Technically, last week was the first week of May, but the review was for the last week in April, so welcome to May. Hope everyone had fun on Free Comic Book Day, but now it’s time for the stuff that costs me money. I forgot about Cameron and His Dinosaurs, which I listed in the weekly Pull List, and anything else listed in the monthly were unconfirmed anyway, so they didn’t come. That leaves me with three new comics, including one sad goodbye to way too short mini-series. Checked the spoiler-blocked reviews at ComiXology.
Well, might as well get this over with.
Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade #6 (of forever in our hearts)
PUBLISHER: DC Comics (July 2009)
WRITER: Landry Q. Walker
ARTIST: Eric Jones
COLORIST: Joey Mason
LETTERER: Travis Lanham
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Simon Martone
EDITORS: Jaan Jones & Elisabeth V. Gehrlein
Myxzptlyk has not only captured Belinda, but betrayed his fellow 5th Dimension imps (not to be confused with the music group). He plans to become the most powerful being in the universe. To do that, he needed Kara, so (and he’s rather vague about it) he hints that he set everything in motion, from being launched from Argo to the creation of Belinda Zee. Since Kara didn’t react the way Mxy needed, he molded Belinda into the perfect conduit. Now he’s able to achieve godhood, but only at the expense of the rest of the universe. Supragirl uses her powers to rescue Kara and Lena, but gets bounced back into the timestream. (Most likely to the point she disappeared from back in issue 3. Continuity.)
Yes, I need a new paragraph! Realising that Kara/Linda is indeed her friend, Lena sets up Mxyzptlk’s machine and zaps Supergirl to the 10th dimension, where she forces the evil imp back to the fifth dimension and restores reality. Back home, Mxyzptlk is punished with perminate exile to the second dimension, but in the third dimension, Lena’s mind is caught in a feedback loop thanks to excess 10th dimension energy and her mixed loyalties for Luthor and Linda. Lex clears her mind, but his attempt to turn her against Linda backfires, and now he claims she hates him for it. Luthor goes back to prison, Lena and Belinda are in recovery, and everything else is back to normal. Superman has found a way for Supergirl to return to quasi-space and Argo whenever she chooses, but she decides that “we have a planet to protect”. So many emotions right now; excuse me…..
What they got right: The fact that I needed two paragraphs shows how much content was in this book, which was still $2.50. Take that, everybody else!There is so much excellence in this finale, with all plot threads wrapped up but an opening for further issues (you hearin’ me, Didio–PUBLISH MORE!). For what’s been a comedy for the most part (the Moon baddies even cameo fighting on her side), this had some very touching moments. I mean, I felt sorry for Luthor (until he tried to play mind games, and even then I felt sorry for him in a different way). Let me capitalize: THEY MADE ME FELL SORRY FOR LEX LUTHOR! The old criminal scientist version, now the occasionally noble but otherwise evil businessman we’ve had post-Crisis 1. That shouldn’t be possible! Well played, Landry. Well played!
What they got wrong: Absolutely nothing. I can’t even stretch this one, and I’m being as unbiased as possible. Any complaints you have aren’t about the story unless it’s a personal taste issue. They hit every mark, crossed every “t”…the only thing wrong is the ending. Unless we get our Summer Vacation special and 9th Grade series, a grave disservice has been done to comics in general and kid-friendly comics specifically.
Recommendation:You have kids? When the compilation comes out, and it would be a low-level sin not to, buy this for them. This will draw kids into comics, and help keep the next generation reading. I also recommend further stories be greenlit. I demand my Moon Supergirl Special!
extra:Ok, in case anyone thinks I’m going to abandon comics or kill myself or something because of this comic, I feel I need to say something. I do love this comic very much, and I do want it to continue. If there’s a way I can insure more Cosmic Supergirl, I will, and I’ve promoted this thing on other blogs at every opportunity. It’s the most fun comic I’ve read in years. Would I want all comics, or even the DCU to turn into this? Maybe not, they have to do their own thing, even if they’ve been getting it wrong lately. However, I will admit to slight exaggeration and fits of fanboyness, but not by much. There will be a gap in monthly comics without this series, and it is one of the titles that most excites me about comics.
I want to personally thank everyone that has been involved with this series for making a comic I can’t complain about. Would a full series one day make a miss? Sure, some Marvel Adventures titles I read made a goof over time. But they took the uncertainty of issue one, and somehow turned it in one issue into one of my must-have comics, winning Best Scene of the Week every time it’s published, and making me excited about a comic not featuring shape-shifting robots or time-traveling cabinets. If not with Cosmic Supergirl, I hope all of you (including colorist Joey Mason, to whom I haven’t given enough credit and I apologize) get together again in the future on something just as fun and love-filled. This is what a comic should be.
Power Girl #1
PUBLISHER: DC Comics (July 2009)
WRITERS: Justin Greay & Jimmy Palmiotti
ARTIST: Amanda Conner
COLORIST: Paul Mounts
LETTERER: John J. Hill
ASSISTANT: Rex Ogle
EDITOR: Brian Cunningham.
