15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Making Supergirl Super Again...., August 1, 2003
This review is from: Supergirl: Many Happy Returns (Paperback)
Peter David made some very controversial moves in his career as a writer. He is at his best sheer genius but in between moments of brilliance even a genius has his share of stumbles. I didnt agree with all his choices during the run of the series. When he took on the post Crisis Supergirl expectations were low. The Pre-Crisis Supergirl had died over a decade earlier and the new "Supergirl" was an artificial, souless protoplasmic being who had failed to catch on with all but the most die-hard fans.
So Peter David put his own spin on things...Introducing troubled young woman Linda Danvers. Linda had gotten mixed up with a bad element leading to her murder. In order to save Linda's life the artificial Supergirl known as "Mae" merged with Linda and became one entity...Saving Linda's life and giving Mae a soul. As one being Supergirl fought crime and her newfound humanity won over readers. Between these early issues and the final story arc ALOT went down for our caustic smart mouthed conflicted young superheroine. I won't go into all of that now but I suggest you check out the series run at your local comic book shop.
Despite great writing, Supergirl's sales were never stellar. In a last ditch effort, David and the DC Brass stunned everyone by plucking the Pre-Crisis Supergirl out of her timeline and bringing her to Linda's. The two girls meet and though Linda is wary of Supergirl/Kara Zor-El's perky toooo good to be true demeanor they bond quickly and become sisters of a sort. Peter David handles this well. He only had a handful of issues to make us care about Kara but he did the best possible job. Ultimately, Linda realized that if Kara didnt return to her own time and meet her destiny that the world would cease to exist and millions would perish. Tough choices are made...The Supergirls face off against Xenon a other dimensional assasin and Linda even tries to take Karas place. This final arc is amazing. You will laugh, cry and then probably throw it against a wall in sheer anger. It's great stuff. I wont ruin the ending but I will say that you shouldnt become to attached to either Linda or Kara...Damn DC!
My only objections here are that at times the arc seemed a bit rushed but that isnt Peter David's fault. He had to finish by the final issue. The title was cancelled earlier this year.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Supergirl Goes Out With A Bang, December 29, 2003
This review is from: Supergirl: Many Happy Returns (Paperback)
Although this was the last arc for Supergirl...what a way to go. The mix of Peter David's writing and Ed Benes artwork make this trade a definate must read (it was one of the most talked about comic events of 2003), and will be remembered again as the character of Supergirl evolves in 2004. The story centers around the newly recharged Linda Danvers (Supergirl to you! ) returns to find that a new Supergirl has crashed landed on Earth. Ed Benes' artwork is incredible (he can now be found drawing the gorgeous gals of "Birds of Prey"), I love it and was so happy to be introduced to him. Unfortunately the arc wasn't given the chance the revive the "Supergirl" series, it is still a great read and should be given the once over.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Correction on Earlier Review's Pre-Crisis Argument, October 6, 2004
This review is from: Supergirl: Many Happy Returns (Paperback)
An earlier review of Many Happy Returns states: "The entire premise of this story centers on the idea that pre-Crisis continuity still exists somehow. The point of the Crisis on Infinite Earths was that most of the universes were destroyed, and what remained of the multiverse collapsed into one single universe with a revised history. There were no other universes."
Actually, they do exist--the reintroduction of the multiverse came about when Grant Morrison and Mark Waid did the Kingdom storyline that introduced the concept of hypertime. Waid himself notes: "The entire rationale behind Hypertime was simply to once more throw open the doors at DC, to remind readers that continuity should follow stories, not vice-versa, and that the DCU should be a place where ANYTHING can happen. We're especially proud about the structure of Hypertime--that is to say, if you want to use it, you can, but if you're a creator or editor offended by it, that's fine, too, YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE IT. It's there as a tool, NOT AS A RULE." (quoted from Bruce Bachand's interview with Mark Waid, Jan. '99 *see www.fanzing.com for the complete interview).
Given all this, the reviewer's argument doesn't hold. when he says, "The idea of one person creating a new world is insane. Kara's success depends on it being one Earth with only one active timeline. Otherwise, Kara would create a 'divergent Earth' and fail."
But Kara's universe *is* a divergent one, one where only she, not Linda, can play the role that was fated for her. In a sense, one person *does* create a new world. The previous issues had emphasized how different the two Supergirls were--it only follows that one cannot replace the other in a parallel universe without there being some substantial differences in the outcome. Hence another divergent Earth--not the DC main universe, nor Kara's universe, but one that came about because of Linda.
All in all, a really good conclusion to the Supergirl series.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
