Wes, you were right that Tom King's narrative is a riff on True Grit. I watched an interview with him on the Supergirl Radio podcast you tube channel and he admitted that he was influenced by True Grit, without actually saying he turned Supergirl into Rooster Cogburn.
Personally I disagree that it’s a misrepresentation of her character based off that one moment she’s drunk since by the end of it she’s already more her usual self. The “edge” of her grieving her lost planet was always there and her interactions with the girl at the end seemed on par for her, not “edge city” like people labeling anything Tom King touches. For me it was worth the buy and hope that most people that bought it can say the same.
Agree. Although I did not participate in this American rite of passage, many good people I know get drunk on their 21st birthday. And how many people change from 17 to 21? She still says not to kill.
@@derrickcamardo4629 Except that she does. We already had it confirmed. This is not Supergirl. If you like it, fine, but admit it. You're here to read a remake of True Grit, you don't give a flying fish who the characters are.
@@Slitheringpeanut you can't tell me what I give a "flying fish" about. My biggest comic book regret was not buying Up in the Sky first edition because everyone at the time told me King was trash. Since then I have read Mr. Miracle and reading Strange. And I became a Tom King fan. I'm just giving another perspective, so if there is a Kara fan out there who maybe feels useless or at the end of their rope, they can read this and relate/enjoy it. It sometimes is more impactful when a positive character feels negatively. My suspicion is she will turn it around. That is kinda how Miracle ended. Though Miracle has a lot of interpretations.
I had an idea somewhat like this several years ago. Having Marvel or DC Comics characters prominently featured as main characters in some of the most recognized novels of all time. Like have Jason Todd in Catcher in the Rye or have the Blackhawk Squadron in Catch 22. And then as a bonus, go back and redo the same novels using a different set of characters each time.
I know I'm two years late to this but I have to agree that this should be either a Jonah Hex story or if they wanted a sci-fi story then a Lobo one would be better too.
@@JLD22591 ok, good to know! Thanks for the recommendation. I have heard some people say its the best thing ever and some say it's crap. I will probably check it out for myself.
That's because it's not a Supergirl story. The writing is good in some spots bad in others. I've only read a couple Tom King things (I finally finished this recent Iy), and I can see where a main complaint is that he doesn't write characters true to themselves, he bends them around his story ideas. This is Tom King's version of Supergirl; he uses the character, but it is not really Kara Zor El, it's Tom King's "stong woman" character. I liked a lot of it, but then started to like it a lot less in the last few issues. Like a lot of critics say, he shouldn't use established characters because he doesn't want to respect their histories and traits. They are characters in name and appearance only,; they are essentially a skin for HIS character ideas he has for his stories.
@@arcanask Here's a pitch; a young alien girl wants revenge for the death of her family/ planet due to the Skrulls. Carol Danvers, we meet her and her reputation is in ruins as a byproduct of Civil War 2, and most of the earth hates her. Combined with her attitude, she's managed to alienate(no pun intended) everyone and has turned to drink once more. Discovers the girl and pushes her away and we get the whole redemption arc where she starts, in turn, recognizing that she may have messed up big time with earth and everyone but that doesn't change the fact that those mistakes do not define her. That she can change. And as a result, she manages to help the girl and leaves, determined to earn the trust/ respect of everyone once more.
I hate the #@%$& symbol swearing. It's fine maybe once or twice in a book, but over and over again is obnoxious. if you're not allowed to write out the swear words, just don't use them. It doesn't make your story funnier or more mature or whatever. It just makes it more annoying.
Wait I just started getting into comics and started with this since the new DC slate announcement and your main disagreements are that she curses and drinks I understand the true grit thing but really she turned 21 got drunk and swears I thought you actually had arguments for how this wasn't Kara unless you're Implying Kara never swears and this is really relevant to her past iterations or something and the drinking point is just stupid either way great story love the message thankfully it's sold out everywhere now which is cool
Her having bit of an edge ro her is very in character ever since new 52. She even gets a red lantern ring cause she just cant adapt and let go of her trauma. Clark never truly experienced the tragedy of Kripton Klara is defined by it. Before new 52 she was esencally female superman that had no flaws besides being a girl. New her is much better as a character over all.
