Supergirl 1- La Derniere Fille de Krypton

When you are an avid comic book fan who also happens to be friends with people who do a lot of traveling, you often get cool gifts and souvenirs.

A very good friend of mine was recently in Paris and noticed a comic book store just a few blocks from his hotel. He went in and saw this trade - Supergirl, La Derniere Fille de Krypton - and knew he had to grab it for me.

I am a sucker for stuff like this. I have a fun side collection of foreign copies of Supergirl and Superman books. This one is quite slick.

For one, I love the 'non 3D' Supergirl logo. There is something clean about this. Perhaps it being black on the yellow background helps.

And the back cover also is sharp with the black background.

The text I can muddle through with my high school French and deductive skills. It says she comes to Earth to find Superman is not a baby and she has to decide if she will embrace humanity (or something like that).

DC Essential: New 52 Supergirl #1

It was announced yesterday that a Supergirl Essential issue will be released the week before the premiere of the show. Boasting a price of just one dollar, the issue is a reprint of the New 52 Supergirl #1. Here is a link:
http://www.newsarama.com/26008-dc-rushes-supergirl-essential-onto-shelves-ahead-of-tv-debut.html

CBS's Supergirl series debuts October 26, and DC Comics is rushing to get a Supergirl comic book on stands to take advantage of the extra attention and potential for increased popularity.

The publisher has rush-solicited DC Essentials: Supergirl #1, a reprint of the "New 52" Supergirl #1 from 2011, for publication on October 21. Priced at just $1.00, retailers have until September 28 to place orders.

I am thrilled that the character is getting such promotion and publicity right now. And while I think the New 52 Supergirl had its ups and downs, there is no doubt this is a dynamic first issue with beautiful art by Mahmud Asrar.

But there certainly is a lot to nit pick about this decision.

One, this is a rushed announcement and solicit, almost as if DC didn't recognize the show premiere as an opportunity. And you might think that an ongoing book, a show prequel issue, a digital series ... that anything might be the right promotion.

Also, the tone of the initial New 52 run ... the alien Kara, with no friends, who remains distant to Superman and doesn't want to be a hero ... is about as far away from what we have seen of the show. There is a disconnect tonally here.

But rather than write another 1000 words, wailing and gnashing my teeth, complaining at DC's blighted efforts with the character, I will instead give a short list of other comics that I think could also be considered 'Essential Supergirl' and might fit in a bit more with the efforts of linking the comic to the show. In chronological order and with links if I have reviewed the issue here:

Action Comics #285 (Jerry Siegel/Jim Mooney) - This is a pretty big issue in Supergirl lore where Superman finally reveals her existence to the world. No longer will she be the secret weapon. She had done her job, training to use her powers, and doing her own secret heroics. Now was the time for her to be recognized as the second Kryptonian hero of the world. You see how earnest she is in her desire to help. And we see her save the world on her own. If you want an essential from the Silver Age, this is it.

Superman #376/Daring New Adventures #1 (Paul Kupperberg/Carmine Infantino) - An extra-sized issue as it includes to Daring preview from Superman. The preview story is Supergirl talking to her cousin, discussing her desire to go back to school, to be her own person, to become the hero she should be. The first issue shows her work/social life as well as nice action against Psi. This is 'girl power' at its finest. This is a young hero ready to step into the light and help people. And she is a young woman dealing with life and love as well. This feels like the show.

Supergirl #5 (Peter David/Gary Frank) - Matrix had just linked with Linda Danvers, a mortal girl with dark inclinations. And this amalgam was still trying to figure out what it was. Was she alive? Did she have a soul? Was she good? She met an odd sort of reflection in the suddenly sentient Chemo. There are hard philopsphical questions asked. This was a young woman trying to define herself as a hero. And it is a stand alone issue in an otherwise long   form book. Matrix might not be Kara. But writer Peter David injected pure Supergirl-ness into this book.

Supergirl #34 (Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle) - This was the beginning of the Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle run, and it also was a shift in direction for the character. After nearly 3 years of anger, bitterness, high school massacres, vanishing skirts, and panty shots, Gates and Igle rehabilitated the character. She needed to redefine who she was. She might not be perfect. But she wanted to do good, be a hero, and strive to be better. She was growing, maturing. And part of that was adopting the Linda Lang identity. If there is one run (or one issue) that the show seems to have imprinted on, it is this one. I mean Linda in the show looks just like Linda Lang.

Superman/Batman #62 (Mike Johnson and Michael Green/Rafael Albuquerque) - Something of a left field pick but it has a Bat-family member which might lead more people to read it. Green and Johnson wrote the New 52 Kara but this one is much more classic in approach as the retell an early adventure she had with Robin. And in this story you see the gamut of Supergirl's emotions, all displayed as she strives to bring good to the world and save people. It is a brilliant microcosm of the character and how she thinks and what she tries to do. And it is beautifully rendered.

Supergirl #33 (TonyBedard/ Emanuela Lupacchino and Jeff Johnson) - It might seem odd to pick the last issue of a multititle arc (Red Daughter) as the Essential. But the issue again highlights the parts of Supergirl's character that I love. The fierce need to fight for justice. That love of Earth, her home. And she finally rids herself of all the negativeness of the earlier issues, set up perfectly in the form of a Red Lantern ring.

