Thursday 4 December 2008

I've abandoned you all!


Life and studies continue to get in the way of Blogging but I want to keep this on life support for now.
So here is a little greeting during this advent month. I'll update soon I promise.

EDIT- Oh I remember what I can post. The manip that took me hours! Both the actresses were on Instant Star (they were sisters) so I promised when it was announced I would manip them together in character. (Alexz is playing Saturn Girl in Smallville in January)

I'm creating a little legion manip collection it seems. It goes with my Supergirl/Brainiac 5 Smallville manip. I still think Dohring is the perfect B5. He was such a glorious bastard on Veronica Mars.
If you like those I have Laura as Supergirl in Widescreen and Standard Resolution wallpapers
and a season 1-7 Smallville cast manip wallpaper.
I don't watermark or tag my photoshops in the probably niave belief that people won't steal as their own. Feel free to use them its what they are made for. (and yes the Brainy/Kara one has done the rounds. I posted it on K-Site, SHH, Livejournal and now here. See it anywhere else and they've stolen it.)
Saturday 20 September 2008

Look whose been at the DCAU character generator

The site was foreign so I did as much as I could then coloured in photoshop. I thought that it would be good to see a grown up kara in her 70's outfit. I based the design of Alex Ross's paintings and the daring new adventures so she is in boots rather than ballet slippers
Posted by Nikki at 11:02 | 1 comments  
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Sunday 7 September 2008

The Mystery of Brainiac's Daughter AKA XTC AKA what fanfic was made for


I've been reading comics a good few years now and when I first started I was told to read Kingdom Come. I bought it. I leafed through it not really paying much attention once we got to the abomination that was Nightstar. The product of the worst pairing the DCU ever subjected us to. Its been on the shelf gathering dust until I was told about this character over at the Supergirl Comic Box Commentary. I got the flimsy old paperback out and searched her out. She turns up a few times in a non speaking role. A mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in not very much material.

We know that Alex Ross loves his classic Supergirl. Supergirl is all over this book as a waitress in Booster Gold's restaurant 'Planet Krypton'. What is unclear is the past of this world. This seems like a Golden Age future with the icons of the silver age thrown in, put through the 1990's continuity filter. Its because of this I have no idea where I am. From the waitress we can gather there was a Supergirl but which one? Power Woman is superman's cousin here so is it Matrix?

To confound matters the Supergirl waitress in her first appearance looks like she uses Alex's favourite Supergirl costume, the deep-V neck and hotpants combo. So was the Supergirl Kara? Well more evidence points that way when we learn her whereabouts. When Superman went into seclusion the superheroes parted ways. Supergirl went to the future and the legion of superheroes.

Of all the Supergirls only Kara was ever a legionnaire. Then again we are put off the trail. The Legion we see is the Post Zero hour legion. The only reboot Kara was not involved in. We are also told that Argo, Kara's city survived but this could have been the world of Power Woman. So I went to the fountain of knowledge that was wiki to clarify and it was no help. It suggested that the legionnaire Supergirl is the daughter of Lois and Clark. Two dark haired individuals with dark haired parents can't realistically have a blonde child unless its repressed DNA in parental genes from several generations before. Even then it would be cancelled out by the dominant dark gene.

So onto the main point, someone said that the green lady was the daughter of Brainiac 5 and Supergirl. I read the comic and got no answers. I turned to the net. I already knew that XTC did a song called 'Brainaic's Daughter' beforehand. It was in researching that I found out this was the genesis of the character. I found this quote from Kingdom Come: Revelations, a book that accompanied the hardcover comic before the absolute edition was released.

"As silly as it sounds, this character is the combination of two songs by one of my favorite groups, XTC: "That's Really Super, Supergirl" and "Brainiac's Daughter." Apparently people assumed that her origin was from the coupling of old-time Legion lovebirds Brainiac 5 and Supergirl, and so, never having answered this question before myself, I'll go along with this idea. This also suggests that she...has traveled back in time from the 30th Century."

