Review: Young Justice #19

Sometimes life happens.

And so I am writing my review of Young Justice #19 nearly a week after it came out.

We know that Young Justice #20 is the last issue of the series and so this issue feels like writer Brian Michael Bendis shining the spotlight on Wonder Girl in an effort to tell her story while he has time. Certainly the plot that runs through this story is quick paced, almost rushed. This would have been a fine 3 issue mini-arc. 

And I think it is a shame because I feel like this was a nice appetizer to Cassie picking up the 'team leader' responsibilities. But with one issue left, I don't think we'll get to see much of it.

The art is by Scott Godlewski who has grown in my mind. This is a bombastic issue filled with double page spreads and splashes and insane action with a couple of more human interactions sprinkled in. His style brings a sort of freshness to the proceedings. These are young adults who look like young adults. And John Timms cover is a great shot of Wonder Girl.

On to the book.

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.

San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives Include SBFFs!

Heading to the San Diego Comic-Con is sort of a bucket list event for me. I just can't imagine ever having the free time or liquid cash to be able to do such a thing.

If I could ever do it, it would be this year because of this DC exclusive just revealed: a three-pack of Lauren Faust's Super Best Friends Forever. Here is a link of all the exclusives:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/05/20/dc-comics-comic-con-exclusives/2325889/

It is hard to get any sense of the size of these things. I can't tell if they are plastic or more like statues. What we do know is the three-pack costs $49.99. So I would hope they aren't 2 inch plastic things.

Regardless, I want these badly but will have to wait for someone to put them on an internet auction site.

Let's face it, Super Best Friends Forever was a great series of shorts in the DC Nation block and I can only hope that at some point Warner Brother and DC Entertainment will do the right thing and let Lauren Faust make more of these cartoons.

Super Best Friends ... Forever?

One of the true pleasure of this last year were the DC Nation shorts that accompanied the Green Lantern/Young Justice block on Cartoon Network.

And one of (if not the) best short series was Lauren Faust's Super Best Friends Forever. The five shorts were so wonderful. It was a perfect mix of silliness and action. Each of the characters had a distinct personality. There was a short that showcased each of them and a couple to show the team dynamic. And there was a lot of laugh out loud moments. That can't be easy to do in 1 1/4 minute piece.

Yet, creator/producer Lauren Faust pulled it off. In particular, this quick-tempered mischievous Supergirl was a joy to behold.

With a new season coming up, Faust tweeted that she had been missing the Suh-buffs (as well as posting this pic).

Sue from DC Women Kicking Ass asked the obvious follow-up question. How many new shorts will we be seeing in the new season?

Faust unfortunately said that there will be no new shorts.

In a subsequent tweet, Faust said that she wasn't available to do more when the time came for shorts to be produced. I can (hopefully) infer from that tweet that DC and WB wanted more but Faust couldn't make them. That would be more palatable than simple rejection as it would mean the WB recognized the quality of the shorts and hoped to have further SBFF shorts.

I hope that the bloom doesn't fall off the rose of SBFF and we will see more in the future. If not, this was a brilliant if short-lived short series. It would be a shame if it stopped here.

Review: Superboy #14

Superboy #14 came out earlier this week and was the opening chapter to the super-crossover H'El On Earth. As such, it had a big task. I mean, this is supposed to be the story that brings Superman, Supergirl, and Superboy together for the first time. It is going to probably define how they interact with each other moving forward. The job of the first chapter is to get the ball rolling.

Now part of this was accomplished in Superman #13, with the appearance of a Kryptonian dragon, the argument between Superman and Supergirl, and the hovering and invisible H'El. But this was the first chapter where H'El does more than float and gloat. So I was hoping that I would just be grabbed by the throat and eager for the next chapter.

I don't know if it did that.

Now part of the problem is that Superboy has been so involved in other titles, popping up in Teen Titans, Ravagers, and Legion Lost. We have to wrap up those things a bit before H'El even shows up. I have said before, I don't want to read Ravagers or Teen Titans. This Superboy book, I think, has suffered because it seems to depend on me buying those books rather than be a true stand alone solo title.

RB Silva and Rob Lean provide the art for the book. There is a kinetic feel to the action sequences in the book augmented by odd panel shapes and slashes of color behind the panel. But the art themselves seemed a little rougher than I am used to seeing in the team. It's as if more lines, as detailing, has been added here.

