Supergirl #44 October 2009
Gates, Igle, Sibal
In my relentless quest to find interesting and readable mainstream comics that have female characters in plots that don’t make me reel back in horror, I picked up Supergirl. Oddly, I thought that since the comic was named after her, it would feature her character.
Just goes to show that I am ignorant about comics.
The comic begins with no introduction or backstory and focuses on a strange, large, lumpy man in lavender spandex. He’s been captured by someone and he wants out. Eventually, he fights a John McCain lookalike and frees himself:
His eyes glow red and he speaks in Zapf Dingbats, so you know he’s crazy or possessed.
We switch to a scene with the Supe himself, walking with Lois Lane, who is looking dumpy and strange in loose and unattractive eighties style modular knits. There’s talk between various big dogs while Supergirl (I had to guess based on her outfit), looks left out and or pensive. Eventually, they allow her to go talk to her childhood best friend, as long as she is chaperoned by some other guy.
Meanwhile, a female reporter in Frederick’s Of Hollywood hookerwear tries to find some leads.
Supergirl fights her childhood friend and gets possessed, which you can tell by the cover of the comic and the odd overlay of purple glowy light on her face in the last panel.
That’s it, really.
Lumpy men in gross purple bodysuits and a sad, forlorn, actionless and directionless mini-superheroine.
Ugh.
Note to comic writers: Come on. Who thought this was a good idea? The heroine takes no action. She has zero growth. No initiative. Hell, she has no character! And the art sucks.
Ah, good to see this is getting better.
I read the early issues of Supergirl and they were REALLY bad.
Just give you some context, Superman and Lois are ignoring Supergirl because in an earlier issue Supergirl killed Lois Lane's sister. Like you mentioned, the author never bothers to let the reader know what has happened before, so you get a lot of people staring at each other for no apparent reason. With that in mind, if someone killed my sibling or sister-in-law, I would think my reaction would amount to something more than a staring contest. This is a really bad issue for a title that has been consistently bad.
The clue on the cover about Supergirl's possession was an accident. The covers for all Superman titles that month had the exact same composition: a composite of both the hero and villain in front of the Superman shield. Don't try to read too much into this book; it isn't that deep.
Writing and art aside, a major problem for all the Superman books is that they are one story spread out over four titles: Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl, and World of New Krypton, plus various one shots and annuals. Each book has a different creative team.
Originally, the four titles were supposed to be four independent parts of a larger whole, but that lasted for all of two seconds. You have to read all four titles in a specific order to follow the story.
It's bad enough the writing and art on all four books are inconsistent, but when new readers need a roadmap and complete set of back issues to follow the story, the whole venture is doomed from the start.
So wait, Bryan…are you reading all of these?
"In my relentless quest to find interesting and readable mainstream comics that have female characters in plots that don't make me reel back in horror.."
Perhaps assiduously avoiding the current crop of superhero comics would be most helpful in this quest. The back issue bin is your friend.
"It's bad enough the writing and art on all four books are inconsistent, but when new readers need a roadmap and complete set of back issues to follow the story, the whole venture is doomed from the start."
It's entirely possible that they're not *really* interested in new readers and are just looking to sell TPB collections. DC is probably much more interested in milking the cows already in the pen.
Noah, Superman books are something I enjoy collecting, but don't always enjoy reading. I own almost every issue of Superman and Action Comics going back to 1960, so getting the newer books along with hunting for older issues is part of the deal.
Every time I gave up collecting Superman, I found myself going back and buying the issues I missed, usually spending more time and money than if I just bought the books in the first place. Last time, I just resolved to accept my obsession.
"It's entirely possible that they're not *really* interested in new readers and are just looking to sell TPB collections. DC is probably much more interested in milking the cows already in the pen."
I tend to agree, but its silly to have four different creative teams on four different books. If TPB are the plan, then go the Spider-Man route. Marvel publishes one title, "Amazing Spider-Man", three times a month, with each story arc handled by one team. Makes for a better book all around.
Fair enough, Bryan. Far be it from me to cast stones through my glass house at the birds in someone else's bush. Or something like that.
