Review: Supergirl #3 (v8)

Supergirl #3 came out this week and was another entertaining and frankly refreshing look at the character by writer/artist Sophie Campbell. Over the course of this blog's history, there have been plenty of times that creators have been put on the character and it is clear they don't know the character or don't like the character. There have been runs where I have said things like 'remove Supergirl and put in Starfire and this story would proceed without a problem' or 'this doesn't seem like the Supergirl we know'. 

That isn't true here.

This is firmly a Supergirl book. This is a creator who seems to like and respect the character, weaving in history and characterization that fit. And this thrills me.

We can start with the obvious homages and nods as a way to refer and acknowledge the past. From Midvale to Lesla Lar to Lena Luthor to Streaky, Satan Girl, and even Black Kryponite, this series is mining the best of Supergirl's 66 year history and bringing it into modern time. Heck, there are even artistic homages!

But that stuff if done alone can simply feel like nostalgia. What is needed is story. And we get that too. Because in this issue we get a look into Supergirl's psyche. How she is heroic and kind and compassionate. How she probably struggles being in the shadow of her big cousin and his influence. How maybe she struggles with a dark side ... but it isn't that dark. And how most of all she wants to help. She can throw down when she needs to. She can be fierce in fighting injustice. But maybe that is the last resort. Some might find the 'sort of' conclusion of the Lesla Lar story underwhelming but for me it fit the character well. Campbell just seems to get it. 

Add to that the sumptuous, breezy, engaging art by Campbell and colorist Tamra Bonvillain and you have a big win. From old costumes to new, from mutations and birthday cake shenanigans, it all sings.

My only quibble might be that the arc might be wrapping up too soon for my taste. But in a world of endless arcs and decompression, this might be a compliment.

On to the book.

Review: Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special #1

Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special #1 came out this week and was an unexpected treat in my pile. If you are a Supergirl fan, you need to read this. If you are a Doomsday fan (and I am not), you need to read this. If you are a fan of the darker corners of the DCU, you need to read this. This was a lot of fun.

Dan Watters writes the main story here. I really loved Watters' take on Azrael this year. So I was hoping he would bring that energy here. Every character that we get in this book has a moment to shine. We learn the psychological impact that Doomsday has on Superman. We see how strong and heroic and incorruptible Supergirl is. We get a wonderful Martian Manhunter moment where he shows why he is a leader. We are shown how a time in hell has made Doomsday deadlier than ever. It all sings.

This is a Supergirl site so I have to really point out how great a Kara story this is. She wants to help her cousin. She is the expert on Kryptonian culture. She tries to help the damned and literally tells off the Devil. She enters a fight she knows she is probably going to lose because it is the right thing to do. Heck, Watters even manages to bring in a Satan Girl riff. DC should be reading this and the recent Supergirl stuff Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Joshua Williamson have done with her to get the imprint of the character. She should not have a special coming up where she is questioning who she is. It flies in the face of her definitive actions here.

Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira are on the art here which switches from Earth to Hell. If you have a Doomsday story, you know you are going to get high actions and big punches. They bring the violence here cinematically. I could feel every blow. And yes, I did fork over a few extra bucks to get the rare variant you see above. But how could I not get that Jon Bogdanove cover.

My only complaint about this is that the kernel of the story is somehow linked to Lazarus Planet and must have been in one of the specials I didn't get. We get a sentence or two about the origins of this but  I could have used a 3-4 panel recap. 

On to the book!

Black Orchid Wednesday: Black Orchid And Satan Girl

I continue my look at Black Orchid and the fan theory that she was actually Supergirl. As I wait the delivery of Phantom Stranger #31 and #32 to arrive (to continue my look at the Orchid's solo stories), I thought I would tantalize with a little side idea that adds to the mystery. All thanks to friend Mart Gray for this idea and it is a doozy.

As many Supergirl fans know, in Adventure Comics #313, Supergirl is hit by red K and splits into a second persona, Satan Girl. 

What Martin so astutely pointed out to me is that Satan's Girl outfit, all dark purple and magenta with a flowing cape looks like Black Orchid if you squint. I mean a character named Satan Girl should be garbed in reds and scarlets adorned with horns and pitchforks. Instead we get this color scheme. 

Even this issue is all about Satan Girl keeping her identity a mystery. Hmmm ...

DC Superhero Girls: #TheAquamanCometh

It has been a long time since I have reviewed DC Superhero Girls here on the site. And I have been remiss in not mining this show for the joy it brings.

I sought the show out and have been accumulating episodes on the DVR with plenty of fun stuff that made me smile. I don't know if I will review every episode but certainly there will be some that rise to top and need some coverage here. There is a little nugget of possible Supergirl history in this episode that made me laugh. (I may be reading to deep into it though.)

