Aha, a homage cover. I do like a good homage cover, and this is immediately recognisable as nodding to one of the most famous Superman issues of the post-Crisis era.
And it’s not kidding. Inside we do indeed meet the Matrix Supergirl, unseen for a very long time. She shows up after a cavern is discovered under the new Fortress of Solidarity Supergirl is setting up as a headquarters and hangout for her ever-burgeoning gang of heroines. There, a mystical book causes Supergirl’s new transforming outfit, which has been whispering to her of late, to leave her standing in her super-Underoos.
The protoplasmic creature soon manages to re-form into her Supergirl look, but she’s a lost soul, back from a state of non-existence, surrounded by strangers.
Specifically, Princess Shark, Lena Luthor, Supergirl, Thundergirl, Nightflame, Phantasmagoria and… who the heck is that orange and yellow person?
Wombat? She and Supergirl know each other, but we don’t know her. Given how many Super-Gals Kara surrounds herself with, is there room for yet another?
Actually, yes, the new fortress Supergirl has grown from a Krytponian sunstone is a base with acres of space.
Unless you have microscopic vision you won’t be able to read anything, but believe me, across two pages it’s a treat to learn a little about everyone’s quarters, the facilities and the animal reserve – yep, that’s a real baby Thought Beast from Krypton in that Wombat scene.
Also this issue, clone from Kandor Thundergirl has an identity crisis, even as she’s learning just what she can do.
Lesla-Lar is reminded that you can betray Kara and nearly get her killed and still be forgiven.
And a new version of a classic Supergirl villain strikes…
So, lots going on this time, even without Matrix returning. I’m bemused by the addition of yet another super-pal in Wombat. As if Kara isn’t squeezed enough, we get another humanimal to bookend with Princess Shark. I’m a big fan of writer-artist Sophie Campbell, I love how she can blend whimsy and drama in her scripts and visuals, but I’m furrowing my brow at the direction this series is taking. Individually, characters such as Lena and Lesla have something to offer, but they’re in every issue, causing Kara trouble, bailing her out… I’d love to spend some real downtime with Supergirl, see her hanging out with regular folk, see Kara’s relationship with her Earth parents the Danvers. Let Kara’s Super-Force breathe in a special or mini-series, heck, they could be the next Superboy and the Ravers.
As for Matrix, it’s interesting to see her from a nostalgic point of view, but we already have a surfeit of Superboys, I don’t want any more Supergirls in the picture. And I hate seeing her so sad.
The good thing Matrix’s return gives us is purpose for Thundergirl; she knows how it feels to be lost too, and immediately shows a lovely empathy. Maybe after this story they can both go to a new Earth, somewhere they can forge their own heroic paths – Matrix was a brilliant Supergirl, she deserves more than to be just one more face in the super-crowds.
Now this story is here, though, I am intrigued as to how there ‘happens’ to be a magic tome below Supergirl’s Fortress of Solidarity (no solitude for this lass!). It’s all rather suspicious.
And if the story involves this new piece of Kara equipment, so much the better.
Campbell does tell entertaining s torie and does it well. She’s also clearly not creating a Supergirl book. This large a cast means no one is the star of this book, no one gets decent character development, and things happen off panel that get no explanation and we are expected to just accept that. Wombat is the latest but we still don’t know how Nightflame became a hero or was permanently freed to take up panel space Kara should be having. As good a creator Campbell is, this cast of thousands is gonna leave the buying public unsatisfied and eventually no longer getting the book.
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That’d be sad but I could see it happening. The book needs stronger editing.
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I’m so glad Mae returned. A few interesting tidbits in there: She doesn’t know who created her. Kara says Superman doesn’t either. So NOT Lex Luthor from the Pocket Earth anymore.
Combine that with the allusion to how Superman took care of Zod and co in the Kingdom of Zod special, I think we can finally put Superman killing them to bed. I guess no more pocket Earth at all (I mean, it’s still out there somewhere in the Multiverse. So is an Earth where Superman did kill the Kryptonian criminals. But it’s not main canon anymore).
What isn’t mentioned is anything related to the PAD series. I hope at some point we do see Linda.
Finally, I love a good HQ cross-section. And this one does not disappoint.
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I don’t know, maybe things happened as we saw, but memories have been fuzzied by changing timelines and Superman and co don’t notice? I’d rather things could be assumed to be the same than a door left open for the inevitable new explanation which would inevitably be succeeded by at least two more.
