This Summer Belongs To Supergirl, According to DC

Summer of Supergirl Special #1 main cover art by Belén Ortega

Ahead of the release of the upcoming Supergirl movie, a 48-page comic, the Summer of Supergirl Special, is due to hit stores on June 24.

According to the publisher:

This celebratory anthology brings together an all-star roster of writers and artists for a trio of stories honouring Kara Zor-El’s legacy across the DC Universe.

The creators involved include writers Sophie Campbell, Mark Waid, and Gail Simone, and artists Belén Ortega, Cian Tormey, and Emma Kubert.

The main cover is illustrated by Ortega, with variant covers by Tula Lotay and Pablo Villalobos, plus a Supergirl movie variant cover by Mahmud Asrar.

The book's lead story is by the current ongoing Supergirl writer Sophie Campbell, with artist Belén Ortega. It sees the quiet town of Midvale shaken when Supergirl comes face-to-face with the galactic bounty hunter Lobo. Can the Maiden of Might stand up to the Main Man?

Clearly this is to echo the movie where Lobo and Supergirl cross paths in live-action, but I suspect in Campbell's hands the story will be more light-hearted and Silver Age. The movie trailer looks like it's positioning her halfway between Guardians of The Galaxy and the Snyderverse. I could be wrong... I often am.

I have to admit I've also never been a fan of Lobo (although, surprisingly, I enjoyed his appearance in the 2019 Krypton TV series, where he was portrayed by the excellent Emmett J Scanlan). The character was always seemed too much of a one joke/one note creation who outstayed his welcome.

But then again I felt the same about Deadpool and Venom when they were first "breaking out" and I've subsequently changed my mind on both of those characters (although comic book Deadpool will never be as funny as cinematic Deadpool).

The Summer of Supergirl Special also includes two other stories - one by Mark Waid and Cian Tormey, and another by Gail Simone and Emma Kubert - each celebrating Supergirl as she resumes her rightful place as the Heir to El.

Supergirl movie variant cover art by Mahmud Asrar

Variant cover art by Tula Lotay

Variant cover art by Pablo Villalobos

Knock At The Cabin (2023)

While staying at an idyllic, isolated, lakeside cabin, young Wen (Kristen Cui in her feature film debut) and her two dads, Andrew (Pennyworth's Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Hamilton's Jonathan Groff), have their vacation interrupted by the arrival of four strangers at the their door .

This group - Leonard (Guardians of The Galaxy and Dune's Dave Bautista), Sabrina (Avenue 5's Nikki Amuka-Bird), Adriane (Little Women's Abby Quinn) and Redmond (Harry Potter's Rupert Grint) - are the politest, most apologetic home invaders, but they are also quite insistent in their demands.

They explain that, while they were previously unknown to each other, they have been guided to the cabin by identical visions.

These told them that unless unless one of Andrew, Eric, or Wen is sacrificed by the other two, the entire population of the Earth will die in a series of plagues and disasters.

Naturally, Andrew and Eric don't believe this, with Andrew becoming increasingly convinced that this is a targeted, homophobic attack, especially when he thinks he recognises one of the intruders.

The couple are given four chances to choose a sacrifice and if they don't the consequences are - initially - rather unexpected.

However, if the ultimate sacrifice isn't made, only Andrew, Eric, and Wen will survive... to walk the desolate, post-apocalyptic Earth for the rest of their lives.

Straight off the bat, I have to say that I really enjoyed Knock at The Cabin. 

When I sit down to watch a movie where I strongly suspect there will be some kind of major twist, especially if it's an M. Night Shyamalan flick, I like to come to it with as little foreknowledge as possible... so I can be disappointed on my own terms, and not because some doofus has blabbed a key plot development online.

I'm glad that I knew nothing beyond the inciting set-up as Knock at The Cabin certainly delivers. This is a return to classic Shyamalan, with no stupid contrivances to undermine the powerful psychological horror at the heart of this story.

There's a modicum of violence in the film, although most occurs off camera as that's not how Shyamalan wants to unnerve his audience here, rather that's left to audience members contemplating the implications of choices that Andrew and Eric are being told they need to make. It's a more cerebral approach to horror than cheap jump scares, gruesome gore or scary monsters (all of which have their place, but it's nice to mix things up every now and again).

The story alludes to a pseudo-Biblical Apocalypse without being overly religious, drawing upon topical, real world fears, but ramping them up to 11 for the news coverage of the global drama unfolding beyond the confines of the cabin.

Based on Paul Tremblay's award-winning 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World (which is a far better name and I don't know why they didn't use it for the film), Knock At The Cabin could also easily be adapted to a stage play because of its clever and minimal use of locations.

All the core cast are on top form, being wholly convincing in their particular roles during the stressful scenario that kicks off almost immediately after the film begins.