Suat…what back issues are you thinking of? Mainstream comics is not exactly awash in decent female characters, past or present….
I guess I'd recommend the Perez Wonder Woman run as not bad. The Byrne/Claremont X-Men run has lots of female characters handled somewhat competently…. I'm sure there's others, but is it really yards better than what we've got now?
You should check out the new Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Comics. They've got an artist who draws Peter Parker so that he looks like a young Daria, the kissing scenes lend a real slashfic kitsch to the whole enterprise. It's horrible trash, but the multiple "he looks like a girl" panels sort of make it worth it.
Also, Ng is playing a trick on you. There's no good female super-hero back issues.
Except Marston's Wonder Woman! But VM's already on that….
What about John Byrne's She-Hulk? That was kind of like Moonlighting, but without Bruce Willis, right?
Byrne's She-Hulk attempted to be funny but often failed. The fourth wall gags were very forced.
I haven't read Stars and STRIPE, Power Girl, or Birds of Prey, but I know they feature female super-heroes. Isn't Spider-Girl fairly popular?
Warren Ellis' run on Authority featured female super-heroes, including team leader Jenny Sparks. I haven't read that in a long time, so I'm not sure if those characters aren't really written as male protagonists with breasts.
I'm not sure I understand the point. You pick up a title in a middle of the crossover and you are confused. I get that, and that's a problem with comics. DC's especially should at least have a previously page. But you decide the whole book sucks and the character who you know so little about you have to "guess" who she is by her costume sucks and is directionless and sad and then you complain about it online?
Why not…pick a better jumping on point for the book? Read three or four back issues? It isn't that hard. This is like jumping in mid season of a TV series and whining because you don't know what's going on, so therefore all the characters must suck and the writing must suck.
It seems really pointless to make entire posts complaing about how one issue of something you read is sort of boring. I'm a fan, I know the nature of comics, so I always make sure to pick a good jumping on point for a book. I also try to read more that one issue before making snap judgements.
Supergirl is actually a pretty good book. I wouldn't say it's the best book ever, but it's been consistently solid, has some interesting subplots and took the heroine from the truly directionless forty-year-old-man-trying-to-write-an-edgy-teen-who-is-also-a-sex-toy mess into a proactive, flawed relatable girl. The issue you're reviewing was one of the weaker ones due to the stupid crossover, but it wasn't bad in the context of the story.
"his is like jumping in mid season of a TV series and whining because you don't know what's going on, so therefore all the characters must suck and the writing must suck."
But she's complaining about technical things too; poor character interactions, bad art — Supergirl, the one she's interested in, hardly being in the story. That's not a problem with being a newbie; those are basic qualitative expectations which the book failed to meet. She paid for bucks for it, it's reasonable enough to be pissed.
"you decide the whole book sucks "
VM didn't say anything about the book as a whole, as far as I can tell.
VM's exactly the sort of person mainstream comics should be trying to speak to. She's interested in comics, she's read a lot of manga, she wants to find a superheroine to like. And yet.
In other words, it seems to me that you're kind of shooting the messenger here (or, to be fair, mildly chastising the messenger.)
Having said that…crossovers are almost uniformly awful. I don't doubt that there's a better issue of this somewhere…though Bryan seemed to be indicating that it's more or less all crossover, so perhaps not….
Tucker: "Also, Ng is playing a trick on you. There's no good female super-hero back issues."
Bookwormwithanattitude comments just proved you wrong. And she's a girl so her views count 100x more than yours and mine (at least in this instance anyway).
Okay, so I was going to admit to playing a trick on VM until Bookworm commented. What about Abby Holland in Swamp Thing or Edsel in Mage – do those count? There's Neil Gaiman's Death (in the Sandman series proper), Halo Jones and Thorn from Bone as well. Also, Miller and Sienkie's version of Elektra. I know she's an evil nutcase in that one but…
Bzzt, none of those are really super-heroes. Nice try on Elektra though, that could make for a funny read.
I've heard good things about that Mystique series that Vaughan wrote, but the usage of john le carre titles for the stories makes me want to take lots of pills.
