GeekMom: Comic Book Corner — Superman, Supergirl & a Princess

Happy Comic Release Day! Welcome to another installment of GeekMom Comic Book Corner, where we recap our adventures in comics for the week. This week, Kelly introduces us to Red Lantern Supergirl and Corrina looks over Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr.’s  Superman #32. Me? I’m excited to check out an awesome new all-ages comic book with a strong female lead, Princess Ugg. 

Kelly Knox — Supergirl #32 written by Tony Bedard and drawn by Ray McCarthy and Emanuela Lupacchino

DC Comics’ New 52 is not a happy place at the moment. Superman is not himself lately, Wonder Woman has her hands full on Themyscira, and Batman… well, Batman is never happy, so that doesn’t really count. Meanwhile, Supergirl is now a Red Lantern, the embodiment of rage. I haven’t kept up with her series at all since the New 52, but the premise sounded interesting, so I picked up Supergirl #32 on a whim last week.

Kara Zor-El is mad at anybody and everybody, but this week she’s particularly upset with Guy Gardner (sporting a much better haircut lately), who wants her red ring of rage removed. On her way back to Earth, she encounters a foe called the Worldkiller, who is hiding a secret that just might be Supergirl’s undoing.

Supergirl is formidable as she is, but adding a Red Lantern ring turns her into an almost unstoppable force. A force powered by teen rage, so look out, universe. I had been planning on waiting until this “Red Daughter of Krypton” story line was collected into a graphic novel to read the entire story, but I’m so intrigued that I might not be able to wait that long.

Dakster Sullivan — Princess Ugg #2 written and drawn by Ted Naifeh

This week, I had a really fun time reading the newest series by Oni Press, Princess Ugg. This is a book with a very strong, relatable young woman, who is trying to find her way in her crazy world. In her path to discovery, she has major obstacles in the form of other princesses in her school that see her as nothing more than an animal.

Issue #1 introduces us to Princess Ugg and her kingdom. We see she has a strong mother, as well as a strong sense of who she is in her own kingdom. This doesn’t last long as she leaves her kingdom to fufill a promise to her mother by attending The Princess Academy.

The Princess Academy is where the young royals from the five kingdoms attend to get their education. Princess Ugg of Grimmeria shows up armed for battle, but unfortunately for her, she isn’t armed for the right kind of battle. Her real battle will be in the classroom, the halls, and her bedroom, which she shares with Lady Jennifer. The girls at the school remind me of the stuck-up popular kids of my alma mater. Just reading their characters makes me want to reach into their world and strangle them with their sashes.

Issue #2 shows us a bit more of what Ugg has to deal with in terms of classmates and coursework. There are areas you will feel bad for her and times when you will laugh at how she handles the task at hand.

What I’m enjoying about this series is Princess Ugg and how she handles herself around school. She’s strong, but beneath that is a young girl, who isn’t sure who she really is or why she is even at the school. She reminds me a lot of who I was at her age. It secretly hurts her when she hears the other students’ comments. I know how she feels, having been in that position myself more than once.

My only problem with this title is the shower scenes. I think these young women are drawn a bit too “accurately” and not shadowed enough when it comes to these particular scenes. They don’t leave much to the imagination and I would rather they put up some stall walls to avoid drawing their bodies all together when in the bathroom.

The cliffhanger at the end of Issue #2 left me dying for more. How does Princess Ugg find her way at the school and what trials await her as she makes her way through her classes? Most of all, I’m curious to see what will everyone else will learn from her.

Princess Ugg is a true all-ages comic and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a powerful story without superheroes and capes. Issue #2 arrives in stores today and on ComiXology.

Curious to know what I’m pulling this week? Check out my pull list on Comixology.

Disclaimer: GeekMom received this item for review purposes.

Corrina —

Wynonna Earp written by Beau Smith

A quick television note about one of my favorite female lawmen: Wynonna has been optioned for television. She’s a descendent of the legendary Wyatt Earp and tackles supernatural cases. The last time I read her stories, she was busy taking on the Yeti. I’m hopeful that a show is made because this could be awesome—even if it means she’ll make it to television before Wonder Woman.

Infinity Man and the Forever People written by Dan Didio, Keith Giffen, and Scott Koblish 

The Forever People were part of Jack (King) Kirby’s creation of the New Gods and the Fourth World when he moved to DC Comics in the early 1970s. Darkseid is the most famous of the New Gods, but Orion, Big Barda, and Mister Miracle have also made television appearances and the Forever People also appeared in the Young Justice series. At the time of their creation, they were Kirby’s riff on the hippies of the era.

