Supergirl Episode 303: Far From The Tree

Supergirl season three, episode three, titled 'Far from the Tree', focused on two of the supporting cast's relationships with their fathers. We certainly learned a lot about Maggie and her father in this episode, as we did with J'onn and his.

Both of these relationships are struggling right now. Maggie and her father have been estranged since she came out. J'onn has thought his father has been dead. And now both are trying to salvage a relationship. There are plenty of emotional beats in this episode. And there are very strong performances from both Floriana Lima and David Harewood as they are put through the wringer a bit. And seeing Carl Lumbly, who did the voice of J'onn on the JLA Timm-verse cartoons, playing J'onn's father was awesome.

And there are other moments that shine. I like how Alex and Maggie are heading towards a 'deal breaker' moment. There is a Britney Spears moment with Melissa Benoist which might be my favorite bit for the show as in total as well.

But the big downside of an episode like this is that Supergirl really was pushed a bit into the background. She is part of the J'onn story but she didn't really *need* to be. And I might add that it appears she uses lethal force in the end fight despite saying 'there is always a choice' besides death in combat earlier. That didn't sit well.

Lastly, there are some definite political leanings in this episode's language which stick out rather obviously.

On to the show.

Supergirl Episode 211: The Martian Chronicles

Supergirl Episode 211 came out this week and was titled The Martian Chronicles. And the name is appropriate because this episode does concentrate on Miss Martian and the White Martian threat. Given the powers of the Martians, the episode is definitely action heavy and plays on some of the beats of the classic John Carpenter horror movie The Thing. (We have seen the Supergirl staff riff on the The Thing in the past in the Parasite episode. And the Despero episode from last season definitely had an Aliens feel to it). So the main plot lived up to the hype.

But there are a couple of running themes in this season which this episode continues to build on.

For one, this growing sense that Kara is pushing people away and becoming isolated was in full force here. From Alex to Mon-El to continued friction with Winn, we see some evidence that Kara is feeling more alone now than ever. (Luckily, there was some easing of this at the end and a return of the super-sisters!)

Another ongoing thread throughout this season has been one of prejudice. Whether alien immigration or Green/White Martian racism to Cadmus' xenophobia, hate and prejudice has been a strong undercurrent in season two. And furthermore, it isn't just seen in the bad guys. J'onn has had to deal with his own hate and prejudice here and in this episode he really moves forward. And this is great, especially in these days.

But, being a comic nerd for some time, the high point was still the super-powered battles. Seeing Supergirl, Miss Martian, and the Martian Manhunter fighting two white Martians was just eye candy!

On to the show. Spoilers ahead!

Supergirl Episode 210: We Can Be Heroes

(Please be aware that this is a long review ... even by my standards.)

Supergirl Episode 210, titled 'We Can Be Heroes' aired this week and heralded the return of Supergirl's arch-enemy Livewire. Given the commercials we had seen for this, I thought it would be something of a very action-heavy episode. But instead, we got a character driven show in which several of the show's primaries had to deal with either personal biases or outright misjudgments. This concept of prejudice blinding someone has been a popular theme to tackle on this show right from the beginning. But usually it is the main character's reaction to it, not wading in it a bit themselves.

Perhaps the most perplexing plotline in the episode was Kara not wanting to let other less proven people wade into super-hero business. She tries to shelve Mon-El (not trained) and James (not invulnerable) throughout the episode and even moving on. And yet ... you think that Kara of all people wouldn't feel this way. After all, it was in the premiere itself that Alex tries to stop Kara from being Supergirl and it is Kara who still pushes forward on her journey. Supergirl wasn't trained at all but she knew she wanted to help people. It is this hypocrisy which I think is easy grist for the mill moving forward.

There is a very good subplot of J'Onn finally having to deal with his own hatred of White Martians as he weighs the pros and cons of helping a dying M'Gann. We get the slightest peek into the deepest part of J'Onn's psyche which shows he is pretty human in his own way.

And then there is the Livewire subplot which took a left turn I wasn't expecting. Are villains immutable in their evil ways? Or can they change and redeem themselves?

