The Inevitable Mediocre Spin-off

A Look At Supergirl's Rogue's Gallery
Looking at the new DCU blog post it looks like the Supergirl annual will have yet more Superwoman and her relationship with her father and Lois. That's nice but its not really material for Supergirl. The purpose of a villain is to bring something out in our hero. Through recurring roles we learn more as an when we need it so that the threat to the hero grows or the relationship deepens. We saw it with Lex and the Joker and Cheetah and Sinestro. With Superwoman I feel like we have a total information dump. Like the load is being totally blown prematurely with little room for further development. We should want to know more about a character so that they are worthy of a reappearance. That means some mystery should be upheld.

We have had the mystery and the answer, we know how she acts as an opposite for Supergirl and their relationship. We need answers to how she infiltrated Kandor, how she speaks Kryptonese and how she got her powers. However we don't need her life story unless there is a bit that affects Kara. The preview I assume is the Supergirl annual as it comes straight after the colourist announcement. It seems more like Action Comics material for Lois than something belonging in Supergirl or we could always get a Superman's Wife, Lois Lane special!

A better handled villain is Reactron in his first recurring role in the series. He is fastly becoming Supergirl's nemesis. As a pre-crisis villain of Kara's it seems apt that he should take a prominent place in her collection of Rogues. His first appearance was the best arc between the departure of Joe Kelly and the arrival of Sterling Gates which was littered with crossovers and the cancer plot which alienated the opposing point of view of a controversial issue. His first look stayed true to his original form from the 70's in an updated way. He brought out Supergirl's inquisitive nature which fit a girl raised by scientists and highlighted the differences between the super-cousins. Superman hits things until they fall down and as Atlas shows has no plan B at all. Supergirl is more thoughtful and inventive. Pre-Crisis she invented cancellite and X-Kryptonite after all when she tried to nullify the effect of kryptonite. Something Supeman never tried. Reactron played this up. Since his revamp I've been on the fence about him. He's not much of a cosmic threat, he's been toned down to a less famous Metallo with a cliche connection to Kara. 'You Killed my Father, prepare to Die!' as the famous quote goes. However he has been built up and he has evolved. The man behind the mask is still as mystery. I know as much as I want to know about him for now, I'll be content if he smashes and bashes his way through the rest of New Krypton and if we leave developing him more for another time. There is something more sadistic about a gold-K core rather than a kryponite one. It means that he has to get his hands dirty and he seems to love that.

Other villains that the Supergirl team seem to need to get back too include Silver Banshee and the new Blackstarr who appeared in Action #850. An extremely important issue that set up the future of the titles as far as the return of Alura and Zor-El. Blackstarr is another of the 'Daring New Adventures' cast with Reactron. I only hope they don't bring too many female villains into the fray. Wonder Woman has a similar problem of a predominantly female rogue's gallery and the men have too few. I love a bit of equality. Men and woman are very different and they can both be grave threats in different ways without even landing a punch.

JLA is the aspiration of the DC comic movie and will bring in mega dollars for sure but why, with all the storyline troubles and potential actor clashes are they focusing on this as their big team hope? In the near future Marvel is going to unleash the Avengers and it will probably be awesome but its not like the characters that film will focus on are anywhere near as big as the JLA. So, with this in mind why doesn't Warner counter with a movie that can boast some recognisability and challenge people's expectations like Iron Man did?

1) Teen Titans- Should really be called Titans or The Titans.
We know WB have ordered a script for a potential movie starring Nightwing, so it will skew older than the cartoon and avoid comparisons to stuff like Sky High. They have a villain named Deathstroke the Terminator, this movie could be as dark as Batman.The story is there and there is recognisability from the hit cartoon and merch that went with it. Any issues with Dick Grayson after the nipple incident are irrelevant, if Batman can be rehabilitated so can he. Characters like Batman don't even need to show up, the cartoon went 5 seasons without mentioning him or green arrow or flash. It was not their story so they were irrelevant. We don't have to know where in the timeline this is compared to Bale's Batman just a good self contained story.

2) JSA
The first Superhero team brings fun for all the family. The only downside is WB's lack of faith that Joe movie-go-er will understand how there can be two Flashs, two Green Lanterns and why Kara Zor-L isn't Supergirl. This is easy PG-13 popcorn fare with characters from teens to grandpas. It has such a broad appeal. It would need a director capable of handling large casts and fans who understand that not everyone can have a starring role and may be reduced to a cameo. JSA is more JLU than JLA could ever be.