That reliance on other books is never more evident than with this opening splash page. Last issue ended with asking me to follow Superboy to Ravagers #5. This issues starts with Superboy running out of the pages of Legion Lost. How can I follow this book if it's stories aren't resolved here? In fact, looking back, many Superboy issues end with a cliffhanger resolved in another book. That just shouldn't happen.

Now luckily, I read Legion Lost so I know that Superboy is running from a major battle and that Harvest at some point used a key phrase to send Superboy beserk. Of course, he is leaving the end of the battle which happens 2 months from now in Lost. So this aligning of things is a bit tricky.

Still, this book seems to hop around other titles too much.

One good part about this is the slow rebuilding and rehabilitation of Kon. Since his bank-robbing bling-laden issue, Supeboy has been slowly realizing the kind of guy he wants to be. He has helped out his friends, he keeps promising to return the money he stole.

Here, back at his apartment, talking to Bunker, he laments the fact that he can't trust himself any more. If Harvest could turn him into an automaton, can't anybody? It makes him feel more like a thing than a person. It is good to see more emotions from Kon than just anger and sarcasm.

I like the silhouette feeling to the last panel. Adds to the emotion.

Bunker tries to help, reassuring Superboy. Superboy has friends, has people he can count on.

At last, Superboy says 'call me Kon'. So at least he has another name besides Superboy. A name, even if it is an insult, also humanizes him.

After these opening pages, H'El finally decides to show up.

He can immediately tell that Superboy is a clone and wonders how Earth's simple science could pull it off. Interestingly, he is invisible to Bunker but visible to Kon. Makes it confusing for poor Bunker.

One thing I did notice is that the 'green energy' power H'El is emanating looks suspiciously like Superboy's red TK power. Could it be that telekinesis is somehow Kryponian based?

Whatever the power is, H'El is able to pretty much thrash Superboy, tossing him around like a ragdoll and torturing him in the sewers, away from prying eyes.

Bunker is unclear just what the heck is happening, so calls upon the Titans for some backup.

And when the Titans arrive, Superboy is in rough shape, being pulled apart. H'El must have significant super-senses because he can read Superboy's genome. It is a pretty vivid image with Kon's limbs being unraveled and  peeled away. Disgusting!

It is unclear why but H'El has dropped his cloak so the Titans can see him. But H'El is extremely powerful, sending them flying with his green TK.

It is nice to see the Titans rally around their friend.

You can get a hint of the page set-up by Silva here, with H'El and Superboy living outside the panels above, the arc of Superboy being tossed outside the panel border, purple blocks radiating. This sort of stuff keeps me visually interested in a book.

And here we get a little glimpse into H'El's hopes. While he considers humans 'chattel', he needs the people of Earth alive so Krypton might live. Hmmm ... is he thinking of some sort of gene-bomb, rewriting humanity's DNA with Kryptonian DNA? Does he need the organic material for a cloning machine? Hmm...

As for the Titans, they aren't going to give up ... especially Cassie.

Superboy helped her. She will do the same. It is, again, nice to see these interactions, these relationships between Superboy and others. He isn't just a weapon; he is a person who has done enough good to inspire loyalty in others.

In a well-worn ending, H'El decides to take Superboy and leave rather than 'crush the Titans' with a thought.

Now what he needs with Superboy, I have no idea. Maybe if he is thinking of recreating Krypton through cloning Superboy is worth more study.

So how does this fare?

I find it amusing that the parts of this issue I liked the best had nothing to do with the H'El character. Superboy's worrying about his feelings, whether he is a 'real boy', Bunker's attempts at helping him, Superboy's accepting the name Kon,  Cass's loyalty ... all that worked, slowly washing away the bad taste of Superboy #11.

But really, this opening chapter was nothing but a clumsy brawl between H'El and Superboy and the Titans. I know he is incredibly powerful. I know he needs humanity alive. But I know little else about H'El or his agenda. So I don't know if the book worked on that level.

Still, DeFalco is rebounding nicely, slowly improving the book and the characters. They're baby steps but at least they are in the right direction.

Overall grade: B

Super Best Friends Forever Short #5

 Sometimes you don't know how good something is until it is gone.

Sometimes you know right away how great something is and can only watch as it slips away.

