Review: Adventures Of Superman #9

Every so often I get the feeling that there is some sort of cosmic karma, some sort of serendipity that could be chalked up to coincidence but seems a little too convenient to be left to chance.

This last week I watched the movie 'Charly' on TCM, a movie starring Cliff Robertson and based on the Daniel Keyes novel 'Flowers for Algernon'. I had not seen the movie in years and haven't read the book since junior high (many many moons ago).

The next day I read 'Flowers for Bizarro', a story with some of the same beats as 'Algernon' but with a decidedly bizarre angel. What would happen is suddenly Bizarro had normal intelligence? What would he do? How would he deal with his sudden clarity and maturity? How would the world react?

Writer Christos Gage spins a semi-tragic story about overcoming obstacles, dealing with isolation, and almost succumbing to despair. And, like Charly, it seems that a reversal of fortune to a more diminished form can actually lead to greater happiness.

Suffice it to say, I loved this story.

Eduardo Francisco provides the art in this issue. Francisco is able to bring a fluidity to the Superman portions of the game while adding a crude feel to Bizarro. I am sure that isn't necessarily easy but definitely added to the feel of the book.

Gage brings us a misguided Bizarro. He isn't necessarily evil but his antics always end in destruction.

Bizarro's backwards thinking and need to maintain that persona can be used to Superman's advantage. I have seen Superman try to get Bizarro to help him in the past by twisting words.

Here, Superman cons Bizarro into going catatonic. If Superman is awake, a perfect 'imperfect' duplicate would be asleep. That is one strong compulsion by Bizarro! I do like the 'sour dreams' line.

But you can seen Francisco differentiating the two characters nicely here.

Superman knows that this trick won't last long. He takes Bizarro to STAR labs where Professor Hamilton does an indepth evalution of Bizarro's physiology. It turns out that brain scans and diagnostics are able to pinpoint a deficiency in certain neurotransmitters. This most likely is the underlying cause to Bizarro's mental deficiencies. And his compulsion to be the opposite of Superman was just a flawed way to try to define himself.

In this way it mirrors 'Algernon' nicely. Charly needed enzymes and restorative therapies to reach his intellectual potential. This also feels more like Bizarro being a flawed cloning attempt with a genetic abnormality as opposed to a botched result of an imperfect duplicate ray.

And, amazingly, Hamilton's treatments work.

Suddenly Bizarro is intelligent and aware. We don't get backwards speech or disorganized thinking anymore. Instead, we have a Superman in a rougher exterior.

What I love about this is Bizarro's immediate understanding of all that he has done and his desire to make amends. Maybe he was just a misunderstood Superman.

And I also like Superman's reluctance to bear the burden of role model. It shows the humility of Superman. He wants people to feel free to be who they want to be.

I really like the second panel, as though Bizarro is reaching out to the ideal of Superman, trying to grab it and achieve it. Art and words complementing each other! I love it.

Again, like Charly, Bizarro isn't exactly emotionally mature even if his thinking is now rational.

Despite the good he is doing, teaming up with Superman, people just can't seem to look past his exterior or his past. And Bizarro can hear it all. You can see how it pains him.

Maybe he was happier when he was the addled Bizarro?

Bizarro can also hear all the horrors of the world. He doesn't know how Superman can deal with all the tragedy and pain of the world, something Bizarro was oblivious to before.

I am a sucker for Pa Kent wisdom. Pa told a young Clark to find the beauty in the world as well. Superman tries to explain that as a hero he looks for the good in the world as well as the bad, that he helps as much as he can without being overwhelmed by the problems of the world.

Bizarro never had such a loving upbringing. He is suddenly just exposed to this.

Unfortunately, at times it seems like Hamilton's cure is wearing off. Bizarro begins to again do the opposite.

And finally, he seems to have snapped, attacking everyone and goading Superman into a fight.

It is a ruse. Whether it is the pain around him, or his lack of emotional maturity, or just realizing he might well still be a monster, this attack was a suicidal gesture. He was trying to get Superman to kill him, to put him out of his misery.

It is sad. Here Bizarro finally has some semblance of normalcy in his existence and it is making him severely depressed. I sympathized for him.

I felt sympathy for Bizarro! That is a sign of a good writer.

And then the truth comes out. Bizarro can't move forward. He has no emotional foundation, no upbringing to fall back on when dealing with pain and suffering. He can't deal with this new life on this planet.

I have always said that Superman is really Clark, that the life with the Kents are what molded him to be the hero he was. This reinforces that take on Superman. It isn't his powers that makes him a hero, it is his ideals.

