Legion of Superheroes, No. 47. I forget how many issues exactly former Marvel EIC Jim Shooter has been writing this book. Maybe that’s a mercy. I know that Shooter’s original run on this book (at least three resets ago) is considered legendary. But I have finally concluded that Shooter is not the guy for this book. Yes, I know that the whole concept of Dream Girl being dead, but being alive inside Brainiac 5’s head was put into play before Shooter took over. And if you think about it, it’s a logical pairing of Intellect and Intuition.
But as this issue illustrates, Shooter lacks the subtle touch necessary for the situation. In this issue, he has Brainy consulting a psychic, who arranges for Dreamy to possess her body so the two can have an actual physical date. And as it’s made implied, Brainy and the woman do the nasty thing. And the artwork of Art Leonardi and Dan Green is apparently something we are going to have to suffer through while all the good artists are sucked into one of DC’s never-ending parade of super-duper, the-DC-Universe-will-never-be-the-same weekly crossover series.
I am comforted by two facts: The original Legion of Superheroes — an adult version of the kids Superboy used to hang with, minus the Keith Giffen 5-year-later-continuity — are still kicking around; as is the acceptable follow-up that includes the Legion Lost storyline. This version had signs of promise, but Shooter is taking a bug fat dump all over the series.
Two out of 5 stars.
Supergirl, No. 35. I’m quite fond of what D.C. is doing with the Superman mythos recently. They have pretty much given up the ghost on the John Byrne version that he brought to DC some 20 years ago, and then abandoned. In this version, Superman was the ONLY survivor of Krypton. No Supergirl, no Krypto, no Phantom Zone criminals, no bottled city of Kandor.
Well, they are ALL back now, and I’m loving it. Clark Kent is a nerdy guy who is the butt of Steve Lombard’s practical jokes again.
Part of the renaissance is the recent New Krypton storyline, which deals with the aftermath of Superman’s rescue of Kandor from the clutches of what turns out to be the real Brainiac. The others were just impostors.
But, Kandor is now longer bottled and safely tucked away in the Fortress of Solitude. It’s been returned to normal size and the inhabitants are roaming the Earth, a fact that has a certain presumed dead military figure plotting to do away with Kandorians and the Superman family.
So how does this play out in the pages of Supergirl? She’s arguing with her parents in the Metropolis apartment she shares with Lana Lang, now a business columnist for the Daily Planet. It seems they want her to return to Kandor with them, while she wants to spread her wings in the big city.
I can see why. Because as people who can fly at, I dunno, close to the speed of light, it’s not like she could visit each other in less time it takes you or me to get a can of soda from the fridge. Any excuse for angst.
I’ve ranted about this before, but I hate the direction this book has been taking. They have poor Kara wallowing in teen girl angst, being victimized by boyfriends and being haunted my memories of her parents being evil. At one point, they had her possessed by Phantom Zone ghosts while crystal spikes erupted from her body.
Her horrified parents diagnose this is a case of Kryptonite poisoning that must be cured immediately. But the process releases repressed memories. Thankfully, the memories gibe with the current plot line. So maybe — MAYBE — we are done with “poor-little-Kara-copes-with-her-demons” stories for a while.
I somehow doubt it.
If anyone wants to know how to best do a Supergirl comic — check out how she was used in opening The Brave and the Bold story arc, especially her team-ups with Green Lantern and Lobo. She is a cute, flirty, self-assured and just a tiny bit vulnerable. Not. One. Moment. Of. Angst.
This one was brought to us by Sterling Gates, Jamal Igle and Keith Champagne.
3 out of 5 stars.
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