So those would be my essentials. Those would have been my choices for DC. And, of those, I would have picked the Gates/Igle Supergirl #34 would far and away have been my choice to market the character in conjunction with the show.

Supergirl Television Show??

This post has been updated and edited so many times I hope it still makes sense!

While I take every rumor on Bleeding Cool with a grain of salt, even I have to admit that the site is right way more often than it is wrong. And it seems it got this one mostly right.

And so you can imagine my reaction to this article about DC Entertainment and Michael Green pitching a Supergirl television show. Here is the link:  http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/09/03/dc-comics-actively-pitching-a-supergirl-tv-series-with-michael-green/

The article can be boiled down to this sentence: Bleeding Cool has been reliably informed by a comics/Hollywood contact that DC Comics is currently actively pitching Supergirl as a TV series, and [Michael] Green is attached. 

That one article seemed to blow up the internet with all the usual sites grabbing hold and entering an echo chamber where they were each reporting the others report. 

Then, there was an actual change to the simple Bleeding Cool rumor. It's hard to know who reported it first given the explosion of the update but I first saw it on comicbookmovie.com  You can read that report here: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=107093 

The bottom line of this latest report was the Michael Green wasn't involved and that the CW was not the landing site. I thought that was fine as Green's Kara was the angry isolated Kara and the CW might make it have the dark tone of Arrow or Gotham.

But then even more news broke! When was the last time you saw this much publicity and rumor about Supergirl!!!

Much like this middle report, it is hard to know who broke it first. But here is the Deadline.com report: http://deadline.com/2014/09/supergirl-tv-series-dc-comics-829364/

This report had more news ... or maybe more rumor. From that article:

[Arrow Producer] Greg Berlanti — the top producer is looking to transition another popular DC superhero character to the small screen. I’ve learned that Berlanti has teamed with Ali Adler, who worked on his ABC series No Ordinary Family, for a TV series based on Supergirl. 

The Supergirl show doesn’t have a name yet. I hear the producers are considering several options that need to be cleared, including Super and Girl. The project is expected to be taken out in a couple of weeks and pitched to the major networks the way WBTV and DC did with their high profile Batman prequel Gotham, which landed at Fox with a big commitment. The Supergirl series had been in the works at WBTV for some time with Berlanti and Adler. 

Now this at least smelled a little more legit than the vague first rumors. And having a couple of names like Berlanti and Adler is good news that this might have some legs. But ... and you knew there would be a but ... it sounds like the standard DC approach to their characters on any screen. There might not be Super or Girl in the title? It's like the WB won't name them by the superhero name. Can't have jokes. It's like they are embarrassed of the source material. I mean why can't it be called Supergirl? Will there be some sort of 'no flights, no tights' rule like Smallville? Why not just embrace the character.

And then more news on comicbookmovie.com - same link as above just updated further: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=107093

It sounds like it is really happening. It won't be called Supergirl. Adler is writing. And it is a "new interpretation of the Supergirl character" whatever that means. Geoff Johns is involved, which I am happy about because he has always done right by Kara (even if his new 52 stuff has been brutally grim).

Regardless, in the current climate of super-hero movies dominating the big screen and super-hero shows cropping up on all networks, the time seems right. Guardians of the Galaxy crushed the summer season. And Arrow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are established on television with The Flash, Gotham, and Constantine right around the corner.

So why not Supergirl??

And there seems to be so much positive buzz about it. There hasn't been much 'why Supergirl' sort of downgrading of the character. Instead, there really has been an outpouring of 'yes, yes, yes'!

Well, I said it on Twitter when I read it and I'll say it here. I would love a Supergirl show. But I want it to be the right Supergirl show.

The tone of Arrow, the glum Smallville, the dark commercials for Gotham feel like the wrong tone. The New 52 Supergirl book envisioned her as a loner, disaffected, angry young girl. I don't know if I want that to be the image of Supergirl portrayed on the small screen.

On Smallville, the Kara character was fantastic, bolstered by her portrayal by the fantastic Laura Vandervoort. Kara had a bit of an edge to her, it is true. But that seemed to be a drive in her to fight for justice, battle evil, and do what's right. A passion. She was the perfect foil to the occasionally dour Clark who hid his powers forever.

Or how about something like Buffy The Vampire Slayer which seemed to walk that fine line between dark horror, comedy, and teenage angst perfectly without any one element becoming overbearing.

Call it "Kara" or "Super". Put her in Stanhope.

How about something like that ... pretty please?

Let's get a Supergirl show on the air. But the right Supergirl show.

Fingers crossed.

Robot 6 Best Of 2012

I think end of year 'Best Of' lists are not as tired a trope as some on the net make it. I rather like hearing what other people consider to be stand-out books or excellent moments. It often leads me to trying a book that I haven't picked up before. For example, I haven't read Saga but after seeing it appear on just about everyone else's Best of 2012 list I feel I have to give it a whirl.

I also like these lists when they give some promotion to books I like that I think could use a boost. So I was pretty happy to see Supergirl get mentioned twice on Comic Book Resources Robot 6 blog's 'Favorite Comics of 2012 list. Here is the link: http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/01/robot-6s-favorite-comics-of-2012/

And here are the mentions:

First from Robot 6 contributor Tom Bondurant. Supergirl was his #6 title.

