Supergirl #79 is out this week. Meantime between SUPERGIRL #74 to #80, we saw an increase of 6000 copies. Not bad for a series of stories some pundits claimed "failed to get readers."
So whad'ja think of the latest issue?
PAD
Posted by Peter David at February 26, 2003 04:27 PM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingI thought it was an interesting story. Really liked how you dealt with a modern age character dealing in the silver age.
pink kryptonite.. funny bit.
I liked it...SUPERGIRL #78 sold out last month, so I didn't get a chance to read it. I hope that Linda stays where she's at (hoping to avoid spoilers here), because I found that section especially interesting.
I really liked it, although I am dissapointed at 7 plus years of the star of the book being condenced into 6 or 7 pages. I'd love to see a whole slew of issues dealing with the Linda/Superman romance. Sigh. Damn you DC.
This week's comic shipment is lost somewhere in the snow.
Hopefully, I'll get to see it tomorrow.
- DB Bennett
I loved it.
Its so unfortunate that DC cancelled this book. Its very rare you find a book that offers you a consistently good read and amazing artwork.
Even tho it doesnt look like it, I hope somehow Kara gets to stick around.
Not bad at all. Still haven't gotten the issue yet. About an hour or so until I can get to the shop.
(Wish the numbers for my book would increase by 6,000. Hell, I'll take 600. Or, even 60.)
Peace...
Dan
PAD mentioned: "Meantime between SUPERGIRL #74 to #80, we saw an increase of 6000 copies. Not bad for a series of stories some pundits claimed "failed to get readers.""
Not only that, but I find it ironic that DC was trumpeting that the overhyped H-E-R-O #1 sold out at the publisher recently, even though there are still PLENTY of copies available at the comics stores I frequent. DC didn't do any of that for SUPERGIRL #75, which charted HIGHER and sold out quickly IN STORES primarily on word-of-mouth.
As for this week's #79, all I can say is a BIG "Thank You" for finally shattering one of the Girl of Steel's longest-running social taboos. Mort Weisinger would have likely been furious, and that's always fine by me. :)
KET
I liked it a lot. The differences between Kara's and Linda's lives, along with the various nods-of-the-hat to Silver Age DC, made it a fun read. Kara's bit with Rebel was well-handled, and made me really wish we were going to see more of the character. I agree that it feels like kind of a cop-out that we don't see more of Linda's life in that universe, or how it affects her once she gets back (how will she be able to look her Supes in the face?), but I blame most of that on DC and necessity of the story, not you personally. Loved the Crisis #7 tribute cover. Looking forward to the wrap-up, along with next week's YJ big hurrah.
Hmm.
Girls will live. Girls will die. And the DC Universe will never be the same!
(I can't believe I actually remember these taglines from 18 years or so...)
That was great! I loved it. I personally think this is PAD's best work since the Hulk (not that his other works was shabby!)
I love Kara and though I am sure she will be gone by the end of #80, I secretly hope they find a way to keep her around.
But I'm not keeping my hopes up.
Great stuff.
This book will be missed. The scene of Supes confessing his love for Linda seemed so wrong yet made perfect sense all at the same time. A miniseries of Linda's time here would completely rock but I don't think we should hold our breaths on this one.
I can honestly say that I have no idea how the series is going to end and I am usually pretty good about these things.
PAD:
Really enjoyed #79, even though it's bittersweet, since next month it's over. I wish you and Ed Benes had started this story a couple of years ago with #51....
Two words:
"Pink Kryptonite."
BWAHAHAHA!!!!
A little bit more seriously....
I enjoyed the issue. Humor, escalating stakes (e.g., give up my husband, my child, etc.), entertainingly told. I'm going to miss this title and your writing it, PAD, but it looks like you're ending it with a wonderful bang.
Great book. Great series. I've been here since #1, and I can't believe that I won't have a Supergirl to look forward to every month. At least this final story is firing on all cylinders. Looking forward to Fallen Angel. You're the only reason I tried YJ or Supergirl, and I've got the entire run of each series.
I think is was the best issue thus far in the "Many Happy Returns" Storyline.
Very sharp writing and great humor, PAD. And Ed Benes.. man that guy can draw.
But I have to admit that I felt very sad reading the book because it seemed like Linda's whole life was flashing before my eyes. Not just her new life with Superman, but her entire life since the series began.
