The Superman Man of Tomorrow panel was the first presentation from DC, and featured Senior Editor Matt Idelson, Superman writer James Robinson and artist Renato Guedes, Action Comics’ Geoff Johns and artist Joe Prado, artist Jamal Igle and writer Sterling Gates from Supergirl.
Or - “Making The World Safe For Skin-Tight Red Hotpants…Â Thank Rao!”
In the 70 years since the advent of Superman, there have been a great many superheroes, with varying raisons d’etre. Some came to cash in on trends, some to break new ground, some to irritate, some to ingratiate, and some to infiltrate. But today’s entrant seemingly comes from the basest of all creative wells: protection of copyright. Like Jessica Drew, Carol Danvers, Kathy Kane, and others, our hero du jour is a female version of an existing hero. Unlike any of those others, she managed to carrying her own book on at least FIVE occasions (though that does raise the point that it was cancelled FOUR times) and was a fixture of the DC Universe for decades. Many of the Legionnaires possessed powers on her level, but few matched her for sheer tenacity and dedication. Though her beauty was legendary, her mind was a match for Brainiac 5 himself, and her dedication to protecting innocents led to one of the most tragic moments in comic history. This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of Kara Zor-El of Argo City… Supergirl!
Laura Vandervoort - Supergirl from the CW’s Smallville, has joined the list of guests for the 2008 Emerald City Comicon scheduled for May 10th and 11th at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington.
“‘Smallville’ is shot just a couple hours north of Seattle and we’ve had many requests for an actor from the show to appear, so we’re very excited to have the lovely and talented Ms. Vandervoort out to the convention this year,” says Organizer Jim Demonakos. “In addition, Jamie Bamber, who plays ‘Apollo’ on the new ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ will also be appearing.”
In addition to the growing list of guests, the show has been gathering show exclusives for attendees. One of the latest is free copy of SuperPowers #0 with an exclusive variant cover by Alex Ross, that you can see after the jump.
Or - “Meanwhile, Back On Lallor…”
The Legion has been through a lot of strange periods in their history… The times when they kept getting turned into toddlers. The Mike Grell “Everybody’s Naked” issues. Element Lad’s Jheri curl. The Nine-Panel Grid. There was the whiplash from manga-inspired “Archie Legion” to dark and gritty “Legion Lost,” even the point during the last series where it seemed like we were once again telling stories about the original pre-Crisis LSH, continuity be damned. Right now, interest in the Legion seems to be peaking again, but we’re in another transition period, between the highly successful Waid/Kitson Reboot Period and the much-anticipated return of Jim Shooter to the title that made him capital-s Shooter. Which is sad, because we’re getting an interesting set of tales here…
And YouTube has a teaser trailer featuring flying Supergirl action.
With all the chaos that occurred in my life last spring, I didn’t have a chance to finish Smallville: Season 6. Now Season 7 is upon us and with Bizarro Tom Welling and the introduction of hottie Laura Vandervoort as Supergirl, you can bet I’m going to be front row center in my home theatre when the it airs.
To get you excited too, “someone” posted the teaser trailer up on YouTube.
Now I just need to get my hands on the Blu-Ray DVD collection of Season 6 when it goes on sale Sept. 18, 2007.
And for those of you who haven’t seen Supergirl, take the jump for the big picture.
Or - “The Boys Are Back In Town!”
Sorry for the lateness of the hour, folks… I spent a chunk of the morning taking a friend to the doctor for help with her hacking cough, and then ended up getting sidetracked by several work issues… Bygones. It’s time to talk some comics, and I can tell you right now that this issue of LSH is my favorite of the new Bedard era (does this guy write EVERYTHING for DC right now?) featuring as it does the return to the spotlight of two of my fave-rave Legionnaires (though neither of them are actually members at this time, though I have hopes for that to change in the future.) It’s been many a year since Tenzil Kem has been given a good solid moment to sink his teeth into, pun fully intended, but we get it here and it’s worth the wait…
Variety is reporting Helen Slater is scheduled to appear in the sixth episode of Smallville this season. The former Supergirl: The Movie star will play Lara (Superman’s mother).
Yet another Superman veteran appearing in Smallville? Cool - although I’ll be really happy when they bring in the more obscure actors who played Superboy in the 80s.
Or - “The New Order Ariseth… But Are They Any Goodeth?”
It’s always challenging when a new team takes over an established title, but in the case of Supergirl & The Legion it’s doubly difficult. For one, this newest incarnation of the Legion has only been around for a short time and has pretty much only been handled by Mark Waid & Barry Kitson. Also worth taking into consideration: this version of the Legion is a THIRD distinct version of a team that many people have been following for decades. Keeping the characters distinct of the two previous incarnations has been difficult enough, now we have a new take on both art and story, which could add to the cognitive dissonance. The LSH has embarked on their latest epic quest, and the main question in my mind is, “Can I enjoy this without constantly comparing to what came before?”
