as over the top as some of the things she has said to Kara in the past, but it is just as crippling to me. There have to be Kryptonians better suited for this mission than Supergirl, but it is Kara who is asked to go. There is simply too much weight for Kara to say no.

Another surprise was the characterization of Thara. Her brief scenes in the New Krypton crossover made her seem a bit cold and belligerent.

In this issue, she really seems like Kara's old friend. Moreover, she seems to be the voice of reason in her meetings with Alura. She doesn't think Kara should take the mission. She is opposed to Kara bringing Reactron back because Alura will execute him.

What does this mean? Why does she, like Superwoman, want Kara to stay away from Earth? Is she Superwoman? Regradless, her words don't matter to Supergirl. Kara leaves for Earth.

But before Supergirl can get to Reactron, Superwoman stops her. She tells her outright that Kara cannot be on Earth ... it isn't safe. So Superwoman is concerned about Kara's safety. Interesting.

Supergirl isn't going to be told what to do. She is finding her father's killer. She tells Superwoman to get out of her way.

Unfortunately, Superwoman isn't listening. Wow!

From a 'big picture' viewpoint of this title, Supergirl #37 is an important issue. Sales have been up dramatically during the New Krypton crossover. The hope is that those new readers will have liked what they have seen during those issues to give this issue a try and maybe continue to read the title going forward. This issue needs to have enough impact to keep them coming back for more.

I think it succeeds.

First off, it builds on the major beats of New Krypton so those interested in that story will have something here for them.

While there is no Zod sighting, it is clear that Alura's attitude has not changed since the new planet was formed. She seems domineering over Supergirl. She is calling for the head of Reactron.

The murder of Agent Liberty is not going to just go away. That mystery is inextricably linked to the Superwoman mystery and so is a key part of the bigger plot. I certainly like the addition of Inspector Henderson to the cast of the comic. One of my big complaints of earlier runs of this title is that there were no real secondary characters around for Kara to play off of. Now we have Cat Grant, Lana, Inspector Henderson. That's great. I would love for there to be some characters more Supergirl's age to be present in her life as well. I don't know if Thara counts just yet.

But really the big hook for readers (both old and new) is the Superwoman mystery. I think about the other mysteries I have tried to puzzle in my comics life. 'Who is Sensor Girl' is probably my favorite. More recently it was 'who is pretending to be Daredevil while he is in prison?' And there is the ongoing 'who is Rulk?' I mean 'Rulk' is a pretty silly comic but I love the mystery aspect. (For the record I think it's the Leader. My buddy is convinced it's the Absorbing Man.)

So what have we learned?

1) She may have dark hair (I think a red herring)
2) She has blue eyes

3) She calls the House of El family
4) She is reluctantly working for General Lane
5) She wants Kara to stay away from Earth but apparently more out of concern for Kara's safety

Does this change my guess of 'evil Kara clone'? Not yet.

But some other candidates seem more likely now. Suddenly Thara becomes a better guess. But she seems too obvious. I had taken Alura completely out of the mix and I don't think this new information changes that. I have read some people state maybe Superwoman is a future version of Supergirl herself. That is an interesting thought and certainly viable. A recent poster guessed a split Alura (a la the black kryptonite Kara split). That is dark horse possibility ... but actually fits. Any new guesses?

What about Alura's obsequious secretary? Maybe she is such an Alura toadie that she feels she is an El. Maybe she wants Kara to fail so Alura will 'love' her more. Maybe?? Nah .... The bottom line is that despite a lot of bait being dropped, there is no (as far as I can tell) 'a ha' moment in this comic that cements anyone as Superwoman.

The dialogue continues to snap. I think Gates has a nice handle on Kara's inner voice.

The art continues to be superb, although at times the inking seemed murkier than I am used to seeing. I have said it before and I will say it again now. Igle does wonderfully nuanced facial expressions that really help the emotional impact of Gates' words. Look at the joy on Kara's face when she says she is a 'normal girl'. Look at the determination when she says she will take the mission. Or the surprise on Thara's face when Kara snaps at her. The best comics have a symbiotic relationship between words and art and we have seen that here over the last 4 issues.

So, if I run a new 'who is Superwoman poll?' who should be the choices?

Overall grade: A-