DC Comics Presents #27 (November 1980)

Over the years, Superman has faced many a foe and menace in his never-ending battle against evil. One of those menaces was an intergalactic madman calling himself Mongul.

Mongul is a powerful alien being who dreams of universal domination. He was created by the late writer Len Wein and writer/artist Jim Starlin. Starlin is often seen as the main creator of Mongul...which makes sense. Beforehand, Starlin had been involved with the ascendence with the "cosmic" side of the Marvel Universe, writing the Captain Marvel book and creating Drax the Destroyer and Thanos. You may have heard of them. However, it was Wein who originally came up with the idea of Mongul, stating that he wanted to create a villain who would be able to match Superman physically. And considering that Superman in this point in time (The Bronze Age) was able to move planets, Mongul would have to be a physical powerhouse. 

Mongul would go on to be one of Superman's most significant foes, thanks to appearing in the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons story For the Man Who Has Everything. The character would go on to appear in animated series, video games, and the animated film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. 

The comic we're looking at here is Mongul's first appearance...well, in pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths canon, that is. Let's take a look at DC Comics Presents #27!

The cover is a Jim Starlin piece, and it's pretty cool. It depicts Superman clutching a tuning fork while standing over a defeated Martian Manhunter. Our debuting villain, Mongul, commands the Man of Steel hand over the tuning fork, which he refuses to do. It's an awesome cover, and it is true to the events of the comic. Which is something I can appreciate.

"The Key that Unlocked Chaos!"
Writer: Len Wein
Penciler: Jim Starlin
Inkers: Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Julius Schwartz 
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with the Metropolis Marvel receiving a transmission from a mysterious pale yellow-skinned purple-wearing being. He introduces himself as Mongul, and he wants Superman to grab something for him. Something the alien believes rightfully belongs to him. Superman basically tells Mongul to buzz off, as he has better things to do than play errand boy. 

However, Mongul figured Superman would say that, so he prepared a bit of insurance.

"I tried to take Perry White too, but he was out that day. Rather inconvenient."

The extraterrestrial miscreant has captured three of Superman's co-workers at the Daily Planet: fellow reporter Lois Lane, photographer Jimmy Olsen, and sports reporter Steve Lombard. Superman confirms that Mongul has them by checking Metropolis with his telescopic vision, revealing they're nowhere in Metropolis. Mongul does the standard villain hostage spiel. He'll return the Man of Steel's comrades unharmed if Superman obtains a key made of crystal. This crystal key is locked up in a crypt. Uh, did somebody tell Mongul that the key in that whole "Stop 'n' Swop" thing from Banjo-Kazooie was an ice key?

Anyway, Mongul tells Superman that the crypt is located on the fifth planet in the Cygnus system. Presumably, it's a planet that orbits one of the stars that makes up the constellation. Superman realizes this planet is actually New Mars. First appearing in Adventure Comics #449 (February 1977), this was where the Green Martians resided after Mars's atmosphere was destroyed by Commander Benn Blanx in Justice League of America #71 (May 1969). That comic saw the Martian Manhunter leave the Justice League to help find his remaining people a new homeworld. As such, the Manhunter was not actively involved with the League throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s, the era League fans like to refer to as the "Satellite Era". He would return to active service with the League during the "Detroit Era". The Crisis on Infinite Earths would erase New Mars from canon, making J'onn the last Martian.

Right, right. Anyway, Superman heads out towards New Mars. He finds that he's being followed by a small gray sphere, presumably Mongul sent it to make sure the Man of Steel doesn't try anything funny. Superman knows that Mongul is clearly bad news, and he doesn't want this key as a conversation piece he can display on his mantle. As such, the Man of Tomorrow decides to play along so he can learn more about his mysterious new foe and find a way to free his friends and coworkers. 

Superman finds the crypt and finds it unlocked without any defenses.

Yup. 

"No, J'onn! I didn't see you playing with your dolls again!"

J'onn J'onzz wants Superman off this planet. You see, the crystal key that Mongul is after would allow him access to one of the most dreadful weapons in the universe. An artificial planet filled to the brim with weaponry, appropriately known...as Warworld. Warworld was built by an ancient alien race called the Warzoon.