Halo Jones is great, though. You should check that out VM; it's sci-fi by Alan Moore. One of his best efforts, IMO; really well done.
"And she's a girl so her views count 100x more than yours and mine (at least in this instance anyway)."
I think this may have come out nastier than you intended Suat. To be fair, Bookworm didn't say or imply anything about being more qualified by virtue of gender.
I've seen this movie before, and I'd urge folks to please stay as civil as possible, and to give each other the benefit of the doubt if you can. I'm all for an impassioned debate on the merits of Supergirl or lack therof, but if we can avoid heading for flamewar territory, that'd be good….
Hey Vom. It's tough to find a superheroine book where both the writing and the art is good at the same time.
Gail Simone wrote several great female characters during her long run on "Birds of Prey." Unfortunately, for most of her run she was teamed with Ed Benes, who does spectacularly sleazy, porn-ish artwork. The art really didn't improve until Nicola Scott jumped on board, and by that time Simone's run was already wrapping up.
Simone is also the current writer on "Wonder Woman," and some people seem to really like what's she's doing. Personally, I found it to be really boring, and the artwork by Aaron Lopresti is never anything but competent.
The recently launched Power Girl series has fairly standard plots by Jimmy Palmiotti, but the artwork by Amanda O'Connor is quite charming. She does a lot of cheesecake, but it comes across not as sleazy but fun and goofy.
And that's all I got at the moment. I'll try to think of some other titles and get back to you.
"Bookworm didn't say or imply anything about being more qualified by virtue of gender."
The only problem is that in a sense I really *do* think her view is more important than either Tucker's or mine – especially in the commercial sense. I wasn't being sarcastic.
She's younger and should have a way better idea what kind of female character would most appeal to that age/gender group. It's possible that DC is in fact getting it right with this comic (I can't tell for sure since I haven't read Supergirl).
I consider it a plus if I can enjoy a classic Shojo manga like "Candy, Candy" but I'm not the target audience. Don't you think there's some added weight when women (as opposed to men) say they find Jaime Hernandez's female characters well written?
The Supergirl strip in Wednesday Comics was probably the best of the bunch–cute, funny, easily followable with no continuity knowledge…and the art wasn't bad. Not super-ambitious–but that's actually good for what amounts to a 12 pp. story. Of course, tracking these down and reading them all for 1 page an issue might not be your cup of tea…but it was surprisingly good and got better and better as it went along. Throw in some funny Aquaman jokes 3/4 of the way through….definitely a winner
Suat, I don't disagree with that.
Eric, I agree with that too; the little bit of that Supergirl strip I saw was charming.
Vom Marlowe:
If your experiment/quest to find decent female superhero stories isn't limited to current single-issue pamphlets, and you'd be willing to check out trade PBs, I have two to recommend:
1) Gail Simone's _Birds of Prey_, about an all-woman team led by former Batgirl/current badass hacker Barbara Gordon. Other people besides Gail Simone have written the series, but I stopped reading it when Simone left. And then it got canceled.
2) Mark Andreyko's _Manhunter_, about Kate Spencer: Criminal prosecuter by day, costumed vigilante by night. This one was also canceled, but is still available in trade PB.
Tucker: I'm still holding on to the theory that "Peter" in Comically Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Comics: The Comic is actually Jessica Drew pretending to be Peter. The fact that Jessica was in the Ultimatum tie-in issues despite not accomplishing anything and met Johnny Storm who is currently living in the Parker household, along with the still sort-of ambiguous status of Peter's death makes it seem as if Bendis was setting this up.
Madame Xanadu TPB is out. Matt Wagner and Amy Hadley. Just a suggestion.
Thank you to everyone who has commented thus far! (And to think I figured no one would be interested in my take on Supergirl…)
Bryan,
Thanks for providing the context for the story. That helps a bit, but agreed, if someone had just killed my sibling, I'd be indulging in violence rather than hurt looks.
Suat,
You're probably right that they're really gearing these comics to diehards, but I am a cheerful and optimistic soul at heart. There is a mainstream comic out there for me, I just know it! I buy my comics at Borders, so this should (theoretically) help limit me to comics that are more newbie friendly. Theoretically.