Mixed in all the action were two or three very powerful conversations where characters confront each other in ways that aren't warm and fuzzy. Things aren't always bright in National City. In particular, Mehcad Brooks gets a couple of standout moments which made me say 'wow'. God knows his character needed it.

If I have one complaint about the episode it is in the directing. There are a lot of moments of conflict between characters here. And yet the shots are often a closeup of one character's face, sometimes as viewed over the shoulder of another character. I would have loved it if both characters were in the shot so that we could see body language and other cues. These weren't comfortable discussions at times. Let me see that!

On to the show!

Supergirl Episode 204: Survivors

Supergirl episode 204 was aptly named 'Survivors' as it explored a number of themes around surviving a disaster. There are so many characters on this show that are sole survivors or 'almost sole' survivors and with that comes any number of issues. Whether it is guilt, or self-loathing, or looking back through rose-colored glasses, there is a lot of psychological trauma to deal with.

These themes are interwoven through a plot of an underground alien fight club. And yes, the action sequences are great. But for me the meat of this episode is looking at the lengths people will go through to deal with surviving.

For Supergirl, she has already had to deal with the trauma of being sent away from her planet. She has come to realize her parents weren't perfect. And now she is trying to live up to expectation of her being a leader for aliens, helping them cope with being on Earth. Now she has to come to terms with her own prejudices about Mon-El.

For Mon-El, he is at the beginning of understanding what it means to be completely alone, without a home planet to return to. He is young and brash. And I think he is in a bit of denial, looking at Earth as a playground until he sees that he needs some mentoring.

J'onn is still suffering from all the issues he has had to deal with from the purging of his race to witnessing his family's death. Now he is trying to latch onto Miss Martian as a way to keep his race and their traditions survive.

But Miss Martian has a secret. And that weighs on her to the point that she doesn't think she is worthy of surviving. She is part of the fight club because she thinks she needs to be punished. She wants to forget her past as much as Kara and J'onn want to remember theirs. This is excellent grist for the mill.

And all the other nameless aliens are out there struggling to survive on Earth and willing to debase themselves to do just that. The problem is that surviving by being in an arena only cements the prejudices Earth people have, viewing them as threats.

This is a long intro, proof that these themes were powerful, making this my favorite episode of the season, strong praise given the giddy feeling of the premiere and super-cousin team-ups.

On to some details.

Back Issue Box: Teen Titans #48

With Miss Martian now on the Supergirl show and with a throw down almost inevitable I thought I would take a look back at comics and one of their less friendly interactions.

Teen Titans #48 came out in 2007 and was a tie-in to the much-maligned Amazons Attack crossover event. This also came out when the Supergirl title was in a bit of flux. Joe Kelly's blighted run of an angry, murdering, lost Supergirl was over. Tony Bedard was coming on for a handful of issues to cover the Amazons Attack and Countdown crossovers. And Kelley Puckett's run was around the corner. But the overwhelming feel of this Kara was that she was an angry, reactive, frankly immature young woman. I don't think I could honestly call her a hero back then.

Amazons Attack is not worth reviewing in depth. But the basic plot was the Amazons declare war on the US for having held Wonder Woman against her will. In the end, the Amazons are made mortal and scattered over the world. Themyscira becomes visible. And somehow Granny Goodness was involved.

As for me, I was collecting Titans only because Supergirl was in the book. This doesn't seem to be a memorable time for the team. The roster is pretty interesting - Tim Drake, Wonder Girl, Miss Martian, Kid Devil, and Ravager. But I don't remember too much of this book and that's always a bad sign.

But this issue is immersed in Amazons Attack and some of the fallout from that event. Writer Adam Beechen shows just how impulsive Wonder Girl and Supergirl are in time. Each of them has a bit of a personal stake in this war and decide that fists will work faster than talk. Neither of them shine here.

The art is done by Al Barrinueva and seems a bit inky and rough. The cover is done by Tony Daniel. You can see how Daniel's art has grown over time, comparing this  work to his current stuff. And, of course, appropriate for the times, Kara's dress is more like a napkin.