And I will again point out that this is a kid's show with mostly one-dimensional looks at these DC characters. This brash, mischievous, rule-flouting Supergirl is a hoot. I don't know if I would want this to be exactly how I would want her in the continuity-based comics. But for this medium and this show, he is a laugh riot.

The episode I am covering is called #TheAquamanCometh.

One thing that has been fun to see grow over the seasons has been Kara's friendship with Garth. On this show, Garth is a late bloomer and no powerhouse. But he has become Kara's gaming buddy and I have seen episodes where she is very protective of him. This Supergirl makes fun of geeks but she is in fact one herself. That is a fun little side story on the show.

Here Garth is upset because he has been writing to Aquaman about his school life and has been fibbing. He has said he was everything from the Homecoming King to the star quarterback to the school paper's editor to ... well you get the idea. Impressed by Garth, Aquaman is coming to visit.

So Garth turns to his friend Kara, surprising her and making her drop her 'mystery meat' cafeteria sandwich.

Giffen Legion Of Super-Heroes Poster

Between my recent reviews of the last newsprint Paul Levitz/Keith Giffen Legion issues over on the Legion of Super-Bloggers to my guest starring on several episodes of the Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes podcast to my interactions with Keith Giffen at Terrificon, I have been looking back at the Legion of the Super-Heroes of the 1980's a lot lately. A lot.

It is a great comic and a great run featuring my favorite super-hero team of all time.

One of the curiosities that I love from that time period is the Legion of Super-Heroes poster by Keith Giffen. Done in 1983, this massive poster included every character that had appeared in the Legion mythos up to that point. It is an amazing piece of art. The sheer volume of characters is amazing. Kudos to Giffen for being able to do this.

But did you know that there is a character that appears on the poster three times?

But before we get there, let's take a look at Supergirl.

This was at the time when she was just switching costumes, going to the red shouldered look which she adopted in (Daring New Adventures of) Supergirl #13. Note the lack of a headband! When the costume was first conceived, she wasn't wearing it!

Anyways, it is a gorgeous rendition of Kara. I love her pose here, graceful and almost playful. Just gorgeous.

But who is represented on the poster three times?

Five Supergirl Villains I'd Like To See On The Show

I have been reporting on the Supergirl show, covering the news about casting, leaked plots, etc.

But I haven't really done too many posts about what I am hoping to see in the show. My plan was to do that as the show neared.

Blog friend Count Drunkula recently asked me to post about the top 5 villains I would like to see on the show. I was struck my the muse.

So here are the 5 villains I would like to see appear on the upcoming Supergirl show. I will put a caveat to this post. I wanted to post about Supergirl specific villains that I want to see. I could, for example, say I would want to see Poison Ivy. But Ivy isn't a Supergirl villain. I also wanted to include villains that have had an impact on the character as well, appearing in different incarnations of Supergirl if possible. And I also wanted the villain to have the power to stand up against a Kryptonian.

First off, a tip of the cap to the also-rans who didn't make it to the top 5: Lesla Lar, Black Flame, Nasty Luthor, and Brainiac.

We'll go in reverse order, leading up to the villain I want to see the most.

Number 5: The Gang

Okay, the Gang is a little known villain group from the earliest issues of Daring New Adventures. These were humans who somehow gained powers. Brains has her intelligence. Ms. Mesmer can hypnotize. Bulldozer can run into people and bowl them over. And Kong is super-strong.

Outside of the Daring New issues, we only saw them in 2 panels in Sterling Gates run.

However, they are often the butt of jokes for Supergirl-haters. So I would love to see them on the show to get a little respect. Also, I think one of the things that could hamper a Kryptonian is numbers. A true Gang of super-humans would have more of a chance against Supergirl.

Number 4: Blackstarr

Blackstar also was first seen in the Daring New Adventures run and had the pure power to stand up to Supergirl. Blackstarr had solved the universal equation of physics and as a result seemed to have some command over matter and energy. She fought Supergirl to a standstill a couple of time. As a result she is a proper villain who could challenge Kara.

And the idea of Blackstarr survived. In the panel on the left, from Action Comics #850, Supergirl fights Blackstar (in a possible future). She also was seen in the background of a panel in Sterling Gates' run as well.

Number 3: Satan Girl

Now we are getting into the cream of the crop of recurring Supergirl villains.

Satan Girl has appeared in three different incarnations of Supergirl's history. She has, albeit in different forms and identities, fought the Silver Age Supergirl, Peter David's Earth Angel Supergirl, and even the Sterling Gates' Supergirl.