Even though she wasn't dying it seemed like she was. It seemed like Linda was experiencing her last few moments before she leaves forever. After next issue I guess she really will be gone..
Btw, Peter, any idea who the blonde woman tossing rice who's mostly obscured by Superman was supposed to be? I'd guess a member of the LSH, or even Power Girl, but the costume coloration doesn't match anyone I recall. Also, odd that Superboy showed up at the wedding, particularly given his costume being Silver Age Superboy, and thus a younger version of Superman.
Oh, and how much of Sylvia's hospital dialogue was first said by Kath back in December? :-)
Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a copy since #76. I've checked three of the local stores that are usually pretty good about carrying everything in sufficient quantity and still can't find it.
I'd say PG too, and the orange/green is a mistake by the colourist. After all, GL/Sentinel, Huntress (I) and a couple of other E2 heroes are there. Makes sense for PG to be there.
I loved this issue. I had it read before I even got the book home! It's almost like a reward (or the proverbial topping on the cake) for being a fan of the whole series.
I sorta wished inside, that the spectre showed up after linda went up against the anti-monitor, even if she lived or died from the fight.
"It's just like pleasantville!" Funny!
I really enjoyed it, especially when Superman and Linda locked lips...you could have knocked me over with a feather! And Linda's mom finally goes into labor! Next issue is going to be bittersweet...."And it's not a hoax, or a dream, or an imaginary story!"
I wouldn't be surprised if the news of cancelation prompted more people to buy the book. And the sad part is that it may not have any effect. Which'll be a shame, because I think that DC would be doing themselves - and us - a big favor by reversing that decision.
I haven't been able to get ahold of this issue so far(living in Israel, some things can get here much later, and not everything is sold at the stores I go to), but what's happening? Is Linda going to die and let Kara Zor-El take her place? I think that's an awfully easy road to take, and I may have said it here once before, that it'd be a better idea to have Linda promoted to a position similar to Donna Troy and Nightwing's, as a former teen crimefighter who's been elevated to the role of an early 20's crimefighter while handing the baton over to a new teen superhero.
Couldn't find it. I hit two stores last night before 6:30 and they were both sold out.
I'm trying two more today but I'm not very confident.
The whole sequence of Linda in the silver age was just fantastic-- both the effects that Linda has on "altering" the Silver Age, and vice versa. I loved Lois's & Lana's dialogue at the wedding scene, it made me laugh out loud.
And "Ariella?" Is she a cameo of / tribute to another member of the David family? If so, I'll bet she's thrilled! :)
Benes art is getting stronger with each issue. He went from being a bit too cheesecake, to being sharp and bright with his layouts and lines. Just beautiful.
The story? Well, I thought when Mary Marvel left the story I would lose a bit of interest, but I was wrong, these stories have been even better. I would have loved to see even more Linda in the Silver Age and Kara in the Modern Age. I don't if this was compressed, or always going to be a one issue story, but either way I wanted more.
I am very sad that next issue is the last. It's a shame. No question about it.
I just had so darned much FUN with this issue. The only person I've ever read who recalled 1960s-style storytelling better was Alan Moore in Supreme, and this issue was really close.
If I have one minor complaint, it's that the artist didn't draw Superman's symbol quite small enough to immediately differentiate him from 'our' Superman. But that's what P.J. O'Rourke would call a 'Sharon Stone has ugly toes' complaint.
I do have one question...in the wedding scene, who's the woman standing next to Huntress, Wildcat, Lois and Lana? I couldn't place her.
Great job, PAD!
If you were looking to legitimize Linda in the eyes of Silver Age fans, it worked. Seeing her live the pre-Crisis life in her own way was priceless... and having that world shown again, even for just an issue, was wonderful.
It was great. Really liked the art. Supergirl should be "hot" (that sounds crass, but you know what I mean). The "Pink Krytonite" thing was histerical. I was glad to see Krypto, Streaky, and Comet. A little "tip of the hat" to the old days. You are doing a great job, I've been with it since the beginning, and I'm sorry to see it go.
I'm assuming that Superboy came to the wedding along with the rest of the Legion and that Saturn Girl's post-hypnotic suggestion will cause him to forget all this when he goes back to his own time.
I'm also assuming that GL's black hair was a coloring error. :)
This issue was immense fun and it's a shame that -- I assume again -- impending cancellation forced the whole story into a single issue when it could have gone on for several more without being a pacing problem.
