New and Improved Supergirl

Last night, as I was writing my review of Action Comics #850, with the beautiful Renato Guedes art, I was reminded of the interview I read over at The Pulse with Tony Bedard and how excited I am about his and Guedes' upcoming run on Supergirl. Supergirl is a character I was never all that familiar with. The original was already dead by the time I started reading comics. Also, when I first got into comics, I was all about Spider-Man and the X-Men, only reading the occasional Superman or Batman story when something was specifically recommended to me, like Arkham Asylum. I was exposed to the Matrix Supergirl (that's what she's called right?) during the Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen arcs, and upon asking what her deal was, became thoroughly confused by the answers. She didn't match up at all with the little I knew of Supergirl from the movie, and when combined with the whole Lex Luthor has hair and he's good and Supergirl is dating him thing...well, I just figured it was best to stick with Storm, Jean Grey, Rogue, and Jubilee. Then that Supergirl was gone too (I have no idea how). When Supergirl was brought back this time, it was at a point when I was just getting interested in DC Comics, thanks to Justice League Unlimited and a newfound love of all things Bruce Timm, so I might have been interested in Supergirl. I certainly liked her on the cartoons, but the new comic book incarnation was drawn by Michael Turner. Big turn off.

After all that, it's kind of weird that I can get excited about the character now. Well, Renato Guedes on art helps. As I mentioned in my Action Comics #850 review, I'm in love with his work, and his concept art for Supergirl looks great. She's not emaciated, which is always nice.

I'm pretty certain the up the skirt Marilyn Monroe shot was done so that we would know that the 16-year-old girl is actually wearing shorts under her skirt as she flies high over everyone's heads. I think my favorite thing is the cape though. It almost seems a little too big for her. This Supergirl is attractive, and and her costume isn't all that different, though maybe the skirt is a little bit longer, but there's an awkwardness about her too. That's the part that gets me. Teenagers are awkward. That's what makes being a teenager suck so much.

More than the art though, which, again, is Guedes, so it probably could have gotten me to buy the comic on that alone, I like what Tony Bedard has to say:

BEDARD: Well, I think that just because they're all "strong females" doesn't mean they're all alike. Supergirl's a teenager and still relatively new to Earth, so she'll be more naive than Black Canary, who's a seasoned veteran. With Birds of Prey, the whole point of the team is that everyone brings a different type of strength to the mix, so you try and write accordingly. Hopefully, I manage to pull it off.

BEDARD: I'd already handled her some in Legion of Super-Heroes, so she wasn't a complete stranger. Then I read through the current run to see what's been done so far. Mostly I try to remember what it felt like to be a teenager and to be the new kid in a strange place, and to slowly discover the complexities of life and the way the world works, which would actually be harder to do if you're super-powerful and have all these expectations thrust upon you by everyone you meet.

I have basic expectations about what's appropriate for a character with the "S" on her chest. I don't think that's a limitation -- it points the way toward the proper area in which to search for fresh material. She's not a dark avenger or Goth punk. She's a strange visitor from another planet who should embody all that's best in humanity and in America. That's right, America. The land of immigrants who make good.

BEDARD: I'm just getting going, so I'm waiting to see what Renato does on this story, but I'm very excited about it. This guy is brilliant! I saw some character studies he did of Supergirl, and they're brilliant. Now, if I was 17 and ruled by hormones, the zero-bodyfat, nearly-naked Supergirl would probably be my fave. But Renato's take is much more like a living, breathing person, which makes her all the more endearing and fascinating. This guy is on his way to Tony Harris-style fame and fortune, and I'm honored to have a chance to work with him.

I'm not familiar with Bedard's other work, but it just seems like he's interested writing the kind of teenage superhero I am interested in reading. I don't know why, but there is something about coming of age stories and superpowers that go together really well, and consequently, I am always interested in new teenage characters. I love Young Avengers and Runaways and my two all time favorite characters are Peter Parker and Buffy Summers. But the whole appeal of these characters is completely blown if the characters don't feel real, distinctive, and relateable. Since comic books are a visual medium, part of that has to be the character's appearance. Would Peter Parker have been half as interesting when he was first introduced if it wasn't for his geekiness? Tony Bedard seems to get that.

Also, he realizes "strong females" aren't an interchangeable type, like spunky sidekick or something, which makes me look forward to the rest of his work, several of which I had already planned on picking up, like his issues of Birds of Prey. The fact that he has a sense of what's appropriate for a character that wears the "S" is nice too. There are expectations that come with that crest and I think to many creators are willing to disregard that, but it's something that has meant a lot to people for decades, and that baggage can't just be erased because a new writer or artist wants to be edgy.