While the name is a little wonky for television, you could definitely figure out how to put her in the show. The latter two incarnations are magic-based villains. A magic-based villain could definitely stand up to Supergirl and battle her.

Since she has been around in different incarnations, I would love to see her on the show.

Number 2: Reactron

Reactron is another villain who started out in Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (boy, Paul Kupperberg put his stamp on the character). A nuclear based powerhouse, he was able to hold his own against Supergirl and even the Doom Patrol back then.

In the Sterling Gates' run and during the World of New Krypton mega-arc, Reactron returned as a gold-kryptonite powered assassin. He played a huge role in the super-books throughout that storyline. In particular, he became a nemesis for Supergirl, killing her father Zor-El, and hounding Kara for years.

While I doubt that Gold Kryptonite would make it onto the show, you certainly could make him science based or nuclear powered. He could be a decent enough threat to make him interesting.

And my number one hope to appear on the show ...

Number 1: Silver Banshee

Banshee is a magic-based death demon and as such can be a true danger to Supergirl. We have seen the Banshee encounter Supergirl in Peter David's run, the Sterling Gates' era Kara, and even the New 52 Supergirl. She has been a sympathetic, a friend, even a frenemy. You could play up any or all of those characteristics.

She is visually stunning.

But most of all, she has a power set that would make her dangerous.

And so that's my top 5 villains I would like to see appear in the Supergirl show.

Who would you like to see?

Back Issue Box: Supergirl #40 and #41; The Other Satan Girl

When a creator has a passion for a character it usually shows up in their stories. As readers you can recognize it immediately. There is an ease to the way a story unfolds; every decision a character makes seems like a natural progression from their last one. They 'get' the character.

And an important part of that 'getting' a character is having a knowledge and appreciation of a character's history. So when Landry Walker is able to ease in aspects of all the Supergirl incarnations in the Cosmic Adventures mini-series, it shows his love of the character. And when Sterling Gates has his Supergirl grow like the pre-Crisis Kara, when he puts Brainiac 5 and the Legion back into her history, it shows he knows his stuff. Even Satan Girl is a nice nod to the Silver Age.

While Peter David's Earth Angel Matrix/Supergirl was a very different character than the Kryptonian Supergirl, she was a compelling character. And it was clear that David had an absolute devotion to the Supergirl character. From Leesburg to Dick Malverne to Comet to guardian angel 'Kara', there were homages and references to much of Supergirl's Silver Age history throughout his run.

With Supergirl Annual #2 and Satan Girl still fresh on my mind, I thought I would thumb through the back issue box and look at Supergirl #40 and #41 from PAD's run and look at his version of Satan Girl, a now 3-time 3-version Supergirl villain.

Now these issues are 80% of the way into David's massive first storyline in which Supergirl discovers she is a Earth-born angel, created when a pure soul (Matrix) merged and sacrificed herself for an inherently flawed and sinful being (Linda Danvers). Along the way, Supergirl discovers that she isn't the first or only Earth Angel. In fact, Supergirl reminds a local mystic of the last Earth Angel of Fire, someone named Ember. If you don't know this storyline, I will do my best to keep this coherent. I may not be successful. And so we begin ...

Intrigued about Ember and still learning who she is herself, Supergirl visits Tammy Neil, Leesburg's local mystic and descendant of Ember.

Ember manifested in the 1700's as an Earth Born angel. She did not use her powers frequently and as such she was able to live a long life. Since she was prudent with her powers, she was not 'corrupted' by them. I never really liked this aspect of the angelic condition here. It seems that as mortal flesh is flawed that the holy powers the angels use will eventually become corrupted and the host will veer to evil and eventually be damned. It all sounded to 'Spawn' for me. But that is why Supergirl's flame wings evolved from feathery looking to more bat-like.

As Ember did not use her powers often, she did not fall quickly, instead living for centuries. But that also means she did not help many people with her powers either.

Neil sets up a magical circle which, in theory, should allow Supergirl to astrally project back to Ember's origin and observe in hopes that she will be able to learn about what it means to be an Earth-born angel.

Unfortunately, the spell goes awry thanks to the Chaos stream which runs below Leesburg. Instead of sending Supergirl back, it resurrects Dolores Pratchett, a Satan worshipper from Ember's time. Someone, we will learn plays an important part in Ember's ascension.

She crawls from the grave in her other identity ... Satan Girl!

Guided by the spell, Supergirl streaks to the cemetery where she encounters Satan Girl for the first time.

And Satan Girl immediately recognizes Supergirl as Ember's successor. I thought this was a nice panel with Ember ghostly image overlying Supergirl.

The two skirmish into town.

Satan Girl seems to have a very personal grudge against Ember, calling her a harlot and seducer of husbands. And, with rage on her side, she successfully skewers Supergirl with her pitchfork. Yikes!