On to the book.

Music! Mon-El! Miss Martian!! Kevin Smith!!

Okay, I have been busy these last few days, specifically running around at the Boston Comic Con on the weekend. So, of course, a ton of new information would be dropped about the upcoming second season of Supergirl.

The switch to the CW was initially somewhat concerning to me because there was a lot of 'gloom and doom' talk about budgets and episode length and cutbacks. All of this news makes me think that was a lot of worry for nothing. There is a almost too much news that sounds like the CW is embracing the show and giving it everything it needs.

I understand this news is kind of stale by the time I am covering it so I won't go crazy, other than to give my thoughts and optimism. And I'll include some links but there is plenty of coverage everywhere.

We already knew that Superman was going to guest star on the show for a couple of episodes. Now it has been confirmed that the person in the pod is Mon-El. And we also have heard that Miss Martian will also be on the show. Here is a link:http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/supergirl-season-two-adds-miss-martian-mon-el

Now as a Legion fan, I actually like the idea of Mon-El being in the pod. Mon-El was rocketed from Krypton. He did meet a super-family member. So him appearing on a Supergirl show is a nice new wrinkle to his comic origins. Comic fans know he needs to be placed in the Phantom Zone to save him from lead poisoning. It is only in the future, with the Legion, that he can be cured. I can imagine some episode on Supergirl ending with him awakening around a Legion team. Unbelievable.

As for Miss Martian, I have always liked the character. She had a sort of bubbly innocence at times which was more evocative of classic Supergirl or Mary Marvel in the darker comic medium of the time. I do wonder if she will be revealed to be a white Martian. I wonder if she'll be embraced or pushed away by Hank.

There are a lot of story possibilities here. So I am thrilled.

The next big news was that Kevin Smith was going to direct an episode of Supergirl. Here is a link:
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/11/supergirl-kevin-smith-direct-season-2

Now I will admit that I am a fan of Kevin Smith. His movies are sort of juvenile fun. His pop cultural references are definitely my pop culture references. And I definitely loved his episode of the Flash. That episode was a gut punch of feelings. So I think that he is going to do something special here.

But if you don't believe me, listen to Smith himself in this very NSFW announcement about the gig:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHICbi2t6eE

There is no denying his love for the show or his passion for the job.

Then lastly, and almost inevitably, we learned that there will definitely be a crossover musical episode with Supergirl and the Flash.  Here is some coverage:http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/08/11/the-flash-and-supergirl-to-join-forces-in-a-musical-crossover/

This doesn't sound as if this is part of the big four show crossover but maybe a side adventure? With Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist both being on Glee, a musical episode has been bandied about since the Supergirl show was announced. And after seeing the chemistry the two had in their crossover Supergirl episode, you knew this was going to happen.

I am thrilled to see this. It is going to be such goofy fun. I anticipate a smile frozen on my face.

But one more rumor came out about that musical episode. Suddenly a rumor came out that Joss Whedon would be directing the musical episode. Unreal. Here is that news:http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/08/12/joss-whedon-rumored-to-direct-the-flashsupergirl-musical-crossover

Of course, Whedon made his bones on the Buffy, the Vampire Slayer show (a show I loved). And one of the things he did was a musical episode 'Once More With Feeling'. He would certainly how to direct his way around that sort of episode.

But really? Joss Whedon? Now that his star is so bright in the sky, would he do it? Can you imagine the publicity for the show if he did?

Anyways, that is a lot of information, all of it which makes me have a ton of optimism for the upcoming season. Incredible!

Review: Smallville Lantern #3

For some reason Smallville tends to be the last comic of the prior week that I review. I figured it was time to buck the trend.

Smallville Lantern #3 came out this week and was another fun and entertaining issue. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Writer Bryan Q. Miller put together a stellar run on Batgirl with Steph. And so far his Smallville universe continues to grow, adding more of the DCU, and speeding to a Crisis.

This issue seemed to concentrate more on the Green Lantern side of the story with Superman taking something of a back seat. It's okay because this is a middle chapter. The plot needs to progress and we need to learn more about the yellow lanterns and set up a climax.