And I'll guess that the "pink kryptonite" was created by an accidental fusion of a Red K and a White K meteor. Ah, fused chunks of Kryptonite -- where would Sally Selwyn be without them?
I mentioned over on Usenet that after the last couple issues, Peter's ruined Linda Danvers as Supergirl for me.
Forever more, she's SuperWOMAN to me (going from sacrificing herself to sacrificing her husband, her child, her world isn't something you'd expect from a girl...).
I'm comfortable with a new Supergirl if Linda gets to be called Superwoman....
One other thing, is Kara's skirt supposed to be blue? I always thought it was red. Feel like a big dork for even asking...
SteveZ, Kara's original skirt was blue. I don't know when it went to red, probably sometime in the late 60's I think.
I want a copy... my local comic shop didnt get me any. You would think that my long standing "anything with an \S/" and the fact that its on my pull list would have made me a first pull. But no.. it goes to the guy who dosnt even like supergirl hes just "speculating." well atleast I get the Trade Paper Back.
I have only done this 3 times in all the time I been reding comics (5 years) WHAT A GREAT ISSUE, it a shame it going away but I really liked this issue
Thanks for the pink-K-joke
Maq
>> I wouldn't be surprised if the news of cancelation prompted more people to buy the book. And the sad part is that it may not have any effect. Which'll be a shame, because I think that DC would be doing themselves - and us - a big favor by reversing that decision.
I'll be honest - I picked up 75 & 76 (then 77 a couple of days later) AFTER it had been announced. I just looked at it as a mini-series, and I could afford a mini, but not another ongoing
With a sales increase of that magnitude, and the collection of the latest story in a trade paperback, why doesn't DC reverse their decision to cancel SUPERGIRL...? It's really silly to cancel a comic that's getting such great buzz.
Mike
I thought #79 was great. Each issue since the start of this arc has been better and better. Kara is drawn and written so well, that your heart just goes out to her. The title page was a great tip of the hat to Action #285 and you can't get over what happens from page to page.
It's really interesting to see how Kara, a silver age construct from a "more innocent time" fits into today's world and the way that she deals with it. I was hooked on her from the end of #76 when she talks about how much she hates this world. She's been thrust into a radically different and harsher world than she was created into, in 1959.
I almost don't want #80 to come out, because I don't want to see her die again. It's "supposed" to happen, but it'll be so sad to see her go.
And yeah, I have to get down to the comic store early because these sell-out early since #75. Why the heck are the cancelling this again?
-Adam
It was a terrific issue. I wanted much more of Linda on Earth Silver Age! God, I'm going to miss this book.
Peter,
I really enjoyed this issue. I've been reading the comic since issue #1 so it saddens me to see that everything is coming to an end.
Of course the humor, as always, was great - the pink kryptonite being the most blatant and obvious laugh.
I'm not sure what you're planning with Linda next issue, but if she stays her new age, and if she stays alive, I am sort of hoping that you change her into Superwoman, as she is no longer young enough to constitute being a "girl."
Of course you always surprise me, so I'm sure you've thought of a much better way to end the series. I will miss it.
Reprinted from my weblog:
This week's Supergirl #79 is not only the best story about the character -- any version of the character -- ever told, but it's in the top ten of all-time best Superman stories, too. It helps if you've read #75-78, but you don't have to. Pick up #79 and relish in about 10 issues worth of great story in a mere 22 pages of excellence.
Thanks for a great read, Peter.
ADD
Issue #79 was by far the best issue to date in the series. The series must be doing real well. My comicbook shop forgot to pull my copy at 2 on Wednesday, which is usually no big deal, but by 5:30 when I got there and said I'd just grab one off the shelf, they had sold out. He felt so bad, he gave me his copy and would just re-order one for himself.
I agree with everybody, the issue had one suprise after another. Marrying Superman, having a daughter, pink kryptonite, what else?
Cancelling this series is one of DC's biggest mistakes, unless it is a ruse? Maybe this series is being cancelled, but it is being re-born as Superwoman? Is there hope?
Hmph, everyone found the "pink kryptonite/stereotypical gay joke" funny. How juvenile. Both the joke, and those who fing humor that is at best little better than gay bashing. It played to negative, false stereotypes of gay people.
Would people here consider it funny if it had been "black kryptonite" and Superman had been speaking in ebonics while mugging Lois Lane? Same thing: a negative, false stereotype.