There's no hanging around, the script (by director M. Night Shyamalan, co-written with Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman) throws us in the deep end, with a handful of brief flashbacks during the film's 100-minute runtime to fill in the protagonists' backstory.

The antagonists, however, we - like Andrew, Eric, and Wen - can only judge by their words and deeds.

I kept looking out for obvious, or predictable, grand scale Shyamalan twists, trying to second guess the plot, but I'm delighted to say I failed and got to live the ending as the characters did.

Superman (2025)

On his own initiative, Superman (David Corenswet) has sought to prevent a war between an allied nation of the United States and its neighbour, much to the annoyance of the American government and tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).

A social media campaign is orchestrated to turn the American people against Superman, and even his girlfriend, Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) starts to question him.

Superman is not another origin story, rather throwing readers into the non-stop action in media res. However, Superman's backstory is explained episodically throughout the movie as it's a central theme of the story.

This brand, spanking new iteration of the Man of The Steel unapologetically blends the wholesome positivity of the Christopher Reeve era of Superman movies with both Silver Age comic book zaniness and modern sensibilities.

It's clear from the get-go that writer/director James Gunn loves comic book superheroes and has a deep knowledge of his chosen universe, presenting deep cuts - such as Superman's robots and flying dog, Krypto; Metamorpho The Element Man (Anthony Carrigan); bowl-haircut-sporting Green Lantern Guy Gardener (Nathan Fillion); Mr Terrific (Edi Gathegi); and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) - in a matter-of-fact way, rather than tongue-in-cheek.

Superman isn't embarrassed to be a comic book movie, rather it dives headlong into the superhero genre tropes with relish, emerging as one of the finest and most accurate adaptations of the beloved source material that we've yet seen on the big screen.

Gunn's film captures the brightness and optimism of the best, most truthful, Superman stories, yet still manages to weave in the character's inherent "look after the little guy" political nature that has been part of the Last Son of Krypton's makeup since he was created by a pair of Jewish immigrants in the 1930s as a rebuttal to the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Launching the new DC Comics cinematic universe, Gunn brings his A-game to his iteration of Superman, meaning I was hooked from start to finish, and came away totally smitten by this work of art.

However, something I kept to myself until I actually saw this film: I actually wasn't sure if Superman was going to work under the character's current cinematic stewardship.

While I adored Gunn's Guardians of The Galaxy trilogy for Marvel, for embracing the wackiness of comics, his other recent superhero-related shows, such as Peacemaker, Suicide Squad and Creature Commandos, have left me cold. These attempts to force "mature themes" (ie. swearing, crass humour and graphic violence) onto DC characters just doesn't work for me.

These are attitudes I'll embrace on more independent  "superhero" worlds, such as Invincible and The Boys, because they are their own thing and their "edginess" is there for a reason, but for me the 90-year-old beating heart of the DC comics universe isn't like that at all, it's purer, family-friendly and more aspirational.

And that's exactly what Superman is.

PULP PICTURE OF THE MONTH: The Legend Of Tarzan (2016)

To cut a long story short, The Legend Of Tarzan wasn't just the best action movie of the year it was released, but also found a place as one of my all-time favourites.

Director David Yates' period piece is as near perfect a Tarzan tale as I could have hoped for, drawing on Edgar Rice Burroughs' source material (as well as the popular pulp era movies) to serve up a true edge-of-the-seat, straight-forward, non-stop, roller coaster of an old school, ripping yarns adventure.

Simply put, they don't make films like this any more... more's the pity.

It's Africa in the late 19th Century and Belgium emissary Leon Rom (Spectre's Christoph Waltz) is the sole survivor of a diamond-hunting raid on the mythical city of Opar. Captured by Chief Mbonga (Guardians Of The Galaxy's Djimon Hounsou), Rom is offered a deal for access to the city's diamond supply: he must bring the chief's arch-enemy to him. This being Tarzan!

Tarzan aka Lord John Clayton III (True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård) has returned to England and is living the life of a lord with his lovely wife, Jane (Suicide Squad's Margot Robbie).

He receives an invitation from King Leopold of Belgium to visit the Congo and is reluctantly persuaded by American George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) to take up the offer, as George wants to follow up rumours of illegal slavery in the country.

Along with Jane, the two men head to Africa, and the pretence of John Clayton's invitation being a diplomatic issue is quickly torn asunder when Rom and his mercenaries attack the village where our heroes are staying, kidnapping Jane in the process.

The Legend Of Tarzan then becomes a race against time, not only to rescue Jane, but then to prevent Rom getting the diamonds to the coast to pay off a huge mercenary army that will soon be landing to enslave the country's entire native population to work for King Leopold.