What surprises me the most is how Miller is able to weave in a number of smaller subplots into the issue while moving the main plot along. We see Oliver and Chloe continue to search for Prometheus. We check in on the Titans, and the JSA, and Batman and Nightwing. Even the sub-subplot of Steph's Barb's love life is touched upon. Great stuff.

I am a huge fan of Marcio Takara's art and he shines here. From quiet scenes of two people talking to intergalactic battles, he brings a great style. And the cover by Cat Staggs showing Batman surrounded by rings is great.

Last issue Parallax, angry at a perceived break of a truce, sent yellow rings to Earth. The rings will sow fear which would feed the monster.

While most of the rings head to Gotham, one heads to the Titans headquarters.

I thought this was a fantastic scene. One of the rings approaches M'Gann and seems to consider her as a Yellow Lantern. But after scanning, it moves on. I like the dynamic feel to Takara's art here. You almost see her twisting as she eyes the ring.

Given her actions in Smallville Effigy, it makes sense that she might be approached as a bringer of fear. And yet, it passing on her shows how much she has grown! Great little moment.

The bulk of Yellow Rings head to Arkham. That also makes sense.

For me, the Nightwing of Smallville  is the breakout character of the book. There is clearly a Steph-ness about her which is refreshing. Smart, strong, funny, emotional ... it's all there! Earlier in this scene, we see her take out a couple of punks clearly based on the Mutant gang of Miller's Dark Knight Returns.

Then with the rings screaming to Arkham, she has to break her date with the as yet unseen boyfriend ... named Richie. Hmm ... Richie, a gymnast, family owns a circus. When will we meet this Mr. Grayson?

As for Clark and Jon Stewart, they are still in deep space and clearly outmatched by Parallax. In order to give the Lanterns some time to retreat, Ganthet awakens from his slumber and tells Jon that the secret to defeat Parallax is to find out what Parallax fears.

The price for his telepathic information ... being ripped in half. Over the last 5 years I have seen more dismemberments and characters being torn in half than I have in the prior 3 plus decades. It has become routine and lost its emotional response.

And yet, this one shocked me a bit more just because these moments are few in Smallville. They still shock here and that's a good thing.

With rings all over Gotham, Jon facing off against Parallax, and Clark streaming back to Earth, Miller takes a step back giving me time to catch my breath. And in that space we catch up on the rest of the cast.

Chloe isn't too upset at Oliver despite his heading out on adventures. Mostly she is just thrilled he is alive.

What I love about this is how this has raised her ire. She wants Oliver to finish the job now and bring in Prometheus.

What I like about the art is Chloe existing outside the panel, bigger than life, determined expression. This is a big moment for her, to allow Oliver to head out and do his job, and it shows in the construction of the panel.

And we catch up with Lex who is still trying to learn about Green Lanterns by researching Alan Scott.

In the JSA headquarters, he tries to intimidate Ma Hunkel into giving out information. When she doesn't, he threatens her by saying he'll simply buy the building and force the JSA out.

Unbowed, Hunkel tells him how all bad guys think real estate is the answer to everything. I have to think it is a reference to Gene Hackman (and later Kevin Spacey) concentrating on a complex land deal as a way to grab worldly power.

As for the yellow rings, they find lots of easy recipients at Arkham.

But this small moment made me smile. Initially, Victor Fries is able to fight it off, love of his wife being the dominant emotion in him. But the power of the yellow ring seduces him.

I am a sucker for character moments. Much like M'Gann rejecting the ring and Babs calling Richie, this panel just adds depth to this book. Mr. Freeze is an afterthought in this book but he gets his moment to shine. I like a 3-dimensional comic world and this comic has that.

Like many of Batman's villains, Freeze dons the ring, creates a Yellow Lantern costume/armor and begins terrorizing the city.

Miller takes the opportunity of being in Arkham to add Harleen Quinzel to the Smallville universe.

Harley Quinn!

Surprisingly, Parallax begins to verbally attack Stewart, talking about corrupting Hal Jordan and defeating the Corps.  It is only a matter of time before Stewart gives in to fear.