Again, this made me feel sad for Bizarro, caught in a world he can't understand. He was happier when he was the imperfect duplicate. This life of sanity is too painful.

And so he asks to leave and Superman agrees. With the help of Hamilton, Bizarro is sent to a planet where he can create a world for himself. I suppose that away from Hamilton and treatment, he reverts to his Bizarro person again. And yet, on a world of his design (complete with an Eve called Bizarra) he is at peace and happy.

Like Charly, the regression to his flawed baseline leads to a more peaceful existence.

So this was more a character study of Bizarro rather than a Superman story. But by using Bizarro as a reflection of Superman you see just how strong and grounded Superman is. How difficult the life of the hero is and how few can bear that burden.

Just wonderful stuff.

Adventures of Superman has remained a great treat for me, a look at a more classic Superman by top creative teams. This Bizarro story entertained and moved me.

Overall grade: A

Review: Ame Comi Girls #6

It was recently announced that Ame-Comi Girls was being cancelled and I have to say I felt a bit down when I heard that news. I picked up the first issue because of the Amanda Conner art. I stuck around because I knew Supergirl was going to be featured. But around the Power Girl solo issue I was hooked. One thing that I always say is that comics are supposed to be the fun part of my life. And part of that means that I occasionally want to have a book in my folder which is pure fun, something without the albatross of 'continuity', something funny and filled with action and written and drawn with zest. Ame Comi Girls has been a book like that.

Ame-Comi Girls #6 came out this week, ending the first long arc that book has gone through. And this would have been a wonderful last issue, a way to end the series with a massive opening for a sequel. I suppose I should be happy there is a little more to come after this.

Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray write a fun wrap-up, bringing in elements of the DCU from Crisis on Infinite Earths to New Gods, but always with the popcorn fun feeling that has been synonymous with this book. Art is handled by 2 teams, Eduardo Francisco pencils and inks the bulk of the book and brings an elan to the proceedings. Hector Domingues and Ruben Gonzalez finish the book and bring a very polished look to the book.

Given this is a Supergirl blog, I might lean towards covering the story through her actions. But I felt I needed to showcase her efforts given that she was either evil or comatose for most of this book.

With Brainiac defeated, the book opens with the Girls relaxing a bit.

I liked the interaction between Supergirl and Power Girl on the opening page as Karen talks about saving the environment of Eaeth naturally. But before they can get too settled, they are zipped away.

Another thing I liked about this book was the personality that Palmiotti and Gray have given each character. This could have been a superficial book done solely for cheesecake. But instead we get a bit of depth for each of the characters. Sometimes that can be accomplished with just a couple of lines.

Hearing that Batgirl is attracted to Tim Drake lets us know something about her. Hearing that Robin is attracted to Kirk Langstrom and thinks he is a 'badass hottie' tells be volumes about her.

The characters who have had some time devoted to them - Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Hawkgirl, Supergirl, these two, Jade, even Duela - they felt three-dimensional. That is pretty impressive.

But all the characters are whisked away like Power Girl and Supergirl were. They are 'needed' and find themselves on Rann where Alana Strange and Hawkgirl tell the heroes about the upcoming universal threat of Sinestra.

I am a sucker for these 'united against a common threat' storylines. But this scene, while a bit smaller in volume, reminded me of another famous comic scene.

With the title of 'Earth in Crisis' and heroes teleported to discuss a threat to everything. It reminded me of this famous scene from Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 when the Earth's heroes are brought to the Monitor's satellite to discuss the Anti-Monitor's plans.

Anything that reminds me of Perez Crisis art is a good thing.

Alana has a plan. With Sinestra speeding to Earth, Alana is zeta-beaming all life from Earth to 'Eden', a world she created to temporarily house all of Earth's life while the planet is defended.

And she has a back-up plan. Metra, a new god, a powerful 'sentient big bang' lies in waiting.

Hey, this is Ame Comi ... I can roll with the fact that Strange could create such a thing. That's the freedom of living outside the DCU, a place I monitor more closely.

And in an homage to Blackest Night, Metra's power (even while she stays in a sort of hibernation) spills forward converting the heroes into White Lanterns, powered up to fight the yellow and black lantern troops of Sinestra.

I also get a kick out of these sort of scenes, showcasing each character as they power up. The difference in pose and proximity is a nice touch. I like Hawkgirl's the best. Perfect for her character. I see this page playing out on a big screen in a movie style showing each character.