Ok .. TOM KING is not for me. This is the LAST time I bought a comic book written by Tom King. He is just TOO BORING, and it seems like he likes to "hear" his writting TOO MUCH.
@@TMF979Resurge oh I absolutely agree, I like that and the dinner scene where Joker and Riddler debate at Bruce’s house. It actually inspired me to write how I would pitch a Kiteman movie, am actually currently nearly finished with the video, hopefully I finish it by Sunday lol
If this doesn’t work out surly that’s it for King at DC. I think he needs to work on some creator owned stuff. His vision run was great but that seems to be his peak at the moment
That's what Tom King does. He takes a hero, drags them into the gutter, shits on them and then dumps a bottle of cheap booze all over them. Welcome to the Age of No Heroes starring Supergirl as Rooster Cogburn.
Everything Wes complained about, Tom King talked about on the Supergirl radio podcast. He called it a western style book close to something like True grit. I love this channel but when it comes to Tom King he needs to do a little more research from the writers perspective.
I enjoy the takes for the most part here, but always take them with a grain of salt. I feel like there is either a lack of understanding that this is the set up for a story, character growth, and that the character he wants Kara to be is definitely highlighted within the next 7 issues. This is a miniseries, and in-continuity or not it needs to tell a complete story. He even says that a sci-fi true grit is a good idea, and even that the story itself is pretty cool, but this bias that Tom King will "ruin" the character is so strong he overlooks the fact that it is an enjoyable story. And as you said, King has given credit to True Grit and other sources of inspiration. I've actually listened to a lot of interviews King has done over on ComicPop and he is never shy about movies and books that inspire his stories and directs people to them whenever he gets a chance to do so. Also again, the set-up is very True Grit, but over the course of the series it takes some deep dives into Supergirl's history and by the end is really a great Supergirl story.
That's a shame. I'll be honest; I've only read two things about Tom King. His Mister Miracle comic(which I liked) and his Superman: Up in the Sky story which I very much enjoyed. I've been on a Superman kick lately(rewatched the Donner films and have been rereading Byrne's Man of Steel) and it sucks that King mismatched the hero with a story like this. That said, is Tom King is bad as some people say he is? I know for a fact he went after Jae Lee which I was not a fan of but I haven't read much of his work, only hearing from folks like Literature Devil and other critics of his work.
@ronald bourgeois This is borderline plagiarism of True Grit, Tom King Supergirl is a rip-off of the movie True Grit Synopsis sounds exactly like the True Grit movie
Sorry, Wes, but Super-Girl will ALWAYS be Superman's cousin. No matter how much DC tries. Also, stop. NO ONE watching TV or Movies would EVER stoop to buying comics. It's never happened. All the movies have ever done is give us TV shows. The comics were never affected. Second, the Supergirl show. It's trash. Its been in decline in viewership for years. The only reason that hadn't cancelled the show, is that 'You Don't Bury Your Gays', which means anything Greg Berlanti touches will NEVER get cancelled.
The Slithering Peanut I think the best case situation for Supergirl I found was during Justice League Unlimited where she ended up staying with the Legion of Superheroes and a lot of that was her wanting to be her own person, having a way to escape from Superman's shadow. But yeah; Supergirl I really like as a character but she's been pretty inconsistent. It's a shame because much like Carol Danvers there was potential for Kara but when you have awful writers it's hard to reach. And Tom King just aping True Grit for her doesn't work. Unironically, Carol Danvers would have worked for a series like this because at least she had a history of alcoholism, in spite of what some SJW weirdos want to say(Seriously, I had a Carol Danvers fan try to gaslight me into saying I wasn't a Carol Danvers fan when I've read almost every major story she was in as Ms. Marvel and know clearly why she sucks now).
I agree with your criticism but Supergirl has been pretty garbage for the last decade or so... There's a need to spice her up somehow, change something. I don't agree with this change-- but there's a need for one.
the Supergirl stories have been garbage because they have never committed to the character, but rather are in a cycle of re-invention. IMO good Supergirl stories can be told if they just commit to the bit. I admit those stories may not be to my taste, but it would be a good start.