Jon responds by showing how much he misses Hal by creating a massive Jordan construct and attacking. Much like Doomed is showing how much Superman means to the hero community, I thought this response showed how much Jon cares for and revered Jon.

But it isn't good enough ... Parallax continues to come on and attack both mind and body.

Despite the intergalactic catastrophe that is going on, the Prometheus problem is still out there. And it looks like he has something massive planned and will use the Ring attack as a cover/diversion.

And someone has to stop him. So why not Oliver in a quickly rigged set of armor.

Nifty design.

But Arrow against Prometheus? Seems like a mismatch.

Superman shakes off his green armor to better battle the Yellow Lantern Corps of Batman Rogues when things suddenly get worse.

Stewart has been worn down and dons the Yellow Ring as an agent of Parallax. And they're on Earth!

I don't know if quite understand why Stewart fell so quickly. But this certainly is a solid cliffhanger.

So let's start guessing. What is Parallax afraid of? Hal? Hope? Superman?

But will the combined might of Superman, Batman, and Nightwing last long enough to find out.

As much as this Lantern story is interesting, I have to say that I love the small character moments outside the arc even more. One thing I don't see too often these days is a solid, well developed, supporting cast. It makes a book so much more enjoyable. 

Add to those moments more DCU folks appearing (Freeze, Harley) and the solid Lantern main plot, and you have a great book.

Overall grade: A

Review: Smallville Season 11 Special #4 Titans

This is way overdue and I apologize.

Smallville Season Eleven Special #4: Titans came out on print a couple of weeks ago, an adjunct to the main Smallville storyline but defiitely another brick in the world building that writer Bryan Q. Miller is his little pocket universe. And as an added bonus, Smallville cover artist Cat Staggs, who has killed it on covers, does the inside artwork.

The idea of adding the Titans to the Smallville universe is a brilliant one. Miller has shown us Martian Manhunter, Batman, and Wonder Woman for the senior circuit. We know that Nightwing and Supergirl are already active. We had seen the JSA in the past. Superboy was on the show. Miss Martian was in a prior special. So why not add to the roster of the next generation? Even the villain of the piece (one of my favorite newer characters) could end up with the good guys.

Plus, with a Crisis around the corner, there is going to be a need for an army of super-heroes to battle the (Anti-)Monitors and the destruction that follows them.

As usual, Miller is able to put together just the right mix of humor, teen angst, and action into one issue showing that life is neither consistently light-hearted or grim and gritty. And for someone who loved the Young Justice animated show, there is just a whiff of that show here.

And Staggs really shines here. I have been trying to put my finger on whose work it reminds me of and (I know it might sound weird) I finally came upon the name of Steve Bissette. It just had the feel of some of the earliest Swamp Thing issues that Bissette did. This is a high compliment, trust me. I can't wait to meet Staggs at the upcoming Boston Comic-Con.

The book opens with an action piece as the Titans fight Dr. Phosphorus. This is a raw team so Superboy, Miss Martian, Blue Beetle, Speedy, and the Wonder Twins (!!!) can't get the job done easily. Sure, eventually he gets brought down (with an assist by Titans mentor Jay Garrick) but not before a nearby amusement park is trashed. Superboy is the de facto leader of the team but couldn't seem to get the team together.

Garrick is something of a curmudgeon but in the high-stakes world of heroing, you probably need someone who gets tough when it is needed.

Anyways, if you put the Wonder Twins in anything and make them not lame, it has to be a win.

The middle portion of the book is a closer look at the Titans themselves, why they are doing what they are doing, what their motivations are, and what emotional baggage they are lugging with them. We even get a look at Garrick and how the 'death' of Bart weighs on him. With just a couple of panels and pages, Miller is able to give these characters a depth.

And if you are sick of the Superboy/Lois Lane/ JonLaneKent disaster in the main DCU, you can always head here where Superboy is ... gasp ... a mix of Superman and Lex Luthor!

Miller knows that the Superman/Luthor genetic makeup is great grist for the mill. Which side will win? And Jay calls Con out for it.