I would love to see Linda freed from Hell and re-merged with Matrix as a solid Supergirl who an Earth that needs one.
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A way to have cake and eat it too would be she is the result of that story but slipped sideways into this timeline with memory loss.
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That would work, a Hypertime bump.
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How do you think Matrix got in the box? I remember from time to time Matrix left bits of protoplasm around – or, was it the merged entity that did that? Or both of them? And then Superman must have scooped some up and set it aside, though I wonder if that was actually shown in some story.
Because, this isn’t the Earth Angel aspect who left for heavenly realms, and it isn’t Linda Danvers presumably wandering parts unknown despondently. It’s a piece of the original Matrix, split off some time after she was known as Mae, so she remembers that.
I wonder just how much protoplasm it takes to generate a Matrix – could there have been an army of them in the 1990s? Could there be an army of them now? I guess the story doesn’t call for that.
I think there’s a panel where we see Matrix’s telekinesis at play. It emerges from her forehead. Will she also exhibit shape-shifting and invisibility?
If Matrix is in continuity, so should the rest of it be – the Earth Angel and Linda Danvers, etc. Clark would have told Kara all about that, too.
But in the end, was Peter David’s story set in some different universe, or timeline? Because in the final arc, Kara Zor-El is diverted and arrives, and Linda goes “somewhere else” to try to take her place in the alternate timeline (and marries Clark and has a kid)… Does anyone in the remaining timeline remember any of that? If not, what do they think happened to Matrix in the main timeline?
My mind is exploding. I look forward to Anj tackling some of it.
T.N.
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What a weird user name it gave me. Just call me dope!
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Oh yuk, protoplasmic blobs a go-go. Fair questions, though, I wonder to what extent Sophie Campbell will address them, TN. And I was pleased to see the telekinesis too.
An army of Protys, it reminds me of Silver Age General Zod’s’ army pf Bizarros, super creepy.
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Anj here!
Great review and great spotting the homage cover! How did I miss that.
I think Matrix (at least early on) had reason to be sad. Her world was destroyed. She was de-volved to purple goo. And now if she was inert in a box, I can see why tears would flow.
I do worry that this book is stuffed with characters. At least this issue, Kara is clearly the center the book spins around.
Supergirlmobile is awesome! But what about the open invite for a full-time doctor?
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I don’t think you missed the homage cover, thinking on, you likely pointed it out months back when solicitations were released.
I honestly don’t object to Matrix being sad, that makes sense – I’m just sad to see it.
I’ll second you as doctor – and thanks for the shout-out over at Supergirl Comic Box Commentary.
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Wow, the cast of this series feels really overstuffed! Seems like Sophie Campbell would rather be writing a team book than Supergirl’s solo adventures. I mean, I definitely understand the importance of having a supporting cast. The problem is that, much like on the Superman books, there’s really no civilians, everyone has powers & a costume, and as a result the supposed lead hero does not feel quite as important.
I’m of two minds about bringing back Matrix. As a *huge* fan of the Triangle Era of the Superman books, I really do like Matrix. On the other hand, her return could potentially open up a can of worms about how many of the “pocket universe” storyline from the end of Byrne’s run is still in continuity. Also, given how badly Lex Luthor manipulated Matrix back in the day, I wonder how she’s going to feel about working with Lex’s daughter? I wonder if Campbell’s even going to address that, though.
Definitely nice artwork, at least. And the cameo by the baby Thought Beast is cute.
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I so agree about the lack of civilians. I’ve been reminding myself of the Triangle Era with the Omnibuses, and it’s just wonderful how well the creative teams used the supporting cast. Why don’t writers today like everyday lives and secret IDs? To me they’re fundamentally to a superhero comic.
Excellent point about Matrix maybe having a problem with Lena. Bring it on.
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I think that facial recognition software and that everyone has a camera in their pocket makes a secret identity difficult to create in a believable manner. Fully masked character make it a little easier to willingly suspend disbelief.
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Phonecams? Great, bring on the complications, lets have some fin!
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That was something I discussed in my recent look back at the “Revenge of the Krypton Man” storyline, how the Superman books during the Triangle Era had a large, rich supporting cast, and how that’s unfortunately absent from the current stories.
It Came from the 1990: Superman “Revenge of the Krypton Man” – In My Not So Humble Opinion
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Oh, that’s brilliant, the issues I was looking at last week were the preludes to the Krypton Man stuff, with Maxima.
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