Boredom And A Growing Appreciation For Supergirl Leads Me To Superman/Batman: Supergirl, Where I Discover A Worthwhile Graphic Novel!

The Good: Engaging story development, Decent character work, The artwork
The Bad: The artwork makes some of the character elements very hard to swallow.
The Basics: The return of Kara Zor-El to the DC Universe nets a solidly entertaining book with Superman/Batman: Supergirl!


I have, for the most part, pointedly avoided the Supergirl franchise. Truth be told, I am not a fan of Superman and Supergirl seems less about empowering women and much more about providing a masturbatory fantasy for men. Given that Supergirl is a teenager, that’s just wrong. But, boredom at work during my breaks and my library being slow to get in new books for my Flash Year has led me to occasionally pick up a Supergirl book. The latest one I have found myself reading is Superman/Batman: Supergirl.

Before I say how good it is, I want to strenuously disagree with author Jeph Loeb, who wrote Superman/Batman: Supergirl. In his foreword for Superman/Batman: Supergirl (ever wonder who reads those things? Well, it’s me!), he is describing the work of his good friend Michael Turner, who did the artwork for Superman/Batman: Supergirl. Loeb comments, “What made them [Michael Turner’s women] sexy wasn’t the typical pinup shot of adolescent male fantasies” in his foreword. I could not disagree more. Having only (to my easy recollection) read Michael Turner’s Fathom (reviewed here!) by the artist before now, I can easily and authoritatively say that all Turner does with his women is make pinups! His Supergirl is no exception and if the book had page numbers, I’d easily cite a dozen (but, sufficed to say the artwork of Kara Zor-El walking beside Clark Kent in Metropolis features jeans so low, thong straps so high and breasts so unrealistically curvaceous that all it is is an adolescent male fantasy! In fact, given that Superman/Batman: Supergirl came to me via my local library system where it was mischaracterized as “Young Adult,” I’m shocked none of the pages arrived stuck together! If that’s gross, my apologies, but that’s the artwork of Michael Turner without and within Superman/Batman: Supergirl and when the subject is a minor, even a fictional one, it’s enough to make an adult queasy).

Opening following the events of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Bruce Wayne is exploring Gotham Harbor for remnants of a meteorite from Krypton. At the bottom of the Harbor, Batman discovers a ship and when a girl attempts to steal his Batboat, he uses Kryptonite to stop her. Kal-El (Superman) arrives when she awakens and is convinced that she is Kara Zor-El, his cousin, though her own memories are somewhat limited. While Bruce works to verify she is who and what she claims to be, Kal-El drops his guard and lets Kara into his life entirely.

Seeing no other way of keeping the world safe, Batman and Wonder Woman stage an abduction to take Kara to Themyscira. There, the Amazons train Kara until Darkseid’s forces attack the island. In the attack, Harbinger is killed and Kara Zor-El is abducted. With Superman furious, the trio is joined by Barda and they make a trip to Apokolips to get her back and thwart Darkseid.

Superman/Batman: Supergirl may be one of the most character-filled books featuring Superman that I have ever read. His role in Superman/Batman: Supergirl is a decent one and in this book, he is deeply interested in creating a family. Kara Zor-El represents that for him and as a result, her abduction stings in a way that allows him to credibly evoke Jason Todd to Batman and Donna Troy to Wonder Woman. In Superman/Batman: Supergirl, he is not simply the highly moralistic “Boy Scout” type character. Instead, he has enough depth to be hurt and compelling for his anguish.

Bruce Wayne, despite appearing for the vital plot points, is very much a secondary character in Superman/Batman: Supergirl. The book uses his suspicion to set him apart from Clark exceptionally well, though thathas been done in other books frequently as well. Here, Bruce trusts in Wonder Woman and I like that aspect of the story because it justifies Diana’s latent love for Bruce revealed in Blackest Night. So, Bruce is along for the ride.