Superboy's genetic makeup is a classic take on the character. His 'costume' - jeans and black t-shirt with red s-shield - reminded me of Young Justice.

And if that wasn't enough, Miller brings one of my favorite bits of Young Justice into the comic - the Superboy/Miss Martian romance.

Man, I miss that show!

The outline of the issue works so well. Action piece to open. Emotional scenes in the middle, fleshing out the characters. Action piece to end.

Turns out that Rose Wilson (!!) broke Dr. Phosphorus out of jail so he could fight the Titans. This way she could learn their tactics and attack them. She wants revenge for her father, killed in Smallville.

And Rose is very much Ravager here, breaking into the Titans home and eliminating the Wonder Twins and Blue Beetle almost immediately.

I laughed out loud at this scene where she finally comes out in the open to fight the remaining Titans. Is there anything more 'old man' than someone telling a kid to get off their lawn. Just fantastic.

I have always love Rose as a character because she is a character raised in a terrible environment, daughter of a villain, and walking that fine line between good and evil.

Here she seems straight-up evil, planting bombs, stabbing Zan, immobilizing Jay, and skewering Conner with Kryptonite katana. But even Conner sees through this a bit. If she wanted to truly kill people, she could have killed all the Titans in the house instead of injurying and incapacitating them.

Maybe she is protesting too much. Maybe she doesn't want to follow so closely in her father's footsteps.

In the end, Conner is able to lead the Titans, injured as they are, to subdue Rose. There is a clear difference between the first adventure and the last as the Titans seem much more cohesive as a team.

I have said before that the Superman in Smallville has a much more ingrained feel. He is a hero, the ultimate good guy, and a role model/inspiration for other. So I was glad that Miller has him show up at the end to congratulate Conner for defeating Rose and putting together a good team.

And I like how Conner saw a reflection of himself in Rose. It isn't just nature. It's nurture. And free will. She doesn't need to be like Slade. She can be whoever she wants ... just like him.

So this was a good little side adventure in the Smallville, deepening the roster of that universe and catching us up with Superboy, Miss Martian, and Jay. We get some Young Justice. We get some Super Friends. And we get Ravager.

Add to that Staggs' moody pencils and you have an entertaining special.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Smallville Season Eleven Special Effigy

Smallville Season Eleven Special:Effigy came out last week, a Batman/Martian Manhunter sort of Brave and Bold sort of adventure. Despite the basic lack of Super-family, I enjoyed this book because it brought all the things that I love about Smallville to other DC characters. 

I have enjoyed the series Smallville Season Eleven immensely, amazed at how writer Bryan Q. Miller has been able to bring an old-school Superman feel to the character while keeping modern sensibilities of current comic stories. So I get a heroic Superman inspiring heroes, married to Lois. And I also get snappy dialogue, an undercurrent of humor, and multiple storylines all happening at the same time. If I have one compliment for this book is that it actually makes me want to go back and watch the show! Something I never thought I would want to do.

Another thing that I have enjoyed with Smallville has been the universe building that Miller has continued to bring to this universe. And boy, does Miller add an interesting new character to the Smallville universe in this story.



This story allows Miller to explore the concept of family and mentorship in the Smallville universe, with (of all people) Batman being used as a sort of sounding board for what it means to have family in a super-hero world.

Lastly, there is a lot of Steph Brown Babs Gordon Nightwing in this book. And any time I get to read Miller writing one of his signature characters, I am happy. There is great stuff here and it will lead me to a particular plea at the end of the review.

Axel Gimenez does the art here and brings a great energy to the story.

The book starts with a peek into John Jones personal life. Living in an apartment building, befriending a single mother and her young son, J'Onn seems to be settling in nicely to a life on Earth. And you almost get the sense that he feels somewhat fatherly to this boy.

While retreating to his apartment, J'Onn looks longingly at a Martian artifact, a sort of cave drawing depicting a family, parents holding a child's hand. He is then attacked psionically, clearly by a white Martian (given the telepathic word balloon), and drops the tile, symbolically breaking the family in two.

