Supergirl #7

This issue of Supergirl was an unexpected surprise! It's Thanksgiving themed! The Danvers family is hosting a Turkey Day feast. But first, Supergirl has to deal with the effects of exposure to turquoise kryptonite: she's been turned into a fish!

I love Supergirl. Huge fan. I'm either trying to collect everything that has ever starred the Maid of Might. Or I'm trying to collect her current runs. Being that I hate cliffhangers, I haven't read any of the previous 6 issues of this latest series so far. And from what I read here, I am not really sure that I want to. 

Have things gotten so bad at DC? The dialogue was so corny. The characters were absurd. Princess Shark? Really? Everyone Kara Danvers knows has the initials LL. If you thought Clark Kent was gravely afflicted by this anomaly, you haven't seen anything yet. 

And speaking of Clark Kent, obviously Lex Luthor knows that he's Superman because the Man of Steel comes to dinner in uniform with Lois Lane in tow. And right in front of Lena Luthor! Who in the comics is the child of Lex; not his sister. It just seems so implausible. And stupid.

Let's talk about the art. I was very on the fence about the work of Sophie Campbell, who also penned It's got a Jack Davis caricature quality, and I am a fan of his. But the art lacks the liveliness of a Jack Davis piece. Everyone and everything seems so dull here!

Maybe I am getting to that age where I don't think that the next generation understands the characters of my childhood. But that's not quite right. I at least enjoyed a good sized chunk of what I read. It just feels so bleak. Even Superman, who is like the most positive and inspiring character in the entire DC Universe, felt devoid of cheer. It just lacked that holiday magic that made me so excited and impatient to own and read this issue. 

Just really disappointed with the end result.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars. 

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade (Family Comic Friday)

I usually review newer books for Family Comic Friday. However I've been wanting this book for a very long time and it's perfect for all-ages. 

Taking the legend of the Maid of Might, tweaking it just a little bit to be more appropriate for kids and adding a generous portion of DC Comics from the past 80 years, Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade was a delightful romp for this huge fan of Superman's cousin.

Instead of Kara Zoe-El's home city of Argo being destroyed by poisonous gas, the explosion of Krypton sent it into a pocket dimension. Kara's father was working on an experimental rocket that would hopefully bring Superman into that universe and hopefully free his Kryptonian brethren. Unfortunately, Kara falls into the ship, activating it and becomes trapped on planet Earth. 

While Superman finds a way to send Kara back to Argo City, she must pose as a human girl named Linda Lee. Meanwhile, she will train as Supergirl in order to one day use her new found powers to fight for truth, justice and freedom! However, posing as a human isn't all that it's cracked up to be. For one thing, Linda is quite socially awkward. She's got zero clue about Earth science and history. Plus both the principal and the accidental duplicate that Supergirl made of herself absolutely hate her! If that wasn't bad enough, when as Supergirl, Kara can't quite land on her own two feet without crashing into something and (unaware to her) Linda's best friend and dormitory school roommate is no other than Lex Luthor's baby sister!

I really enjoyed the story. I was perfectly fine with the changes to Supergirl's story. In my opinion, those adjustments keep a Supergirl origin story from getting stale. I also liked the art by Eric Jones. It was more cartoony for a younger audience while still paying respect to the essence of such an iconic character.

If anything made me unhappy with this book, it was of either the team of editors or those in charge of marketing. It's got nothing to do with the original 6-issue run of this story. It's whomever was in charge of putting this trade paperback together. That's because the back cover of this book gives away the identity of the super-secret big boss that has been making life miserable for Linda Lee and Supergirl. No- telling us about Supergirl's doppelganger nor about Lena Luthor are the spoiler as they're just pawns in the main villain's plans. Even talking about time travel on the back cover isn't a spoil. Instead, it just alerts an established Supergirl fan like myself that writer Landry Q. Walker is paying major homage to the legend of Supergirl. Just take it from me; if you don't want chapter 6 spoiled, avoid reading the back cover!

Kids will love being introduced to a popular character who's also a pretty strong female. But this isn't just a read for girls. There's also enough Superman and Lex Luthor to appeal to boys as well. A little bit of over-the-top fighting on par with Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry is probably the only thing objectionable to parents of young readers under the age of 7. Plus some words are advanced to where someone under the age of 8 might not enjoy this book as much as a third through sixth grader.  But the level of classic DC Easter eggs hidden throughout Supergirl's year of schooling will delight generations of family members!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars, as long as you avoid the back cover. Failure to do so, drops the book to a 7.