"We liked to refer to them as Space Rednecks."

The Warzoon loved three things: War, Conquest...and Bacon Sandwiches. I think I may be wrong about the third thing. Anyway, they built Warworld so they can rain down more death and destruction. However, the Warzoon mysteriously died out before they could really use the thing. The last of the Warzoon would be found dead at the planet's controls by members of another alien race called the Largas.

Turned out the guy was just sleeping.

The Largas were a peaceful race, so peaceful that they could not bring themselves to destroy the planet. Instead, these wannabe Silver Surfers reprogrammed Warworld to use its defenses to keep people off it. The crystal key emits special sonic vibrations that would allow the holder to get past Warworld's defenses. Nobody knows why the Largas did this. Maybe they couldn't destroy it. Maybe they thought it could be used as a last-ditch weapon to save the universe.

The Largas were an ancient race, and they were dying out as well. The last of the Largas looked for a people to safeguard the crystal key and found the Martians. The Martians knew the horrors of war well, and they valued peace as a result. The last of the Largas gave the key to J'onn. Knowing it would be in good hands, the last surviving Largas was able to join the rest of his people in death. 

Superman empathizes with J'onn's position. But he decides to start being a dolt. He gets all "Dude, I'm Superman, I know what I'm doing!"

This triggers a brawl between the Manhunter from Mars and the Last Son of Krypton. J'onn J'onzz is a smart Martian, and he's prepared for this.

Those missiles have Kryptonite warheads on them. Superman deflects them with his super-breath. The Kryptonian and Martian continue their fight, and Superman ends it by creating a ring of fire with his heat vision, taking advantage of the Martian's weakness towards fire. 

"POW! Right in the green kisser!"

The Man of Steel obtains the crystal key and is visited by a giant spaceship. Mongul arrives to take the key. Superman decided to not hand over the key, even if it means the death of his friends. The tyrant then starts to crush Superman's friends in their cube prison, but the device on his chest that controls it somehow gets wrecked, freeing them.

"Blasted cheap Durlan containment cubes!"

Mongul blasts Superman, making him drop the key. But it was actually the Martian Manhunter, using his power of invisibility. J'onn tries to stop Mongul from taking the key, but the big brute is able to smack him away, and then teleports off with the key in hand. J'onn gives Superman a dressing down for all of this, as he felt Supes's overconfidence that he could handle Mongul let this happen. Superman vows to get the crystal key back, and he's going to get some "super help" to make that happen.

Honestly, I'm kind of mixed on this particular comic. It's an action-packed issue, but the problem is, it's a bit of what TV Tropes would call an idiot plot. I mean, the Martian Manhunter is a telepath. Why couldn't he sense what Superman is doing? I can imagine the two of them telepathically working out a plan to fool Mongul to try and keep him from getting the crystal key. He can still make it off with the end by a stroke of bad luck. That's basically my main complaint.

I know Jim Starlin more as a writer than an artist personally, so seeing him do art duties on a comic was surprising to me. And I think it's pretty good. I especially like his interpretation of Mongul. His take on him makes him look very brutish, and the way he rendered his eyes radiates evil. Shaded in black, with red spots. Really nice. He looks like an evil brute with a hidden intelligence.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Superman vs. Mongul. It collects Mongul's pre-Crisis appearances, and includes For the Man Who Has Everything. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated and boosted! See you next time! 

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, everyone!

Hope your day was a good one!

Justice #6 (August 2006)

It's that time again! It's time to once again join the Justice League of America in their greatest battle against the Legion of Doom! Last time, the JLA were dealing with various attacks and ambushes by the members of the Legion, but a ray of hope just may have arrived in the form of the World's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel. Can the Big Red Cheese help turn the tide? Let's find out in Justice #6!

The cover is an Alex Ross piece, and it's pretty awesome. It depicts the Atom about to punch a giant eye with Poison Ivy appearing in the eye. The cover is awesome, but it does make me ask some questions. Is Ivy inside the eye? Because eye can reflect, and it should be reflecting the Atom. And Ivy being inside the eye would make sense, as the Atom is clearly in a standing position. Yeah, I think we're just going to have to let this go by Rule of Cool. 