I don't necessarily agree with the statement that the last Supergirl was a 'wide-eyed innocent' in comparison to Superman. But one thing I agree with ...

This doesn’t make Supergirl gritty or jaded. Rather, it adds a layer of poignancy to her mission on Earth.

One thing that I like about this Supergirl is that despite the rough start to her life on Earth, there has been solid core to her character. She hasn't become jaded ... something which we did see with the Loeb/Kelly version.  And that slow realization that she must accept the tragedy behind her and move forward has made her complex.

And then from Robot 6 contributor Michael May. Supergirl was also #6 on his list.

May states something that I am always worried about. That DC editors will stop Mike Johnson and Mahmud Asrar from writing the book they want and will muddle things up.

He also notes that Supergirl hasn't been weighed down by angst, again keeping her away from being jaded.

With all the great comics that have been released in 2012, I was thrilled to see Supergirl mentioned twice here.  

2012 Supergirl Year In Review: Top Ten Supergirl Moments

2012 is lumbering to its end and so my end of year review is also moving forward.

I have reviewed the non-comics Supergirl news and my Honorable Mentions for the Top Supergirl Moments of the year. Now it is on to the cream of the crop, the moments that stuck out in my mind as I recalled everything that happened over the last year.

One of the things that has really struck me recently is just how tragic this Supergirl's story is. Her ability to cope with all the horror that has been heaped on her and somehow still have a moral compass, a solid center, is the theme that has impressed me with this run. We heard the 'angry' 'don't piss her off' publicity pieces. But really what we have is a Supergirl just trying to get settled and take a breath. In the past, with other incarnations, I have complained about Supergirl crying too easily. Here I am surprised  that Kara doesn't cry more.

Anyways, because that theme of perserverance and grace is key to this hero's journey, many of my moments deal with that.

On to the Top Ten! Be ready ... it's a long post!

Number ten: Any Superman Family Adventures appearance
Okay, it is a bit of a cheat to place an entire title on a 'Top Ten' list. But I couldn't let Superman Family Adventures not appear on this list. This is clearly a young teen Supergirl. She is loved by Jimmy. She is loved by the city of Metropolis who cheer for her when they see her. She is just as ready to throw down with the Kryptonite Man as she is to throw a Fairy party in the Fortress of Solitude.

She's sunny and happy. She is determined and strong. She is fiercely proud of her family and has their backs. And she plays with Streaky.

Yes, this is an All Ages book and as a result it is an All Ages Kara. But every so often, it is nice to read that.

Thanks to Art Baltazar and Franco for making a delightful Supergirl.

Number Nine: Person I least want to meet (Worlds' Finest #6)
It might be hard to fathom, but Worlds' Finest makes the Top Ten list 3 times!

This moment from WF#6 is interesting for a number of reasons. As Power Girl re-enters Earth's atmosphere (that comet like streak in the background), she soars over Supergirl. Kara is the person Karen least wants to meet.

I have noticed moments like this where Karen does not want to meet or interact with the Supers of Earth 1. Maybe she isn't ready to see all the differences? Superman was beloved on Earth 2. Here he still needs to prove himself trustworthy.

But I think there is still too much pain. I think she has been hiding her grief behind this semi-party girl exterior and seeing Superman would simply hurt too much.

I also think Karen had a very different relationship with her Kal, a very different relationship with her Earth. She probably doesn't want to meet this Supergirl because it would anger her. She would probably scream to Kara to cherish every moment she has with her cousin since that can end as quickly as Krypton did.

What will happen when they do meet? I hope not a fight. That is cliche.

Number eight: Abomination (Superboy #6)

It was a brief meeting but powerful. In Superboy #6, Supergirl sheds some light onto Superboy's Kryptonian heritage. He is Kon-El, an abomination. He is destined to go insane and go on a killing rampage.

In many ways, it is more of a Superboy moment than a Supergirl moment. But that history is huge in Superboy's story. And this interaction is the shaky foundation upon which Kara and Kon's relationship is built. Does she recognize him as a person? Or is he a thing? Must he be killed? Or can he be befriended?

This has become a crucial part of H'El on Earth. And it could drive a wedge between Supergirl and Superman. It is Supergirl's understanding of this history that is providing the fuel for this confrontation.

 

Number seven: Re-occuring quirk (Worlds' Finest #0)

I said that Worlds' Finest makes it on this list three times and Worlds' Finest #0 provides the other two moments. I thought this was a phenomenal issue, looking back at Earth 2 in the early part of the Apokoliptian war, seeing the Superman and Batman of that Earth in their prime, and meeting the younger and relatively inexperienced Supergirl and Robin of that planet.

I thought Paul Levitz did a good job here, showing that in some ways Earth 2 was a more innocent place, a place where the Trinity was embraced as heroes. And yet, at the same time, he showed that it was just as if not more dangerous that Earth 1, as we hear about Lois' death and see Catwoman's.

And Supergirl seems to embody the innocence of that place, playful in her training, and willing to bend the rules a bit to see some action. That is all reminiscent of some of her Silver Age stories. And that is physically represented in the first panel and the famous 'finger near her mouth when deep in thought' quirk that we first saw way back in the early Action Comics Supergirl stories and then brought back now and again. Seeing that instantly put in me in a particular frame of mind with this Kara. This isn't a grizzled veteran or an isolated girl, this is the Kara of old.