The fifth and final Super Best Friends Forever DC Nation short aired Saturday and, as always, it was fantastic. It was bittersweet. Because as fantastic as it was ... it was the final episode.From the first episode, I think everyone fell in love with these versions of these characters: the hotheaded Supergirl, the serious Wonder Girl, and the excitable Batgirl.

'No Fight Girls' has the team face off against Solomon Grundy. Well, trying to face off with him. Grundy is either a sexist or a chivalrous. Because he simply keeps saying 'Grundy no fight girls!'. Here is a link to short in its entirety on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CKhcHhsRzpw

Seriously, I love the team pose above, especially Batgirl trying to strike fear into the hearts of men.

But despite trying to fight him, Grundy no fight girls.

When he tries to walk away, the SBFFs try to insult him into a battle. They each say a line in a zombie like drawl ... even Wonder Girl. it's a little sign of her lightening up.

Here Batgirl is wondering if it might 'rraaaaaainnnn'.

But even with those barbs, Grundy won't fight.

The dialogue here is hilarious as the SBFFs try to convince him to fight. Supergirl says it'll be fun. Wonder Girl promises that they'll let him almost win. They even throw themselves literally around his leg to beg him for a brawl.

But Grundy is stubborn and sheds them with his mantra that he 'no fight girls'.

Of course, it doesn't matter if he won't fight them.

They are 'equal opportunity butt kickers'. And so we get a great montage of action shot in which they defeat Grundy making him reconsider his views.

Now I know I tend to overanalyze things but even though this was 5 shorts at just over a minute each, I think I have seen some progression of characterization here. It is clear that Wonder Girl is still the most serious of the group but she is cracking jokes here. Supergirl still has a temper but merely facepalms at being called the 'suh-buffs' rather than berating her friends. I really like all these characters, especially Supergirl.

I just can't believe given the quality of these cartoons, the buzz around these shorts, the cred that Lauren Faust brings to the table, the power of the Brony/Pony audience, and the licensing opportunities that this is the last SBFFs cartoon.

 The last that is, unless DCE decides to do the right thing and greenlight more.

Do the right thing DCE!

And thank you Lauren Faust!

At Long Last ... More SBFFs!!

After a long hiatus, the Saturday morning Cartoon Network DC Nation block is all new!

And while seeing a CGI Guy Gardner on Green Lantern will be cool, as will the reintroduction of the original Speedy to Young Justice, The thing I am most excited to see is the new episode of the SBFFs 'Don't fight girls.'

Here is the released preview of the episode over on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pOlQ3U4SvBg

There is so much goodness in this short preview. One, I love how the three look like a true team, complete with dramatic poses. In particular, Batgirl, doing her best to seem scary, is fantastic. I also love that Wonder Girl is smiling, a little break from the more serious Donna we have seen early in this series.

But I also love that Wonder Girl still calls the team the 'Suh-beffs'.

And I love Kara's response to that team name. Is there anything better than a Supergirl facepalm?

The release of the preview made the internet rounds yesterday, getting links and love on some of the bigger sites. Everybody seems to love this series and creator/producer Laurne Faust! Let's hope DCE does the right thing and signs on for more episodes in the future. Or better yet, how about a series??

Can't wait to see this!

SBFF Poll On DCNation Site

I have been very impressed with the DCNation block over on the Cartoon Network. Young Justice has always been solid and made the '5 years later' jump smoothly. Green Lantern started slowly but rallied at the end, bringing in lots of GL mythology to the show. And the DC shorts have been, for the most part, fantastic.

No big surprise, Lauren Faust's Super Best Friend Forever has been one of my favorites.

Over on the DC Nation web site, you can now watch a number of the DC Nation shorts, including the first three SBFF episodes as well as all sorts of others; I highly recommend the Catwoman shorts for action and the Animal Man ones for comedy.

Here is the link: http://dcnation.kidswb.com/blog/2012/08/20/watch-dc-nation-season-1-shorts/

The page is also running a poll (over in the right) asking who is your favorite Super Best Friend. Go vote ... because our girl Kara is running a distant distant third.

Regardless of the vote, I love SBFF and keep waiting for the last one to air. And can't believe I see an ad for an animated Supergirl on the top of a web page. These are great times!