That attack somehow acts as a spell, sending Supergirl's soul back in time, into Ember's body.

Here we see Dolores accusing Ember of being a devil worshipper and her husband's mistress. It turns out that Ember was a slave of Dolores, acting as nanny for Pratchett's daughter Rachel. In fact, Rachel so loved Ember she tried to help Ember escape before the accusation.

If Supergirl is in Ember's body in the 1700's, then Ember must be in Supergirl's body in the present.

Remember, Earth born angels are created when a pure soul sacrifices themselves to try to save a sinful person. So what is going on here?

Satan Girl gives us some of the back story. Even if Ember was a great nanny and beloved by Rachel, she was a Satan worshiper, learning the black arts with Dolores and sleeping with her husband.

Satan Girl can't understand how someone so tainted could ascend to angel status. Even more, she doesn't understand why Ember didn't revel in her powers.

Satan Girl saw Ember be transformed into an Earth Angel when Ember was burned at the stake. Angered by the ascension, Dolores vowed revenge. She committed unholy acts and asked for dark power from the Carnivore. He granted her wish and Satan Girl was born.

Satan Girl and Ember clashed many times over the years until finally, overwhelmed by the evil Satan Girl was doing, Ember slew her. Now a killer, Ember was cast down into the pit, suffering eternal damnation.

I love how the initial Satan Girl outfit looks like the original version from Adventure Comics #313.

If they are bitter enemies, why would Satan Girl bring Ember back? Is there something more happening here? Some ulterior motive?

The answer is yes.

If Ember is in the present, she cannot die at the stake in the past. Right now, if Supergirl dies in her place, Ember will never have become an angel, will never has killed Satan Girl, will never be thrown down into Hell. Ember is selfishly tempted to let Supergirl die in her place.

Still ... why would Satan Girl want that?

Suddenly the two souls of the Earth Born are able to communicate. Ember admits to Supergirl that she is afraid, afraid to go back in time, afraid to die at the stake, afraid to suffer damnation again. Supergirl reminds Ember that we can only do what we think is right. What does Ember's heart say?

Obviously, Supergirl dying in Ember's place isn't right. And Ember knows it. With the flames licking at her feet, Ember returns to her body, sending Supergirl back to the future.

With Ember dying at the stake, Dolores' daughter Rachel throws herself on the pyre to try to save Ember. At last ... a pure soul has sacrificed herself to try to save someone damned. An Earth Angel is born. It also means that when Ember was cast down, that Rachel's soul was also cast into Hell.

Satan Girl hoped that by shuffling the deck that Rachel would not merge, that the Angel would not be formed, and that therefore Rachel would move on to Paradise. In it's own way, it was a noble cause for Satan Girl, even if it meant leaving a wake of dead bodies behind her.

Despite being a somewhat selfish and self-centered character, Ember makes the ultimate sacrifice her, returning to her body knowing she will die, be reborn, and end up in Hell.

Overwhelmed with anguish, knowing Rachel is again in the Pit, Satan Girl tries to lash out at those around her.

But with the timeline reset, with events again unfolding the way they had before, life leads Satan Girl dies, crumbling to dust.

In the end, that last moment of self-sacrifice by Ember leads to her salvation. She saved Supergirl and therefore was elevated to heaven - both her soul and Rachel's.

Okay, this was pretty heady stuff. I know I am in the minority but I love the PAD Supergirl, in particular the first 50 issues. I think that exploration of religion in a world of super-heroes, that story of self-sacrifice, of the temptation of power, of how pride always comes before the fall, and redemption ... it all just worked. It still works. I love that run and reread it often.

But, as I said above, despite not being the usual 'Superman Family' fare, David inserted as much of the pre-Crisis Supergirl's history into this character as he could. Here, Satan Girl is literally a satanic girl. Nifty.

These issues are usually in the $1 box at bigger cons. The Satan Girl reference makes it an nice little homage issue to have in a Supergirl collection but otherwise I would say this has of low importance overall for the character.

Overall grade: B

Back Issue Box: Adventure Comics #313 And Satan Girl

With Satan Girl acting as the main antagonist in Supergirl Annual #2, I thought it was time to thumb through the back issue box and review Adventure Comics #313 and Satan Girl's first appearance. Satan Girl is just one of many homages and Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout the Annual, but I felt she deserved a full story review. 'The Condemned Legionnaires' is a classic story by writer Ed Hamilton and artist Curt Swan. I have to say I was pretty surprised at the ending the first time that I read this.

Who is Satan Girl? And what does she have to do with the 'Crimson Virus' that is mysteriously afflicting the female Legion members?