It makes her losses on Earth 2 and her exile on Earth 1 that much more dramatic.

Number six: Just called it 'he' (Supergirl #14)
Last month's Supergirl #14, one of the early chapters of H'El on Earth, was such a great issue for Supergirl. For me it really felt like the title as a whole was turning a corner, that Supergirl made several steps towards accepting Earth as her home, for accepting Kal as family, and then growing as a person.

There were several moments in that issue that resonated. But for me, the one that stuck out the most was this one, where she stopped thinking about Superboy as an 'it' or a 'thing' but instead thought of him as a 'he'. She even stopped H'El from snapping Kon's neck, something she considered doing herself in the Superboy issue mentioned above. It shows growth by Supergirl. We have always known she believes in the sanctity of life. Here she shows it in the face of a lifetime of fear and prejudice. That is a few steps farther down the road of the hero's journey than she was before.

Number five: My home is gone (Supergirl #6)
As I have mentioned before, the Supergirl story is one that has always had an element of loss and tragedy associated with it. This incarnation seems to be showing us more of that grieving process than others.

This scene from Supergirl #6 really moved me when I read it. Unwilling to believe that Krypton is dead, Supergirl followed a memory crystal to the remains of Argo City. The place is a tomb, covered in dust and without life. After a skirmish with Reign, Kara escapes.

She then witnesses the death throes of the last vestiges of her old life ... her home ... as it sinks into the gravity well of this blue sun, incinerated. That sudden realization that it is all true, that her family and her home are gone. That she is suddenly an orphan in space, dealing with a new world is powerful. And the panels falling away, whiting out Argo, work well. Big moments need big art. This double page spread is wonderful.

This was a major moment for Kara. The question is how would she react to this confirmation of her loss. She responded by flying back to Earth and defending life.

Number four: You could help me (Supergirl #12)
Big moments deserve big art.
Small moments deserve subtle flourishes and need to be cherished.

In Supergirl #12, Kara begins to realize that she needs help to adapt to Earth. She won't do it as a guest in Superman's fortress.

After basically shunning Kal for a while, this small moment of her asking him for help was a giant step forward in my mind. This is a Supergirl that wants Kal in her life, wants to understand Earth and live amongst us.

But it is the subtle addition of a flush in her cheeks that adds so much unsaid depth to the moment. This is a Supergirl not used to asking for help. And asking Kal for help after fighting him and ignoring him can't be easy. It is, in some ways, admitting she made a mistake, maybe even regretting her prior actions. And that tiny blush in her cheeks tells me all of that ... she doesn't need to voice it.

Part of this hero's journey has to be opening herself back up to people, to a world, to her cousin. After dealing with the pain of loss, she might be reluctant to do that all over again. This small step showed me she was on the right path.

Number three: She's a hero! (Supergirl #11)
As important as Supergirl opening up to people is, it is as important that people open up to her.

In Supergirl #11, Kara has to battle a Simon Tycho Nanobot assassin.  During the battle, she constantly is thinking about limiting the property damage, making sure she takes the battle away from people, and actually worrying about killing her opponent. All nice moments.

But it was this one, after the battle, that made me smile. Despite someone shouting out she is dangerous, the bulk of the people are flocking to her, smiling, and calling her a hero.

If Kara was constantly feared and distrusted, if people were running from her and not towards her, it could drive her to a darker place, making her more alienated. That tone has been seen over and over in the publicity pieces. We haven't seen it in the comic. This panel is proof.

There is something just wonderful about that young woman looking towards us, smiling widely, happy to be near Supergirl.

Number two: Secret Weapon (Worlds' Finest #0)
And so we come to the last Worlds' Finest moment on the list.

From Worlds' Finest #0 (again), we have Superman calling Supergirl the 'secret weapon' against Darkseid on Earth 2. The 'secret weapon' idea is such a part of Supergirl's Silver Age past, back when she was hidden in Midvale orphanage, only to act if Superman died.

Here that concept is updated. Superman is training her, preparing to utilize her in a war to save the world. There is some of that Kal Silver Age sterness here, but it isn't belittling or disparaging. He wants Kara to train, to hone her skills, so she can be more effective.

We know that Paul Levitz loved the pre-Crisis Supergirl. We see that love in these moments where her history is modernized and  infused into Power Girl's history. And that concept of being the secret weapon, to step in for Superman just in case, is played out when Superman dies. But now Karen is on our Earth. Levitz talked about that dynamic in a recent interview here: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/paul-levitz-worlds-finest-more-dcu.html

Newsarama: Paul, one of the driving forces behind this comic has been the mystery behind how they got to this Earth, and how to get home. Is that going to be the focus going forward as well? Even as they're fighting these adventures on this Earth?
Paul Levitz: It's certainly the main part of what drives Power Girl. She's very focused on that. She's very conscious that she would be probably the most powerful character on Earth-2 if she was back there. And she has a responsibility. She's supposed to have been ready to take over for Superman. Superman's dead. And now, where is she? She's not able to be there to do her job.

This sense of responsibility, of honoring Kal and becoming the hero on Earth 2 is a great trait in this Karen. She must feel a tremendous weight on her shoulders, wondering what is happening on her home, knowing she should be there defending it, and not being able to. 