Tucker,
That Spiderman sounds great! I love trashy slashy comics. Genderbendy art is right up my alley.
Bookwormwithanattitude,
Well, see, but I don't know that it's a crossover. I think a lot of comic information is provided to insiders, but I'm not one. I wouldn't buy back issues because I don't buy my comics at a comic shop, I get them from a Borders.
When I said that I had to recognize her by her outfit, I meant that literally. The introduction pages (after purple suit leaves) show Superman and Lois, Supergirl is nowhere to be seen. The art portrays Superman and Lois as main characters (angle from below, backlit, etc) and Supergirl is so tiny that she has no discernable features except her outfit in her first panels. The reaction shot of Lois only shows part of SG's face.
The face shots are almost all of Lois or the reporter or the guy in gold. The only emotive shot is the one I scanned, with her looking over her shoulder.
I would never have known she was the main character based on the art. Or, more importantly, based on her actions. I can usually spot the main character because they're shouting or hitting people, which she doesn't do. In this one, she's very passive.
I'm not a long-term reader of American comics, it's true, but the thing is, I would *like* to be, and so far this comic has not shown me anything I'd like to pay 2.99 for. I'm an artist, and I'm happy to read just for the art, and I love stories, so I'll read just for stories. I read a ton of manga that I don't have the words for, for instance, so when I say I don't have to like the story I mean I really don't have to like the story. This comic just didn't do it for me.
I'm not trying to be unfair to a title, but there is no indication that this issue requires me to read anything else; it's also a question of simple economics. I'm happy to spend three bucks looking for a new comic to love and cherish, but I'm not really interested in spending twenty five.
The purpose of my series Face Down in the Mainstream is to find new, current-running comics that are fun. I'm a long time manga reader and I'm obsessed with comic art and I feel really and truly that there must be something out there. I just have to find it. (And I have fallen in love with Batwoman, so that's a plus.) I hope that answers some of your concerns.
Everybody else, I will return momentarily and lavish you all with thanks for the interesting suggestions.
Enjoy Batwoman while it lasts…only a matter of time before Batman returns to that flagship of the DC economy. Sorry to be a buzzkill…
Bryan,
I hope this obsession isn't a History Day byproduct… "He's Only Doing His Job"
Eric, History Day definitely played a part in this madness. Good thing we switched our subject from George Catlin to Superman. I don't think I would have had as much fun collecting paintings of the North American Plains.
Vom Marlowe- As I'm sure you've already guessed, finding worthwhile female characters in mainstream comics is nearly impossible. There are only minor examples to give for the most part.
I think that 99% of the writers in mainstream comics both past and present don't have the proper sensibility to write something that would pass muster with women. If there are any future worthwhile female-worthy mainstream comics, it will only come from a woman. The fanboy culture is too entrenched.
Your best bet is with the American indie scene. If you want the gold standard for female friendly comics, look no further than the Hernandez bros. "Love & Rockets."
Von Marlowe- I completely understand your complaint about American comics not being accessible and I agree that we (young women) should be aimed at more and there should be able to be a such thing as a casual reader and jumping in- my confusion stems from the fact…well, why didn't you try trade paperbacks or Graphic novels of certain series? They should be available. That's how I jumped in, that's how most fans jump in. Why did you pick up a series that has a crossover title plastered at the top? I think you'd really have more luck with trades to get facedown in the mainstream- comics are monthly, trades will collect an entire story arc.
I mean, would you read the llth book of a manga series? Wouldn't you be lost then.
If your point was that comics should be more accessible, then I'd understand, but your point seemed to be "I jumped on this title, and since I didn't understand it Supergirl is lame and lost and directionless". I'm sorry I misinterpreted.
It's also a matter of luck. If you had decided to pick up a comic three months ago, you'd have gotten the Supergirl annual, which is way more accessible and Supergirl-focused than this issue. Or a month before that, the "Guilding Day" issue, which was a standalone story, really gives insight into Kara's personality and motivation, and is accessible. All the issues of this title are Kara focuses and give insight into her thoughts…except the crossover issues, because crossovers are stupid. Getting a Supergirl trade would be a good idea- at least you have a sense of the whole story, whether you like it or not.