People Magazine has learned, and subsequently spilled the beans, that Canadian actress Laura Vandervoort has been cast as Supergirl for next season’s Smallville.
“She’s a combination of beauty, intelligence, a certain warmth, and great attitude,” Smallville co-creator Al Gough tells PEOPLE. “We’ve wanted a character to shake things up. She may be Clark Kent’s cousin, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to be the obedient one!”
And yes, Supergirl will be introduced as cousin Kara from Krypton, who will have all of Clark’s powers and can fly.
More pics of VanderV after the jump.
Or - “The First Real Moments Of The New Legion Era…”
I admit it… Like many nostalgia buffs, I’m terrible about change. I got a new car recently, and have been complaining about it steadily ever since, even though the previous vehicle hasn’t run in over a year. They added a channel to my movie tier six months ago, and I’m still getting used to the addition. So, when a writer I love AND an artist whose work has defined the Threeboot Legion to date have left the title, I can’t be sure how much of my response is coming through as criticism of the current work and how much is just “I miss Waid and Kitson.” Adding to my discomfort, one of the most prominent CHARACTERS has gone missing as well, and the story is headed in an entirely new direction…
Or - “In The Interests of Verisimilitude And Historical Significance…”
Here at Stately Spoilers Manor, we like to keep abreast of the latest and greatest in comic excellence, as well as moments that are unique. Action Comics, the book that pretty much started the whole superhero genre back in ‘38, hits a milestone with this issue, the first comic to reach number 850. Of course, it may have cheated a little bit, having been weekly for eight or nine months in the late 80’s, but it’s still an impressive achievement and worth noting. This issue also features a guest gig by everyone’s favorite future teens, which might explain how it ended up in my sack of comics…
Or - “Did NOT See That One Coming.”
For all the love I give the original incarnation of the Legion, it’s sometimes important to note that the book does still come out monthly, and while we’re a couple of reboots down the line, I feel like the creative minds behind it are again firing on all cylinders. Aside from my ongoing lament about the loss of the less powerful or later-period original Legionnaires, (Bouncing Boy, Matter-Eater Lad, Tyroc, and the Substitute Heroes are mostly missing, and later characters like Wildfire, Dawnstar, & Blok are, as yet, undepicted) and echoing Christopher Bird’s sentiment that Ultra Boy is a musclehead but NOT a complete moron, the “threeboot” Legion is consistently reminding me why I love this title in the first place.
Or - “I Think Roosevelt Once Said Something About Changing Horses Midstream…”
This particular issue was solicited as:
SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #29
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Barry Kitson & Mick Gray
Cover by Kitson
Of those promised things, the only one that’s actually true of what we GET is “Cover by Kitson.” Incorrect solicitations are the kind of thing that usually tick me off, since I’m committing to buy a comic three months in advance. And, since my friendly local comic store (Gatekeeper Hobbies, Huntoon & Gage, Topeka! Ask us about our Fred J. Dukes look-alike contest!!) is also a secondary source of income, I can’t in good conscience put back a comic that I ordered. After all, my friends and bosses have already PAID for the !&$%ing thing… (Also, the manager will put me in the Tazzmission and choke me out, and he’s one of the few men I know with the size and strength to actually injure me.) In any case, the REAL question is, how does this change in creative affect the overall product?
Finally catching up on everything that needs to be handled around here, which brings me to the fabulous return of the Fun Panel of the Week. This week’s panel comes from Brave and the Bold #3.
Hehe, he called Supergirl a nimrod.
Or - “Every Issue I Think It Can’t Get Worse… And Every Issue I’m Wrong.”
The Legion’s situation can’t get worse, I mean, not the book. The book has been pretty consistently good, with moments of awesome and couple of peaks of Holy $#!+ mixed in here and there… With the Legion’s publishing history being what it is, I greet every issue with trepidation, wondering if this is the one that will tip the balance of the relaunch towards “Make them stop!” but there’s no sign of that, yet. Of course, it has been revealed that issue #30 will mark the end of the W/KRP (Waid/Kitson Reboot Period), and that Tony Bedard will be handling a six-issue arc. I was not a fan of Tony’s work on ‘Exiles,’ so I’m reserving judgement on that arc (I prefer to excoriate things after I see them, the better to complain with). Of course, Legion of Super Heroes is also being floated as a possibility for Gail Simone’s ‘dream project,’ for which she left Birds of Prey. All I ask is that somebody brings back Blok…
If you haven’t been checking out Josh Howard’s site, you’ve been missing out on some fantastic art he’s been cranking out lately. The one that has caught my fancy at the moment is this awesome looking take on Supergirl.
Take the jump for the full image, and a couple that might just blow your mind.
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