"Chapter Six"
Writers: Alex Ross, Jim Krueger
Pencilers: Alex Ross, Doug Braithwaite
Inker: Alex Ross
Colorist: Alex Ross
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Joey Cavalieri, Michael Wright
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins with Superman and Captain Marvel flying towards the sun. 

If you remember last issue, Superman discovered that he has been infected with microscopic Mr. Mind-like worms that will take over his mind, like they did with Alfred Pennyworth. The Big Red Cheese is understandably worried about tossing the Man of Steel into the sun. After all, it may burn the worms out of the Kryptonian powerhouse, but also keep in mind this.

Superman was badly weakened and took a horrendous beating from Bizarro, Solomon Grundy, Parasite, and Metallo. There's no guarantee that he would even survive this. Understandably, Captain Marvel doesn't want to be known as the man who ended up killing Superman. Despite this, the Big Red Cheese agrees to toss the Man of Steel into the sun. 

At a hospital, Ray Palmer is recovering from getting shot. He's convalescing with Jean Loring when a nurse comes into his room, telling them it's time for Ray to get some rest. Jean agrees, and says she'll visit in the morning. The nurse offers another pillow to Ray, but he's good. She insists.

The nurse is actually Giganta in disguise, out to finish the sizeshifter off. But Ray has his belt, and he uses it to shrink down and beat Giganta by hitting her in the eye and making her fall to the ground. Out in space, Hal Jordan learns his ring has seven hours of charge left. If that ring dies, then Hal is a dead man. But there is one option left. His ring can convert his body into a series of electronic impulses. In that state, Hal can be kept alive indefinitely. But if someone else takes his ring, he's lost forever...for some reason.

Elsewhere, Martian Manhunter meets up with Hawkman and Hawkwoman. In his civilian identity of detective John Jones, J'onn has learned from some of his underworld contacts that the Toyman has defenses at the location he's sending the Hawks to, so they should be careful. Then they'll rendezvous at the Fortress of Solitude.

Thanks to his reading Grodd's mind, J'onn believes there's a dark conspiracy at work here. At another unknown location, Brainiac points out that Captain Marvel's arrival was unexpected, but not much of a problem. After all, organic life is chaotic by nature. Luthor isn't happy about this, as he got involved with this to rid the world of super-powered beings. Brainiac is like, "Don't worry about this, Lex. I'll take them out of here." But since Captain Marvel's involvement means that likely the League will recover from their incapacitation, they'll have to expand their own ranks. Grodd plans to send the apocalyptic dream to Black Adam. 

The Scarecrow seemingly heals a young boy's eyes. As Vicki Vale reports on the Legion of Doom suddenly going philantrophic and the disappearance of the JLA, a disguised figure heads towards one of the artificial cities, saying he has to go there as he's never been well.

Yeah, count on the Joker to be somewhere he's not wanted.

Superman bursts his way out of the sun. Wonder Woman heads towards what look like an alternate entrance to the Batcave, her face and body still bearing the scars from her fighting Cheetah. She finds the Batcave covered in vegetation, like nature has reclaimed it.

She frees Batman and Alfred, but Ivy tries to ambush her with vines, thorns, and an angry mutant Venus fly trap. The Hawks arrive at a warehouse, where true to J'onn's warning, they find the Toyman and an army of angry-looking toys waiting for them. But in the process of fighting the toys, they make a discovery.

Back at the Batcave, Wonder Woman is attacked by Batman. The Dark Knight presumably has fallen victim to the mind control worms that were in Alfred. The Amazing Amazon seemingly falls unconscious, but not before she's able to get her lasso around the Caped Crusader. This allows the Dark Knight to sucker-punch Ivy. Grodd spews out some threats through Alfred, but Batman tells him to shut up. 

At Ferris Aircraft, John Stewart comes by to ask where Hal Jordan went off to. Neither Carol Ferris nor Tom Kalmaku have any idea where he is. Tom suggests he's in the sky, the flyboy that Hal is. Meanwhile, Hal is inside his power ring. The ring has him in what is presumably a construct of his hometown of Coast City. It's has left Hal a lot of time to think. Think about Abin Sur, the Green Lantern who passed his ring to him. He asks the ring how to create constructs of people with a will of their own. The ring has no idea.