First, a quick funny moment. When I scan a comic cover (or panel) for these things, I have to re-size the picture for the view you click to see. Now, when my old Paint Shop Pro brings up the picture, it’s a smaller viewing size. I bring it up full viewing size to see just how big the picture actually is before I re-size it. When I hit the zoom, I was met with a close-up of her “boob window” that made even me laugh. It was so unexpected. Talk about proper centering. 🙂
Kara Zor-L thought moving to Manhattan, readopting the identity “Karen Starr”, and reacquiring Starrware would make her life better–give her a sense of normalcy. Even dealing with new employees, and a scientist who wants to control people’s emotions won’t get her down. That is, until a storm, bunch of giant robots, and emotions running hot lead to major headaches for the alternate universe Girl of Steel. The source of Power Girl’s bad day is the Ultra-Humanite, who wants to transfer his brain into Power Girl’s body.
What they got right:Power Girl really has gotten the shaft over the years. It’s about time she had a series of her own to play around in and make us care about her, rather than being part of an ensemble cast like the Justice Society of America or background for the Infinite Crisis Countdowns that have hampered the DCU as of late. The writers really try to give PG her own life, a way to help others that doesn’t involve flying around and punching stuff, and a sense of normalcy that other super heroes have with their secret identities. (When the “event” storylines don’t clutter up the other comics, that is.) There seem to be some good time ahead. I do love Amanda Conner’s art. I’ve heard the hype and I can understand why she has it.
What they got wrong:Ok, she’s hot and has big breasts. We get it already. The first joke was funny, the “snow globes” part seems a bit more forced. Maybe a slight costume redesign is also in order, although it was “Karen” getting looked at. Also, I really hope Ultra-Humanite doesn’t succeed in even a temporary swap with Kara. Not only has it been done (to death), but it’s a crappy way to bring PG out in her first series in a long time.
Recommendation: If they do the above next issue, I’ll stop getting the series on principle. That will tell me what kind of stories we can expect to see from this team.
Voltron: A Legend Forged #5 (of5)
PUBLISHER: Devil’s Due (April 2009)
WRITER: Josh Blaylock
PENCILER: Julia Bax
COLOR ARTISTS: Wes Dzioba, Digicore Studios, & Bill Crabtree
LETTERER: Crank!
DESIGN: Sean K. Dove
COVER: Tim Seeley & Jose Aviles
EDITOR: Mike O’Sullivan (with special thanks to Rob Peak)
The Voltron Force arrives with their lions, ready to give Voltron’s younger self life. Strife is put in prison, but is able to create a magic portal for Jain to sneak into the Castle. During the ceremony, she attacks and is able to pull Allura out of the Blue Lion, attempting to give Sarga her body. With most of the wizards out cold, the villianesses are stopped by Azahki, who turns out to be Jain’s daughter, and by Lotor. Then current-time Voltron comes on-line and appears to have stepped on Jain. Instead, both she and Azahki have been spirited away by Sarga, who takes Azahki’s body instead of Allura’s. At that point, a device sent by Galaxy Garrison arrives in the past and takes the time-displaced heroes and villains into the future. They do arrive on Earth–but in the early 21th Century.
What they got right: They finally wrapped up this nonsense. It’s been so long since I read any Voltron comic, that I can’t even remember if Sarga in Azahki’s body is important or just a “shock” ending. Our heroes get to travel, but I’m seriously hoping they’re going for a “funny” ending instead of setting up the next series.
What they got wrong: Where do I start? The whole time travel thing was a bad idea to begin with. This should have been a prequel story, since there was no reason for the Voltron Force, not to mention Lotor and Strife, to be there. They serve no real purpose when what little purpose there is isn’t forced. It would have been a cleaner story without them. Not to mention the fact that with that many people working on, why did this comic have to wait until April to come out? It was supposed to come out in either December or January. Such a long time on such a mediocre story would turn off a lot of people, especially the ones like me who had to buy the stinking Omnibus to see how the previous (and if you ask me superior) arc ended. Devil’s Due has really dropped the ball on this series, and frankly I expect a better story from Blaylock.
Recommendation: If you’ve been waiting for the trade, don’t bother. If this is the direction the next arc (if there is one) takes, I won’t be getting it. Just enjoy the first two volumes and bypass A Legend Forged altogether.
Best Scene of the Week
Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade #6
I feel the same way about this series ending.
You know, had the comic that’s won Best Scene every time had lost on the final issue, something would be really wrong. I can assure you that had no effect on my choice. The comic’s been just that good. And so we come to the rather sad end of this week’s reviews. One of my favorite shows got a bad comic, one of my favorite comics is going away, and the potential of the third is in jeopardy. Only time will tell what the full impact will be on my collection. We’ll miss you, Kara.
Moon Supergirl Love
BW Media Spotlight 