Lazy writing that I hope doesn't betray Peter's real worldview.
Considering how many GLBT characters PADs created over the years (Comet in Supergirl, Burgoyne in New Frontier, and that's just off the top of my head), I don't think gay bashing was his intent. I think "Pink Kryptonite" was just picked as the color because of the pink triangle, a gay pride symbol, as opposed to a stereotype. And really the whole point was that in Silver Age stories, people were able to read subtext into things that weren't there, especially if you re-read them with today's eye on the world. (Anybody else remember "The Gay Ghost?")
I fall into the GBLT camp myself, and I found it funny too. Just my two cents.
Yeah, I wouldn't think it was intentional, based on the stuff I've read and liked of Peter's in the past. Plus, there's the well known fact that a lot of gay people like sci-fi and comics (at least, around where I live), so that'd be kinda silly.
I'm probably just being touchy about the subject today. The rest of the issue was top-notch. I'll miss Supergirl.
I love Kara, she's so much more interesting than alot of other characters going on today. Her silver-age personality is a refreshing change from todays characters, and it will be a shame to lose her. Not to mention the art is amazing. I am eagerly awaiting issue 80! And maybe an 80 page "Elseworlds" giant that gives more details to Linda's alternate life in the silver age...
Given there was a late Silver Age/early Bronze Age Lois Lane story where she got Superman to turn her black for 24 hours, yeah, Black Kryptonite would've worked for me.
Admittedly, I considered Superman hitting on Jimmy in particular yet another level of subtext given my fondness for Jimmy Olsen weird stories of the 1960s, with one of my favorites being when Jimmy is in drag and shows that the Comics Code prefered beastiality to homosexuality.
See http://www.tgfa.org/comics/jimmy_olsen/jimmy_olsen.htm for a scanned version of the story.
Just got it today. It was awesome. Very touching, almost to the point that it seemed to predict...a true ending to our beloved character, Linda.
Great issue. So sad the series are going. Hey! Buffy gets cancelled and then Supergirl does as well? Did PAD rip Whedon off *again*?
Ah, bet that's the joke of the day.
Quick question for you Mr. David.
Any chance that before the TPB hits the stands, we can at least get the coloring errors fixed and some of the missing dialogue?
Coloring Error Examples:
The skirts of both Supergirls.
The Superman actor's hair.
The shot of Kara being cradled by Kal from CRISIS #7 in #78. Make Ariella look like the DC1M version.
Missing Dialogue Example:
Mxy's and Kon's missing dialogue from #76.
Okay, the comics have made it through the snow, and I have at last read this month's SUPERGIRL...
"Pink Kryptonite...?"
Yeah, PAD's going straight to Hell for that one...
But on a more serious note, I find it interesting that whenever today's writers attempt to emulate the style of earlier eras they tend to concentrate on what those eras didn't do.
I mean, writers like Cary Bates, Elliot Maggin, E. Nelson Bridwell, Martin Pasko, Len Wein and Marv Wolfman all did some pretty amazing stories with the Silver Age Superman.
But whenever we get a flashback or homage these days it's all "there was no swearing" or "the villains didn't go around killing people" instead of any attempt to evoke what that era was, y'know, doing right.
This is by no means a criticism of PAD's SUPERGIRL story -- I enjoyed the hell out of it -- it's just an observation that I find interesting...
Ah well, at least this book is definitely going out in a blaze of glory.
- DB Bennett
Just a thought. Linda is seemingly VERY happy on Earth-1 (SA).
For her, being forced to return to Earth-DCU will have to be a little bit like getting ripped out of hea...
*Stops Dead*
"But whenever we get a flashback or homage these days it's all "there was no swearing" or "the villains didn't go around killing people" instead of any attempt to evoke what that era was, y'know, doing right."
Sorry to be saying this, but what was REALLY right about it? The warm and fuzzy memories? The fact that nothing of much significance ever seemed to happen to the heroes?
Was that bygone era REALLY "doing right" by blatantly ignoring the fact that heroism almost ALWAYS involves making hard choices, instead of avoiding them? A crazy quilt funland wherein every day is more like "The Truman Show" than real life?
Thanks, but no thanks. You can keep the Super-dog and cat. :)
KET
Great issue!! Why is this series ending again? SOB!!!
Sorry to be a little late on this, Peter. I've had school and only been able to get #79 today. Good thing too I pre-ordered because in 2 days my comic shop was sold out of SG!
