155 Supergirl Vol 2: Escape From The Phantom Zone

While I liked the first volume of this series, I didn't love it.  It felt like there was too far a sharp turn taken from the New 52 Supergirl into the Rebirth Supergirl.  These two characters are very different from each other.  Add to that the editorial edict to make this more similar to the tv series, it just felt like it was too much, too soon.  This volume, however, is much better.  The backstory is in place and we can focus on the story.  I love that Batgirl is in this.  We're establishing the Rebirth relationship between the two and I couldn't be happier.  They gel!!  I like that a lot.

What I don't particularly care for is the Rebirth version of the Phantom Zone.  It's now basically another dimension where there are buildings, electricity, communities, etc.  That's not the Phantom Zone to me.  The Phantom Zone is an ether dimension where everyone is incorporeal and that's that.  This is almost like they are living on their own planet.  It really does not work for me.

But the rest of this really did.  I was worried after the first volume, but I'm less worried now.  We'll see how this goes.

Supergirl Vol 2: Escape From The Phantom Zone

Writer: Steve Orlando, Hope Larson

Artist: Brian Ching, Matias Bergara, Inaki Miranda

DC Comics

146 Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl Vol 2

Oh boy.  Where do I start?

I love Supergirl.  I was stoked that she got her own series back again with this book.  I really do remember liking it a little more than I do right now.  Looking at it with fresh eyes, I realize what a total fucking disaster this book was.  I don't know if DC even cared very much when they decided to give her her own series again.  To me, this is what I imagine the pitch was.  Let's give her a book, let's try to write it for women, but put no effort into it whatsoever.  Because it really feels like it was written to try to appeal to a female audience.  Let me correct that.  Written poorly to appeal to a female audience.  Nothing against Paul Kupperberg, but this was not the way to do it.

I was never keen on Carmine Infantino, especially at this stage in his career.  He was not fit for the book.  The plots were terrible.  The art was terrible.  And the book got cancelled in time for the Supergirl movie, a movie I loved, but a movie that was terrible.

I'm so happy DC decided to collect this series.  As bad as it is, it really does hold a special place in my heart.

Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl Vol 2

Writer: Paul Kupperberg

Artist: Carmine Infantino, Eduardo Barreto, Bob Oksner

DC Comics

117 Supergirl Vol 3: Ghosts Of Krypton

I love Supergirl.  Well, I love Supergirl when she's done right.  This volume, not my favorite.  I wasn't reading the series regularly when these stories were published.  I'm not sure why, but I'm kind of happy I wasn't reading it.  I really didn't enjoy this book.  An awful lot of it is spent on a story where Supergirl tries to find a cure to save a dying boy she "accidentally" promised would be okay.  I do love that Resurrection Man was featured prominently in the story, but even that wasn't enough to save it for me.  Kara spends an awful lot of time brooding about Krypton, too.

I loved the stuff Kelley Puckett did with Batgirl, but not so much with Supergirl.  It just didn't work for me.

Supergirl Vol 3: Ghosts Of Krypton

Writer: Kelley Puckett, Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza, Geoff Johns, James Peaty, Will Pfeifer

Artist: Renato Guedes, Jose Wilson Magalhaes, Drew Johnson, Ray Snyder, Lee Ferguson, Rick Leonardi, Dan Green, Ron Randall, Brad Walker, Jon Sibal, Jesse Delperdang, Rodney Ramos

DC Comics

105 Supergirl Vol. 1: Reign Of The Cyborg Supermen

I love the comic book Supergirl.  I love the tv Supergirl.  I love Steve Orlando.  This book is all three things wrapped up on one.  What could go wrong?  Not much, but I find that I didn't love this book like I hoped I would.  First of all, I was having trouble wrapping my head around Steve Orlando writing Supergirl after his epic run on Midnighter.  How do you reconcile the two?  Answer, you don't.

The New 52 version of Supergirl was one of the few things about the New 52 that I actually liked.  At least at first.  I think Michael Green was writing the book at first (I'll need to look that up) and he gave great stories.  He understood the character.  He made the best out of an awful situation (that situation being the New 52).  This is supposed to be the same character, only the success of the Supergirl tv series meant that DC wanted to bring the character closer to that version.  I can't say that I blame them.  I'd do the same thing.  But the difference between the two is jarring.  Another volume of this book and the New 52 version will be a distant memory.

The one thing that really bothered me about this book, and it may seem nit-picky, was that the story told in here feels more like something we should get in volume 2 or 3, not volume 1.  It's way too heavy to go along with the changes to bring the book closer to the tv Supergirl.  I would have liked to have seem more of that transition and a lighter story than what was presented here.  It was too much.  

But with that said, I'm looking forward to the new direction of the book.  I hope the book just gets better from here.