As for Supergirl in Superman/Batman: Supergirl? Well, she’s a pinup. She functions as a pawn, a source of conflict between Kal-El and Bruce and a tool for Darkseid. But beyond that, Supergirl is less an entity of her own in Superman/Batman: Supergirl and more a way to express Kal-El’s deep desire to have a family beyond just Lois. In the process, Kal-El illustrates his dark side, like tossing Wonder Woman like a rag doll in order to be able to fight Darkseid. Supergirl has no real character, no habits, ambitions or likes of her own in Superman/Batman: Supergirl. Instead, she is introduced and much of her important character development – the training on Themyscira, her friendship with Harbinger, etc. – happens “off camera.”

Outside the artwork in Superman/Batman: Supergirl being a radical departure from the styles of most DC Universe books (but entirely in the style of Michael Turner), it is good. However, things like Kara asking Superman what he thinks of her outfit and not getting a “well, it’s pretty damn short for a minor” seems odd.

In the end, though, Superman/Batman: Supergirl is a pretty compelling resurrection story that is enjoyable and well-assembled (though it does ask for some significant suspension of disbelief near the end). That makes Superman/Batman: Supergirl very easy to recommend.

For other graphic novels featuring Supergirl, check out my reviews of:
Crisis On Infinite Earths
Supergirl: Death And The Family
The Brave And The Bold, Volume 1: The Lords Of Luck

7/10

For other graphic novel reviews, be sure to check out my Graphic Novel Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Even With Missing Several Chapters, Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire Is A Vital, Interesting Graphic Novel!

The Good: Great artwork, Interesting characters, Decent story
The Bad: Abrupt transitions, Low sense of movement within panels, Relies heavily upon other works from the Fathom franchise.
The Basics: Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire continues the story of the Fathom undersea universe with even more characters and races and a new protagonist who is, at worst, intriguing.


Just as whenever one learns a new word, they start hearing it almost everywhere, I have a habit of encountering a new franchise, then seeing it pop up everywhere. Last month, I discovered the Fathom franchise when my library got in Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 (reviewed here!), which I gladly reviewed. There was only one other Fathom-based book in the entire library system, Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire, so I requested that in. In between reading the first book and getting in Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire, I did my usual scouring of the internet for toys. While I went through the inventories of all sorts of toy dealers looking for Star Wars and DC Direct action figures, (as well as visiting a beloved comic book store from my childhood a hundred miles away) I kept running into Fathom action figures! Never before have I seen them in real life or online, then I read a book and BAM! they’re everywhere! Regardless of suddenly seeing them everywhere, even after reading Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire, I’m not to the point where Fathom merchandise appeals to me. Not quite yet.

Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire expands the universe of Fathom by following a new character into new settings. It is important to note that I am evaluating Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire based upon the book as a stand-alone trade paperback anthology. Following Fathom: The Definitive Edition – Volume 1, there is a second anthology I have not read. Presumably, the main conflict in that volume plays into the story of Kiani, as the book opens in the ruins of one of the undersea Kingdoms. Moveover, players like the Black – who only appear in the final chapter of the first anthology – play a major role in Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire. As a result, my initial impression was that Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire might stand up better in context than it does as a standalone book. Even so, I did find myself enjoying this book quite a bit.

Following a devastating war with the humans, the Blue are in retreat and the Black have disappeared to pursue their own agenda. Amid the ruins, a young warrior, Kiani, rises up. Having learned that the disgraced Blue rebel leader, Killian, is her biological father and that Killian is slowly manifesting himself physically again, Kiani goes on a quest to get the grey matter. The grey matter is the last part of Killian needed to reconstitute the fallen rebel and Kiani is determined to make the deaths in her life make sense by obtaining the grey matter.

Her journey takes her to the undersea realm of Aescylot, home of a pale race whose armor is lava, much the way the Blue’s is coral or ice. At Aescylot, Kiani is declared to be the goddess Kira, the prophesized one who will save this deeper realm from cold and death. There, Kira/Kiani must decide what path to follow and how important her family ties truly are to her!

Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire is a fast trade paperback anthology to read and it has a more-or-less complete story to tell. Despite heavy allusions to other books and events not in this volume, Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire is a compilation of only five comic books, so it is hardly intimidating for serious readers. Despite the allusions, there is pretty much enough from context for new readers to not feel completely lost with the references to events outside this book.