@@fukgoogole2 Agreed. I honestly think it will take a lot of work to make Supergirl interesting. Personally, I think she should relocate. Not even to another city but maybe another planet or heck, a multiverse where Superman/ superheroes don't exist, and in turn you build her up from there. Throwing ideas on a wall but basically, Kara needs her own identity and a consistent/ good one.
And the best part in this book is when she talks about Superman and how he get mad by the green kryptonite Sun after 45 minutes and is saved by the JLA in the last moment before he couldn't take any more... and of course Supergirl is on this planet for hours and not getting crazy. It is a complete mystery to me how a man can write women like this and making male characters pussies. And not just any male characters... we are talking about Superman here! WTF?
The thing is Supergirl has little to nothing going for her prior to new 52. The new 52 and past that version in general has more of an edge when narative truly focuses on her. She is a true survivor of Krypton and still haunted by it oposed to Clark that newer knew his culture he is oblivious of what that destruction truy ment.
Why do you torture yourself Wes? Why on earth do read this garbage from King? He’s by far the worst comic writer, actually Bendis is there with him, they’re just way ahead of everyone else. I wouldn’t read a comic by King if you payed me, just thank god after this series he’s gone, good riddance.
Don't diss my boy Bendis like this. He wrote few of the best comic books like New Avengers, Daredevil, Alias and USM. What Tom King written besides Miracle and Vision? Nothing.
Why did the CIA decide to do a psi-op on readers by making DC Comics an asset?
He wrote Supergirl no different than the way he writes Catwoman and Lois. Drunk cussing seems to be his favorite trope when writing women. @$@$
"Professionals borrow. Genius steals." --Tom King.
The art is AWESOMEEEE!!! ❤
Wes, you were right that Tom King's narrative is a riff on True Grit. I watched an interview with him on the Supergirl Radio podcast you tube channel and he admitted that he was influenced by True Grit, without actually saying he turned Supergirl into Rooster Cogburn.
Thing is, I'm willing to bet True Grit is actually good
Too harsh, Wes. Too harsh. True, it's told by from he girl's POV, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have potential.
Supergirl has been a blood knight since the New 52. If you actually cared, you would know this. And James Gunn liked it so we gotta deal with it.
I enjoy this comic book and the ending was sad yet beautiful
Jes Gunn is actually making a movie of this.
I mean the story itself is extremely good but the characterization itself that it sucked... He made Supergirl a while Hoodrat lol
Thanks for the review Wes. You make excellent points about Kara Zor El's character. A similar storyline with Jonah Hex would have been great.
This makes Rebirth Supergirl look like Peter David's run
This shitty badmouth supergirl will be a movie made by Gunn 😂😂..there folks..more toilet humour😂
Since new 52 she has had more rage and sadnes in her than many think. Heck she got a red ring in comics.
Personally I disagree that it’s a misrepresentation of her character based off that one moment she’s drunk since by the end of it she’s already more her usual self. The “edge” of her grieving her lost planet was always there and her interactions with the girl at the end seemed on par for her, not “edge city” like people labeling anything Tom King touches. For me it was worth the buy and hope that most people that bought it can say the same.
It is just the first issue. Do not worry. Tom will ruin the rest of the series
You have my sincerest sympathies for the disappointment your going to face.
Agree. Although I did not participate in this American rite of passage, many good people I know get drunk on their 21st birthday. And how many people change from 17 to 21? She still says not to kill.
@@derrickcamardo4629 Except that she does. We already had it confirmed. This is not Supergirl. If you like it, fine, but admit it. You're here to read a remake of True Grit, you don't give a flying fish who the characters are.
@@Slitheringpeanut you can't tell me what I give a "flying fish" about. My biggest comic book regret was not buying Up in the Sky first edition because everyone at the time told me King was trash. Since then I have read Mr. Miracle and reading Strange. And I became a Tom King fan. I'm just giving another perspective, so if there is a Kara fan out there who maybe feels useless or at the end of their rope, they can read this and relate/enjoy it. It sometimes is more impactful when a positive character feels negatively. My suspicion is she will turn it around. That is kinda how Miracle ended. Though Miracle has a lot of interpretations.