Sinestra arrives on Earth only to find it empty of all life except the heroes. The zeta beam rescue effort worked.

The Ame Comi Girls split into two factions, half taking the fight to Sinestra's fleet into space. The other half stay on the ground to fight landing troops.

It was great to see Supergirl in action here, focusing her efforts on disabling the troop ships. It is hard to get Hawkgirl's respect so I liked that she recognized Kara's efforts.

But this is a losing battle. The girls are massively outnumbered. And if a Yellow Lantern falls, it simply rises as a Black Lantern. Slowly, one by one, the heroes all fall, becoming zombie minions of Sinestra.

I did like this moment near the end of the battle when Supergirl is glad that she isn't going to die alone, that the fight was worth fighting. This is so different from recent interpretations of Supergirl where she has wanted to isolate herself.

All this self-sacrifice finally spurs Metra to action.

In a classic yin-yang, 'there can be no life without death', 'there can be no light without shadow', Metra fights Paralactic (the fear/death demon inside Sinestra), embracing her and realizing that both are necessary components of the universe, but equals. Paralactic cannot dominate as she has. The scales need to be reset.

I really like the Kirby-esque design of Metra. And given the nature of this book, this design is almost dowdy.

Sometimes small things in comic art make huge difference in the story telling. This is the only panel where one of the characters breaks the borders of the panels. Even that slight breakthrough, just the tip of Metra's hair, lends her power, makes her feel bigger and more powerful. That wouldn't carry that much clout if it was happening throughout the book.

With Metra and Paralactic now merged or realigned, the universe is recreated! There is Earth, a planet of good. And there is another planet, one of darkness. While not named New Genesis and Apokolips, it has that sort of feeling.  It also feels like Crisis on Infinite Earth 11, where a new Earth is formed from the
many.

I wonder if the 'new universe' is an excuse for Palmiotti and Gray to put the characters into any variant Ame Comi costumes they have been dressed in for the merchandise line?

So fast, fun, and surprisingly strong on character development, Ame Comi Girls has been way way way better than I anticipated. Kudos to all the creators.

Overall grade: B+/B

Bullet Review: Ame-Comi Girls #4

Ame Comi Girls #4 came out last week and continued the high-octane high-fun look at a different sort of DC Universe, one where only women have super-powers, be they heroes or villains.

Writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray seem to be having a lot of fun with this book. There seems to be a lightness to the book since it isn't laden down with either significant continuity or angst/seriousness. This is a popcorn movie, not Ingmar Bergman film. And in this world of overly dark comics, this is a welcome treat. I just get the sense that these creators just don't take this book too seriously and that makes it a blast to write.

Now I do have some issues with the book, in particular the treatment of Supergirl in this universe. In her own issue, she was immediately brainwashed by the villain and fought the heroes. In subsequent issues, she has been put into stasis. Here, we see she still is in Dark Supergirl mode. I can only hope that sometime soon in this book Palmiotti and Gray let Supergirl shine. As of now, it is clear that Power Girl is the lead character. In fact, I almost feel like the book should be called 'Power Girl and the Ame Comi Girls'.

The art in the issue is split by Eduardo Francisco and Derec Donovan. Both carry the right style for this book. 

Last issue ended with Star Sapphire trying to brainwash/seduce Jimmy Olsen and taking him away from Power Girl. It is a brawl which ends with Star Sapphire tossing Power Girl to her apparent death in deep space. Luckily the new Green Lantern, Jade, is able to come along and save Power Girl.

I really like this Jade. Remember, she is blind so I like that all of her sensory descriptions have to do with hearing. She 'heard' Star Sapphire's 'music' and investigated. It reminds me just a little of Rot Lop Fan, the blind Lantern/Bell created by Alan Moore.

I also liked the description that the Sapphires can corrupt some beings, making them emotionally unstable. At least we know Carol here doesn't have all her faculties and therefore is this lustful jealous Star Sapphire.

The fight ends without much drama. Green Lantern simply grabs the sapphire, removing it from Carol. Carol then reverts to her human form. Interesting that she already is asking for it back. That must be a heady feeling to be flush with that much power and emotion. I don't think we have seen the last of her.

This part of the book ends with the warning that Parallax is coming to Earth. I love Jimmy's response. On these Earths, it must get pretty tiresome to be invaded over and over.

The middle part of the book deals with Power Girl's efforts to cure Supergirl. Her solution is a classic ... injecting the Atom to swim through Kara's blood stream to cure her from the inside. How Silver Age!

