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    Review: Supergirl #37

    Stephen SchleicherBy Stephen SchleicherJanuary 23, 200910 Comments4 Mins Read

    New Krypton Part 11

    supergirl37picon.jpg


    I’ll admit I was a little surprised when the New Krypton story wrapped up in Action Comics #873.  I figured this was a story that would go on for 12 issues minimum, and really needing 24 issues to tell the massive story DC set into play that turned into a surprise hit for the company.  Even though the New Krypton banner may be gone from the covers, the New Krypton story continues as the story shifts from Earth to Kandor.

    supergirl37cover.jpgSupergirl #37 kicks off the five part “Who is Superwoman” arc that has readers and Supergirl trying to figure out who is the woman behind the mask.  I’ve already tossed out my guess, and while it seems far fetched, don’t count anything out in a series where Geoff Johns is quoted as saying as far as he’s concerned Linda Danvers was never wiped out in the last Crisis event.  Of course Johns isn’t writing this issue (that duty goes to Sterling Gates), and he’s introduced a plethora of characters who could fit the bill.

    Usually when a new character is introduced, the “guest star” is the guilty party.  We’ve seen it before in Hush with the introduction of Tommy Elliot, we see it each week on CSI, and even grant morrison used the same device when he introduced Jezebel Jet.  Instead of introducing one new character, Gates gives readers Thara and Lyra Kam-Par for your consideration.  Of course these two could be a swerve as the reveal could be someone else entirely.  Whoever it is, it is clear she’s a character of contradictions as we’ve seen her kill Agent Liberty, while at the same time trying to keep Supergirl off of Earth, where all Kryptonians except Superman are now no longer welcome.  It is the latter where Superwoman and Supergirl come to blows.

    Readers are also introduced to Mike Henderson, an investigator with Metropolis’ Metacrimes Division. Much like the Powers series from Icon, Inspector Henderson is investigating the death of Agent Liberty, who was picked up floating face down in the ocean.  Even though he is dead, his suit or his subconscious is sending out messages to any electronic devices in proximity to his body.

    I like how Lois Lane is drawn into the story and how there seems to be a concerted effort to bring the Superman family of titles back to the fold to tell continuing interconnected stories similar to the ones that were told in the early 90’s.  I know everything that happened in the 90’s should be wiped from all memory, but the Superman titles from that period meant there was a new continuing story three weeks a month, which meant there was at least something good to look forward to each time you went to the comic shop.

    The art by Jamal Ingle is really good, and readers will have to pay close attention to all the minor details to discover the clues that will lead to the big reveal of the identity of Superwoman.

    The New Krypton arc brought me back to reading all things Superman, and now, with the  story spilling into much longer arcs in the individual titles, DC has given readers a reason to read all Superman titles again.  Supergirl #37 is a good read, a fun read, one that still has bits of the teen angst that you have to push through, but a story that ultimately is a good who-don-it mystery.  We already know who killed Agent Liberty, now we just need to figure out who she is.  I just hope it doesn’t end with Supergirl pulling the mask away to reveal that farmer Henry Bascombe is behind all this, as he shouts “I could have gotten away with Agent Liberty’s murder if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!”  Actually, that would be pretty cool… Supergirl #37 is a good read and earns 4 out of 5 Stars.

    4stars.jpg

    03/03

    Action Comics contradictions Crisis Event csi Geoff Johns Grant Morrison Guest Star guilty party Hush inspector henderson Krypton linda danvers Metropolis mike henderson plethora Supergirl swerve thara tho woman behind the mask
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    Stephen Schleicher
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    Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...

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    10 Comments

    1. Ricco on January 24, 2009 11:40 am

      The bit about her been blackmailed conserning her secret identify by General Lane points me in the direction of Alura or maybe even Ursa. Thara is too obvious a choice, and only the previous 2 would be in any real danger if they’re found out to be Superwoman.

      Reply
    2. Robbie on January 24, 2009 12:20 pm

      Yes, this issue was great. Finally somebody else agrees with me! I’m totally turned back on into reading Superman right now.
      Oh and by the way, Superman had a title come out EVERY week in the 1990s, not three out of four
      1. The Adventures of Superman (which is called plain Superman today)
      2. Superman (different volume)
      3. Superman in Action Comics
      4. Superman: The Man of Steel (very sloppy art but still interconnected)

      Reply
    3. Stephen Schleicher on January 24, 2009 1:59 pm

      Robbie: I forgot about The Man of Steel series.

      Reply
    4. RichT on January 24, 2009 8:19 pm

      I was going to drop this book after New Krypton but I fell for Gates’ take on Supergirl. I picked up some of the trades to get caught up and was disappointed in what I was reading. Then along comes Gates and he reset her and explained her and now I am enjoying this book.

      Superwoman who is she…I don’t think it would be Ursa because Ursa is strong and I don’t think she would be blackmailed or controled by Lane. I agree with Ricco that Thara is to obvious. Who then? I can’t wait to find out.

      I collected all 4 of those books back in the 90’s, until I had to exit comics for several years. The storys now are far better than I remember those to be. Maybe I’ll take them out and re-read a few.

      I have always been a Superman Geek and Action was one of the first books I picked back up when I got back into comics. I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for the Superman Family.

      Reply
    5. Ricco on January 24, 2009 11:00 pm

      what happened to the “One Year Later” later story line? If I remember well, Powergirl and Supergirl were heroes in a shrunken Kandor located in Superman’s fortress. Powergirl was Firebird and Supergirl was Nightwing, thing is in the New Krypton story line Kandor was just recently discovered inside Brainiac’s ship. Yet we have 2 vigilanties (who are obviously kryptonians) using those names so it wasn’t just (or at least not completely)e rased… What’s the deal?

      Reply
    6. Josh on January 25, 2009 9:53 am

      There was another ongoing Superman title in the 90s, designed to fill the occasional 5th week empty slot, Superman: the Man of Tomorrow. My interest died with the first issue of the quarterly, which came out right before Villains United if I remember correctly. The issue ends with Luthor (in his Yes I Am My Own Son And He Is An Australian Ginger Douche’s body that is falling apart because of clone degeneration) stepping out of the shadows and fully rejuvenated by an off-camera Neron.

      It’s sad but probably 99% of my Superman comics are from the mullet era.

      Reply
    7. Patrick on January 26, 2009 12:03 am

      I have to second Ricco’s question. What did happen to that whole One Year Later thing in relation to the New Krypton storyline?

      Reply
    8. crood on January 26, 2009 10:37 am

      To make a long story short. It was a different Kandor. For years, Superman had a city called Kandor in his fortress. He got it from a guy named Tolos. It contained numerous alien species, including some who believed themselves to be Kryptonians. That’s where Supergirl and Powe Girl went. Shortly after One Year Later, in Kurt Busiek’s “Third Kryptonian” arc, a couple of things happened:

      1. Superman learned there was a real, Kryptonian Kandor
      2. The Tolos Kandor was disconnected from this dimension. It wasn’t really shrunk; the “bottle” was a dimesional portal

      Later, in Geoff Johns’ “Brainiac” arc, he found the real Kandor amongst Brainiac’s shrunken cities. He unshrunk it and caused a mess of problems that any third grader could have predicted.

      Reply
    9. ~wyntermute~ on January 26, 2009 3:20 pm

      I guess crood actually provided the real explanation, but I have one that also would seem to cover the facts. “F#*$ Continuity”. Sorry… Couldn’t resist. :D

      Reply
    10. Ricco on January 26, 2009 4:24 pm

      Thanks for the history leason Crood, I had no idea there were 2 Kandors.

      Reply

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