Symbol Pending - A Power Girl Blog

T his was originally an introduction to the classic All-Star Comic #58, but it grew to the point that it seemed better as a post of its very own! On the 24th May 1940 the first issue of All Star Comics (All-Star came later), it was an anthology comic in which stories of Hawkman (Carter Hall), Sandman (Wesley Dobbs), The Flash (Jay Garrick), The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) and Hourman (Rex Tyler), alongside Red, White & Blue and Ultra-Man (no not that one, but a standard Future Cop story). Issue second added the Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Johnny Thunder, though the third though still not abandoning the anthology format added a new twist making them part of the first team the Justice Society of America! Oh and the Atom (Al Pratt) making the classic JSA lineup, and also technically the first female superhero in the form of Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel) though it's hardly the shining hour for anyone... Through the issues, and the addition of Batman and Superman (issue sev...

  CRISIS BETWEEN TWO EARTH or APOKOLIPS NOW! JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #184 Published:   14th August 1980 Cover Date:  November 1980 Cover Artists:   George Pérez Writer:  Gerry Conway Penciler:  George Pérez Inker:   Frank McLaughlin Colourist:   Gene D'Angelo Letterer:   Ben Oda Editors:   Len Wein Introduction No little lectures or points to be made this time around, other than to say that I'm using the Apokolips Now as the title rather than its official title as it's, in my opinion. much cooler than the Crisis related title. And for context at this point, Crisis was just the name of the annual crossover between the JLA and the JSA rather than the big multiversal event that they are now. And the film Apocalypse Now was only a year old, coincidently releasing on August 15th 1979, so was relatively cool and probably still in the public consciousness. Synopsis After a glorious full-page spread that gives us the story so far, we get anoth...

  THE FALL JLA: CREATED EQUAL #1 Published:   19th January 2000 Cover Date:  March 2000 Cover Artists:   Kevin Maguire / Joe Rubinstein / Dave Stewart Writer:  Fabian Nicieza Penciler:  Kevin Maguire Inker:   Joe Rubinstein Colourist:   Gloria Vasquez / Digital Chameleon Letterer:   Bob Lappan Editors:   Andrew Helfer / Jim Higgins Introduction So we start the new millennium of this reboot by covering my first-ever Elseworlds, if you ignore Tangent and Bombshells! And it's kinda sad that some of the points bought up in this mini, especially the second part (which we'll get to eventually) still have some resonance in 2023! And obviously, this blog being what it is we start with an Elseworld that probably no one has given any thought to since it first came out almost twenty years ago! Synopsis We open with a character we'll meet again later Maria Contranetti, a struggling comedian putting up a flyer, only for her coffee to be spilled by a ...

  CRISIS ON NEW GENESIS or WHERE HAVE ALL THE NEW GODS GONE?JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #183 Published:   10th July 1980 Cover Date:  October 1980 Cover Artists:   Jim Starlin Writer:  Gerry Conway Penciler:  Dick Dillin Inker:   Frank McLaughlin Colourist:   Gene D'Angelo Letterer:   Ben Oda Editors:   Len Wein Introduction Everything these days has to be a massive crossover with the entire Multiverse in crisis, whilst in the 70s and 80s you got these (relative) low-key events where two or more teams just teamed up over both of their comics. Which I guess is weird as this involves New Genesis and Apokolips, y'know the New Gods that you'd figure would want, no need, to be in a big massive story. But somehow for me, these kinda stories have a bigger appeal, probably because right now there's a little bit of event fatigue. Synopsis We start, as with all these crossovers with the standard one-page explanation of how the JLA are from Eart...

Let Old Acquaintances Be Forgot... Justice League of America #209 Cover Date:   December 1982 Released:   2nd September 1982 Normally I don't comment on the covers, but I've got to say I love the shock faces on all the floating heads on the cover, except Robotman (and you know maybe Dr Fate) who seems particularly chill about the whole situation. Anyway, for those that skipped All-Star, we get a summary of the events of that comic in about two pages, including a handle chalkboard of who we've got and who's still to be stopped. then we get a quick recap of the whole plan. That's about five pages before we get the story proper.  Then we cut to Geneva Switzerland where Commander Steel, Firestar and our Power Girl, the whole reason I'm here at least, are after the next bunch of missiles. After the local Burgomeister try to stop our heroes, and I'm proud to say I knew it would be a Burgomeister without the text before the baddies just open up on our heroes with a...