The root of Supergirl's evil is a chunk of Black Kryptonite wedged at the base of her brain and guarded by Brainiac antibodies. I love how the Atom denies being a hero and has to use the 'just in case' guns Power Girl gave her. That whole banter was great.

The efforts to cure Supergirl awakens her from her coma/slumber.

And, of course, she is still Brainiac's thrall and immediately attacks Power Girl.

Seriously, can't Supergirl catch a break in this book?

Luckily, the Atom is able to disable the Black Kryptonite chunk with a focal EMP.

So Supergirl can stop beating up super-heroes. At least for now.

Maybe I am sensitized but even back in control of herself and dressed in the right colors, she still looks and sounds vapid.

I suppose I should be happy that she isn't dressed in black and praising Brainiac.

Still, I would love it if Supergirl actually is shown in a positive light in this book ... and soon.

The remainder of the book delves into the origins of Sinestra. And in this universe she sounds unbelievably powerful and terrifying. She wields both a yellow and a black ring!

Loud, fast, and fun, this book continues to be entertaining. I am loving the Jade character. And Power Girl is written with the same strength and wit that Palmiotti/Gray brought to her solo title.

If only Supergirl could be a hero!

Overall grade: B+

Bullet Review: Ame Comi Girls #2

Ame-Comi Girls #2 came out last week and concluded the first overlying story arc of 'Rise of the Brainiac'. It also marked the second issue of the 'monthly' title meaning that digital sales must be brisk enough for DC to make this an ongoing series rather than a string of interconnected character specials.

The series has been fun and entertaining so far as writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray immerse us deeper and deeper into this world where only women are super whether that be hero or villain. While I have had to come to grips with the more inane and 'barely there' costumes, I have enjoyed seeing the roles these heroes have on this planet. In fact, the most satisfying part of this issue is the aftermath of the battle where we get to see the true formation of a super-team, the difficulties of being a teenage hero, and some familial love between the super-cousins. It is that fleshing out of personalities and world-building that I find as satisfying in comics as big brawls.

That doesn't mean I don't have a couple of quibbles with the issue. 

For one, this is yet another issue where Supergirl spends the entire time trussed up in Wonder Woman's lasso and basically off-panel. I understand that with a cast this size someone has to melt into the background. I also understand that her lack of participation is part of the story, her being turned evil by Brainiac. But it feels like poor Kara just can't catch a break.

I mean, when the opening page sports Steel and Duela Dent and not Supergirl as a part of the roll call, something is amiss.

I also worry ... just a bit ... that this series will somehow morph into Power Girl and Ame-Comi girls. It is clear (and appreciated) that Palmiotti and Gray have a soft spot for Karen. And I love how they write her, even here. I was a huge fan of their Power Girl series.

But in this issue, she is clearly the star, disconnecting Brainiac from her mainframe, convincing Brainiac's drones to reverse the 'anti-intelligence' attack, and saving the day. She even has a dramatic splash page all to herself. Yes, the other characters are in the mix but even they all need to be saved from suffocation by Karen.

I love Power Girl but in this ensemble book I hope everyone gets some face time.

Power Girl does come to the defense of Supergirl, demanding that Wonder Woman release her from the lasso and taking her to the Fortress.

So Supergirl just really has suffered a bit in this book so far. In her own issue she is easily brainwashed and attacks the heroes. She is thrashed in combat by Wonder Woman, hog-tied, and left on the battlefield while everyone else, including the villains, go to save the day. And then we learn she is poisoned, dying, and needs to be held in suspended animation.

I know I am looking at this from a Supergirl-centric viewpoint. But really, no other character in this book has been treated this shabbily. Heck, even Cheetah was treated better.

I hope Supergirl gets a chance to shine here eventually.

As I said before, the real sweet spot for this book is the aftermath of the battle. The women decide that the world needs them to be a team in desperate times. But that isn't as easy a decision to make as it seems. The U.N. needs to get involved. They are Americans and the country disapproves of vigilantes. Where will there base be ... the Fortress, a Kryptonian embassy? Themyscira? Wonder Woman thinks she should lead. Robin and Batgirl are minors. And when Power Girl informs their parents of their other identities they are basically grounded.

There is a lot of details to work out before they can hand out communicators and set up a mountain HQ in Happy Harbor. It is these small details which feel real which elevate this book away from being just 'scantily clad manga girls fighting'.

As I said, this is a fun book, always well drawn, and has a nice mix of action and story. And it is an interesting world I am looking forward to learn more about.

But throw me a bone and have Supergirl actually be a hero for a little bit!

Overall grade: B