Finally- a new Batgirl series launched about two months ago, I think it may be acccessible. You might want to try that out and see if you like it, I for one love the character, so I'm biased. George Perez, Greg Rucka or Gail Simone Wonder Woman trades are a great bet, and the reccomendation of Birds of Prey is spot on- though agreed about some sleazy art. It gets a lot better toward the end of the series when Nicola Scott comes on, and the writing makes up for it anyway.
Any old Batgirl trade paperback you can find is awesome too. Also, Runaways trades. Picking up Power Girl is a good idea, the art is great and it's generally easy to understand and self contained.
Hope that helps!
I mean, would you read the llth book of a manga series? Wouldn't you be lost then.
Had to jump in on this one– I ran over to my shelf and grabbed three 11th volumes of manga. Now obviously it's not a random sampling but here goes:
Fullmetal Alchemist 11: The first two pages have a two-paragraph summary of The Story Thus Far, complete with little pictures of almost all the key characters who will show up in this volume. The first one not named who does show up gets yelled at, by name, by one of the lead characters so we'll know right away who he is.
Death Note 11: Same presentation, only with a three-paragraph summary. And this is the next-to-last volume of the series!
D. Gray-man 11: You got it– little images and a two-paragraph summary of The Action So Far.
Hell, I remember American comics doing this– IIRC Excalibur did, which is how I jumped into reading comics in my teens. It doesn't take much space– Bryan did most of the necessary exposition Vom Marlowe asked for in less than one paragraph.
Hey Bookwormwithanattitude,
I'm going to look for the Batgirl title. It sounds right up my alley. I've been reading Batwoman and I am in love with it. Love, love, love the art.
I wonder if maybe Borders comics have different covers, because mine really doesn't say anything about a crossover. I wouldn't have bought it if it had. I like to leap into comics mid-stream, but I tend to avoid crossovers.
I do sometimes read manga mid-stream. That's how I got into Fruits Basket, so I tend to think I'm pretty good at picking up on what's gone before.
I'm not saying there's no redeeming value to Supergirl ever, but for this issue, as someone who hasn't read the comic before, there's nothing there to motivate me to read any further. I have read comics that pulled me in (that's how I get hooked on most of my manga), and I don't feel I need much, but I feel this issue just didn't deliver. It is absolutely partly luck, but on the other hand, this did cost me three bucks, so it's fair of me to have an opinion on it.
I know a lot of people enjoy the trade paperbacks, and I respect that, and I've read some, but what I'm really looking for is a new, currently running comic to buy and read.
Thanks everyone for the many lovely recs! I'm going to be having fun shopping, I can see!
WV Anthony,
Thanks for the recommendation. Is that the whole title? I am terrible in my knowledge of American comics details…
Eric,
Please don't tell me they're taking away Batwoman! Batwoman is AWESOME and she is poised for world-or at least comic- domination! Don't spoil my delusion!
Siegfried,
I'll check out Love & Rockets, too, but I'm determined to find and love a mainstream female superhero, if I have to draw her myself. Dammit.
VM,
I think your opinions are completely justified and reasonable.
The Supergirl cover you have did indicate a crossover, but as a newbie to Superman books, you couldn't recognize the signs.
If you look underneath the main issue number, you'll see a little number inside a pentagon shaped like the Superman shield. That's the reading order number in relation to the other Superman books. Back in the 90's, they would reset that number once a year, but now it looks like they are resetting it whenever the mood strikes them.
The blue stripe at the top with "Codename: Patriot" indicates the current story arc. DC could have put "Part 3 of 4" in the stripe, but then they would have had three numbering schemes on the cover, and then they would have looked completely ridiculous as opposed to mildly ridiculous.
At the very least, they could have stuck a "Continued from Action Comics #880" caption on the first page. After all, they remembered to place a "Continued Next Week in Superman #691" on the last page.
For what it's worth, Marvel does a better job of bringing new readers up to speed with supporting text at the front of every book and special recap issues for major crossovers.