I would put this artist on Aquaman because his book is the closest to the sword and sandals type genre.
I had an idea somewhat like this several years ago. Having Marvel or DC Comics characters prominently featured as main characters in some of the most recognized novels of all time. Like have Jason Todd in Catcher in the Rye or have the Blackhawk Squadron in Catch 22. And then as a bonus, go back and redo the same novels using a different set of characters each time.
i loved the art, might have to pick it up for that alone
I know I'm two years late to this but I have to agree that this should be either a Jonah Hex story or if they wanted a sci-fi story then a Lobo one would be better too.
I have to agree with Wes, this should’ve been a Jonah Hex story.
So - you can't make your villain villainous enough without him literally having him hurt a dog. That's Tom-King-level writing for you.
I mean it worked for John Wick
It also worked with High Evolutionary (not necessarily dogs)
I've never read this before but it looks like we are getting a Supergirl movie based on this series.
You should check it out. People that bothered to read more than the first issue discovered that it actually was a great Supergirl story.
@@JLD22591 ok, good to know! Thanks for the recommendation. I have heard some people say its the best thing ever and some say it's crap. I will probably check it out for myself.
That's because it's not a Supergirl story. The writing is good in some spots bad in others. I've only read a couple Tom King things (I finally finished this recent Iy), and I can see where a main complaint is that he doesn't write characters true to themselves, he bends them around his story ideas. This is Tom King's version of Supergirl; he uses the character, but it is not really Kara Zor El, it's Tom King's "stong woman" character. I liked a lot of it, but then started to like it a lot less in the last few issues. Like a lot of critics say, he shouldn't use established characters because he doesn't want to respect their histories and traits. They are characters in name and appearance only,; they are essentially a skin for HIS character ideas he has for his stories.
anyone else think this woulda made a good guy gardner story?
But this might have been a great take for a Carol Danvers story? :-)
It actually would have. She's got a bad history with drinking.
@@arcanask Here's a pitch; a young alien girl wants revenge for the death of her family/ planet due to the Skrulls. Carol Danvers, we meet her and her reputation is in ruins as a byproduct of Civil War 2, and most of the earth hates her. Combined with her attitude, she's managed to alienate(no pun intended) everyone and has turned to drink once more. Discovers the girl and pushes her away and we get the whole redemption arc where she starts, in turn, recognizing that she may have messed up big time with earth and everyone but that doesn't change the fact that those mistakes do not define her. That she can change. And as a result, she manages to help the girl and leaves, determined to earn the trust/ respect of everyone once more.
Of course Tom King messed up the character, That's his groove. Expecting anything else but is like expecting a whale to tap dance
Without Logos, a writer cannot create. Thus, all King can do is deconstruct and destroy.
The one good thing here? No mommy-wife, for ONCE.
I hate the #@%$& symbol swearing. It's fine maybe once or twice in a book, but over and over again is obnoxious. if you're not allowed to write out the swear words, just don't use them. It doesn't make your story funnier or more mature or whatever. It just makes it more annoying.
Why am I not surprised?
Wait I just started getting into comics and started with this since the new DC slate announcement and your main disagreements are that she curses and drinks I understand the true grit thing but really she turned 21 got drunk and swears I thought you actually had arguments for how this wasn't Kara unless you're Implying Kara never swears and this is really relevant to her past iterations or something and the drinking point is just stupid either way great story love the message thankfully it's sold out everywhere now which is cool
Her having bit of an edge ro her is very in character ever since new 52. She even gets a red lantern ring cause she just cant adapt and let go of her trauma. Clark never truly experienced the tragedy of Kripton Klara is defined by it.
Before new 52 she was esencally female superman that had no flaws besides being a girl. New her is much better as a character over all.
Look how he massacred my girl 😠😠
Ok .. TOM KING is not for me. This is the LAST time I bought a comic book written by Tom King.
He is just TOO BORING, and it seems like he likes to "hear" his writting TOO MUCH.
I just have finished the book and really liked the art but the story... uff.
How does such a one-note writer get repeated prominent assignments without being gay, non-white, or wearing a dress?