In his lab, Dr. Will Magnus is trying to repair Red Tornado with a little help from Zatanna. They are being observed by the Metal Men. Zee was able to use her magics to rescue the wrecked android from the Satellite before it exploded. Magnus notices the wounds that the Red Tornado suffered are self-inflicted. Which is kind of...odd for a robot. He's able to repair the Tornado enough that the robotic air manipulator is able to reveal where the missing Aquaman is: Argentina. And the story ends with the Flash still running, unable to stop. 

I liked this issue. There's plenty of action, and the story is pushed a little further. One of my favorite little moments is the Joker trying to make his way into one of the artificial cities. I think it rather fits his character. The Clown Prince of Crime has a tremendous ego, and it makes sense that if the Legion don't want him involved in their little scheme, he'll force them to involve him. The big issue of this comic is that in my opinion, this comic is best read as part of a larger story. That does not mean it's bad. It just means it's best enjoyed if you're reading Justice as a whole story, not just one issue at a time. It's a necessary evil for mini-series like this.

I don't know what else I can say about Ross and Braithwaite's art here. I think it's spectacular. They manage to make these characters with their fantastic appearances and costumes look perfectly plausible and realistic without losing any of their "comic book-ness", for lack of a better term.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2007 trade paperback Justice. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated and boosted! See you next time!

The Sensational She-Hulk #1 (May 1989)

In 1980, Stan Lee and John Buscema would debut a certain new addition to the Marvel Universe. Once upon a time, Jennifer Walters was an ordinary lawyer...with a bit of an extraordinary relation. She happened to be the cousin of one Robert Bruce Banner, aka the Green Goliath, the Smashing Machine, the Incredible Hulk. 

When an attempted mob hit resulted in her getting grievously injured, Bruce Banner was forced to perform an emergency blood transfusion on her to save her life. Banner's gamma radiation-infused blood would transform the mousy lawyer into a green-skinned green-haired powerhouse in her own right. She's been savage, she's been sensational, but through it all, she's been known as the She-Hulk. 

She-Hulk would be the last Stan Lee co-creation Marvel would debut for over a decade. The character was inspired by the success of the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno Incredible Hulk TV show, as well as the Bionic Woman TV series. Marvel was concerned that the TV show producers would try and create a female version of the Hulk, much like the producers did for the Six Million Dollar Man. That's right, Jen Walters literally came about for the sake of Marvel having the rights to a female version of the Hulk.

Despite that, the She-Hulk has gone on to be one of the Marvel Universe's most beloved heroines. She's served as an Avenger, a member of the Fantastic Four, a Defender, and a Heroine for Hire. And much like her cousin, her gamma-based mutation has taken her from being a green super-strong supermodel to a monster and back again. 

Since she's getting her own mini-series on Disney+ (marking her debut in the mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe), I thought it would be fun to take a look at a comic starring the Gamma-Green Glamazon. This comic is actually the first issue of her second solo series. Her first one, Savage She-Hulk, went from 1980-82, lasting 25 issues. From there, Jennifer would go on to be a part of the cast of the Avengers, and after the events of the first Secret Wars, would join the Fantastic Four as their resident powerhouse for a while. In 1985, she would be a central character of one of Marvel Graphic Novel #18: The Sensational She-Hulk. John Byrne wrote and drew the graphic novel, which alongside her appearance in Avengers #233 (July 1983), helped begin Byrne's long association with the character. The graphic novel's title would be reused for her second series, which lasted 60 issues. At the time, it was the longest-running Marvel comic book centered on a female hero. 

In the years since, She-Hulk has gone on to appear in numerous other media outside of comics, like cartoons and video games. And so, with that out of the way, let's look at Sensational She-Hulk #1!

The cover is a John Byrne piece. It's a simple cover, but it's become one of Marvel's more iconic comic covers, having been homaged in other comics. it does help set the tone of the series, having Jennifer break the fourth wall.

"Second Chance"
Writer: John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: John Workman
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with our heroine, Ms. Jennifer Walters, working out at a circus. 

"488...489...490...500!"

You see, due to our heroine being...a bit more physically powerful than the average person, she has special needs when it comes to working out. And using elephants on an improvised barbell is perfect for that.