Batwoman may stick around if it sells…but would likely be spun off into its own title. At the moment it's "Detective Comics, starring Batwoman"–Detective is one of (if not the?) longest running DC titles (actually DC is named after it)-and has had Batman as a star since 1939-1940. Having Batwoman star is a fairly transparent effort to try to get people to read Batwoman because they have a longtime commitment to 'TEC. With Batman "dead," they brought in Batwoman…but since we all know Bruce Wayne will live again, it's a pretty good bet he returns to 'TEC within 18 months. Once that happens, Batwoman would have to migrate–assuming sales merit it. My guess is J. H. Williams III (the artist) won't be around for the long term either, since he tends to work more slowly than mainstream comics really allow (at least I think that's the case–not an expert on Williams). Still…you might get a good 6 mos. to a year out of him…so enjoy it while it lasts.
If you really like Williams (and you do)–you might try the first Promethea trade paperback…by Alan Moore and Williams. The whole series has art by Williams…it has a beginning, middle, and end, and (at least for awhile), Promethea is a Wonder Woman knockoff, so you're kind of getting the mainstream superheroine you crave. The series goes wonky after awhile, but many like it for that. I'm more ambivalent, but the art is always pretty awesome (Noah will tell you otherwise, but he's a minority of one on that one)
Noah, you didn't mention Empowered! That's at least close to mainstream, and it's awesome superheroics with a strong female character. VM, please check it out!
The current news on Batwoman is that JH Williams is taking a break for a few months after the first arc, I believe, with Jock doing the art on the next story, until Williams comes back.
Well I tend to agree that this would be a tough issue to pick up if you are looking for a sense of the Supergirl title as a whole. It really was embedded in the Codename:Patriot storyline which encompassed all the Superman books.
It is a shame you hadn't picked up the issue before which was a character-driven issue all about Supergirl and her family.
As for the art, if you don't like Igle's style that probably made it tougher to give the book a chance.
I would just ask that at some point you try the book again, maybe when all the New Krypton hubbub dies down. It really is a good book … much better now than it was in the earlier issues of the title.
Didn't forget Empowered; I just have the secret inside info that VM has read my posts about it and plans to check it out.
Bryan,
Thanks for the explanation! Now I'm wondering whether they shouldn't just switch to a decoder ring–seems easier to decipher. I had a lot less trouble with the Marvel titles that I've tried.
Eric,
Ohhh, that's cool. I hope she becomes insanely popular and gets her own title. Although, Batman was in this one, briefly, so how could he be dead? *is briefly puzzled* I picked up Promethea today. Yay for coupons!
Matthew Brady,
Too bad Williams has to take a break. I can see how he would need to though, after a run like that. I expect his art takes a long time.
Anj,
I'll try to give it a second chance down the line. The art really is crucial for me, so I'm not sure it will work, but I'll see. A better story, one focused on her, would definitely help.
Comics should absolutely include recaps. No doubt about it. DC is really lame on this front.
Heh, I don't read manga (though quite a few friends do, and I really want to read Death Note someday.) so sorry I was off about that. When I've flipped thru later volumns of the stuff I've gotten confused, bu I probably just wasn't paying enough attention.
I also may have been off about the crossover bit- I thought they all had codename patriot across the top, but I'm obviously misremembering.
I forgot to reccomend Secret Six. It's got a bit of gore and dark components, but it's really darkly funny with compelling anti-villian characters and two good female characters on the team too, and fabulous art. Also very accessible and about to start off on a new arc. The characters are clearly defined, you shouldn't have too much trouble, and it's only on it's fourteenth issue.
Vom,
Now I'm just trying to keep the thread alive.
FYI, Batman is Bruce Wayne, as all geeks (and most regular people) know.
The Batman you now see is Dick Grayson, ex-Robin, who has taken over post-Bruce's "death." When Bruce is back, you can count on his return to Detective. If I'm wrong about that, the world has spun out of control and anything (including a consistently good mainstream superheroine book) is possible.
Eric,
You've pushed it over the 40th comment! Wheee!
Ahhhh, that makes sense. I did not see that he was sekritly Dick Grayson, since he was cunningly disguised in all that bat-gear.