I love LOVE Kara and although it has become increasingly obvious that she will die (or return to the Silver Age) I only hope against hope she doesn't. That scene with Rebel where will see what this sweet innocent creature is capable of if she wished is more character development than she ever got till Crisis. She's more than just a blonde in a costume worrying about dating.
As for Linda...what can I say. NOBODY could have been expecting that. When you mentioned that you had written a marriage scene months ago I dismissed it but what actually happened. Wow! And Ariella? Another surprise! The Pink Kryptonite was just LOL funny.
DC must be on drugs to cancel this book. I would loved for this storyline to go another 6 issues. It's just seemed to get better and better. Kudos...even though I know you promised a not so "happy ending" that will leave us sobbing.
KET -
Well, my memories of the Silver Age include such warm and fuzzy moments as Robin being hospitalized after a brutal back-alley beating (Gardner Fox), Manhunter committing suicide to defeat the Council and fulfill his not-so-subtle death wish (Archie Goodwin), Superboy being emotionally shredded by a testing program Jor-El created to insure he could handle the responsibility of living with humanity (Cary Bates), Batman's doomed romance with Silver St. Cloud (Steve Englehart), Perry White throwing up in a WGBS bathroom after realizing he's just advised Superman that the best way out of his current predicament is to kill someone (Elliot Maggin), a sniper wiping out half the cast of WONDER WOMAN in about five pages (Robert Kanigher), Invisible Kid getting squished by Validus (Bates, again), doctors making the first incision of Clark Kent's autopsy after Kent's heart has stopped (Marv Wolfman), and Jonathan Kent being reunited with his adult son -- only for Clark to lose all memory of the event when the time paradox that brought Jonathan back finally unravels (once more, Bates).
Oh and this one time Jerry Siegel sent Superman back in time to Krypton so he could watch his parents and loved ones die up close and personal. Real laugh riot, that one.
Those are all some extreme examples, but my point is that comics pre-1985 may not have been all grim'n'gritty -- but they certainly weren't all sweetness and light either.
- DB Bennett
"Sorry to be saying this, but what was REALLY right about it? The warm and fuzzy memories? The fact that nothing of much significance ever seemed to happen to the heroes?
Was that bygone era REALLY "doing right" by blatantly ignoring the fact that heroism almost ALWAYS involves making hard choices, instead of avoiding them? A crazy quilt funland wherein every day is more like "The Truman Show" than real life?
Thanks, but no thanks. You can keep the Super-dog and cat. :)"
Actually, in the Silver Age and the later pre-crisis time, they managed to combine the funland with more serious issues. The imaginary stories in the 60s in particular were very much concerned with sacrifices and hard choices. Yes, they weren't part of continuity, but that's because Mort Weisinger and his writers didn't have the option of resorting to reboots, so they had to have the main characters remain fundamentally unchanged. The stories were written for children, but overall had some deeply resonant themes: sacrifice, love of family, the need to belong.
What was right about them? Read Superman's return to Krypton by Jerry Siegel and Wayne Boring. Read the stories about Supergirl's parents in Action 310 or so, read the Virus X story, or the Sally Selwyn stories that another poster mentioned. For all the criticism that those stories take, and the attention lavished on the red Kryptonite stories, or Jimmy Olsen's disguises, there are a lot of stories that emphasize that heroism involves sacrifice.
Later, under Julie Schwartz's editorship, the stories were written for an older audience, and were more openly about those themes. Elliot Maggin wrote a number of good stories involving Lex Luther. Cary Bates did also, but with a different approach. Marv Wolfman did an excellent series in Action about what happens when someone trying to do the right thing is misunderstood. (That also had some great art by Gil Kane, by the way.)
Nothing wrong with preferring today's stories -- Mr. David in particular has written some great ones, and I'm bummed that his Supergirl series will end soon -- but if you're willing to really look at those old stories there is a lot there, along with the hoaxes and dreams. Just looking at the red kryptonite and the other absurd elements is like just looking at the puns in Mr. David's work. That's not the only thing there.
I know that not all the stories from that time were great, and I'm certainly not suggesting that all stories should be like that. But there was an awful lot that was done right, and should be recognized and appreciated.
End of rant.