Despite this, Jen points out that she's not even close to the physical feats her cousin Bruce could pull off as the Hulk. We get a flashback to the Incredible Hulk posing as a robot called Mechano all the way back in Avengers #1 (September 1963). However, our heroine falls into a bit of a trap. You see, this circus is not an ordinary circus. It's the Circus of Crime, and it's led by a Maynard Tiboldt, aka the Ringmaster.

"I think I'll make you do the Dance of Joy!"

Using the hypnotic disk in his top hat, the Ringmaster has got Shulkie under his spell. One of the Circus members points out that the group owes three million dollars to an unknown party. Elsewhere, a group is observing the Circus. One of the group members has reservations about this plan, but another tells him not to worry. It'll be fine. 

While under the spell of the Ringmaster, She-Hulk tells the Circus of Crime of the origins of the Incredible Hulk. This leads to telling them of how she became the She-Hulk, thanks to a blood transfusion from Bruce to save her life. Since then, Jen's served as a member of the Avengers and then the Fantastic Four. During her time with the FF, she got an extra dose of gamma radiation, which caused her to lose her power to shift between her She-Hulk and human forms. She's now stuck in the form of the She-Hulk. 

There's a lot of money for the Circus of Crime involved in this. They were hired to "test" She-Hulk for unknown reasons. Around a cool three million, according to Eliot Franklin, aka the Clown.

Tiboldt figures that there's a way to make a little extra off her in the process. All Jen needs is a new look.

"Just to let you know Maynard, my usual fee will be doubled for this job. LOT of makeup."

Behold, the Circus of Crime's newest performer: Glamazonia! And that night, the Circus shows off their newest exhibit.

"Please keep your hands and feet in the stands, folks."

Using her strength (and a little help from the Ringmaster's hypnotic hat), the hypnotized She-Hulk shakes the loot out of the circus-goers' pockets. After the show, the Circus is counting up their ill-gained money, when a wild circus wagon careens towards them. However, it's easily handled by Jennifer. The Ringmaster believes that the newly-returned Princess Python caused it, as she was none-too-happy with them bringing She-Hulk in. Bruto, the Circus's resident strongman, notices that a gorilla has escaped. The Ringmaster sends Jennifer to recapture it...only for Bruto to remember the Circus has no gorillas.

The gorilla is able to get past the disguised She-Hulk, and get the Ringmaster's hypnotic hat. It's revealed that this gorilla can also talk. He uses the hat to free the heroine from Ringmaster's control. She then realizes who the Circus of Crime are and easily traps them for the arriving police.

At the police station, Jennifer is able to get cleaned up and some proper clothes. She goes to see the Circus of Crime members in the holding cells. Remember that three million dollars that the Clown mentioned earlier? Well, that was going to be their payment for testing She-Hulk's powers. They have no idea who hired them, as the deal was done through intermediaries. Jennifer grumbles that it'll take another two issues for her to learn who hired them...but we get to learn on the very next page. 

Back at the unknown location, it was revealed that one of the figures watching Shulkie was the one who alerted the police. Her capturing the Circus allowed the gorilla to escape unnoticed. The gorilla then removes his head, revealing it was a mask. And the villains stand revealed, just like Jennifer promised.

Ruby Thursday! Shrunken Bones! Gorilla-Man! Chondu the Mystic! They are...the Headmen! A group of minor villains, the Headmen first appeared in Defenders #21 (September 1974).

I enjoyed this comic. This comic basically sets the tone for Byrne's run on the book. It's not quite got the comedic tones yet, but it does have a couple of things that are associated with this era: The usage of obscure Silver Age-era (and the more...wackier) villains, and She-Hulk breaking the fourth wall. Yeah, Deadpool is more known for doing that these days, but She-Hulk did it first. In fact, she points it out in one of her win quotes (against Deadpool, naturally) in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I highly recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback The Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/boosters! See you next time!

Pokemon Scarlet/Violet Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in March, I gave my thoughts on the teaser trailer for the newest games in the Pokémon series: Scarlet and Violet. I remember being excited for them...albeit it reminded me that I need to get my butt going on my copy of Pokémon Sword. Not to mention I haven't got Arceus yet. Anyway, a new trailer is out for it! Let's take a look, shall we?