  Master of Worlds and Time All-Star Squadron #15 Cover Date:   November 1982 Released:   26th August 1982 The first few pages, obviously working on the idea readers of All-Star Squadron don't read the JLA, sum up the story so far as told by the big bad of the story Per Degaton. It does start with a lovely splash page of the three teams, though they're not standing quite with how the captions explain the two teams. As usual, it seems Firestorm is hitting on Kara again, alas we don't hear the pitty putdown it looks like she's about to deliver. The explanation cuts to the heroes as the JSA explains how they went from the future 1986 back to 1942 and how the nuclear explosion threw them about and needed reusing in the last issue. We then get the President explaining that unless the heroes can find all the nuclear missiles they'll have to surrender to stop the millions of casualties that the attack would cause. And after all that we're now off and onto the plot. As ...

  The Bomb-Blast Heard 'round the World Justice League of America #208 Cover Date:   November 1982 Released:   5th August 1982 We open with the best of all team up cliche's, the misunderstanding fight between the two groups of heroes. The JLA ( Aquaman,  Firestorm,  Hawkman,  Superman,  Zatanna ) newly arrived in 1942 deck it out with the All-Star Squadron ( Commander Steel,  Liberty Belle,  Johnny Quick,  Firebrand,  Robotman) from the era, who want to know what happened to the JSA. Supes eventually gets fed up enough to literally shout for everyone to stop acting like bickering kids, with Robotman agreeing with the sentiment. I know it's mostly my biases, but being used to the Doom Patrol (TV version) this reasonable version of Robotman is weird . Apparently, all it takes is for supes to mention he's from the future to make everyone cool allies, they even had a little get together to celebrate. Though I could have done without Fi...

Crisis Times Three Justice League of America #207 Cover Date:   October 1982 Released:   1st July 1982 This is the twentieth crossover between the JSA and JLA, though I've only done the last four, so we get an epic three-part series! We're still a good four years from the idea of the sprawling multi-part epic, so four issues will have to do for now. Being an anniversary issue we start with all the usual beats with the two teams being excited about the annual team-up. We quickly cover that Zatana is the chairman of the JLA, Firestorm has a thing for Power Girl and a reminder that Helena is Bruce's daughter even if Batman isn't in this one. And as seems just as traditional the beam is intercepted and they're whisked away somewhere else. We then get a lovely splash page as the JLA face the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3! Apart from the silly-looking costume of Owlman, and the obvious reason Batman and Green Lantern are elsewhere, we get a fairly good fight where the Syndic...

Darkseid Rising Justice League of America #185 Cover Date:  December 1980 Released:  11th September 1980 We start with both a full and two-page splash of Metron summing up the last issue, the Boom Tube apparently allowing them to see current events going on throughout Apokolips. We then get Darkseid himself shows up in the Fortress that Batman, Huntress and Mr Miracle were learning his plans. Apparently being stranded in the astral plane has hardened Darkseid to weakness in life, though not family as he locks the Injustice League in the dread Chamber 13 for harming his son Orion. Though he doesn't care enough to thaw him out, Icicle having frozen them in a giant block of ice. Firestar flame being out in the block of ice is a nice touch as well. We then get the three active heroes attacking the guards dragging the ice block away before we cut to the next scene.  We then get Dr Fate, Hal Lantern, High Father and Oberon in a brief fight with Parademons. Mostly its for High F...

Apokolips Now Justice League of America #184 Cover Date:  November 1980 Released:  14th August 1980 A very pop art opening splash page reminds us that we're on Apokolips where Darkseid is being raised from his trapping in the Source Wall. We then get another splash page of Darkseid before we're right into the action with Power Girl, Firestorm and Orion attacking the Injustice Society. For once the fight goes pretty well for our heroes, with most of the bad guys getting taken down pretty quickly. And for once Kara gets some great moments, including to frame of both her and Orion attacking Icicle from different angels as he says "Oh no!" at both, only for them both to go "Oh yes!". We also get a frame of her flirting? or just bantering with Firestorm that's he's being "cute". Alas, the Fiddler plays a tune and the heroes see their worst fears, which for Power Girl is being tickled by lasers of something. Meanwhile, Superman, Wonder Woman and ...