Lauren Faust And SBFF

I think I have let my love for Lauren Faust's Super Best Friends Forever be known on this blog. These shorts have been a revelation, a wonderful version of Supergirl, Batgirl, and Wonder Girl infused with fun, magic, and even some life lessons.

I couldn't believe it when I heard there was only one more short on the docket when it seemed like such a big hit ... the perfect blend of DCU and MLP. And this mischievous Supergirl trying to do what's right while dealing with a bit of an attitude has been wonderful.

There had to be more ... right?

Well I took the question to Lauren Faust herself, contacting her via DeviantArt, letting her know how well-received the shorts have been at home and here. And I asked if more SBFF were around the corner. Here was her response!

And in case you can't read the jpeg:

Wow! Thanks for the kind reviews--- I'm so glad you, your kids and your readers are enjoying the shorts. Fingers crossed I'll get to make more--- they were really fun and I have a ton of ideas!

So Lauren Faust thinks the shorts were fun to make and she has a ton of ideas for future ones.

DO THE RIGHT THING DCE! Make more SBFF!

With Teen Titans Go! getting a new lease on life in the DCNation block, I recommend that SBFF become the weekly short associated with that cartoon. Those two would be like chocolate and peanut butter.

Seriously, SBFF is just too awesome to go away forever.

Review: Superboy #10

Throughout the first 9 issues of Superboy I have wondered if the book would ever leave the confines of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and move towards more independent adventures for the title character. Superboy #10 was a step in the right direction.

Linked to my concern about N.O.W.H.E.R.E. was my concern about just how tightly this book is linked to Teen Titans, a book I don't collect. This issue doesn't allay those fears. Sure, this issue is sort of an epilogue to The Culling which impacted the Titans too. But the fact that the story started here is concluded in Teen Titans does not please me.

That said, I enjoyed this issue for a couple of reasons. For one, it shows just how discombobulated Superboy can be around reading his own and other people's emotions. He has only been alive and interacting with people for a short time so it makes sense that he isn't going to be able to read people easily.

I also find it interesting that the book is already teasing a Wonder Girl/Superboy romance. I wonder just how many beats from the old DCU have already started to manifest in the DCnU. Here there is definitely some physical chemistry between the two characters.

Lastly, the whole issue had a sort of Silver Age feel to it, from the title to the events.

Between the cringe-worthy interactions of Kon and Cassie and the silliness of the premise of being on a mysterious island, Scott Lobdell serves up a fun read. I definitely missed RB Silva on art here but Sebastian Fiumara brings a sort of splotchy muddiness to the jungle art here which looked right.

The Culling is over. And Superboy and Wonder Girl find themselves washed up Blue Lagoon style on a tropical island.

Since he is narrating this opening page, my guess is he is actually awake and simply enjoying the peaceful moment of a 'gorgeous', 'determined' Cassie cozying on top of him. Even that little smirk on his face tell me he is soaking this up.

Of course, Cassie is not initially awake. And when she does awaken, she is shocked and angry.

How they got here? No one knows.

I do wonder why Superboy's uniform is pristine while Wonder Girl's is torn in all sorts of places.

Getting a bird's eye view, the two find themselves above a question mark shaped island. And the title is all sort of Silver Age awesomeness. 'The Mysterious Mystery of Mystery Island' might be the title of the year.

Wonder Girl is all business here. Her first thoughts are for her friends. If they are here, could the other Titans also be on this island.

There is some crackling chemistry between the two. Throughout the issue, the two comment on how physically attractive they think each other is. But Wonder Girl isn't forgetting that Superboy has in the past attacked the Titans and later needed to be rescued by Cassie and her team.

She doesn't trust him and therefore wants to keep him within eyeshot while the scour the island.

Using his TK, Superboy sweeps the island and doesn't detect any Titans or life forms. His scan complete, he thinks it's time to head back to New York.

Cassie thankfully disagrees. Kon owes it to search longer than five minutes. Again, I think in some ways this shows the relative immaturity of Superboy here. He isn't used to caring about people or worrying about people. He needs to learn what being a hero and what being a friend means.

Of course, this argument felt like a bit of release of some of the tension the two might be feeling. If I was standing there I would probably say 'can't you two see that you love each other?'

The argument is cut short when a T. Rex suddenly materializes behind the two. They forget their differences and bash the dinosaur.

