Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Supergirl from Krypton Part Six: Hero
Written by: Jeph Loeb
Art by: Michael Turner
Colored by: Peter Steigerwald
Lettered by: Richard Starkings
Associate Editor: Tom Palmer Jr.
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC
DC’s Solicitation
The startling conclusion to the year’s most talked-about storyline explodes as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman battle Darkseid! Kara Zor-El has all the makings of a Supergirl…but is that who she really is?
The Review
Story
Whether you’ve deconstructed the stories or not, all reader can probably agree that the intent of the creative team behind the Superman / Batman (S/B) series was to deliver F-U-N. Logic, common sense, and continuity have never been part of the equation.
Its all about been about cramming in as many “fanboy moments” as you can and hope no one looks behind the curtain. They are F-U-N Elseworlds-like stories… that are likely the main fodder for DC’s big Crisis-like event in 2005. Someone needs to bring some order and sense to the DC Universe (DCU) and maybe we’ll get that in 2005.
Having said that, DC has pretty much ignored the handful of Supergirls that have proliferated the DCU in the last 2 to 3 years. This S/B represents a reboot of the Supergirl mythology… or does it?
The story, with all its back room confusion, does deliver its intended fanboy moments. Supeman vs. Darkseid. Superman and Batman in the Fortress of Solitude. The JLA in Smallville. A “new” Supergirl.
S/B #13 is a F-U-N read, but I want a little more than superficial ‘sizzle’ storytelling. I want some steak with my sizzle. However, the S/B series is written for kids not adults. Its for “new” readers. Hey, as long as it gets kids reading… it’ll do no harm.
Art
Michael Turner = oversold and undelivered. Turner is a chronically late artist that clearly doesn’t respect fans enough to deliver on a monthly book.
Supergirl in a crop top? Come on! I thought the era of the trashy super-heroine was over.
21st Century Michael Turner = 20th Century Rob Liefeld. You heard it here first!!
Hey, Turner’s art is ok. So is Liefeld’s. I just don’t see where all the hype comes from… for either artist.
Gimmick
No more multiple covers!!!!! I can understand reprints having “new” covers for each print (kinda), but in a week that we also get JLA: Classified #1 with 2 variant covers as well, I’m seeing DC feeding a new speculator frenzy that could finish what the first speculator boom a decade ago started… the destruction of the comics industry.
The best gimmick? Great story + Great art. Its a simple equation.
So…
I just hope that DC will reconcile many of its continuity confusion in their big 2005 event. We have unexplained reboots of Superman in Birthright, Doom Patrol in JLA, Beast Boy in Teen Titans, Supergirl in S/B, and the upcoming revelations in JSA about Power Girl.
It seems that DC is favoring new fans as opposed to those who have stuck by them through the “lean years”. There is a middle ground. DC doesn’t need to pick and choose which fans to satisfy. I just hope DC becomes the big tent it always was… and soon.
Anyhow, in the end, S/B #13 is cotton candy for your brain.
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