Post-CIA threat or beneficial nepotism
Wes you are a brave soul to be reviewing more Tom King. Let's get ready for a complete rest.
Supergirl has played by Amy Schumer
Matthew D. Rhys LMAO. I'm dying. I know that's really mean but I have the funniest image of her in a Supergirl costume.
I would like to see True Grit with Lobo lol
Same
Sounds like a Lobo story or that daugther of his. Maybe a Red Lantern Supergirl could pull this off?🤔🤷♂️
Up in the sky,Strange adventures,Vision,Miracle man,Omega Men are his best work.
Gotta disagree on Mr Miracle. That started well and then 💩 the bed. The less a person knows about Kirby's 4th world, the better mm seems....
Tom King will subvert exceptions
I think she will have daddy issues and have a daddy husband complex.
Why would an alien care about an arbitrary American age for drinking? Ridiculous.
I don't know why you criticize the colorist, he covers the whole color palatte from brown to beige.
lol
I’ll admit his writing is flawed. But I enjoyed his Batman run
Maybe I am Gotham, I am Bane, and Cold Days, and that's pretty much it
And let's be fair, the appeal of those books (for me) is David Finch's art
@@TMF979Resurge I do agree! My particular favorite is The War of Jokes and Riddles and I definitely love I am Bane, and I am Suicide.
@@questworldiangreenknight7455 Ehhhh, For me the only good thing about War of Jokes & Riddles was Kite Man's backstory
@@TMF979Resurge oh I absolutely agree, I like that and the dinner scene where Joker and Riddler debate at Bruce’s house. It actually inspired me to write how I would pitch a Kiteman movie, am actually currently nearly finished with the video, hopefully I finish it by Sunday lol
@@questworldiangreenknight7455 what's your thoughts on Cold Days and Woman of Tomorrow?
I don't think you said True Grit enough
If this doesn’t work out surly that’s it for King at DC. I think he needs to work on some creator owned stuff. His vision run was great but that seems to be his peak at the moment
His Vision and Mr.Miracle, everything else is flaming trash
Supergirl *is* Rooster Cogburn!
This awful,but foulmouthed Kara is something that I see already in Bendis Man Of Steel series.King must stay away of DC characters in my opinion.
WHO ELSE BUT TOM KIIIIIIIIIIIIIING??
That's what Tom King does. He takes a hero, drags them into the gutter, shits on them and then dumps a bottle of cheap booze all over them. Welcome to the Age of No Heroes starring Supergirl as Rooster Cogburn.
He also turned Lois Lane and Catwoman into drunken thots who made Superman robots dance for them.
Which was revealed to be a simulation run by Flashpoint Batman.
Everything Wes complained about, Tom King talked about on the Supergirl radio podcast. He called it a western style book close to something like True grit. I love this channel but when it comes to Tom King he needs to do a little more research from the writers perspective.
I enjoy the takes for the most part here, but always take them with a grain of salt. I feel like there is either a lack of understanding that this is the set up for a story, character growth, and that the character he wants Kara to be is definitely highlighted within the next 7 issues. This is a miniseries, and in-continuity or not it needs to tell a complete story. He even says that a sci-fi true grit is a good idea, and even that the story itself is pretty cool, but this bias that Tom King will "ruin" the character is so strong he overlooks the fact that it is an enjoyable story. And as you said, King has given credit to True Grit and other sources of inspiration. I've actually listened to a lot of interviews King has done over on ComicPop and he is never shy about movies and books that inspire his stories and directs people to them whenever he gets a chance to do so. Also again, the set-up is very True Grit, but over the course of the series it takes some deep dives into Supergirl's history and by the end is really a great Supergirl story.
They could have done a True Grit one shot comic. Instead they waste it on Supergirl.
we all know why james gunn wanna follow this trash of a comics..those toilet junk humour suits his style😂
The art is gorgeous but the story is the usual depressing s***e from Tom King.