Here is a good example of how Fiumara's art works in this setting. Nice splotchiness. I especially like how the left panel border also seems to be bashed away by Cassie's blow. Very slick.

But how did this thing appear? And how did it slip by Kon's scan?

It clear that a mystery is going on here and that it would be wrong to leave this place yet. So the two set up camp.

Again, there is some tension here. Wonder Girl decides to bathe in a nearby pool. And Superboy 'ahem' uses his powers to scan the place, most likely getting a better 'sense' of her body. I am glad that she catches him and calls him on it. It takes away a question of knowledge and consent.

In fact, she says he needs to clean up and invites him into the pool with her. She trusts herself to make the right decision. But she could have just as easily told him to do it after she was done.

 And then things get even steamier. The two sit around the fire, talking about their difficult pasts. She even feeds him tropical fruit (the first thing he has ever eaten).

Whether they like it or acknowledge it themselves, there is attraction here.

But when Superboy presses her to talk about her armor (she calls it a curse), she storms off angrily telling him to mind his business. She isn't quite ready to open up to him.

He follows her and admits that he isn't used to caring about people. He wants to help her. I think he has genuine feeling for her, probably amped up by the sensual nature of this place and everything else that has happened.

He moves in for a kiss and she seems like she is accepting ...

But at the last minute she throttles him, sending him flying. While she says he is 'hot', he still tried to kill her and her friends. In fact, she is nonplussed that he would even think a kiss could happen.

This sort of banter and attraction and anger and history all read right. I liked the back-and-forth smoldering feel of love and hate here.

But before they can process this interaction too much, they realize that the T. Rex they killed has disappeared. Heading back to their camp, they find footprints and a sort of wooden trap door leading down into the earth to another door.

In a great upside down closing splash, the door opens up on another island's ground. Just a great close.

This is one of those issues where I have to fall back on the old gauge 'was I entertained'. The answer is yes. I definitely liked the characterization between Cassie and Kon here. While I don't think that I will be following this closely in Titans, I hope that this is allowed to simmer a bit before it becomes a relationship.

Overall grade: B+/B

Super Best Friends Forever Short #4

The latest (and penultimate?) SBFF DC Nation short was shown this last weekend. And as with all of these shorts, this one was spectacular. After 3 episodes focusing on each of the team members and getting a feeling of their personalities, this one focused on their interactions with each other. As with most things Lauren Faust, there was definitely a major cute factor. But much like her My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic cartoon, there is more under the surface, even in this shortest of shorts.

The episode starts out with a riff on the 'Superman saving a kitten from a tree' trope. Instead, here it is Supergirl uprooting a tree and shaking the Cheetah from it's limbs. Fantastic.

While skirmishing with the villain, Batgirl declares that it is time for the three of them to become 'officially official' with an official team name!

And she has decided on the SBFFS! (Makes sense given the title of these shorts!)

As with most of these shorts, Faust punctuates a big moment with a dramatic wild background (think Donna's star background in the first short). But this one is so befitting of the fangirl Batgirl we have met here. The balloon letters, the heart shaped S-shield, the stars and sparkles. And she seems so proud of her idea.

But the other members aren't so sure.

Wonder Girl wonders what the 'Sa-buffs' are.

Supergirl thinks the name is stupid and she doesn't want the friends to be called that.

It leads to an argument and a tussle amongst the friends. Supergirl calls Batgirl 'Bratgirl'. Batgirl is insulted, calls Supergirl 'Stupidgirl' and asks Supergirl 'How dare you mock the sacred name of the bat!' (the best line of the short).  Wonder Girl has to join in and when she tells Supergirl to stop, Supergirl screams 'Make me!'

She is Supergirl after all, so her tantrum tosses the other heroes aside potentially hurting them. I have to say, I wasn't sure if I would like Supergirl has the hot-head of the group but it has worked.

Here, after seeing she might have hurt her best friends, she is completely remorseful and apologizes for not realizing her own strength and for losing her temper.. We have seen the 'punch first, ask questions later' Supergirl in a number of places including in Gates' work and the DCnU.

With the apology accepted, they clasp hands 'all for one and one for all' style. Supergirl realizes that maybe they are Best Friends Forever ... aaannnddd ... Super.

