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Mild Mannered Reviews - Supergirl Comics

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #21

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #21

Scheduled to arrive in stores: August 23, 2006

Cover date: October 2006

Writer: Mark Waid & Tony Bedard
Penciller: Barry Kitson & Adam DeKraker
Inker: Rob Still

Reviewed by: Jeffrey Bridges

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Colossal Boy is in Big City, trying to get information out of his fellow giants for all of their seemingly random attacks last issue. Unfortunately they're doing little more than threatening to beat him up when three science police show up for a prisoner transfer.

Colossal Boy says he didn't know they were being transferred and the Science Police reveal themselves to be different aliens with varying powers, who break the other giants out of prison where they make good on their threat and beat up Colossal Boy with a variety of moves straight out of WWE wrestling, for selling out to the "United Parents".

Out in space, Brainiac 5's plan to bring Dream Girl back to life goes forward, and results in the complete disappearance of Dream Girl's body. When Element Lad suggests that's because she's been dead all this time and has moved on to the afterlife, Brainy attacks him in a fit of rage. When the others try to stop him, they discover that Brainy has made himself immune to all types of attack from any Legion members. In his quarters, Dream Girl appears to comfort Brainy and tells him that she'll never leave him, although he appears to be alternately sleeping and interacting with Dream Girl at the same time. What with the nature of Dream Girl, it's unclear if she's actually alive and communicating with him via dreams or if he's simply imagining her.

Back at Legion HQ, several of the other Legion members are trying to get to know Supergirl a little better, but are finding it difficult. Since she thinks she's dreaming them all up, it makes them feel like their problems aren't real to her, and Kara is still convinced she's going to wake up in bed in Argo City on Krypton any time now.

Cosmic Boy also takes a moment to tell Lightning Lad that in order to try and regain some of the trust (with all of the kids who consider themselves Legion members but don't have any powers) that they lost by signing the agreement that made them a branch of the United Planets, they're going to hold open elections for leader and let everyone vote.

4Story - 4: Moving along nicely, although I notice we once again have the added help of Tony Bedard on the writing. I'm still not sure in what capacity he's contributing, but I will say that I noticed a lack of the usual punch to the dialogue. Story-wise all the subplots are developing in good ways, and the bit with Supergirl is quite interesting and I can't wait to see where it goes.

As I mentioned, I found the dialogue a little lacking from its normal crackling electric style, but on the whole still a good issue of a great book.

4Art - 4: Not bad, but not as good as when Kitson's doing the pencils himself. Some of the facial expressions were really out there, but on the whole I found it better than average. Not much to really rave about, though.

3Cover Art - 3: This is a good cover... not a terribly emotional one (although it might be if I was more familiar with Dream Girl, but I still haven't been able to read every issue prior to Supergirl joining the team) but it certainly gets the point across from the biggest event of the issue and is devoid of any cover-ruining quips. I've got no real complaints about it, it just doesn't have that one factor that makes it jump out and grab me.


Mild Mannered Reviews

2006

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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