3) Legion of Super-Heroes
Something very different, its set in a utopian future (its not really utopian otherwise why would they need crime fighters but its what people use to describe the Legion future for some reason) with so many powers this movie could be a feast for the eyes. Any downsides would arise from the landscape, its totally unlike anything on earth so it runs the risk of being as fake as Coruscant. Done right it could be as visually satisfying as the Lord of the Rings movies and just as epic. The Legion is a mash up of everything in the DCU, the intergalatic scope of Green Lantern, the home base of Superman, the variety of the JSA and the family aspect of the Titans. With its two seasons worth of shows on Kids WB it reached a good audience. I think it has been said that the amount of people who watched the premiere made up the total number of Legion comics sold in the last 5 years. Legion spent 15 years without Superman/girl in their pages so its not like they would be essential for the movie so past movie continuity would not messed with.

There are even more, Doom Patrol, L.E.G.I.O.N, Metal Men. There are no bad suggestions just bad execution.

WHO IS BATGIRL?
the clues so far

Despite what DC expected its the fight to fill Batgirl's tights that is the most mysterious and compelling in Battle for the Cowl. Everyone knows Bruce will be back so who cares who will fill the tights for a few months. With Batgirl we have a permanent change. All sides have their supporters and detractors so lets look at the clues and decide.

Our first clue is the Batgirl #1 cover by Phil Noto. Deliberately designed to be vague this may not be much use. What we do know is that it is Cassandra Cain's costume but we already know from Dan Didio that Cassandra will not be part of the Batfamily following the events of Battle for the Cowl. The muzzle of Cassandra's costume has been ripped off (or some suggest the cowl is sewn to the face, I doubt this). She's a smiler and shows a confident pose.

Our second clue is the Solicit
BATGIRL #1
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Lee Garbett & Trevor Scott
Cover by Phil Noto
Variant cover by J.G. Jones

In the wake of "Batman R.I.P." and BATTLE FOR THE COWL, a new heroine has emerged in Gotham City, and as she begins her nocturnal crusade to take back the night, she will truly learn what it means to wear the mantle of the Bat. But who is this young woman, and why has she donned the cape and cowl?

Most believe that an old Batgirl is the new Batgirl but how does that tie to the solicit? Is the solicit throwing us off? Should it be taken as truth?

Now for a look at the contenders

1) Bette Kane
Stalked the Pre-Crisis streets as Bat-Girl, the sidekick of Batwoman Kathy Kane. With the return of Batwoman as Kate Kane in 52 and a familial bond suggested with Bette could we be going very far back? Also note that Kate's moniker 'Flamebird' has been usurped by Thara Ak-Var who currently stars in Action Comics. She does need a new identity. Her days as Bat-Girl are out of continuity now so she could be considered a 'new heroine' as Batgirl and learn about carrying the bat symbol. Pre-Crisis she was introduced as a love interest for Robin and in Nightwing's Origins and Omens we see him kissing Batgirl. A very strong contender.

2) Barbara Gordon
Increasingly agitated at her inability to walk the classic Bargirl could once again don the cowl. Hints of her returning to being Batgirl have been occuring for months, if not years. The end of Birds of Prey brought this to a head. What followed was a mini series called the cure where no one was cured, or were they? We are told Barbara's story continues in Batgirl #1. We have to tie this to multiple origins and omens stories. First Nightwing's. He takes Babs skydiving for her birthday and the page that follows shows a kiss between him and a classic costumed Batgirl bathed in red, like Babs' hair. She and Dick were once engaged but remember Dick is most probably Batman soon, in the picture he is Nightwing so what is going on there? Could it be another flashback story? Then there is Barbara's own Origins and Omens where she is looking at her Batgirl costume, out of the trophy case with a thoughtful expression. Reminicing about the good old days or whether she can still fit in it? However she fits none of the solicit, don't count her out though.





















3) Stephanie Brown
She fights Crime as Spoiler and has previously been Robin for a short time. The first female to take the role. She has a long time love interest in Tim Drake which fills teh Bat-Girl role perfectly from its original inception. The Batgirl #1 cover is bathed in purple light which is the colour of her costume as spoiler and the solicit could still work. While she was Robin she wasn't wearing the Batsymbol even if she had the same sort of responsibility. She was recently brought back from her written death, there must be a reason.