That said, Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire is far from perfect. The book seems to use many of the same character elements as the first Fathom books did with Aspen Matthews. Kiani, a young woman who happens to look absolutely stunning in a two-piece bathing suit, learns that her heritage is not quite what she thought it was and goes on an undersea adventure to reconcile her past with her present. Isn’t that pretty much what happened with Aspen Matthews?! Kiani is an interesting protagonist, though and much of the book has her learning and growing. She moves the story, so it is easy to root for this heroine; she is not simply a pawn in someone else’s machinations.

That said, there are still some problematic storytelling leaps in Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire. Writer Vince Hernandez takes Kiani on a decent journey, but there are abrupt turns in the character that seem more like a less-sophisticated anime piece than a well-conceived, adult graphic novel. This makes it problematic and feel like Hernandez wrote himself into a corner and suddenly discovered he has two pages to get Kiani where he wanted to go, so he has her shout something that seems uncharacteristic and the book tacks off in a slightly different direction.

The artwork in Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire is mostly stunning. The characters are well-drawn and the colors are universally vibrant. Despite the weird storytelling and character gaps throughout the book, Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire looks great from the first page through the end of the extensive cover gallery the book has. This is a very easy book to look at and enjoy from an artistic standpoint, though the coloring is what truly makes it work. The warriors from Aescylot have glowing lava armor that looks very cool and is clearly lava, long before that is made explicit.

For anyone looking for a fun read, Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire fits the bill. It is not great literature, but it is fun and has decent artwork. Sometimes, that is the best we can hope for. Fortunately, Fathom: Kiani – Volume 1: Blade Of Fire delivers a decent adventure that is a fun read.

For other graphic novels, please be sure to check out:
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
Fray By Joss Whedon
Cowboys And Aliens

6.5/10

For other book reviews, please be sure to visit my Book Review Index page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 Is An Interesting, Atypical, Graphic Novel That Almost Lands It!

The Good: Interesting set-up, Decent plot, Generally good characters, Generally good artwork.
The Bad: Huge character moments are missing, Poor sense of movement in the artwork
The Basics: Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 collects the first two story arcs of the comic book Fathom and presents them with enough goodies to please fans, but leave new readers a little more skeptical.


I refuse to begin my review of Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 with any sort of diatribe on the artwork. The artwork of Michael Turner is hardly anything new: stick-thin women with long legs and huge breasts have been making comic books a masturbatory literary experience for . . . well, for virtually forever. The rise of anime and manga did little to change that, so despite thinking that there are moments in Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 that seem to be drawn just for horny teenage boys and young women discovering their lesbianism, I’m not going to pick on that too much. While artwork is certainly important – it is the quality of the artwork in Justice (reviewed here!) that led me to consider that a perfect book -, artists who comply with the body type conventions of comic books – and popular culture – are not going to (always) take a hit from me.

Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 came to me when I went through everything my local library had by author Geoff Johns. Rather ridiculously, Johns is only associated with Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 from the fact that he wrote the foreward to the book. Not knowing that until the book came in, I decided that Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 afforded me a real opportunity to grow and experience something I was not already familiar with. And I’m not sure yet that I am glad I did.

When Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 arrived for me, I felt two things. The first was taken aback by the somewhat obvious and salacious artwork which featured a scantily-clad protagonist who had a body that was utterly unrealistic by most standards. The other thing I felt was genuine curiosity. Flipping through Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1, the concept sounded engaging and I decided that I would open myself up to a storytelling universe I was unfamiliar with before. I am glad I did, though Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 - which is a collection of Fathom comic books 1 – 14, along with some special preview books – is a much better idea than it is a solid execution. I can see why Fathom might have a cult following, for more than just the artwork, but I suspect that only the most devoted Fathom fans would argue in favor of all that is in Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1.

Aspen Matthews is just a girl when she is rescued by the Paradise, a cruise ship that was mysteriously lost at sea for ten years. While the crew has not aged and none of them seem to know what happened to them, a captain rescues Aspen and protects her as she grows up. Aspen remains absolutely fascinated by the ocean and all life beneath it. So, when she is offered the opportunity to join a joint U.S./Japanese undersea project, she leaps on the opportunity. Unfortunately for her, on her first day in the undersea environment, moments after she is shown the reason for the existence of the joint project (an alien vessel on the ocean floor), the facility is attacked and Aspen is almost killed.

