Supergirl (2005) #53

It’s an issue of Supergirl without a bunch of crossover stuff? I mean, there’s still some crossover stuff (and apparently they’re keeping Lucy Lane alive because Superwoman’s just a great villain… eye-roll) but it’s mostly just Lana and Kara talking. Wait, Linda. She wants to be Linda Lang now.

I had to go read up on Wikipedia how the “New Krypton” thing finished up. It’s surprising, with such an iconic cover, the series is totally unconcerned with picking up new readers.

There’s some good stuff between Linda and Lana, but Gates can’t keep it up when he’s got Linda refusing to help people as Supergirl. It’s just too contrived, too forced.

As for his small Metropolis (Dr. Light is testing Superwoman, then goes and discovers the mystery villain), it doesn’t work either. Gates brings charm to Supergirl, but he doesn’t bring charm to the DC Universe as a whole.

Supergirl (2005) #52

I didn’t read the previous issue in the crossover—even though the notice tells the reader to stop and go read it first (I figured that issue would instruct me to read something else and I can only handle so much of this inane crossover).

Let’s see… from here I can tell all three villains from Superman II are back (new costumes, of course), Lex Luthor is betraying Brainiac (shocker) and Supergirl and Brainiac 5 got together some time in the future. Or the past. I never finished reading that Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes book; I’m unsure if it’s in continuity.

Gates tries really hard for his flirting between Supergirl and Brainiac 5 and it’s just a complete disaster. All of it’s in narration boxes, which is a terrible idea.

Rodriguez’s art is generally decent, if too polished. He also draws an inappropriately short skirt on Supergirl.

Supergirl (2005) #51

Poor, poor Supergirl. Once again, trapped in a crossover she didn’t make, she takes a back seat to Mon-El, the Legion of Super-Heroes (wait, Mon-El’s in the Legion, right… well, he’s not with them this issue), her mother, General Zod and some cute little Kryptonian girl.

Igle gets to do an action issue, which he handles well. He gets to do some iconic panels too and he likes those… shame they are only occasionally Supergirl-related.

Very little actually happens in the issue, which is probably editorially mandated. It goes… fight scene, fight scene, talking scene, fight scene, talking scene, talking scene.

I made that list from memory, but I think it’s accurate.

Gates also doesn’t sell the silly plot points, like when Supergirl momentarily thinks Superboy is trying to kill her mother or something.

And Supergirl’s mother’s a dimwit for not realizing Zod is a bad guy.

Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton (2010) #1

Does DC have any ideas? I mean, any whatsoever? Reading this comic, it seems like the last three crises were just used—as far as Superman is concerned—to reboot Zod as a villain. I mean, he’s a psycho bad guy again here. It’s so incredibly tired at this point, who do they think cares?

Even when the mystery supervillain shows up at the end, it’s another “who cares” moment. I know James Robinson gets geek cred for Starman and Golden Age but he’s the guy who wrote The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie. Maybe he’s past his prime.

Speaking of past his prime… what happened to Pete Woods? I used to love his work and here, it’s so polished and shiny there’s no personality (or particular detail). Maybe he’s just overworked.

It’s a weak, dumb comic… Robinson can’t even write a good “This is a job for Superman” moment.

Supergirl Annual (2009) #1

Dagnino’s art isn’t bad–in fact it’s good a lot of the time–but why does he draw Lana Lang like she’s about thirteen years old? She looks the same age as Kara or younger.

Gates tries to come up with an affecting story but it’s pretty pat. Supergirl foils a bank robbery and inadvertently outs some Kryptonians living on Earth.

The most striking thing about the story is how weak the Kryptonian’s argument is when she’s berating Supergirl. It’s a competently told, but utterly pointless tale. Dagnino’s handling of the bank robbery has some great panels though.

Then there’s Lucy Lane’s origin story. Gates writes it from her perspective, so it’s interesting to see him try to make an evil narrator compelling. He fails. It’s way too clear she’s a nutjob throughout. Again, Dagnino’s artwork is fine (Lucy doesn’t look thirteen).