I do like the family theme working through this story. But the sort of cave drawing feel to this artifact felt wrong coming from the Martian culture.

Before we get too much more into J'Onn's story, we move to Gotham where Batman and Nightwing are stopping the Mutant gang from an arms deal. It is clearly a riff on the Mutant gang from Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns.

What works here is the banter between the moody Bruce and the more effervescent Steph Babs. We saw a lot of this in the earlier Smallville Detective arc. Nightwing gets the best lines here, punning and funning her way through her fight. There is joy here, a little light in the darker Batman universe, just as we saw in the Batgirl title Miller wrote.

Beating up Mutants is one thing. But around the corner is a White Martian who savagely slashes Steph Babs across the abdomen.

With Nightwing recovering in a Lazarus Pit tube, Bruce is confronted by J'Onn in the Batcave!

J'Onn is there to try to team up but you know nothing goes that easy with Bruce. Seriously, J'Onn appears, reveals that the creature was a Martian, and wants to join the fight. Bruce, being Bruce, tells him to leave and then has Alfred shoot a flame thrower at the Manhunter. I guess Bruce is Bruce no matter what universe you are in!

Still, Batman knows when help is needed and so brings J'Onn alone to investigate the crime scene.

It turns out that the White Martian has struck all over the country making J'Onn think that it is trying to ferret him out.

As I said above, one thing that I like about this story is the feeling of family and the importance of family running through it. J'Onn seems shocked that Commissioner Gordon is unaware that Barbara is Nightwing. I like how J'Onn thinks Bruce should come clean given Babs injury.

Unfortunately, the White Martian has finally found where J'Onn is hiding out. She arrives at J'Onn's apartment house and attacks the mother and son he has befriended.

In what seems to be a recurring riff on Will Smith's famous line from Independence Day, J'Onn welcomes the white Martian to Earth.

The white Martian is driven off.

Afterwards, J'Onn reveals to Bruce some Martian history about the war between the whites and the greens, how he was part of that war and slaughtered whites, how he lost his family and then everything, and how he has reinvented and redeemed himself on Earth.

Again though, even if unsaid, we see J'Onn perseverating over that family cave drawing, furthering that need for family seeping into the story.

This was also one of my favorite scenes in book. While researching the White, Bruce learns that Steph Barbara has recovered. J'Onn tries to figure out that exact nature of the Batman/Nightwing relationships. I really love that Bruce calls Steph Barbara his anchor. He needs someone to keep him in the 'real world' so he doesn't really go off the deep end.

That also adds some comment on J'Onn's life. J'Onn is alone, completely. Maybe he needs someone too.

Finally, a pattern emerges in the White Martian attacks. It leads Batman and the Martian Manhunter to an abandoned missile facility in Colorado.

J'Onn battles the martian where it is revealed that her attacks were only on criminals. She seems young and impetuous and very angry and sad.

Meanwhile, Batman discovers that this martian had been living a life as King Faraday's (!!) daughter. She was rocketed to Earth by her loving parents to save her from the ravages of war ... a sort of sideways version of Superman's origin. She was found by Faraday and raised in the likeness of his dead daughter.

I suppose it could be creepy ... raising a shapeshifting alien as your dead daughter.

When Farady died, the white Martian became angry and alone and began to lash out.

And the white Martian is ... M'Gann Morzz. Hello M'Gann!!!

And so both M'Gann and J'Onn find someone to care for and share their lives with. Despite the planet's history, these two recognize the value of family and so take each other in. You can definitely apply the earlier conversation about Bruce/Babs to these two - too old to be a daughter, too young to be a lover, instead an anchor.

And then we get a nice 'quiet' moment between Bruce and a recovering Steph Barbara. We see a crack in Batman's armor as he actually cracks a joke while training, only to self-mock immediately afterwards.

Overall I thought this was a great issue, introducing Miss Martian to the Smallville universe and showcasing how these heroes need someone in their lives to keep them semi-sane. And, much like the main title, it really deepens and broadens this universe. And it continued to have the nice blend of humor and action.

