This is supposed to be the “Summer of Supergirl,” but is it really turning out to be that?
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Recently, June was the “Summer of Superman” in honor of the upcoming Superman movie. This time, it’s honoring the Maid of Steel because her film landed on June 25. With Milly Alcock starring, here’s the movie’s description: “When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Supergirl reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion for an interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.”
In honor of that, DC is releasing Supergirl: The World, a hardcover anthology of the heroine’s exploits across the globe by creators from various countries. There is also a new mini-series called Supergirl: Survive as well as her ongoing monthly title. DC also has re-released the Tom King book Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow upon which the movie is supposedly based.
Oddly enough, the runtime of Supergirl is confirmed to be one of the shortest-ever DC-related movies at about 108 minutes. The previous holder of that title was Birds of Prey at 109 minutes back in 2020.
The actress is quoted as saying that “Kara is someone who so beautifully leans into her flaws. I think it’s really special.” She hasn’t necessarily said many nice things about some of the fans she should be encouraging to see the film at this point.This is the same character who announced in the Superman film that she would go to worlds with Red Suns so she could get drunk.
Sorry, but that just doesn’t make me really anxious to see the movie.
PREVIOUS INCARNATIONS
Back before Batman ’66, Superman was really “all that” for a long, long time. You could (and they did) literally slap an “S” symbol on just about anyone and anything, and their comics would sell.
Comics featuring Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s Pal and Lois Lane, Superman’s Girl Friend were big business. They also had Beppo, the Super-Monkey, Krypto, the Superdog, Comet, the Super-Horse, and Streaky, the Super-Cat, to name a few. There was even a Legion of Super-Pets for a while! Superboy and his adventures with the future Legion of Super-Heroes were great fun.
Superman was THE man!
Of course, Supergirl has also had her times in the sun. I remember when she first appeared in the comics, and she was kept hidden for a long time while she got acclimated to Earth. It was then a HUGE deal when she was revealed to the world. She, too, had her times in the future with the Legion, having Brainiac 5 as a boyfriend for a time. They even made an animated movie out of that!
One of my favorite incarnations of the Girl of Steel took place in Justice League: Unlimited, the animated show. She ended up being cloned, and their version of Power Girl was the opposite number of Kara. (I wonder if that influenced James Gunn’s version of Supergirl?)
Still, my favorite live-action Supergirl took place in her television show that first debuted on CBS, then transitioned to The CW, where she interacted with all the other DC-related heroes in various Crisis events and such. She was played by Melissa Benoist with a lot of heart, and I wonder what has become of that actress since then!
One of my biggest problems with Supergirl has always been that she has basically no rogues gallery. She often ends up taking on Superman foes after they have been beaten up by the Man of Steel. In my mind, I often have to think, who cares? She needs to have an opposite number that challenges her, not someone she can talk through her problems with.
I think one of her biggest problems is that the roles of women in society have been changing and evolving, and that influences our perceptions of Kara. If she’s too violent, she’s called too manly. If she spends her time talking her foes to death, she’s too dull.
How do you solve a problem like Kara? Does she need female creators working on her to better portray her as, indeed, “the woman of tomorrow?”
THE MOVIE
I have often said in this column and in other places that I’m not a big fan of the Gunn-verse, as I call it. While I see many people online claiming that Superman was a HUGE HIT, I look at the actual numbers, and they aren’t really all that impressive. Then, too, people who know the industry very well were forecasting that Supergirl would debut to only $47 to $65 million dollars on its opening weekend.
Now THAT’S scary! Even more frightening than to think that Lobo might just steal the show!
The thing is that Gunn has said that the estimates of the film costing $200 million to make were “not even a little bit true.” However, if those estimates are indeed accurate, this movie could literally sink Gunn’s entire plan of a franchise that all hangs together, from the live-action films and TV shows to the animated series’. If you link it all to an overarching story, it better be TERRIFIC! And, based on Gunn’s previous entries, I’m not terribly impressed.
And the thing is, I’m a BIG Super-fan! I buy pretty much every single Super-comic that comes out! I’m even sad that the BIG GUY is nowhere to be found currently, after the “DC K.O.” event. I’m looking forward to when he reappears, as he must, regardless of whatever costume he’s toting at the time.
And if I’m worried, well, I just bet the folks at DC and/or Warner Bros. are, too! All we can do is wait and see. The truth is, though, I’m not planning to see Supergirl in the movie theaters at all. Just like Superman before it, I’ll wait until the film hits streaming services which, like her predecessor, might happen much sooner than later!
About Author