From the opening panel, the stage is set. Supergirl is going to need to square off against Satan Girl who is 'killing the girls of the Legion'.

What is that withering red ray she is bathing the Legionnaires with. I have to say, Swan does a very good job showing the agony the ray is delivering. Some are fatigued. Others are holding their hands up, pained expressions on their faces.

The story opens up with quick vignettes showing the female Legionnaires out on missions and succumbing to a 'strange, crimson virus'. The symptoms appear to be fatigue, dizziness, weakness, malaise, and that crimson color to their skin.

It is enough to worry Superboy and Mon-El enough to have them pause before leaving on their urgent mission. Two planets on the far side of the universe are on a collision course and the two super-heroes need to prevent them from crashing into each other.

Even Night Girl, of the then secret Legion of Substitute Heroes is suddenly overcome with the symptoms. The male Legionnaires have no choice but to send their stricken allies to Quarantine World where they can be isolated.

With that, Superboy and Mon-El streak away, vowing to hurry and finish their mission so they can help with the Crimson Virus mystery.

Suddenly Satan Girl arrives at the LSH headquarters. She tells the remaining Legionnaires that she is there to replace their sick comrades because she is better than all of them combined. When Sun Boy says that the ill Legion women will rejoin the team once they are cured of their malady.

In a quick change in tone, Satan Girl states that a cure will never happen because she has released the crimson virus which will be their doom. And since the Legion has rejected her by not letting her replace their friends, she will go to Quarantine World and kill the members there. She is incredibly powerful and fast and invulnerable as well. She wrecks the Legion cruiser so the Legion can't follow as she flies off.

Luckily, Supergirl was already in the 30th century as she had been planning to visit around this time. With Mon-El and Superboy called away, Supergirl will need to battle Satan Girl. Only Supergirl has the power necessary to fight such a foe.

Just like that, Supergirl is named honorary leader of the Legion, in charge of this mission to stop Satan Girl.

At super-speed, she fixes the cruiser and the team is off to Quarantine World.

And it's a good thing the Legion is able to get there so quickly. Satan Girl has driven off the medical staff, turned off the 'curative rays', and is bathing the female Legionnaires with a 'Crimson virus ray', worsening their symptoms.

Supergirl flies into the fray and confronts Satan Girl. The crafty Satan Girl has made a lead-lined mask, thus her identity remains hidden.

In an interesting turn, Satan Girl declares that Supergirl is her 'greatest enemy'. Why is that? Isn't this the first time the two have met?

The two begin to brawl across the planet but are too evenly matched for either to get an advantage. Even if she can't defeat Satan Girl, Supergirl thinks she could at least unmask her. But Satan Girl isn't ready for that reveal yet. With her super-strength, she breaks free from Supergirl's hold and vows to 'bring doom' to Supergirl and the Legion.

Her powers are prestigious enough that Supergirl wonders if she could be a Phantom Zone villain who has escaped.

Figuring that Satan Girl must be a Kryptonian, Supergirl gathers some Green Kryptonite in a lead box to use against her.

But the Green K has no effect on Satan Girl. She mocks Supergirl and then runs into a cave on the asteroid she is hiding on. Satan Girl then escapes by flying through the asteroid and fleeing from the opposite side. We hear Satan Girl's thoughts that she has 48 hours to kill the female Legionnaires. Hmmm ....

But Supergirl is confused. Why does Satan Girl hate Supergirl so much?

Realizing that she cannot leave her girl comrades on Quarantine World, Supergirl takes them and the other Legionnaires to a hidden world in a dark cosmic cloud, a world only a few people are aware exists. The planet is populated by odd bouncing organisms and Supergirl had once saved them from extinction. The bouncing aliens feel so grateful to Kara that they will give the Legion refuge from Satan Girl.

In the meantime, Supergirl realizes that Satan Girl can't be a Kryptonian (apparently immune to Green K) or a Daxamite (apparently immune to Lead) so she must be a robot of some sort. Kara quickly cobbles together a gas gun which will shut down any android.

The secret world isn't so secret as Satan Girl arrives and again gives the female Legionnaires another dose of her virus ray. And Supergirl's gas gun is not effective. Satan Girl isn't a robot!

The grateful bouncing creatures of the planet help out, bouncing all around Satan Girl, distracting her long enough for the ill Legionnaires to be loaded on the cruiser. The Legion ship blasts off with Supergirl telling Sun Boy that there is a world Satan Girl cannot know about. The Legion can hide there as they try to get to the bottom of this.

But Satan Girl chuckles as they leave. She hates Supergirl ... but she also knows every secret in Supergirl's mind. Still, she needs to find the Legionniares before her 48 hour time limit ends. Another reference to a 48 hour window. Hmmm ....