I nearly passed on this issue, but I'm glad I took the opportunity. I stopped buying after DC announced the cancellation. Maybe that's wrong, but when a series like New Warriors & Nova got axed in the 90's, I felt like a fool for buying them in the first place. Now it felt like DC wanted to take me money & run too.
I was pleasantly surprised by the twist in events this issue. Having Superman profess his love & figuring out she wasn't his cousin was hilarious & eye-popping. (I especially loved Lois and Lana's reactions at the wedding.)
Sorta feels like you have a Kingdom Come-type scenario going on here, with the Magog-like character hunting down Supergirls in all realities.
I'll be back for the final issue to see how it all works out.
I just finished 79. I am completely dumbfounded that someone at DC read this and still cancelled this book. It defies description. It is SO frustrating. This will probably be the best arc of all super hero books this year and then some. It works on so many levels with a pacing that is incredible. I know it sounds like I am blowing smoke, but I'm not. There are a handful of super heroic arcs like this in the history of comics--like The Great Darkness Saga in LSH or Starlin's original Warlock or Englehart/Brunner Strange. And DC sees this and they just let it slip away. These roots are where you can build an icon, a real complex character as Supergirl.
Sorry. Don't mean to be such an effusive fanboy, but at 37 to still get a chill when reading a comic book and still be reminded about the nobility of humans...
...Thanks
PAD,
I just read Supergirl #79, and, yes, I loved it! I especially liked Lois and Lana's reaction to the marriage scene.
Like some previous posters here, I'm really dumbfounded that DC would read this story and go ahead with the cancellation! Like a lot of people, you have to scratch your head when contemplating the oh-so-mysterious reasons behind some of DC's decisions! I'd like to point out that it takes TIME for word-of-mouth to get around and to get people to pick up a copy of a book. PAD, you should have been given a little time before they automatically axed Supergirl and Young Justice.
Enough b**ching! I've got a suggestion for some positive action! Everyone reading this can go to the DC Message Boards and TELL DC DIRECTLY WHAT WE THINK OF SOME OF THEIR DECISIONS -- ie. cancelling our favourite books. Let them know what you think! I get the feeling that the-powers-that-be do not read this Blog.
We need to e-mail them directly if we want to influence them.
'Nuff said.
I'll say that as a reader since 1963, this is the best Supergirl story ever written, and DC is nuts to cancel the title. I hope it returns with the same creative team.
In the meantime, based upon his use of the character in this title and Young Justice, I'd like to see PAD take a shot at writing the next Spectre series. There's always a next Spectre series.
--your pal, Hoy
It took me days, and trips to many, MANY comic book shops. But I do have in my hands tonight a copy of #79. :)
Man, PAD, I've been a fan of yours since the days of the Sin-Eater and I think you're a fine writer. First you make me start reading Captain Marvel (before the stupid U-decide stunt, though I still read it.), as well as Supergirl now. I never thought I'd like a book like supergirl (never thought I'd like spidergirl, either...[insert joke with "pink kryptonite" here]) but it's your credit as a writer that I keep comin back.
I liked the whole journey to the Silver Age with "our" SG, and if she returns to the main DCU, she'll never look at Clark the same way again. Can't wait for 80 to see how it all ends.
I really loved the story and the mixing in of the silver age characters. Superman marring Supergirl (Linda) was a real supprise. I always thought Lois Lane was loser. She just had to prove Clark was Superman irrespective of his wishes. That's Love? Calling there child Ariella sounds like a salute to Peters daughter Ariel. That was very nice. It was the cover that scared me. A homage to the commong "crisis on Infinite Earths" #7 where Supergirl was killed. There is only one issue left and I would like to see it end on a high note with Linda still married, with her family and Kara-El still alive some where with a future.
Shame on DC for ending the best supergirl series ever. Having read them all I can say that.
Saaay...you didn't read ALL of the script to #79 at Farpoint after all!
God. Poor Linda. She either has to die next issue or go back to the modern DCU and leave her husband and daughter behind.
Either way, she's boned.
I really wish this book wasn't ending.
Thanks Peter for the ride, I wish it was not ending but what can one do?
The last issue was excellant and I wish there was a way for Linda to keep her life as Mrs Superman.
And I like the fact that Kara is developing a mean streak due to her stay in our "mean" universe.
Thanks again Peter, please consider writing a Marvel Family story one of these days.
What do I think?
I think the Powers That Be at DC need to A) rethink their decision to cancel this book, or B) relaunch it with a new No. 1. (My preference would be the first option, frankly, just to see it reach 100, but I'd sure take B.