Backpack, on! Shoes, tied! Hat, adjusted! Alright, let's do this!

That's an...interesting-looking Pokémon Center.

Heh. Oranges and Grapes. Mmmm, oranges...

Huh. This is new. Sword and Shield had experimented with the idea of each version having its own unique Gym Leaders, and now it looks like the versions also each have their own unique professor! I have heard that one of the themes of this game is "Past vs. Future", so it's appropriate that one Professor looks like a cavewoman, and another looks like a refugee from Tron. I wonder if this will have any effect on the game's story...

Also, another fun thing? Their names. "Sada" and "Turo" are derived from the Spanish words "pasada" and "futuro" meaning "past" and "future", respectively.

Man, the starters look cute!

And here's our rival for the game! Hello, Nemona!

I think that little Pokémon she has there is going to be the resident Pikachu of the game. Every game in the series has one.

Wow, you can have up to four people adventure with you?! That's insane! But hey, it's a nice way to play with your friends! I wonder if this works across versions...

A couple old friends return, and some new friends debut...

Aww, look at the little piggy. And it's called Lechonk! This Pokémon is based on the black Iberian pig, and the name is more likely a reference to a suckling pig, which is called lechón in Spanish. 

Hey, a Drednaw! I have one of those on my team in Sword. Drednaw are great.

The footage we're seeing seems to emphasize open-world gameplay. I wonder if we're going to be catching Pokémon in Wild Areas like in Sword and Shield, or if the entire game is a Wild Area like Arceus. I have heard that unlike previous game in which you have to go places in a set order, you can go anywhere you want. I wonder how the game's story will work.

And here are the Legendaries of these games! You can see the "Past vs. Future" theme with them. The red one looks like an organic monster with a wheel on the chest, whereas the violet one looks like it may be a cyborg. 

Well, as I said before, I am excited for these games. I love the idea of the game being much more open-world. Makes it feel much more realistic. And the idea of each version having their own Professor is interesting. As soon as I finish Sword, I shall get these.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated/boosted! See you next time!

Power Girl #1 (July 2009)

When it comes to powerhouse heroines, the Big Two are far from lacking. She-Hulk, Wonder Woman, Big Barda, Supergirl, Magdalena, etc. But there is one underrated lady powerhouse out there that should get more attention: Power Girl.

First appearing in All Star Comics #58 (January/February 1976), Kara Zor-L originally hailed from an alternate universe's Krypton. When the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths multiverse was still a thing, Power Girl was essentially Earth-2's counterpart to Earth-1's Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. Unlike her Earth-1 counterpart, Kara Zor-L arrived on Earth as an adult. Unlike her teenage counterpart at the time, Power Girl was portrayed as more mature and more aggressive in combat. In fact, she adopted the "Power Girl" identity on her native Earth because she wanted to be seen as her own heroine, not as a sidekick/partner to her Earth's Superman. 

Power Girl would go on to become a member of Earth-2's premier superhero team, the Justice Society of America. Her association with that group would continue on until the Crisis on Infinite Earths hit, which caused five Earths to be melded into one continuity, including Earths 1 and 2. 

This would end up causing a lot of problems for the heroine discussed here. As established earlier, she was essentially Earth-2's Supergirl. Due to a moratorium on introducing other Kryptonians at the time (it was felt it made Superman seem less unique), Power Girl's origins had to be revamped. She would be established originally to be the descendant of a DCU magician named Arion. Fans hated it, and the character would undergo various other changes with her powers and origins. 

She would eventually be a member of the JSA once more. In the lead-up to the Infinite Crisis miniseries, Power Girl's original backstory as a survivor of an alternate universe Krypton would be restored. But in the wake of the New 52, DC Rebirth, and Doomsday Clock, it's up in the air what her backstory is. 

The comic we're looking at this week is the first issue of her first ongoing series. Her first solo comic was a 1988 mini-series. This ongoing series of hers would last for nearly 30 issues. So, with that out of the way, let's take look at Power Girl #1!