In a brilliant piece of Silver Age wackiness, Supergirl brings the Legion to the 'Puppet Planetoid', a world where giant children from another dimension dangle and play with their marionettes. Why hasn't Grant Morrison used this before!

Supergirl is the only person who even knows the planetoid exists, so clearly Satan Girl cannot follow them there.

But Satan Girl does arrive carrying a armload of Green K which quickly incapacitates Supergirl. And she is too powerful for the other Legionnires to even slow down. Lightning Lad, Sun Boy, Bouncing Boy, they simply can't stop her.

Supergirl somehow realizes that Satan Girl's virus ray won't work on animals. So while some of the Legion goes to her to help her escape the Green K, others go back in time to get the Legion of Super-Pets.

With their powers, they are able to hold her down. And they cannot be weakened by her virus ray either. And her 48 hours are up. She collapses.

And with that, Supergirl unmasks Satan Girl. Satan Girl is Supergirl!!

Nice twist!

How else could she have all of Supergirl's powers and memories unless she was Supergirl. When Supergirl arrived in the 30th century, she sped past a Red Kryptonite meteor.

The newly Red-K created duplicate realizes that in 48 hours when the radiation wears off, she will disappear. Rather than simply allow herself to fade away, this Supergirl decides she wants to live. And the only way she can live longer than 48 hours is to use her scientific knowledge to create a device to siphon off Red K radiation and put it into another human - those energies are the Crimson Virus.

So it isn't simply a clone. It appears to be an evil clone, someone willing to make someone else suffer so she can live.

But this is the Silver Age so the villainous Super-girl comes up with a bizarre plan. Rather than simply living in the shadows, dumping the energy into random humans, she decides that she will pump it into the girl Legionnaires. She hopes that by making the female Legionnaires ill that the real Supergirl will stay away for fear of contracting the 'Crimson Virus' herself. And she hopes to empty herself of the Red K energy entirely thus allowing herself to live on.

She doesn't want to encounter Supergirl and she doesn't want her identity known. So she then crafted the identity of Satan Girl as a way to go about her evil deeds.

With the 48 hours up and Red K energy still in her, Satan Girl dissipates, absorbed back into Supergirl.

But wait, what about her immunity to Green K? Well, she had created a complete lead armor suit that protected her. With Satan Girl gone, the female Legionnaires quickly recuperate.

So Satan Girl was Supergirl! I thought that was a nice wrinkle in this Silver Age story. Does it mean that evil streak is inside Kara? Was that just the standard 'evil clone' that things some time create, not an aspect of Supergirl at all? Was this the first version of the Dark Supergirl seen in Loeb's early issues? I don't know.

But I thought the tone of this makes it a perfect microcosm of the DC Silver Age - a marionette world where you take your dying friends to get treatment? A Red K meteor flying by just as Supergirl flies into the 30th century? Wonderfully nostalgic.

And I liked that Satan Girl used Supergirl's scientific knowledge and secrets against her. It shows just how formidable Supergirl can be.

Curt Swan is a master and I love his art here.

From a Supergirl collection viewpoint, I would rank this of low-medium importance. Satan Girl is a silly but memorable part of her history and has now been reimagined twice (both in the current annual and in Peter David's run). The issue probably runs between $20-$50 depending on condition (although probably much more in high grade shape).

Overall grade: B+

Review: Supergirl Annual #2

In what has been a highly anticipated book by me for some time, Supergirl Annual #2 did not fail to please. Written by Sterling Gates, the book re-introduces Supergirl to the Legion in a way that both looks back at the Silver Age and looks forward to the upcoming history of this incarnation of Kara Zor-El. As a long time fan, I am thrilled that the Legion aspect of Supergirl's mythos has been brought back; it was such an important part of her pre-Crisis history. We had been given a few hints about this back in Supergirl #52, the Last Stand crossover, so it was good to see those threads brought to fruition here.

As I said, this issue also is a nice look back into the Silver Age Supergirl/Legion stories. Sterling Gates obviously has a respect for those stories to include some hints of them here. The main antagonist here is Satan Girl, a riff on the villain from way back in Adventure Comics #313 (and don't worry I'll head to the back issue box to review that one soon). But even beyond that, there are a lot of Easter Eggs sprinkled through this book (and don't worry, like with Cosmic Adventures, I'll have an Easter Egg post of this issue). For old-timers and diehard Supergirl fans, these nods to her past are very appreciated.

It is clear that Gates has a solid understanding of Supergirl's history and her fans concerns ... it's all in this book. But for me, it was especially nice to see the rekindling of the Supergirl/Brainy romance.