The trading card released previously had listed her as Brainiac's Daughter and ancestor to Brainiac 5. Personally I feel the Supergirl/Brainiac 5 idea works far better with the sense of DC nostalgia in the book and the theme of what is effectively the third generation of superheroes in a world without superman to look up to. Its also hard to deny the resemblance. XTC as she has come to be known is Ross' Supergirl in a different costume (albeit still with the choker) and with a different skin colour.

Is she the daughter of Brainiac 5 and Supergirl? Well it depends o
n how much you respect the author's words and a retcon that never actually made it to the page of the comic. Actually it isn't even a retcon considering that we learn nothing about her in the comic. She doesn't even get a name. I'd love more info on this whether you have this Revelations book or if there is more in the absolute edition or interviews.



Posted by Nikki at 20:22 | 1 comments  
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Wednesday 3 September 2008

Steve Uy's lost Supergirl cover


Its stunning and was apparantly very popular if eventually unused. Middleton is doing great stuff so its not a great loss but this would have been spectacular on a past cover. I can see why it was vetoed. Previous supergirl covers have been illustrated realistically and story related. Something this isn't on both counts. That said I prefer character covers to story covers.
Posted by Nikki at 23:49 | 1 comments  
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Monday 1 September 2008

Smallville: Buddy TV wants your questions!

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/smallville/buddytvs-smallville-set-visit-22386.aspx

Until wednesday US time Buddy TV wants your questions for the smallville cast and crew. The ones they ask will be dependant on who is available on-set. So ask away! (remember supergirl fans, ask about why she isn't back, their excuse so far is flimsy) I will say that Tom Welling is quite shy about interviews and such these days so maybe you have more chance of getting a question answered if its not directly aimed at him.
Posted by Nikki at 09:41 | 0 comments  
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Friday 22 August 2008

Mary Marvel: 'When I grow up I want to be like my Dollie'


Oh Mary what have they done to you? Many of us were shocked with her new look in Final Crisis #3 but long term fans, not so much!

Firstly I want to talk about comic fanboys double standards. They moan when supergirl is given a sexuality, they do the same when pure virginal mary is sexed up as well yet 90% of fanart for these two not done by fangirls is sexually provocative! I'm starting to think its all part of the fantasy that these sweet girls are 'undone' but to actually see it happen on the page shatters the illusion for the reader. Newsflash! Girls don't gain a sexuality the night they turn legal and teen girls more than any other express it more, they grow out of it but its a rite of passage. Let them show midriff, have tiny skirts and lets these character's actions be the guide.

So onto Mary. She is having a character journey a marvel could only wish for in DC continuity. When is the last time Billy went through emotional turmoil? When's the last time Freddie did anything? Only Black Adam has gotten an arc and now Mary. She has been used and abused. The girl next door has been turned into the stripper in a seedy nightclub.

Mary loved her powers but when the Wizard Shazam died she was stripped of them. How do you adjust to a life of obscurity and powerlessness after being a superhero? How does it feel to have to be saved by one of your peers like a regular Joanne? None of these questions were explored that much instead we find out Mary is desparate for power. Freddie undergoes The Trails of Shazam to become the new champion while Mary is in hospital. She wakes up with only a note from Freddie telling her not to look for him. In the end she gets her power from Black Adam and gains a slinky new outfit.
Fanboys and a good few fangirls were angry at what seemed like fanservice! Fanboys didn't like having naughty thoughts about the character and fangirls didn't like that she was another character drawn for sexual thrill. In the good old comic tradition with evil comes sexy!

This is nothing compared to her introduction in Final Crisis! Where she comes in with a boob window and well see for yourself... (click to make it bigger)

Oh dear..someone needs a stylist. Thats all I could think. I was fine with the boob window. If its good enough for Powergirl its good enough for Mary. Its the hair! Maybe the headgear too.

and then the crowning glory. While searching the internets for 'traditional' Mary Marvel images ie. not evil Mary, not sexed up mary and not pervy fanart mary. I came across this. It maybe from back in the Power of Shazam but it was gold.Well pink is her favourite colour!
Posted by Nikki at 02:14 | 0 comments  
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Monday 18 August 2008

The World's Funnest!