But if there is anything that this Special #1 did is made me hope ... BEYOND HOPE ... that a Smallville Special #2 is already in the works ... one starring Supergirl, Nightwing, and Miss Martian!!!

Let's face it, we have read Miller's Kara/Steph crossover stories and how fantastic those stories were. Why not bring that magic here!

I don't know if Bryan Miller comes here or reads this ... but if you do Mr. Miller, please write that story!!

Overall grade: B+

Nick Spencer On His Supergirl Run

In the aftermath of the Andy Diggle and Joshua Hale Fialkov, other creators who have been editorially squashed by DC Comics have started to come out of the woodwork and fan the flames. One of them was Nick Spencer who lasted one half of one issue on Supergirl, here on  Supergirl #60.

On his blog, Spencer wrote about his proposed story arc. Here is that link:
http://nickspencerly.tumblr.com/post/45862702793/by-the-amazing-amy-reeder-the-unpublished-cover

And here are the major parts of that post and the proposed story.

The idea for the story was pretty simple: Kara learns how to be a leader. She had, to that point, been almost exclusively used as either a solo character, or in a supporting role on a team. I felt like someone wearing that ‘S’ on their chest would find people looking to them for answers when things got bad.

The story beats that really stand out, to me:
I know I wanted to have a scene where the fight gets really hectic, and Impulse runs away, with Kara really calmly and sympathetically talking to her about it, just the two of them, in the aftermath. That was supposed to be the big moment that Kara comes into her own.

The entire team (except for Kara) were gonna get captured, and Kara would go to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman for advice— and from there, putting together ANOTHER team to rescue them (I forget who all was on that one- Black Alice, Klarion, Shining Knight, Arrowette, I think).

The whole thing would climax at the launch party for the Flyover app, and the last scene was Impulse pulling Damian onto the dancefloor.

So I don't know exactly what here was so objectionable to the editors. My guesses? The villain was to be a Luthor/Brainiac hybrid which might have been being saved for Superman. Or maybe this story, creating a team, losing a team, talking to the Trinity, creating a new team, saving the day was deemed too cumbersome?

With blood in the water, every major comic site covered Spencer's news and used it to prove DC editorial overreach existed back then ... even though there was not as much news of editorial overreach back then. We didn't hear these stories then which makes me think something must have been amiss for this to have happened. Now I do fault DC for giving the reins to Spencer too early if they hadn't heard all the details of his story. Isn't that the role of editors? 

As for that issue, the one thing that struck me about it was that a lot of time was spent showcasing not only 'Alex' (the villain) but his college friends. It seemed overly long and wasted space, almost like Spencer needed to show how pithy and snappy his dialogue could be. Those kids weren't part of the big story so why do I care that one of them has a new girlfriend?

Anyways, given the feeding frenzy against DC (something I am taking part of) I am not surprised to see how many people have come out and said 'I would have read that story about Kara becoming a leader!'

Yeah?? Where were you back then??

Because the truth is, James Peaty's story, which picked up after Spencer left, did just that. So they should go back and get the back issues because there are some great moments in Peaty's story. And the art by Bernard Chang is so beautiful. I have reviewed those issues (Supergirl #60-64) on this site so folks can go to those posts if they want. But let me give you some highlights.

Here is Damien Wayne telling Jaime that he is listening to Kara because she has proven to be a true leader. She has passed his internal test of earning respect. Damien!!

And then in the battle with Dubbilex (the stand in for the Lex/Brainiac villain), Miss Martian admits that she looked up to Supergirl ... was in awe of her.

Best yet, the whole counterattack against Dubbilex has been masterfully orchestrated by Supergirl. Despite all his intelligence and planning, he is soundly beaten by Kara. He was simply 'outsmarted'.

Look at how strong Supergirl looks as she sort of rubs in her victory.

And in the end, Supergirl knows she is ready. She is the leader of her generation and ready to take a place in the majors.

So if you are saying 'I missed out on a great story' because of Nick Spencer's post, go find this arc.

Anyways, hopefully DC gets there act together and lets creators breathe a bit.