The cover is an Amanda Conner piece. It's pretty awesome, despite it being a bit basic. Our heroine is shown posing on a star, while stars in the background fly behind her. I can't help but wonder if there was inspiration drawn for the intro of the 1970s Wonder Woman show when deigning this cover?

"A New Beginning"
Writers: Justin Grey, Jimmy Palmiotti
Penciler: Amanda Conner
Inker: Amanda Conner
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: John J. Hill
Editors: Rex Ogle, Brian Cunningham
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins with Power Girl flying past the Statue of Liberty. She's been wanting a fresh start, and she figures why not come to the City that Never Sleeps? However, the blonde bombshell's day of peaceful flying is about to get ruined. Such is life for a superhero.

The strange vortex starts sucking people into it like a vacuum sucking up dirt. Kara's super-hearing picks up that the vortex has also made people seemingly go crazy. People attacking each other, etc. Beings emerge from the vortex, clad in suits that make them look like cheap ripoffs of the Big Daddies from the Bioshock games.

Kara's X-Ray vision allows her to discover these beings are actually robots. They're essentially unmanned attack drones...and there's strange radiation around them that affects the mind, making people feel afraid. However, it's undetermined if it's the robots or the storm causing this radiation. Power Girl herself is feeling the effects of the radiation. 

After all, her mind is just as vulnerable to psychic attack as anyone else's is. However, Kara is a woman known for her strong will. While she fights the drones, we get a flashback to her restarting her old company, Starrware.

Starrware is a vehicle for Kara to help the world in another manner. Some problems can't be solved by putting on a white leotard and punching things. That's where Starrware comes in. Kara is looking for people to work for her. Among them is Dexter Nichols. Young, shy, but brilliant. Especially in nanotechnology. She impresses him with a demonstration of "gray goo", showing it building a Pontiac GTO from raw materials.

Back to the present! Power Girl tries to fight off the robots, only to get hit with a massive blast of the fear radiation.

It's then revealed who is responsible for this.

The Ultra-Humanite. We've met him before. One of the oldest super-villains in comics. We flash back again to Karen continuing work on her company again. We meet some more of Karen's new co-workers, most notably Xander Bevlin.

Bevlin believes that humanity needs a massive change in how they think of themselves and the environment. He believes most people have pathological symptoms, and Starrware's current way of helping people is too slow. Karen points out that Starrware is about engineering, and he's talking philosophy. She tells him to leave, as she feels he wants to force people to think a certain way. He pulls the classic "You'll regret this" spiel. Yeah, maybe Kara had a point in showing him the door.

We then go back to the present. As she tries to stop Ultra-Humanite, Power Girl notes that he's never had this much power and hardware at his disposal. And there's seems to be no reason for any of this. What does the Humanite want? Power? Money? His own ice cream flavor? Well, it's simple. What he wants...is Power Girl's body.

You see, the Ultra-Humanite's shtick is that he likes to transplant his brain into new bodies on occasion. It's how he got his arguably most famous appearance: The albino gorilla body, which he put his mind into in Justice League of America #195-197 (1981). And the story ends with the Humanite forcing Power Girl to make a choice: Let him put his brain in her body, or Manhattan goes kablooie.

I enjoyed this comic very much. It's a first issue that does what a first issue is supposed to do very well. It establishes who Power Girl is, gives us an idea of what her deal, and starts establishing a status quo and a supporting cast of hers. The one that does bother me is that Power Girl doesn't really try to hide her identity as Karen Starr. She literally just puts up her hair. As Power Girl, she doesn't wear a mask or anything like that. I know people like to make fun of Superman using glasses to hide his identity as Clark Kent, but at least he's doing something in that department. 

Some would say that starting the book with an invasion of robots may be a bit much, but for Power Girl, it fits her. She's a Kryptonian from an alternate universe. You have to go big. I also appreciate the usage of the Ultra-Humanite. He's one of DC's lesser-known villains, DCAU appearance aside, so it's nice to see him here. 

Amanda Conner's art is wonderful to look at here. It has a nice mixture of cartoony qualities and "good girl" art. Her characters are also very expressive. It helps make some of the humorous moments of the comic more enjoyable.  

If you want to read this yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2009 trade paperback Power Girl: A New Beginning. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccination/booster! See you next time!