The book sports a wonderful and dreamy cover by Amy Reeder. I like that Brainy and Supergirl are in a time bubble, a wink at their star-crossed and time-crossed relationship. The internal art is mostly done by Supergirl pinch hitter extraordinaire Matt Camp. His stuff is so incredible; I think he does a near perfect rendition of Supergirl. There are some pages done by Marco Rudy as well.

There really is a Silver Age magical feel to the story too, some things happen almost too easily or inexplicably, but I think that it worked given the tone of this book. This book also includes one of the best Supergirl scenes in all of Gates' run.

The book starts with Supergirl and the Legion saving Metropolis from a falling satellite. It is clearly an early version of the Legion given their members and their costumes. As such, I thought the very old Legion logo on the cover was more appropriate than the more modern one seen here.

Still, it was fun to see Supergirl and this young Legion team-up to avert this disaster. It really is all hands on deck as multiple Legionnaires are needed to slow the descent and save the nearby populace.

The satellite is some sort of orbiting lab of Brainiac 5's. He has been doing experiments on a 'Brocian hunting statue' that has been rumored to have magical properties.

In standard Brainiac 5 fashion, he has been a bit too caught up in his experiments to think of the downside. So he did not think about the potential adverse outcomes of bombarding the statue with chronon energy, he just did it. Unfortunately, it did result in this disaster. And worse, the statue becomes a 'magical time bomb', exploding right in the faces of Supergirl and Brainy.

That thirst for knowledge despite the potential pitfalls sounds like a young Brainiac 5.

That explosion reminds Supergirl of how she got to the future. The rocketship bringing her to Earth from Bizarro World also exploded mid-trip. The resulting explosion somehow flings Supergirl into the 30th century.

An explosion that catapults Supergirl through time? Sounds a little to easy, too lucky, too deus ex machina to get her into the Legion's time? Certainly that sort of stuff happened all the time in the Silver Age and this future feels like that future so maybe that makes some sort of sense.

One thing I did love was Supergirl's near immediate acknowledgment that this is not the 30th century that she had visited before. So we at least now know that she lived those 'Waid reboot' Legion stories. I don't know if that was ever 100% explained in a satisfying way so I am glad she said it.

I do have to say again (and probably will other places here) that Matt Camp draws a great Kara. That last panel is Supergirl.

The Legion are all too eager to have Supergirl join them for a time ... everyone but Brainy that is. At least here he recognizes the dangers of this 'experiment'. There are too many things that can go wrong with time travel, events that can be altered.

He even mentions some 'historical' events in Supergirl's life, none of which we have seen. Were these future stories that Sterling Gates had in mind before being lifted from the title? They all sound so interesting. 'The Scion of Superwoman'?? 'Lex Luthor's OTHER Son'?? 'The Deadly Day of the Doll-maker'?? Will we ever see those stories? Or will they merely be fodder for fan-fic?

As with Superboy, the Legion majority wins out and Supergirl sticks around having many adventures with them and ending  up joining them as a full-fledged Legionniare, flight ring and all! In other places like the JLU cartoon, Supergirl has felt more at home in the future time of the Legion, so maybe this extended stay is a reference to that.

But also, Supergirl recognizes that this is a more innocent time than her own. This is another chance to give herself some distance from the events in the present. There is no war here, or murder, or New Krypton. It seems almost like a vacation.

There is a great page of her early adventures with the group all of which I will review in the Easter Egg post.

But like many, I absolutely loved this panel, showing Kara's friendship with the other girl Legionnaires. I especially like how Supergirl tells Imra that her pink high-collared bikini is a good look. Could it be Kara is responsible for Saturn Girl wearing the Dave Cockrum costume of the 1970s?

I also like Kara's lounge-wear. The headband and S-shield off to the side evoke other versions of her own costume.

Despite being on this team of equals and the acceptance she feels here though, Supergirl still feels lonesome.

I think Supergirl simply realizes that her destiny is not here; she needs to eventually return to her time. She doesn't belong here.

That second panel is so fantastic, with Kara centered and small. You can almost feel the weight of responsibility on her. Again, how lucky we have been to have had Sterling Gates here for these last couple of years. He understood that there is this hidden aspect inside Supergirl.

I talked earlier about this issue having one of the best scenes from Gates' run and here it is.

While in the future, Supergirl visits the Superman Museum and meets the tour guide, an animatronic Jimmy Olsen who tries to get her to walk through the Hall of 1,000 Olsens. Instead, she walks to the Supergirl Memorial Hall. She hears how Supergirl, "during one of the greatest battles in history ... was killed stopping the worst threat the Earth had ever known, giving her life for her adopted planet." And then she sees how she dies. Look at the horrified look on her face. What a great panel by Camp.