Other Contenders

There have been various other names put forward such as Helena Bertinelli and Misfit which I think would be very random and have no clues pointing towards them. While there is potential in these characters as Batgirl I think they'll have to wait their turn.

While I would love Barbara to be back in top form I think there is a lot of evidence for Bette and Steph that can't be ignored. So with the evidence presented what do you think?

This week ends the 6-issue Johnny DC Title Supergirl:Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade. A series that has made us laugh and cry (its Ok you boys can admit it here, you are among friends). Its a condensed version of Supergirl history in 6 stunning issues. We have Streaky, supercat extrodinaire! Comet, the now no-pervy Superhorse, the multiverse that pre-crisis Kara died for, Bizarro Supergirl, Stanhope and even more references to Supergirl and DC history! This is the comic you give to people to show them what Supergirl is and its primary audience is children! Don't let that turn you away though, find a sister or cousin as an excuse to buy it or better yet slot it under your scantily clad cover of Emma Frost when approaching the check out! Ebay it! Mail order comics are all the rage these days as well.

Its the last 50 years of the character in one series but there is so much more to be told! We hear about Kara and the Legion but we never see it. There are many, many more villains for her to face. If you are hesitant about picking it up if you don't have the previous 5 you can pre-order the paperback!
UK
US
Its out on December 8th so its the perfect Christmas gift. Buy one for your library especially School library!

But don't let my exclamation filled entry be the only source of advice, read some more articulate reviewers.

'On a scale of one to adorable, this is adorable. And a very positive comic for young girls.'

'These are potent childhood fears that provide welcome depth to the fluffy top layer, which keeps it all from being too grim. '

The twist on Streaky’s story fits in with this new vision of Supergirl’s universe and sets up a new major player in the storyline. I’m really hoping that this series can continue after the initial six issues. There’s so much stuff here, it could easily support an ongoing exploring the twists and connections of these characters. Plus, there’s a wealth of Super-continuity to mine for more material in the future.

I’m particularly bummed that next issue is the last one for this miniseries. I really hope that plans are afoot to keep this property going, because it’s another in a great line of projects from DC’s all-ages line.

From the school library journal- My suggestion: wait for the full, six-issue run to appear in trade paperback form, then purchase it for your favorite budding feminist. She’ll appreciate the smart dialogue, snappy artwork, and sassy-yet-vulnerable heroine, and you'll appreciate the lower price tag and more durable binding.

'think Buffy without the sex and violence'
'the cool thing is that the comic doesn't treat its audience like morons just because they're (mostly) young.'
'It's craziness, and a whole lot of fun - I don't really know what else to say.'
' All-ages cute-and-engaging fun like this doesn't just happen, it takes genuine talent, so kudos to the creators for getting the mix of storytelling and weirdness right '- From Various reviews in From Heroine addict

'The first time I sent in my review of "Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade," my editors kindly sent it back with a note explaining that I needed to do more than just repeat the word "adorable" 350 times. ...And maybe we could have more than just six issues? Please?'

Enough?! Now come on DC, Don't be thick. We need more.

CONNER KENT!

Hey everyone, time for a Superboy fanart. I went with the red and blue for my image rather than the red and black! Here is the more traditional Superboy suit as he wore it in Legion but to make it that little more Kon rather than Kal there is the Black Belt at the bottom (which I'm not 100% with but whatever)

This is my first attempt at spandex, usually I try and use real clothes to recolour or touch up so that it looks 'real' or realer than an obvious manip. On the plus side I am very happy about my attempts at spandex here. I drew around the torso and filled it with blue and set it to muliply. As you can guess he ended up looking like Nightcrawler rather than Superboy. I went to google and got a squared 3D texture. thats the best I can do on explanations and set it to soft light with a low opacity. It gave the blue substance. It looked like fabric!

One of the things I'm unhappy with is the logo. Its the Superman Returns logo and it looks so 'shopped. I have an ongoing battle with logos. They never quite work for me, I tried adding shadow and texture and playing with the burn and dodge tools. Not sure it worked though. Oh Well, I persevere. Another area I wanted to improve was the belt and the underoos. Are the underpants separate? should I add shadow? Should it look like the spandex is randomly coloured to look like underpants?! There has never been a good in-universe explanation as to why Superman does not understand the concept of UNDER pants. For the Cape I used a red cape I found on google. Looking at it now the light source is off on the bottom half. Oh well..live..learn...try again

If you want this as a wallie I have two sizes CLICK!