I was skeptical about them getting a new series when even Kirby couldn’t make the original last more than 11 issues. But the art by Giffen promised to be excellent and even though I disagree with about 99 percent of decisions Didio has made as co-publisher of DC Comics, his writing on Omac showed talent and a touch for fun. But none of that is evident in this first issue, where the people are introduced via yelling and sniping at each other. It was so unpleasant to read that I didn’t want to even finish the review copy I received. This makes me sad.

Superman #32 written by Geoff Johns, John Romita Jr., and Klaus Janson

As Kelly notes above, the relaunch of Superman in the New 52 has been a bit of a mess, save for Grant Morrison’s short run on Action Comics. The new villains have been less than memorable (and the fewer people that remember H’el, the better) and Clark’s supporting cast has been somewhat adrift with his marriage to Lois Lane vanished by editorial fiat and his leaving The Daily Planet. The superstar team of Johns, Romita, and Janson is here to save the day for the Man of Steel’s self-titled series. Or try.

Romita Jr.’s art, inked by Janson, is a complete triumph; he draws the best Superman and cast I’ve seen in ages. (Love the front and back cover with Clark changing to Superman.) The story? It’s promising, but reminds me of other stories by Johns, particularly those involving doppelgangers, like in his recent Forever Evil mini-series. But at least this is a different take on that, as Superman encounters a young man from another dimension who thought he was the last of the human race. I look forward to Romita Jr.’s art as Superman inevitably enters that dimension.

The Flash #32 written by Robert Venditti, Van Jensen, Brett Booth, and Norm Rapmund

“Who Will He Kill Next?” is the big question on the cover of this issue and that question could apply to the entire New 52 reboot. There’s a future Flash running around killing people to atone (?) for his mistakes, and a current Barry playing uncle to the new Wally West and having fights with his girlfriend. I guess that maybe DC is laying the seeds for yet another possible reboot, since the Barry Allen Flash was at the center of Crisis on Infinite Earths and the more recent Flashpoint. One could argue that the current state of the joyless DC universe is Barry’s fault, though I tend to lay some credit/blame to the editors. This is not a comic that anyone but a hardcore DC fan needs.

Disclaimer: Corrina received some of these items for review purposes. 

Looking for something else, readers? Check out this week’s listed books:

Adventures Of Superman #14 All-Star Western #32 Aquaman #32 Batman #32 Batman ’66 #12 Batman Beyond Universe #11 GeekMom Recommended / Kid Friendly Batman Detective Comics Vol. 3 Emperor Penguin TP Batman Detective Comics Vol. 4 The Wrath HC Batman Eternal #12 Before Watchmen Ozymandias Crimson Corsair TP Catwoman #32 Dead Boy Detectives Vol. 1 Schoolboy Terrors TP Flash #32 Harley Quinn #0 (Director’s Cut) Harley Quinn #7 GM Recommended He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe #14 GeekMom Recommended Injustice Gods Among Us Vol. 1 TP Injustice Gods Among Us Vol. 2 HC Injustice Gods Among Us Year Two #6 Justice League #31 Justice League Dark #32 Larfleeze #12 (Final Issue) New 52 Futures End #8 Weekly Series Red Lanterns #32 Secret Origins #3 Sinestro #3 Superman #32 Superman Doomed #1 (One Shot) Superman Wonder Woman #8 Tom Strong And The Planet Of Peril TP

All-New Doop #3 (Of 5) All-New Ghost Rider #4 New Series All-New Ultimates #4 New Series Amazing Spider-Man #3 GeekMom Recommended / New Series Avengers A.I. Vol. 2 12000 A.D. TP Avengers Undercover #6 Deadpool Vs Carnage #4 (Of 4) Dexter Down Under #5 (Of 5) Final Issue Fantastic Four #6 Guardians Of The Galaxy #16 GeekMom Recommended Marvel Masterworks The Human Torch Vol. 1 TP Marvel Previews #131 (July 2014 For Products On-Sale September 2014) Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man #27 Ms. Marvel #5 GeekMom Recommended New Avengers #20 New Avengers Annual #1 New Avengers Vol. 3 Other Worlds HC New Warriors #6 Original Sin #3.1 Original Sins #2 (Of 5) New Miniseries Event Savage Hulk #1 New Series Spider-Man Spectacular #1 New Series Superior Spider-Man Team-Up Vol. 2 Superior Six TP Uncanny Avengers #21 United States Of Murder Inc #1 What If Age Of Ultron TP Wolverine #9 X-Force #6 X-Men The Road To Onslaught Vol. 2 TP

Acronym Key: VC = Variant Cover / HC = Hard Cover / TP = Trade Paperback

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