Number one: I won (Supergirl #7)

And so we come to the Number One Supergirl Moment of 2012, the last page of Supergirl #7 showing a victorious Supergirl right after driving the World Killers off Earth.

It is such a powerful moment for this Supergirl. In her brief stay on Earth she has had to deal with incredible loss. She has had to process everything that has happened to her. And she has had to deal with being a stranger in a strange land, a place where most people have tried to capture her, vivisect her, or kill her.

And yet, despite all that, despite Reign tempting her to join them in ravaging the stars, she remains true to herself and her beliefs. She fights to protect people, to save lives, to do what's right. And it isn't easy. It is a brutal fight.

And yet, here she is ... triumphant!

There is so much about this panel that works. Supergirl's body language - looking upward, slight smile on her lips, fists clenched  but at her side shoulder slightly slumped ... fatigued but thrilled. It is perfect. And then signs of the carnage behind her, flipped cars and military all present. And yet, there in the lower corner, just below the 'I won' proclamation, the innocents she defended, an elderly man, a couple with their young baby. There are the people she defended ... she saved.

All of this seemed to just wipe some of my concerns away. This is a Supergirl who is a hero, who is willing to risk herself, to potential sacrifice herself, to defend the helpless, to help people she doesn't know.

She isn't alienated, disaffected, 'Hell on wheels', willing to fight her friends, so 'please don't piss her off.' All of that awful publicity stuff ... everything that worried me ... it just hasn't been in this comic. This moment more than any shows that.

And that is the top ten Supergirl moments of 2012!

Did I miss any?

2012 Supergirl Year In Review: Non-Comic Stuff And Best Moments: Honorable Mentions

Welcome to the first day of a three day wrap-up of Supergirl in the year 2012! It has been a pretty hectic year with Supergirl growing in her own book, the Earth 2 Supergirl becoming Power Girl on Earth 1, a variety of non-comic stuff, and ... as usual ... a couple of perplexing moments of continuity.

The schedule for this wrap-up trilogy will be as follows:
Today: Non-comic stuff and the Honorable Mentions for the year's Best Supergirl Moments.
Tomorrow: The Top Ten Supergirl Moments of 2012
The Following Day: The Top Three Supergirl Face Palm Moments of 2012

I have done the year wrap-ups for a while now and the Face Palm Moments is a new category. And I didn't know if I should start with the face palms or end with them. I think I made the right decision.

What I would like to do is open this up to you all as well. So feel free to post/email any of your favorite or least favorite moments from the year and if I get enough response I'll put together a 4th post, the 2012 readers' wrap-up.

On to the celebration ... beginning with the non-comic stuff.

For me, the biggest non-comic Supergirl news of 2012 was Super Best Friends Forever. The DC Nation block added DC short films between episodes of Green Lantern and Young Justice. They made a brilliant move in having Lauren Faust of My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic fame create 5 Super Best Friends Forever short films. 

In short, they were spectacular. A wildly manic and optimistic Batgirl, a hotheaded Supergirl, and an older, slightly more mature Wonder Girl teaming up as the Suh-Buffs, taking down the bad guys and relying on each other. They were action filled and laugh out loud funny. Each member got a short where they were in the spotlight and then there were 2 of them as a legit team.

I gushed over them when they aired. The supergirls at home loved them and have asked when they will get more. Unfortunately, Faust said there will be no SBFF in the upcoming season of the DC Nation block.

I truly hope they weren't a brilliant flash in the pan, here and gone before we knew it. There needs to be more! It seems like such a no-brainer, tapping into to multiple markets and opening up wild licensing opportunities.

Of course, we all wailed and gnashed out teeth for more Cosmic Adventures too. And that seemed like a similar no-brainer.

Bring back the SBFFs!!

Continuing the multi-media portion of the wrap-up, we learned in July that a DC Animated movie was being made of Geoff Johns' Brainiac storyline. And Supergirl's voice will be done by Castle actress Molly Quinn.

Blog friend Gene, who usually has his finger on the pulse of these things, thinks the movie will be out around June to coincide with the Man of Steel big screen feature.

Brainiac occurred just as Sterling Gates took over Supergirl. Johns really had a handle on what Supergirl should be like. In fact, Supergirl saving the Earth from Brainiac's solar aggressor was the number one Supergirl moment from 2008. I look forward to seeing this movie and another animated Supergirl feature.

As for merchandise, the New 52 Supergirl was one of the first characters to get a statue bust. This statue just came out and looks wonderful. It also is bigger and wider than prior DC Collectible busts. It is pretty impressive. 

And as recently seen on this blog, Hot Wheels came out with a Supergirl version of the 1938 Dodge Airflow mini-tanker.

I am glad that DC continues to market the more classic versions of Supergirl's statue on these ancillary memorabilia items. This car is just fantastic. I mean ... who would ever think there would be a Supergirl toy car?

And now, on to the Best Supergirl Comic Moments of 2012. As always, a lot happened over the course of the year. In her own title, the year started with Kara still lost and wondering if Krypton still existed. She had to learn the hard way that there is tragedy in her life, that she is on a new world she needs to make her home, and that she is also has the ability to help people. I feel like her character has slowly started to turn the corner in the book. It has felt like this Supergirl now realizes this is her home and it is time to make it feel like one.