Now the description sounds like her death in the Crisis ... but that has happened already right? And we don't see her death for obvious reasons. I am sure DC doesn't want to be handcuffed to some vision here. But more importantly, since we only see Kara's reaction it is more powerful ... more worrisome.

Since 1986, I think Supergirl fans have some sort of PTSD about her death. I think we are all worried ... always waiting ... for DC to kill her off again. By having Brainy talk about it in Supergirl #52, to address it so clearly here, Gates is poking an exposed nerve. The truth is, how can I not be happy with a creator who understands a character and her fanbase so well. This only adds to my appreciation of his run. I doubt that DC has any plans to off Supergirl again but this kind of picked at a scab and made the wound bleed a little bit again.

I absolutely loved this scene. Loved it. And that's without showing some of the Easter Eggs there as well.

Before Supergirl can process what she has seen, an emergency pops up calling her away.

Brainy's earlier experiment have somehow called S'tanicule Gyrstress ... or Satan Girl ... to Earth. Walking through the dimensional rift, she begins enslaving the population of Earth.

With little chance of defeating her and her minions (which includes some Legionnaires), Brainy activates an escape route device he has been testing, throwing Supergirl and him 4 days into the future. When they arrive, they find Earth aflame and in ruins.

In four short days, Satan Girl has simply taken over the world. Somehow hitting the statue of Satan Girl with time energy called the real thing to Earth. It looks like it is up to Brainy and Supergirl to save the day all by themselves.

As you can see, the pages of this 'Hell on Earth' are done by Marco Rudy who has a rougher style which I guess thematically fits the terrain. His style has a Sean Phillips/Jock vibe to it.

Unfortunately there isn't much time for them to formulate a plan. They are almost immediately attacked by a brainwashed original three Legionnaires. Despite Brainy getting mind-blasted, the two are able to beat a quick retreat.

During the Legion's assault, Saturn Girl, internally fighting Satan Girl's influence, is able to implant a message to Brainy and Supergirl. Satan Girl's 'Crimson Plague' (I love that and it's connection to the original Satan Girl story) spread over the world in a matter of days. Now, she is building a citadel to open up a rift for all her race. Supergirl and Brainiac 5 need to stop it.

To be successful, Supergirl is going to need troops and the only ones available to her are the 1,000 Olsens from the Superman Museum. Suddenly Elastic Boy, Turtle Boy, Porcupine Boy and all the other versions of Jimmy Olsen help Kara break into Satan Girl's fortress. Why the museum would have actually given the robots powers is beyond me.  Again, this is a little bit of Silver Age silliness ... but that's part of the charm here right?

There is a decent brawl between Satan Girl and Supergirl, during which Supergirl actually wields a longsword. Nice!

During this fight, an enraged Phantom Girl wrecks Brainy's force field belt and he gets skewered by Satan Girl. Luckily, before he dies, he is able to save the day. He has cobbled together a device that will siphon of the time energy that they absorbed (remember they were closest to the 'magical time bomb') to shut the rift and revert things to the way they were. Hmmm ... even more Silver Age nuttiness, where answers were easy?

Brainy's device works and the time line is set straight. Suddenly Supergirl and Brainiac are back on the satellite, the Brocian statue is still an intact statue, and no beacon to Satan Girl has been activated. Brainiac 5 no longer has a penetrating abdominal wound. Just like that those days have never happened.

And since we are back to the Utopian future, Matt Camp's clean style resumes.

I love the sly look between Kara and Querl. Perfect.

Well maybe not as perfect as this. The Legion bring Supergirl back to the present and she shares a kiss with Brainy.

Fantastic.

All the knowledge Supergirl gained from her time in the future, specifically how she dies, is mind0wiped by Saturn Girl. After the events on Bizarro World and this diversion to the future, Supergirl looks downright elated. She has been through a lot recently and come out the other side.

Brainiac 5 on the other hand has a much sterner countenance. He vows that he won't let Supergirl die alone like the history books say. Awesome.

There is almost too much that happened here to easily encapsulate at the bottom of this review. I can only commend Sterling Gates for bringing back so much Supergirl/Legion history here. There is more to cover from this book and I promise I'll get to it. But the kiss with Brainy was just a perfect capstone to this issue.

On top of that, Gates also brings back the specter of Supergirl's death, leaving it out there; there is something of a delicious dread with that ...we all fear it might happen again so why not play on that?

And on top of all that you get the nearly perfect art by Matt Camp.

Marco Rudy has a rougher less polished style which might work from a story point of view but when the art changed, it was a bit jarring. And there was that Silver Age simplicity and serendipity with some events here. As a reader, you either recognize that was part of the riff here or it might bother you.

Overall grade: B+