As well as drawing on the traditional source material, both Burroughs' novels and the early films (there's a couple of Weissmuller yodels - but given a more bestial remix - as well as visual nods to my favourite Johnny Weissmuller outing as Tarzan: 1946's Tarzan And The Leopard Woman), The Legend Of Tarzan also draws heavily in tone and style from another of my all-time favourite pulp action films: Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

Waltz, while playing a variation of his usual deadpan arrogance, is essentially a different take on Paul Freeman's Belloq. The dinner scene between Rom and Jane is a clear homage - down to the knife-stealing - of the similar scene in Raiders, between Belloq and Marion.

The Raiders' tone is also reflected in the moments of levity that slip seamlessly between the darker, more violent, episodes (I'd cite the fight between Tarzan and a train carriage full of soldiers as a particularly strong example of the balance of action and humour).

The CGI effects are slick, dynamic, and beautiful, sucking you into the film rather than shattering any suspension of belief you may require for Tarzan's magnificent, superhuman, displays of strength, endurance, and agility, or his - and others- interactions with the fearsome wild life of Africa.

Kudos also to scriptwriters Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer for a screenplay that continually escalates to a monumental showdown, while cleverly weaving in Tarzan's origin story - in flashbacks - without reducing The Legend Of Tarzan to being simply yet another retelling of the 'birth' of Tarzan Of The Apes.

If you like old school adventure movies, particularly those that inspired, or were inspired by, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, then this is the film for you. It's exciting, inventive, and thrilling, modern-yet-retro, and a must see for Tarzan fans new and old.

Shazam! (2019)

I'm old enough to remember when Shazam was called Captain Marvel and Marvel's Captain Marvel was Ms. Marvel.

Which is perhaps why I had some issues with Shazam! (the movie), even though it is essentially Big retold with superpowers. And everyone loves Big, right?

Even the makers of Shazam!... who acknowledge this obvious influence with a little nod from a giant musical keyboard scene.

Shazam! essentially tells two distinct stories: one about a troubled foster child, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) doing everything he can to find his birth mother.

So driven is he that he runs away from multiple foster homes, and keeps people at arm's length emotionally.

But parallel to this earnest tale of a young man's quest to find a family, we also have the story of Billy Batson being chosen by an otherworldy wizard - also called Shazam (Guardians Of The Galaxy's Djimon Hounsou) to become a 'magical champion'... called Shazam.

Whenever Billy says his name, he transforms into his superhero identity (Chuck's Zachary Levi), gaining the powers of superstrength, invulnerability, flight, speed, and lightning blasts... while retaining Billy's mind.

The problem is though - having removed any mention of Captain Marvel from the equation - Billy can't tell anyone his superhero codename because he will then transform into his alternate identity.

This becomes a running gag throughout the movie, as his 'sidekick', foster brother Freddie Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) - possibly my favourite supporting character in any modern superhero flick - keeps offering unsuitable suggestions.

I realise you could argue this isn't a big deal, but it is if you look at this through the spectrum of comic books - the source material for these movies - where the "superhero identity" is a major element of a hero's "brand".

Shazam! draws heavily from Geoff Johns' New 52 iteration of the character, which reimagined the original wholesome Billy Batson (who you could understand being considered "pure of heart" by a supernatural wizard and deserving of these great powers) into a bit of a brat.

And the thing is, for at least the middle third of the movie, after Billy is given superpowers, he becomes an even bigger brat (as Freddie points out), only really coming into his own once his family is threatened by a similarly-powered individual called Dr Sivana (Mark Strong).

This is, overall, a fun film, which digs deep into the old - and often totally bonkers - Captain Marvel mythology (including the introduction - in the obligatory mid-credits scene - of one of the greatest villains in comics. You can catch a glimpse of him in a very early scene, if you know what you're looking for. I really hope his next live-action appearance can do justice to such a bizarre character).

The central plot - around which the stories of Billy's personal life and superheroic identity revolve - is very linear: bad man gets power, good boy gets power, boy wastes powers, man wants boy's power as well, boy realises how important his powers are, man and boy fight.

Shazam! also falls into that classic old Marvel Cinematic Universe trap of pitting the main character against a dark reflection of himself (Sivana is, here, for all intents and purposes, a 'dark' Shazam, even though we discover later he has limitations that Billy doesn't).

As good as Mark Strong is as the crazed Sivana, this is a bit of a shame given the breadth of exotic and villainous characters the filmmakers had to draw from in the old Captain Marvel comics.

Every so often, when it remembers its Big roots, Shazam! injects some levity into its drama, with Sivana's 'supervillain speech' being a major laugh-out-loud moment.

While it never veers into full Batman v Superman grimdark territory (and their existence is readily - and pleasingly - acknowledged here), there's still an occasionally jarring uncertainty about just how funny this film is allowed to be.