On top of her own title, she has appeared in the main Superman title a couple of times, had a powerful and revealing encounter with Superboy in his title, and is one of the family in the Superman Family Adventures. And, we currently are blessed ... sort of ... with 2 Supergirls because Power Girl in Worlds' Finest was once Supergirl on Earth 2 and we have seen some of those adventures.

One thing to note ... there hasn't been an 'event' comic since the New 52 came about as the characters are still getting settled. I, for one, applaud it.

With that much happening, limiting myself to ten 'best' moments was too hard. And so here are the 5 'almost in' moments, the Honorable Mentions, counting down.

Number five honorable mention: The Corona Wave (Supergirl #7)
When we first read Michael Green and Mike Johnson's ideas on this new Supergirl, part of what they said was that she would have some different powers than Superman. I will admit that initially I was against this. But the instances of these new powers have been limited.

The Corona Wave (my name for it) ... or fireball effect ... or whatever you have named it is an interesting new power. I think Supergirl has a sort of automatic defensive mode with her powers. One is a sort of super-intuition, an activation of her super-senses when something is about to happen. And then this one, a sort of concussive blinding blast of her absorbed sun power when she is in extreme danger.

I still don't know how I feel about it but one thing for sure, it is a new wrinkle for the character and worth mentioning.

Number four honorable mention: The Costume (Supergirl #0)
There hasn't been many truly joyous moments in this book for Kara as she struggles on Earth.

So the glimpse we had of her on Krypton, caring for baby Kal and having some nice father/daughter discussions with her father, showed us the heart of who she is.

We had learned early on that the Supergirl costume had some sort of ritual significance on Krypton. Here, just prior to the destruction of Krypton and the trip to Earth, Zor-El had Kara try it on. I loved this happy panel of Kara, a sort of normal adolescent modeling new formal wear and asking her father for his opinion. There is a sort of innocence here ... and joy.

I keep hoping we will see some of these emotion on Earth.

Number three honorable mention: Silent Scream (Supergirl #5)
I thought this panel was a powerful one. Amidst the ruins of Argo City, Supergirl has no choice but to accept the sad truth. Krypton is gone.

It loudly echoes the silent scream panel of from Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle when Kara is holding Zor-El's body.

I have always said that Supergirl's story is about the journey, is about the becoming of a hero. The last incarnation, the Sterling Gates Supergirl, felt like a journey of maturation, of overcoming snap judgments and poor decisions to become a better hero.

This Supergirl seems like a journey through sadness. This Kara has a very different feel. She grieves for her loss and has to overcome it. It is that acceptance of her tragic past and the ability to still do good, to still do what is right despite a heavy heart that seems to be the undercurrent of this Kara. And this panel says that best.

Number two honorable mention: Save the World (Worlds' Finest #1)
We haven't seen much of the Earth 2 Supergirl instead seeing her Power Girl adventures. But the glimpses show just what a great and sort of throwback character she was. We will see a couple more moments in the actual Top Ten list.

Here, in Worlds' Finest #1, we see the event that led her to be marooned on Earth 1. After the Trinity has been killed, Supergirl and Robin try to end the war in one swoop, flying into the boom tube to battle (they think) Steppenwolf.

There is such a look of determination on Supergirl here as she hurtles towards this fight. This guy just killed Superman. He isn't a pushover. But nevertheless, there is Supergirl ... doing the right thing and carrying on, being a hero.

Number one honorable mention: I Remember Now
Maybe the biggest ongoing storyline in Supergirl, part of the initial hook of this new incarnation, was the mystery behind Kara's origin. She didn't remember how she got into the costume, into the pod, rocketed from her doomed planet. Part of her inability to grasp her new life is it that came as a complete shock. Even time made no sense. How could baby Kal be a man?

In Supergirl #13, all those lost memories flood back into her consciousness. Being experimented on by World Killer scientist Zor-El. Drugged and put into a rocket. Alura shooting Zor-El with a stunner. While Supergirl had mostly accepted the loss of Krypton, these new details ... the bizarre way Zor showed his love for his daughter, that her parents are really dead, that time has passed without her ... are horrific. It again shows that this is a journey of grief. There are some elements of Peter David's story here. And there is some of Sterling Gates' here as well.  But it is the core of the character, to continue to see the best no matter what happens, to continue to do what's right no matter what, that is the essence of Supergirl. She has some answers here now ... but it isn't the end of this journey; it's the beginning.

And so that wraps up the first part of the Review and the Honorable Mentions of the Top Supergirl Moments of 2012. Tomorrow ... the top ten!

Supergirl Trade Talk: Costume Design

The first trade collection for the DCnU Supergirl came out this week and collected the first 7 issues of the title as well as a few extras. At 160 pages, Volume 1 Last Daughter of Krypton, is something of a steal at only $14.99.

One of the things that struck me is that the issues read well when read in one sitting, obviously the benefit of trade treatment. While I am still struck that the first couple of issues are decompressed, the momentum builds through the seven issues. Once the trip to Argo happens and the World Killers show up, the story moves faster and feels weightier. There is more for the reader to sift through, trying to piece together the puzzle of her origin just as Kara is doing the same. There still might be a bit too heavy reliance on splash pages and it was a relatively quick read but the pacing of the story seemed much better when read en masse.

And the trade ends on just the right note, this uplifting page of a tired, proud, smiling Supergirl ... thrilled she has won this battle and helped save Earth.