Full Solicits are here and an hour early! Which means I get to natter before nap time in the UK. Firstly what caught my eye- Supergirl and Batgirl team up to take over the world! Wait no...save the world! thats better and they brought their pets along too. Just yesterday I was saying on Livejournal that I missed Kara and Barbara's team ups. True they were few and far between but they really sparked. Batgirl and Supergirl have become a notable tag team even though they never had the pages to back it up. Its all about the image of the female counterparts kicking butts in place of the men. In fact I'm almost certain there is an elseworlds tale of the two as world's finest

[Nikki goes off to check]

ahem, yes... Supergirl/Batgirl: Elseworld's Finest although it doesn't make clear if this world is in the new multiverse. Bring on the infinite universes I say!

We need more Babs and Kara, really. I would love for them to get close post crisis but feel Black Canary has usurped her place in Bab's life. Oh well, I can deal with it in other continuities like the DC animated universe and Johnny DC.

For all the other Bat/super fans out there how about some scans...
click to embiggen

The World's finest are out of a job! The ladies Scheme. A classic example of both superdickery and batdickery in one playful cover



















Batgirl is powerless and fears for her life in the cosmic catastrophe that was Crisis on Infinite Earths. Kara is there to give her friend support but not 100% succeeding. Of course Kara was the one to die eventually which this page foreshadows. Batgirl is on the iconic cover of COIE #7, one of the most visibly moved. Her friend she could talk to about her superheroism is gone but she will never be forgotton...(until editorial forces the DCU to that is!...me bitter...absolutely!)




















Lastly, an admirable attempt in the post crisis canon to show up the classic duo, This is clayface impersonating barbara as batgirl. I was satiated by this but can't quite remember which issue it came from



















In JSA we are currently seeing the Earth-2 Equivalent of this friendship. Powergirl Kara Zor-L and Huntress Helena Wayne. In fact in the annual there was a rooftop discussion which reminded me heavily of the COIE conversation.
Posted by Nikki at 23:12 | 0 comments  
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Oh Hancock!


Inspired by Ride the lightning's comic cover comparison page here is Hancock emulating the world's greatest heroes.
Good old fahioned Action Comics Number One. Not the most original homage but nice none the less.


Now here is were we see that the guys behind Hancock know their stuff. I saw this billboard myself but had to go to google for the image. Its was familiar, then I got it. Click to make the image bigger.


























got any more?
Posted by Nikki at 19:30 | 0 comments  
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Sunday 17 August 2008

Advance November 2008 Solicitations


No spoilers here for forthcoming issues just some shallow cover oggling. To start with Final Crisis issue #6. I called it but then again I think everyone did. Its a Batman cover, the next will be Superman of course. First, the image itself. It doesn't sell 'power' to me. Maybe it's the intention but Batman looks frail and not tough. I'm not intimidated by the image at all and as far as powers go that is Batman's number one. Technically as with all JG's character covers its exceptional. In his painting style he's really outdoing the master, Alex Ross right now. We'll go into that later.

So far we've had on our character covers, #1 Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, #2 The Flash/ Barry Allen, #3 Supergirl/ Kara Zor-El, #4 Darkseid, #5 Wonder Woman, #6 Batman, #7 presumably Superman. Darkseid is definitely a separation point, in story at least. In issue #4 he's the winner (if you've read #3 that is no spoiler at all). In these covers he seems to separate the big three and the big three returning Silver Age characters. It could be coincidence of course. Why those six heroes? Why Supergirl? She's not one of the big seven usually considered the JLA founders. She was also barely in the issue she covered. Maybe its because its a crisis. In Crisis on Infinite earths she died heroically, in Infinite Crisis her earth two counterpart Power-Girl's backstory was re-established as that on alternate Kara, in Final Crisis? Does Nazi Supergirl hold the key to Kara's importance? Will her death in COIE lead to a rebirth in the coming issues? We'll have to see...


Next to November's Batman. You can feel the Burt Ward/ Adam West vibe! Pow, Bam, Biff in neon lights. I'm sure in line its a divine cover but that green, yellow and red just hurts. That said, if an average artist did this it would be completely unworkable but its Alex Ross you can see the nostalgia and each character drawn to perfection so its not a wholesale failure. Marketing wise its going to stick out on your local shelf, you're going to wonder what is going on with Barbara as Batgirl and Dick as Robin and how it fits in to RIP. Also this month Ross paints the JSA/ Kingdom come crossover covers. He's on a red vibe.
I haven't got spectacular interest in either Batman RIP or Justice Society and have issues with Kingdom Come so neither of these really excite me. I may end up picking up Batman just for the flashback factor.