Aspen does not die, however, and she is shocked to discover that part of the reason for her continued existence is because she is not entirely human. She is not given the opportunity to explore her nature, though, until she is abducted. The abduction of Aspen is witnessed by a boy, who informs her roommate and (unwittingly) the U.S. military. But Aspen’s abduction is a reunion of sorts and she is introduced to her people, a suboceanic humanoid race who has existed on Earth for ages. The leader of the undersea people is Killian and he begins training Aspen with a declared vision of saving the oceans and announcing to humanity of their existence. But when Aspen’s training is completed and she goes on her first missions with Killian, even as a war between the United States and Japan breaks out as a result of Killian’s aggressive actions in the Pacific, she quickly discovers that all is not as she was told and that she is being used as a powerful weapon.

Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 begins with that critical story arc and it is an engaging one. Writer and penciller Michael Turner starts out with an intriguing narrative technique wherein Aspen is telling key elements of her story while Killian and a mysterious stranger present their perspectives on the exact same events. This narrative technique is quickly dropped in order to focus on Aspen, but by then the reader is likely to be intrigued enough to continue.

My main problem with Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 is that the story makes irksome storytelling leaps that gut the interest in the protagonist. Aspen is rescued by Killian and only a few pages later, her biggest character journey – integrating with her undersea people – is over. Her training is virtually absent from the book and as a result, she goes from a happy-go-lucky, nervous marine biologist on one page to a soldier for an invasion force from underwater on the next! Sure, Turner plays lip service to the transformation by giving Aspen some doubts when she accidentally kills a person, but it is not enough to salvage the story. This is sloppy writing and would be like Neo from The Matrix discovering he was in the Matrix and then jumping to the all-out fight with Agent Smith.

That would just be shoddy writing. And yet, fans of Fathom seem to accept Aspen going from naïve young woman to essentially a human power rod without ever seeing the process. As a new reader with only Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 to guide me, this became a severe detraction to recommending the book. To the book’s credit, Fathom is written with a density and sense of political machinations intended for an adult audience.

As for the artwork, Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 is absolutely beautiful. For sure, the body types are ridiculous. On one page, Aspen’s legs are 2/3 her body and her breasts are utterly unrealistic proportions for an Olympic swimmer. The character design for the undersea race is very cool, with their coral-like weapons and armor looking entirely badass. Throughout the entire book, the panels are vividly colored and this is an exceptionally easy book to look at. Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 also features cover galleries that are similarly stimulating and are likely to be appreciated by anyone who loves the unrealistic idealized version of women the media and comic books present.

Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 continues with a second arc wherein Aspen is visited by a strange man who drives a submarine, chasing a giant undersea life form that humans had not encountered before. This one-shot with Baha does not actually add anything of substance to Aspen's story or the world of Fathom.

The mini-arc that follows is a bit more intriguing and has Taras's mother looking for revenge on Chance. With Chance captured and being dissolved in an attempt to reanimate Taras, Aspen is captured and must fight her way to freedom while saving Chance.

Finally, there is a storyline that opens the next big arc and presents a new conspiracy and enemy for Aspen. But, as it is only the beginning of the story, it is hard to say if it is worthwhile as I've no idea how it ends and whether Turner pulls off effectively what he starts in the book.

For fans of Fathom, Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 is also chock full of "bonus features." These include everything from production sketches to a swimsuit gallery that basically presents Aspen and other characters from Fathom in provocative poses. Some of the artwork there is actually real good, though, ironically the best actually involves surprisingly little nudity or color.

Fathom: The Definitive Edition, Volume 1 is an interesting graphic novel, but ultimately, the problems with it made it slightly below the threshold I would recommend a graphic novel at. The exposition is fragmented, the stories jump and the most important events seem to be missing from the book. This makes it an easy book to look at, but a hard volume to truly invest in.

For other graphic novels, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Flight
Jesus Hates Zombies Featuring Lincoln Hates Werewolves, Volume 1
Lost Girls

4.5/10

For other book reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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