I was glad to see some extras in the back of the trade. There are some preliminary designs of the World Killers by Mahmud Asrar. And there is an unused cover for Supergirl #6 as well. But for me, the best of the extras are some costume designs for the DCnU Supergirl that weren't accepted.

So here are some of the other designs that Jim Lee came up with for Supergirl. I am glad that these weren't chosen. I think Supergirl needs to have the S-shield and this free-floating S just doesn't do it for me.

Of any of these, the bottom one, which has a little Laurel Gand feel to it, works best for me.

And it seems those 'open-kneed' boots were always part of the equation.

I have to say, this one stuck out to me as being the most visually unappealing. The mish-mash of blue and red and the silver shoulders on the cape just seem distracting. A costume should be sleek and smooth. This is too visually jarring.

Add to that the boob mini-window, the open neck and shoulders, the elbows being exposed. Well it reminded me too much of this ...

I should never ever ever ever ever ever be reminded of this horrific Invisible Woman costume, perhaps the worst hero costume ever.

More intriguing is this page of costume designs by Mahmud Asrar.

I think the bottom right is interesting as it looks like a sort of fetal version of the current Power Girl outfit. The 8 in the S-shield is also a nice touch, reminding me for some reason of DC 1,000,000.

I don't think I would like the mid-riff, pants version.

But this one is actually quite fetching. The single piece dress is evocative of her first costume and multiple variants that have been seen recently. The larger symbol being incorportated into the cape and collar gives it a sort of regal feeling. And the boots lack the open knees. Add flourishes of blue and this is a winner.

Of all of Jim Lee's versions, I think the one chosen is the best. I am glad they went in this direction rather than any of the above Lee designs. This has enough classic elements to make it feel right.

Review: Supergirl #0

I have been pleasantly surprised with DC's Zero Month finding most of the issues to be solid origin-based stories and decent jumping on points. But no title seemed more geared for a zero issue than Supergirl; the details of Kara's trip to Earth have been a mystery since the beginning of the book. With this week's Supergirl #0, we finally get some answers ... and a couple more mysteries.

One of the things that I have commented on ad nauseum here has been the difference between the Supergirl character in the book and the one presented in publicity by DC's PR staff and editors. While the publicity makes her sound like an angry loner with a mean streak, the book itself shows a character with a deep seeded sadness. Sure, she has occasionally exploded (literally) but she has always seemed to have the right motives, the desire to help others. In Supergirl #0, which takes place on the last days of Krypton, we get a sense of why she has that core, who she was in her own environment, and basically the type of person she is. I liked what I saw.

On top of that, we get a better sense of Zor-El, his abilities, his obsessions, and his overwhelming love for his daughter.Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be madness in him, just desperation.

And we also see the lengths Alura will go to in order to protect Kara as well. Prior glimpses of Alura made her seem like a rigid traditionalist with a strained relationship with her daughter. Here we get to see a loving mother trying to protect her child.

On top of this characterization which really builds a foundation for the Supergirl character, we get answers. When was she rocketed? By who? And who shot Zor-El?

There are some minor details which I don't know if I have wrapped my head around yet but overall this was a very good issue. The creative team of Mike Johnson, Michael Green, and Mahmud Asrar just deliver here. On to the details ... and since this is a big issue with big revelations, this is a long review.

The issue starts in Zor-El's secret lab, a lab hidden from the Science Council, where he is running experiments which push the boundaries of the Council's ethics. So already we know something about Zor. He is willing to do what he thinks is right even if it flies in the face of authority. That sort of determination is something that we have seen in this Kara ... heck in the best of all incarnations of Supergirl. I thought this was a nice little way of showing where Kara gets some of her internal strength.

Now, preparing to do whatever necessary to save your daughter is one thing. To experiment on your teenage daughter without her consent is something else. So maybe there are some boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. The words here have to be deliberate. 'Code Matrix' has to be some subtle homage to the Matrix Supergirl. It also implies, especially given this is the World Killer lab, that this Kara was altered by these experiments. So maybe these new powers - the super-intuition, the corona wave solar flare, the combined vision - isn't simply because female Kryptonians process yellow sun energy differently. Maybe she has been enhanced. I have to admit ... I don't know how I feel about this quite yet.

Zor-El knows that the planet is doomed. But he can't come right out and say it. Why incite panic? Or risk his own freedom to do what he thinks is necessary? Instead, he has to act somewhat in secret to try to save what he can. With the blessing of the Science Council, he has placed 'generators' around Argo City. We know those are really force field generators, designed to save Argo. Again, this shows a sort of headstrong 'I know best' attitude in Zor.

There is always a lot to compliment in Mahmud Asrar's art but you can just feel the fatigue and desperation in Zor-El here. He is racing against the clock and it shows.

As I said before, one of the things I loved about this issue was seeing Kara in a comfortable environment. It gives me a better sense of who she is.

So despite the ongoing feud between Zor and Jor, she still visits her aunt and uncle, still plays with her cute little cousin. She has a sense of family and loyalty. She clearly loves little Kal. So she has a strong emotional core.

Interestingly, we also hear her comment about bickering classmates, equating the Jor/Zor dispute to 'mean girl' nonsense. But that statement also makes her sound like she is simply above all that. So there is an implied maturity here.