Terra is finally arriving after her debut in Supergirl in 2006.
I think she may have been in one more comic since then but at least we know the issues will be done by now! I'm sure that cover has been around for over a year but its still great. I'm a fan of Amanda Conner's covers, and to a degee her interiors. She does great expressions and rounded characters. Although I much preferred Ale Garza's cutesy Supergirl Conner's does rank up there for me. I won't be getting this mini although I'm sure it will 'pop up' out there on those internets.

Does this character really need a full mini behind her? She's Terra, stuff her in the Titans and get it over with. This Terra so far has shown she'd give Robin a run for his money in the serious stakes! The Titans have been the canon fodder of the DCU of late so it makes sense that they should fill their ranks. Other than that I see no other place she can fit in the DCU. She's not going to get her own ongoing, I hope at least. There are so many other characters more deserving. What other team will she be on unless she nomadically travels from title to title.


Speaking of Terra, the writers of her guest spot on Supergirl write Superman/Supergirl. A five part mini that will come out twice in November. Looking at the cover I have one issue. Superman is running to rescue Supergirl. I really don't like that. Let the girl handle herself instead of being rescued by her bigger male cousin. Saying that though Kara doesn't seem very bothered by being lifted by this woman. A woman who is visibly strained. She has a look of 'WTF lady?' I can imagine a dieting joke in this issue somewhere if that does happen.

So this mini was unexpected. I can't remember it announced at any comic event this summer. I think it seeks to clarify Clark and Kara's relationship. One problem with that. He's Superman. Do we think that DC will let Kara rescue him? Do we think she will be shown to be better than him in any way at all? It was always the case pre-crisis that Kara was the weaker female cousin and when she gained immunity to Kryptonite it was swiftly taken away and it was re-affirmed that once again Superman is better. This is the modern day, I'm not envoking female liberation here just the plea that she can be weaker than Superman but can that be balanced by her being smarter, faster, more creative...whatever just something.

Full solicits at 5pm EST on newsarama though I'm on UK time, guess I'll see them all on Tuesday.
Posted by Nikki at 18:57 | 0 comments  
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Saturday 16 August 2008

Reading List...


My hardcover book of Meltzer's Lightning Saga arrived this morning. I was extremely impressed by the service from the Amazon selller as I'd only bought it early yesterday. I'm still waiting for my 'Superman and the Legion of Superheroes' to show though. I'll give that until Monday.

It seems the right one came first though as I've flicked through. It seems that its a slow re-introduction to the pre-crisis Legion. Slowly the consequences of Crisis on Infinite Earths are being eroded. For the Legion this is especially good as that's where it started to fall apart to begin with. Crisis was a stunning story and part of that was its lasting effects but I feel the loss of Superboy and Kara was too great.

I'm excited to really get into this story as I've heard so much good about it. First impressions leave me disappointed about the characters that are focused on. I had grown to love Karate Kid during Countdown and I hope that continues but have never been interested in Nura Nal in any incarnation. The story serves up the second string of the Legion in my eyes with Brainiac 5 as the cliffhanger into the bigger story.

My anticipation for Legion of Three Worlds is growing exponentially. Speaking of that DCcomics.com updated their front page with the Lightning Lad cover.

Coming up if all goes to plan are reviews of Action Comics #868, Showcase presents Supergirl vol. I and Final Crisis #3. Starting Thursday I should get into a regular pattern of new releases.

First Post

...the inevitable mediocre spinoff has liftoff. I was beginning to bore my f-list at LJ with comic ranting so I decided to come here and start afresh. I hope to get ahold of the basics soon so until then its going to be a mess!

to start with something of value shall I. My Supergirl tribute vid. A woefully underrated character when you consider she's been in comics, TV, animation and feature film. Not even Wonder Woman has ticked all those boxes yet



next up..the flash. I just need to get my hands on a few episodes of the TV show.
Posted by Nikki at 02:42 | 0 comments  
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