Regardless, the issue is a waste of time.

Supergirl (2005) #50

Yay, Igle’s back. And he’s back for an issue where Gates gets around to doing everything.

Unfortunately, Superwoman and Sam Lane are back too. Apparently one can never get rid of Johns’s worst ideas for the Superman line of books. There’s a great moment where it seems like Lane might dissect his daughter. Then he doesn’t.

But the rest of the issue, featuring the return of the Insect Queen (Lana Lang) and Supergirl defeating her, is good. There’s even some Supergirl knows science stuff, which Gates doesn’t make a big deal about.

The end is pretty sad though. Supergirl abandons a recovered Lana because she doesn’t like the way human families work. It’s a great scene, great art from Igle, but a downer.

Then there’s a backup from Black and Slater, basically doing a little recap of Supergirl’s history. It’s got Cliff Chiang artwork so it’s beautiful.

Overall, excellent issue.

Supergirl (2005) #49

Camp does a fine job, but I’m really missing Igle.

Gates does two things this issue. First, he resolves the Silver Banshee cliffhanger and does a great job with it. He’s able to do a relatively concise action sequence, get in some character development for the police inspector friend of Supergirl’s and introduce the possibility the Silver Banshee might be nice to people occasionally.

The rest of the issue is spent on Lana and there’s a giveaway this issue. A cockroach. Doesn’t Lana Lang become Insect Girl or something along those lines? Insect Lady? I sort of assumed it had already happened post-Crisis, but I guess not.

This issue ends with another cliffhanger–Camp really seems to have read the “Extremis” arc of Iron Man for how the bugs attack–after a padded sequence. Gates could have really used those pages better.

Still, it’s solid, with a great open.

Supergirl (2005) #48

Gates finally gets to the Lana thing–her nosebleeds and everything else. Turns out she has an unknown form of cancer (or something). I understand the need for drama, but Gates handles it poorly. He doesn’t handle it badly, he just handles it unrealistically. Supergirl’s anger about Lana not telling her is overblown and her concern is meager.

Luckily, the rest of the issue is solid. It starts as a recap of Silver Banshee’s origin and leads into some expanding of that origin (there’s brief homage to Chuck Austen and John Byrne at the open of the issue–they both worked on the character, Byrne creating her). Gates does a good job of not making it feel like a retcon.

Then the action kicks off and Gates ends on a great hard cliffhanger.

The art from Dagnino and Fernandez is all right. Their faces aren’t great, but they’re generally fine.

Supergirl (2005) #47

You know, I hate to rag on Jon Sibal’s inks when he’s not on an issue… but Matt Camp’s fill-in here looks a lot like Igle before the Sibal inks. It maintains some of the roundedness. It’s not all about having thin lines.

Also, this issue shows off what’s wrong with editors. Here, at the end of the New Krypton primary nonsense, Gates gets to define Supergirl’s mom. Her backstory–given earlier–would have made her a great, rich, conflicted villain. Instead, Gates gets to do it at the end when it doesn’t really matter anymore. I mean, it’s a really good issue–Supergirl’s barely in it, it’s the mom’s issue–and it’s really good.

Gates is also able to make New Krypton feel developed instead of silly, garbled and often goofy. He uses flashbacks to Krypton, showing how things worked there.

It’s a very good issue. Very good.

Supergirl (2005) #46

I love not reading the other parts of this crossover, it makes my brain work a little to catch up. Rucka’s back as co-writer here (and Igle and Sibal get help from Pansica and Ferreira). Again, no idea what Rucka does and doesn’t do. Similarly, Pansica matches Igle (especially with Sibal on inks) close enough it’s hard to tell them apart. There were some pages I really liked, reminding me of Igle before Sibal… then I realized it could be Pansica and Ferreira.

Anyway, Gates and Rucka manage the action versus plot development well here. There’s also a nice tip of the hat to–oh, wait, no, complete rip-off of–“Battlestar Galactica” when it comes to everyone finding out the gods are real.

Still, it packages well. And Lois finally has something to do in this issue. Though she’s not surprised at all her father’s a mass murderer.