But that fraternal disagreement is based on Zor's experiments. Jor-El doesn't approve of things he has seen Zor doing (the world killer stuff, I suppose).

At home, Zor-El continues to push himself to the limit. Time is short and he needs to get everything ready. He is curt with Alura, hiding his plans with Kara and the planet's destruction even from his wife. So Zor is complicated. He isn't the sunny purely good guy we saw with the last Supergirl.

He keeps a phaser set on stun by his side because scientific caste members have been attacked. There is a lot to digest here. First off, the scientific caste sounds a lot like the science guild from prior Krypton culture. I am glad that the super-books are maintaining that part of Krypton's history. Second, these attacks are probably from the 'doomsday' anti-science cult we saw in Superboy #0.

But lastly, you never see a gun in the first act unless it is going to be fired in the third.

With the clock ticking down, Zor takes Kara to his main lab in Argo.

Alura, who had been curious about Zor's research, discovers that he has been using Kara as a guinea pig. On top of that, she is startled when Superboy appears telling her there is still time to say goodbye to Kara.

Suddenly there is a new mystery in this book. How the heck did Superboy end up here. It makes my review of the Superboy on Argo City seem prescient!

Anyways, we have already seen Kara in the crowd shot of Superboy's origin in Superboy #0. Now this. Somehow these two get to be part of each other's origins even if it means time travel. Hopefully this will be spelled out in H'El on Earth. But more importantly, what an interesting message from Kon. He doesn't want Alura to miss this moment, he calls Supergirl Kara. He seems to ... care! What an interesting future moment for us to peek at knowing what Superboy is going through now, knowing what Supergirl thinks of him now.

Zor-El meanwhile has his rescue of Kara timed to the second. He takes her to the lab, has her get into her 'family crest' outfit, and shows her the pod she is sent to Earth in.

I know that I have been talking about this solid emotional core and maturity that Kara has shown but this panel reminded me that she is still an adolescent. But this panel, so wonderfully drawn by Asrar, speaks so much. The beaming smile, the shy knocked knees, the brandishing of the cape. This sort of childlike joy she evidences, just from wearing this outfit, reminded me that she isn't a fully formed adult despite her upbringing and set of values. She is in many ways still just a kid, learning about the world.

But the world is literally crashing down around them. For some reason, presumably because he has drugged her, Kara passes out. Zor has the time to tell her what she is doing and she begs him not to send her away.

I thought this was a good moment for the two. The father who loves his child so much he has to send her away to protect her. It isn't an easy choice; he is weeping.

This is a different portrayal of Zor-El then we have seen recently. He resides somewhere between Kelly's insane murderous Zor and Gates' perfect father figure. This is a complicated guy stuck in a bunch of no win situations.

I do think his heart is in the right place. We have surmised in the past that the raw power of the World Killers is what powered his generators, made the force field. He basically admits it saying that he has redeemed himself, using their power to save lives.

But he also says it is saving Kara's life. He must have altered her genome, using the work he did on the World Killers as a template to increase Kara's capabilities. I have to say, I am still on the fence about this one particular detail of her history. I'll need to see it play out a bit more before I decide if I like it or not.

Also, in a nice piece of symmetry, we get the reverse angle of the speech Supergirl heard off the sun-stone crystal in Supergirl #5. We see Zor recording it.

We know that recording ends with Zor-El being shot. I had always assumed it was a kill shot. But that gun from Act 1 was a stun gun. And it is Alura who pulls the trigger.

Back in my 'who shot Zor-El poll' I listed her as a suspect and the person I hoped would not have pulled the trigger. (Of course, back then I thought it would make her a murderer.) Now knowing this simply stuns him, I suppose it is semi-justified. She has learned that her husband has experimented on their child and is planning to rocket her off the planet. I can understand why she would be angry and try to do everything in her power to stop him.

Congrats to those people who voted for her!

Of course, she arrives to late. The pod speeds off just as Argo's shields go live ... just as the planet explodes.

I love this image of Alura, simply defeated, ragdoll-like in her sorrow. We have always seen Alura in a position and posture of strength. To see this image of her humanizes her.

So a very solid and intriguing origin story here ... one that answers a lot of questions.

We know now that Supergirl was rocketed at the same time as Kal. Now why she would orbit the sun, or finally break orbit and land on Earth ... I don't know.

We know that Argo survived. It must have been Zor-El (or perhaps Alura) who built the wormhole gates between Argo (as it orbited the blue sun as seen again in Supergirl #5 ) and Earth. Perhaps he was hoping to reach her, be reunited with her. And this is why Reign says the lab she awoke in was in space. It was the Argo lab she was in, powering those generators.

Zor-El survives being shot. Perhaps that is why he and Alura seem very much a team when seen as a vision in Supergirl #6. Maybe, once she learned why he was doing what he was doing, she forgave him. Heck, maybe they are in the Survival Zone given how they appeared. I am glad he survived this far although it does change the impact of the shooting dramatically

We know why Supergirl thinks she was on Krypton just the day before. We know how she got into her uniform (I guess some short term amnesia about her conversation with Zor is expected). And most importantly we have a sense of who she was on Krypton.

Mahmud Asrar's art is supreme in the issue especially in the characters' expressions, magnifying the power of each scene.

Now can I deal with her amplified genome? And how did Superboy get there?

What I really want to know is what did all of you think?

Overall grade: A