Supergirl Vol. 1: Reign Of The Cyborg Supermen

Writer: Steve Orlando

Artist: Brian Ching, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy

DC Comics

057 Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol 1

So, I always have comics in my desk at work to read during my lunch break.  I always eat at my desk and use my measly 1/2 hour to down my lunch and devour something graphic.  For the last few weeks, this is what I've been reading on my lunch breaks.  And man oh man, was it glorious.  I love all this Silver Age nonsense.  Comics were so much simpler back then.  And much more illogical, but that was the charm.

I've read a lot of the stories in this volume, but there were a ton I've never read before, or at least don't remember ever reading.  This book contains all of Supergirl's adventures from when she landed on Earth to the time Superman was ready to reveal her existence to the world and just beyond.  We follow Supergirl from Midvale Orphanage to a couple unfortunate adoptions to her final placement with the Danvers family.  We get to see her help other orphans get adopted (apparently back in the day, all you needed was a special talent like being able to play golf to get adopted by a famous golfer, or have a special talent like playing piano or cooking to find a loving family), we get to see her hang out with the Legion of Super-Heroes, we get lots of adventures with Streaky, the Super Cat and Comet, the Super Horse.  She's got boyfriends, both super and ordinary.  It's 600 plus pages of super cheesiness and it's absolute glorious.  I hope this whole new Omnibus series DC is pushing does well because I want more.  I want this to at least reach the Supergirl run in Adventure Comics and her own short lived title around that time.  There's a special place in my heart for that era of Supergirl.

Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol 1

Writer: Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel, Leo Dorfman

Artist: Al Plastino, Jim Mooney

DC Comics

044 Supergirl Book 2

And here's where the problem for me begins.  I've been a lifelong fan of Supergirl.  I've been with her through thick and thin, so even a Peter David written Supergirl wasn't going to keep me away.  I'm just not a big fan of David's "look at how fucking clever I am" writing style.  It's grating.  It's annoying.  He's not a terrible plotter, but his scripting, to me, is awful.

The first volume of this series was actually kind of refreshing to me considering the writer.  Peter David was given Supergirl and like every writer who has come along since Crisis on Infinite Earths, he set up the series to try to bring Supergirl back to her pre-Crisis status quo, or at least as close to it as allowable.  He took the then current Supergirl (aka Matrix) and melded her with earth girl Linda Danvers.  Suddenly, for the first time since Crisis, we have Linda Danvers aka Supergirl.  The first volume wasn't bad.

Now we come to volume two, where Peter David really starts to drive home the religious through lines.  Linda's mother is all God-Squad.  There's a boy running around who looks like the 7th Doctor but who is God.  Linda becomes an Earth Angel.  This is where he really starts to lose me.  I don't think this angle works.  I find myself rolling my eyes more and more with each page I read.

But it's Supergirl and I love Supergirl.

Supergirl Book 2

Writer: Peter David, Darren Vincenzo, Tom Peyer, Chuck Dixon

Artist: Leonard Kirk, Greg Land, Anthony Castrillo, Cam Smith, Prentis Rollins, Chuck Drost, Doug Hazlewood, Jordi Ensign

DC Comics

010 Supergirl: Bizarrogirl

Another volume of the great Supergirl series.  This book gives us three stories.  The first one is about Bizarrogirl, the second features a modern retelling of Supergirl joining the Legion of Super-Heroes (and does a great job of picking the best parts of the original version of this tale) and the third features the Toyman.  For some reason I had stopped reading this book monthly by the time this came out originally.  I can't remember why I dropped the book, but reading this makes me sad that I did.  Still fun, still really interesting, still very well done.  I wish DC could put Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle back on the book to see what they can give us with the current version of the character (though, to be honest, I haven't seen what Steve Orlando has done yet.  Trade waiting his first arc.)

Supergirl: Bizarrogirl
Writer: Sterling Gates
Artist: Jamal Igle, Jon Sibal
Bernard Chang, Matt Camp, Marco Rudy, John Dell, Marc Deering, Richard Friend, Robin Riggs
DC Comics

008 Supergirl: Friends & Fugitives

I think this is my favorite era of Supergirl's solo book ever.  After a couple false starts trying to reintroduce Supergirl into the DC Universe after killing her off in Crisis On Infinite Earths, they finally got it right.  This version of Supergirl was introduced by Jeph Loeb in the Superman/Batman book and then spun out into this series.  The beginning of the series was okay, but nothing to write home about.  And then Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle got put on the book and things really took off.  It was finally interesting and fun to read.  It doesn't hurt that this particular book takes place during the New Krypton era of the Superman books.  The whole family of books, imho, was at it's peak.  I loved that whole era of Superman.

Supergirl: Friends & Fugitives

Writer: Sterling Gates, Greg Rucka

Artist: Jamal Igle

DC Comics