This whole series has worked. Batgirl as ultra-caffeinated hero having a blast doing her job. Supergirl as mischievous young girl with a temper. And Wonder Girl as mature mentor who is softened by her friends.

There simply needs to be more of these shorts. DO IT DC ENTERTAINMENT!!

New Super BFF Episode This Morning

It's Saturday morning which means time for DC Nation cartoons!

And best of all, this week there will be another Super Best Friends Forever Cartoon! While Young Justice has been very good (although I am liking Invasion less than last season's arc) and Green Lantern has been decent, it is Super Best Friends Forever that has been the big win for me. Heck, most of the shorts have been great fun. And today we have the next installment!

Recently on her deviantart account, Lauren Faust posted this study on the faces of the BFF, looking at them from all angles and approaches. Here is the link:
http://fyre-flye.deviantart.com/journal/New-SBFF-this-Saturday-304089291

As I always say, process pieces or behind the scenes character studies fascinate me, giving me a look behind the curtain of the creative process. Supergirl looks so deviously mischievous here!

Now the sad news. While the post was brief post, it included this sentence:

There's only two more to go, so be sure to catch it!

I don't know if I can tell you how sad I will be if there are only two more of these shorts. Two more?!

We need many more of these! I hope DC is able to get a sense of how popular these are, how fantastic they are, and how much this is a great gateway vehicle bringing in the My Little Pony fans and having them fall in love with these characters and comic books.

Do you hear me DC!! Don't deny me my SBFF!!

Super Best Friends Forever Grounded

The third Super Best Friends Forever short for the DC Nation played this last Saturday and it was as incredibly fun as the first two. Here is a link to watch the whole episode on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuzquQIqsz4

As suspected, this short had an emphasis on Supergirl meaning each of the BFF have 'starred in a short'. As seen in the preview, the episode starts with a despondent Supergirl who has been grounded. She therefore cannot join her friends in stopping crime.

The response of the two other two heroes definitely matches their personalities in this 'universe'.

Wonder Girl has the best line telling Supergirl that (and I quote) " Vanquishing wickedness takes precedence over trivial penance." That just sounds like what a determined Amazon would say.

Batgirl definitely continues channeling Pinkie Pie when she says she wants to stop crime "before the big guys get there" (meaning more established heroes).

Their cajoling works on Supergirl who decides to sneak away from her punishment. She dons the costume and off she goes ...

Unfortunately she doesn't get far because Superman arrives to enforce her grounding and stop her. It sends Wonder Girl and Batgirl diving for cover.

I love that Superman's arrival is marked by an Imperial March style music piece. In the Silver Age that was the feel that Superman had towards Supergirl, of a, Emperor-like despot restricting her freedom and holding her down.

This Supergirl is feisty though. Her 'theme music' is a heavy metal electric guitar riff and she isn't taking this punishment lying down. She begins to fight Superman saying that he can't tell her what to do, he isn't her dad.

Now I like it much better when the super-cousins get along. But this is comedy and having Supergirl be angry about being snubbed or held back makes for some fun situations.

Plus, she looks pretty fierce here! I love it.

But as I said, this is comedy. Superman calmly responds that even though he isn't Supergirl's father, he is Superman and she has to listen to him. He puts her over his shoulder to take her back inside.

In response, Supergirl gives him a super-wedgie. I knew there were perils to wearing your underwear on the outside. It is hysterical and ludicrous. And it is made all the better because of the devilish look on Kara's face.

So Superman decides to call in the big guns. He screams Mom, bringing out a rather elderly appearing Ma Kent who silently chastises Supergirl with a wagging finger.

There is no defeating that. Shoulders slumped, Supergirl silently flies back inside, remaining grounded.

That Ma Kent is one tough cookie.

There is a great ending.

Superman turns a stern gaze to the bush where the other BFF are hiding. The look of surprise and terror on their faces is great. They Looney Tunes-style skedattle making Superman break into a smile.

These shorts are just superb in every way. I have enjoyed how Supergirl is something of a hothead here, trying to bend if not break the rules. She has a little edge to her which fits the silliness of this feature. First toilet papering Luthor's hideout. Now, handing out super-wedgies! Fantastic! And yet, she is put in her place by little old Ma Kent. Double fantastic!

Anyways, I can only hope we continue to get these every other week ... if not more!