Ultimately, as often happens with comic book movies, it's the potential of what could be done next with the characters and their mythology that turns out to be more inspiring than the actual two-hour film you've just sat through.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Shazam! - despite all its narrative faults (much of which came from its choice of source material), I just can't wait for the inevitable sequel, especially with the introduction of the extended Marvel family (although we can't call them that).

I always loved the fact that Captain Marvel came with a ready-built team, united by familial bonds.

This is one of the things that makes the character special - and enduring - and I really hope that the sequel (and any future films) build on this, as well as digging deeper into the character's crazy rogues' gallery for its villains.

After the over-the-top excellence (and audience appreciation) of Aquaman, I thought Shazam! would have been the perfect vehicle to ramp up the gonzo stakes even higher.

Hopefully, those delights are still to come...

TALES FROM THE VAULT: Marvel Team-Up #96 (1980)

Chronologically this tale recounts the second meeting of Spider-Man and Howard The Duck (although Peter Parker isn't quite sure if their first meeting, in Howard The Duck issue one, wasn't just a bad dream).

In Marvel Team-Up #96, from 1980, Howard is working as a taxi driver and has driven a slightly kooky fare from Cleveland to New York, a former librarian and now self-taught orator who now goes by the soubriquet of Status Quo.

Status Quo is violently opposed to "fads" (from jogging and frisbees to roller-skates and disco music), which he believes are undermining the backbone of America.

Quo gets Howard to drive him to Central Park where he starts whipping up the crowds into a riotous frenzy.

Peter Parker sees what's going on on the news - and spots Howard in the background of the broadcast - and so swings over to make sure things don't get out of hand.

Status Quo is a typical Howard The Duck antagonist from the classic Steve Gerber era (even though this issue was written and drawn by Alan Kupperberg)

He's a fruitcake with a political point to make and - sudden and inexplicable - access to high-tech weaponry (exploding frisbees and jet-propelled skateboards!) who is ultimately defeated by dramatic irony.

Although the resolution involves - of course - fisticuffs, it comes down to Howard giving him a stern talking to in front of the assembled media that spells the end for Status Quo.

Among the many nutty moments of this issue, Spider-Man gets very serious (and references Hitler):

And Howard gets naked (and spends about half the issue in a state of undress!):

As an aside, I'd just like to point out that, to my mind, this is definitive Howard The Duck look... you know, like a duck, not that that strange elongated, scrawny appearance he developed after Marvel had a run-in with Disney over his supposed similarity to Donald.

Not really Howard The Duck...

That was my only real disappointment with the original Guardians Of The Galaxy movie, the Howard who popped up at the end didn't look like my Howard.

And, yes, I am one of the handful of people who likes the 1986 movie.

Given that Disney now owns Marvel isn't it about time they let Howard get his proper look back?

TOP OF THE PILE: Marvel Mutts #1

My fortnightly pull-list is usually planned out weeks, if not months, in advance as I try to stay abreast of forthcoming releases from The Big Two and my favourite indies of the moment.

However, every so often something slips through the net and I don't spot it until Andy (from Paradox Comics) sends out his weekly list of what's due in that Wednesday.

Marvel Mutts #1 was one such title that had totally escaped my notice, but a quick Google suggested it would be something I might enjoy... and my initial feelings were proved 100 per cent correct once I got the comic in hand.

A print collation of several online Infinity Comics, this gorgeous - and near dialogue-free - anthology of short stories opens with Ms Marvel's adoption of a young cockapoo called Mittens from the Best Buds Shelter in New York City (after she crashes into it during a fight with Kraven the Hunter). 

The subsequent short tales are Mittens' "adventures" with a pack of other Avenger-adjacent dogs that hang out at the Avengers' Mansion, including Lockjaw (of The Inhumans), Lucky The Pizza Dog (Hawkeye's friend), Cosmo (from The Guardians of The Galaxy), and Bats (Dr Strange's ghost dog).

To anyone who is a dog owner there are so many relatable moments in this comic, even if exaggerated through the lens of superheroes, from dogs being afraid of the sound of fireworks to canine expressions of loyalty and love. Even something as simple as playing fetch becomes a global odyssey with the involvement of America Chavez and her portal travel. 

Beautifully written by Mackenzie Cadenhead, with gorgeous art by Takeshi Miyazawa (coloured by Raúl Angulo), Marvel Mutts #1 gets you in the feels with every story, always delivering an upbeat ending perfectly capturing the joy of having a dog in your life.

An uplifting one-shot that contrasts with the general association of violence with the superhero genre, this book is the perfect all-ages title for those wishing to experience the majesty of the medium, grounding the weird science and way-out magic of the superhero genre with the relatability - and responsibility - of pet ownership.