Supergirl (2005) #35

Did anyone complain about Cat Grant being revised into a mean-spirited harpy? I mean, she’s the villain of this series. Well, maybe her and Supergirl’s parents. I’m not sure if Gates is going for it, but it’s very difficult to assume they’re benevolent.

Being a New Krypton crossover, Gates has some goofy stuff in a few parts of the issue (Lois’s evil dad and his sidekicks), but he manages it well. The issue focuses on the restoration of Kara’s memory–along with a cameo from The Terminator–and it gives him some good scenes between her and her parents. Assuming, of course, they’re not really evil.

The pacing isn’t great, however. Gates doesn’t get to spend all that much time with his protagonist and the supporting cast is barely present.

Nice work from Igle as well. He does a great job at humanizing Supergirl, giving her vulnerability.

It’s solid.

Superman: New Krypton Special (2008) #1

Someone has pointed out Johns casting Lois Lane’s dad as a jingoistic, sadistic supervillain really just is… you know, the Hulk, right? I mean, someone besides me. It’s so startlingly uncreative, one has to wonder.

This New Krypton Special does raise a couple interesting ideas—one is the People of Kandor being, well, basically stupid jerks. It doesn’t make me want to read the series, however. Oh, another moronic move—a bad guy named “Agent Assassin?” I mean, that one’s worse than the Image stuff.

There’s some great art. I love the way reading Frank’s pages feels like one’s reading a sequel to the Christopher Reeve movies. It’s too bad Johns’s plotting on everything else is goofy. Woods and Guedes are good too, Woods being better.

It’s too bad Johns shoved New Krypton into a nice memorial to Jonathan Kent. It sort of undoes that whole sequence, the subsequent nonsense.

Supergirl (2005) #34

So now Superman has another LL in his life? This issue is my first Supergirl in a while (I wasn’t going to read the Ian Churchill stuff, sorry).

Before I get to the writing, a moment on Igle. Igle manages to make the issue feel both iconic and human. He’s got these very cinematic talking heads sequences of Superman and Supergirl on a skyscraper, Lana Lang and Supergirl on the farm in Smallville–his Clark Kent even has some Christopher Reeve mannerisms. He’s also handles the action ably.

Gates does write first person female narration, which I question, but it’s mostly action oriented so it’s not a major pratfall. The issue’s full, he’s able to move between emphasized characters really well and he personalizes Supergirl’s dilemma.

It’s an impressive superhero book, great looking, inventive and thoughtful. Much better than I expected.

Though, I guess I don’t know what I expected.