This issue was weird but will probably read better in tpb
That's a shame. I'll be honest; I've only read two things about Tom King. His Mister Miracle comic(which I liked) and his Superman: Up in the Sky story which I very much enjoyed. I've been on a Superman kick lately(rewatched the Donner films and have been rereading Byrne's Man of Steel) and it sucks that King mismatched the hero with a story like this. That said, is Tom King is bad as some people say he is? I know for a fact he went after Jae Lee which I was not a fan of but I haven't read much of his work, only hearing from folks like Literature Devil and other critics of his work.
I just find all Tom King stories ultimately really disappointing. Art's usually good though!
I like true grit.. but I hate Tom king writing men and women interacting. Waiting tell this hits the bins.
Not worth getting at all.
@ronald bourgeois
This is borderline plagiarism of True Grit,
Tom King Supergirl is a rip-off of the movie True Grit
Synopsis sounds exactly like the True Grit movie
love Supergirl, but can't get into King.
Sorry, Wes, but Super-Girl will ALWAYS be Superman's cousin. No matter how much DC tries. Also, stop. NO ONE watching TV or Movies would EVER stoop to buying comics. It's never happened. All the movies have ever done is give us TV shows. The comics were never affected. Second, the Supergirl show. It's trash. Its been in decline in viewership for years. The only reason that hadn't cancelled the show, is that 'You Don't Bury Your Gays', which means anything Greg Berlanti touches will NEVER get cancelled.
The Slithering Peanut I think the best case situation for Supergirl I found was during Justice League Unlimited where she ended up staying with the Legion of Superheroes and a lot of that was her wanting to be her own person, having a way to escape from Superman's shadow. But yeah; Supergirl I really like as a character but she's been pretty inconsistent. It's a shame because much like Carol Danvers there was potential for Kara but when you have awful writers it's hard to reach. And Tom King just aping True Grit for her doesn't work. Unironically, Carol Danvers would have worked for a series like this because at least she had a history of alcoholism, in spite of what some SJW weirdos want to say(Seriously, I had a Carol Danvers fan try to gaslight me into saying I wasn't a Carol Danvers fan when I've read almost every major story she was in as Ms. Marvel and know clearly why she sucks now).
I agree with your criticism but Supergirl has been pretty garbage for the last decade or so... There's a need to spice her up somehow, change something. I don't agree with this change-- but there's a need for one.
the Supergirl stories have been garbage because they have never committed to the character, but rather are in a cycle of re-invention. IMO good Supergirl stories can be told if they just commit to the bit. I admit those stories may not be to my taste, but it would be a good start.
@@fukgoogole2 Agreed. I honestly think it will take a lot of work to make Supergirl interesting. Personally, I think she should relocate. Not even to another city but maybe another planet or heck, a multiverse where Superman/ superheroes don't exist, and in turn you build her up from there. Throwing ideas on a wall but basically, Kara needs her own identity and a consistent/ good one.
Yeah the artwork is great but the story is so boring
I heard James Gunn's Supergirl movie will be based on this comic. It might look good, but the story will suck.
And the best part in this book is when she talks about Superman and how he get mad by the green kryptonite Sun after 45 minutes and is saved by the JLA in the last moment before he couldn't take any more... and of course Supergirl is on this planet for hours and not getting crazy. It is a complete mystery to me how a man can write women like this and making male characters pussies. And not just any male characters... we are talking about Superman here! WTF?
tom kings..what do u expect😂
The art is wasted on a tom king story....should have got boring repeating panel mitch gerads...then the art would have matched the writing...
All they can do these days is deconstruct legacy characters. Period.
The thing is Supergirl has little to nothing going for her prior to new 52. The new 52 and past that version in general has more of an edge when narative truly focuses on her. She is a true survivor of Krypton and still haunted by it oposed to Clark that newer knew his culture he is oblivious of what that destruction truy ment.
Why do you torture yourself Wes? Why on earth do read this garbage from King? He’s by far the worst comic writer, actually Bendis is there with him, they’re just way ahead of everyone else.
I wouldn’t read a comic by King if you payed me, just thank god after this series he’s gone, good riddance.
Don't diss my boy Bendis like this. He wrote few of the best comic books like New Avengers, Daredevil, Alias and USM. What Tom King written besides Miracle and Vision? Nothing.
This is not Supergirl, this is just a rip-off of True Grit