As a Supergirl fan since 1964 I think D.C. really missed the boat badly by cancelling Supergirl.What are they thinking up there? Better relaunch soon or I'll drop all the D.C.titles and concentrate on finding Golden Age stuff for my collection with the $40 or so That I spend each month on new titles. Keep Linda and Kara,to blazes with Cir-El.(Are you listening Levitz and Co.???)
Batman' HUSH may be getting all the big numbers (of course it's been promoted to death and rightfully so), but the "Many Happy Returns" arc will hopefully be remembered as the better story.
It just works on so many levels. One, it shows that Kara Zor-El could be a fantstic character in today's world (loved the edgier 'tude from her). Two, Linda is more entrenched in the Superman mythos than ever before. Three, a nice look back at the Silver Age, while poking some fun at the same time. Four, everyone is guessing as to how it will end. Five, it's just plain fun!
If one book deserved to be saved by TBTB at DC, it was this one. Just what message are they sending by ending it and prolonging books like Power Company (sorry PC fans).
And why in sweet Lord, does the Superman books have to introduce yet another S-Girl?!! What a kick in the teeth.
KC
There are rumblings out in DC land about a new series featuring the 3 Girls of Steel.
No info on who would be doing it, no info on when, no info on if it's a series plan, I just know that one individual in the know has said there's been talk about it.
That's all I can say, other than to mention that around 85 or so months ago, I was the one who broke the news to the usenet community a PAD/Gary Frank Supergirl series was coming.
Loved it. Upset that it's still being cancelled. Will buy TPBs for friends. Hope that Scavenger is right iff Peter David is at the writing helm.
Great, great, great. I love watching people tear their hair out trying to figure whether you can "really" alter Crisis, or fighting about which-the-hell Earth Linda's on. I just hope #80 kicks such serious butt that you are begged to come back to S-girl at some time of your own convenience.
Mr. David and All SG fans,
I've read Supergirl since issue number 3, and I kept coming back ever since. I never thought I'd be here for the end of the series. Heck, I never thought I would be interested in a Supergirl title eight years ago! But here I am, at the end. I've enjoyed the ride, especially the latest arc with Kara Zor-el.
Yep, it's been hell of a series. Issue 79 seemed all the more bitter-sweet. Amusing and moving! Kara's character seems fleshed out, but she still carries some of that silver-age "innocence." She's only been here a few short issues, yet I want her to stick around. Linda's adventures on Earth 1 proved a great foil; she's happy, self-assured, and is living silver-age life to the fullest. The marriage was quite a surprise but made complete sense. But the red skies are coming, and Peter David is writing, and I can't begin to guess what will happen to Linda, Kara, and the Leesburg gang in the next, final issue. But I know one thing: even if it leaves me in tears, I will enjoy this issue.
All the best,
I must admit to be a very LATE follower of this series, but I found Issue #79 to be very moving. I smiled at the humorous moments when Linda tried to live out Kara's life in the Silver Age, and it sadly made sense when the Spector was forced to intervene again when Linda's marriage and Ariella's birth caused a major divergence from the "official" timeline. Too bad Linda wasn't handed a script to follow, but you have to credit her for being a superb improvisational actress under impossible conditions. She's definitely a trooper, and it's because she's tried so hard to do the right thing that I've developed an emphathy for this character.
Now that I've belated discovered this series, I truly feel cheated by knowing it will end all too soon. Getting to know Kara again makes her now-apparently inevitable death during the Crisis all the more tragic. (I'll admit that it was this very incident that caused me to abandon the entire comics/graphic novel genre so long ago.) I also fear that Linda too will meet a sad end, though we won't know that until the dreaded Issue #80 arrives.
(So despite all efforts, it seems that Kara must still die. But Superman was also killed once... Sigh. Wishful thinking, I know, I know...)
However, what I personally consider to be the saddest consequence regardless of outcome would be the elimination of the divergent timeline that Linda created in the Silver Age. Even if Linda somehow survives, she would be haunted by memories that never were, including the horrible thought that somewhere in a now-lost timeline is a vault in the Fortress of Solitude, where a little girl is forever crying for her mommy...
While I expect to grieve once more, I await the resolution of this series knowing that you will provide a respectful farewell for Linda, Kara and the rest -- at least for now.
Thank you, Mr. David.