Static Thoughts - Is CW Planning the Death of Superman?

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Edited By Robert Beach

There’s no denying that Supergirl season 1 is the biggest success story for the Superman brand since Smallville. It’s a knockout show that captivated audiences and embodied the spirit of the Superman mythos in a way we haven’t seen in live action since 1978’s Superman. The show embraces pure heroism and the fantasy of being able to make the world a better place, a pair of ideals both in tragically short supply these days (and lacking from the DC movie adaptation of Superman). I need to preface all of that because I’m about to suggest a very un-Supergirl thing about what we might expect from the upcoming season 2. It’s my suspicion that Supergirl is planning to kill off newly introduced Superman Tyler Hoechlin in the season 2 mid-season finale. 

Sharon Leal is Miss Martian in Supergirl Season 2

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Edited by Robert Beach

One of the interesting things about CW’s growing collection of superhero TV is the way they’ve so definitively altered their brand of superhero TV over its 4 years of growth. When CW first entered the modern superhero show game (excluding Smallville) in 2012 with Arrow, their outlook was incredibly limited and stripped down. The first 2 seasons of the show were all about having as few high-concept aspects as possible and as much angst as the show could fit, ripping off Batman in that category. Even the first ½ season of The Flash fell prey to this, but then the first Flash/Arrow crossover hit, and everything changed. 

Suddenly, everything was about bright adventures, weird concepts, and a expanding array of superheroes that culminated in Legends of Tomorrow. Given that, it was inevitable that Supergirl would be getting more superheroes now that it moved to the CW.  We’ve already confirmed Superman and Mon-El are joining Martian Manhunter in the show’s supporting cast, but now we have one more name to add to the list: Sharon Leal will be playing Miss Martian in season 2. 

1st Details on Flash/Arrow/Supergirl/Legends of Tomorrow Crossover

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This fall marks one of the largest media endeavors we’ve seen on TV since the heyday of Star Trek in the ‘90s.  CW, the kings of television superheroes, will be launching 4 individual series this fall, each one interconnected with the other 3 and all building towards a massive 4 crossover that will add up to a week long event.  This is the culmination of years of work and building, starting with Arrow in 2012, building into The Flash in 2014, launching Legends of Tomorrow in 2016 and now taking on CBS’ Supergirl show.  This will be the third such crossover for CW and, in the tradition of these multi-show team-ups, it’s aiming to handle a pretty hefty task. 

The first CW crossover between The Flash and Arrow in 2014 took on the job of more or less completely redirecting CW’s style of superhero production, making it more light and fun rather than drab and dreary.  The 2015 crossover between the two shows acted as a prequel episode to Legends of Tomorrow, setting up team members Hawkman and Hawkgirl as well as series villain Vandal Savage.  Now, this new crossover takes on the new big issue facing CW’s superhero universe: how do you solve a problem like Supergirl?

Katie McGrath is Lena Luthor on Supergirl Season 2

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Edited by Robert Beach

As Supergirl prepares for its new season on CW, a lot of changes are getting underway to bring the Girl of Steel more in line with CW’s overall brand of superhero story and increase audience interest in the property. The truth is this: as much as I, and many others, like Supergirl, the first season just didn’t have the ratings to warrant the high production costs. Even though CW has a lower bar for rating success, changes were always going to have to be made. 

The significant changes regarding obtaining new audience members seem to be introducing more elements and characters of the Superman mythos into the show. Superman himself will be coming to the new season, and now Lex Luthor and his company will have a role in the new season.  Luthor’s appearance was to be expected even if he won’t be onscreen. But the big surprise is the introduction of minor Superman character Lena Luthor, Lex’s sister, as a new series regular. 

Cover Story - Top 25 Supergirl Covers

Edited by Robert Beach 

This Monday could mark the end of a brief, but amazing, era in geek culture. Supergirl season 1 is coming to an end. At time of writing, it’s unclear if Supergirl is getting renewed for a second season, which means this Monday could be the last time Kara Zor-El gets to grace our scenes for a good long while. It’d be a damn shame if that happened given Supergirl is really good and the best adaptation of the Superman mythos since Christopher Reeves’ Superman in 1978. 

With that level of awesomeness, I figured we’d give the show a proper send off if this really is the end for Supergirl 2015. So I’ve culled covers from across Supergirl’s massive history from early appearances in Action Comics, her cavalcade of ongoings and minis in the ‘70s, the metaphysical weirdness of the 2000s show, and even the New 52. Let’s dive into the shallow end and get the cover story on Supergirl. 

Static Thoughts - Superman: Fun and Games

So, Supergirl has resumed airing with a brand new episode that featured one of the more off-beat Superman villains: The Toy Man.  The episode was a solid entry and an interesting reworking of the Toy Man’s character, drawing from his original identity as an older toymaker criminal while also making him the deranged father of series supporting character Winslow Schott Jr.  It’s overall a very solid handling of an actually pretty troublesome character within the realms of Superman villains.  Most of Superman’s foes that are interesting enough to come back more than once are defined by their power and ability to go head-to-head with someone as strong as Superman but Toy Man has always been an outsider in this realm.

 He doesn’t have any powers or even a robo-suit like Lex Luthor, just his crazy toy based inventions.  Even the idea of him using toys as weapons is a little odd, something that sounds cut more from the realms of Batman or the Flash, to the point that Batman the animated series concocted their own toy collector villain.  Supergirl mostly handled these elements well by slotting Toy Man’s creepiness into a familial center, tying into the show’s overall themes of family conflict but there is one show that did the character even better: Superman the animated series. 

Panel Vision - Supergirl (1984)

So, it seems that CBS’ Supergirl has been a pretty major hit, scoring nearly 13 million viewers with its pilot episode making it the most watched superhero premiere of the modern era.  More than that the show has found a major following, gaining almost universally positive reviews from critics and a blossoming online fan base.  None of this is really shocking but it’s certainly a nice precedent to have and flies in the face of all conventional wisdom surrounding the superhero genre, the Superman franchise, and Supergirl in particular.  

For years now we’ve heard from the executives at DC and Marvel that people don’t want female superhero properties but now, we have Supergirl.  WB/DC have been shaking in their boots over Superman being too powerful or light to the point that they let Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan turn him into a drab and joyless husk to get beaten down by Batman in between murdering his enemies, but now we have Supergirl, light, super powered, optimistic, massively popular.  For nearly 30 years the very idea of Supergirl was considered to be a tainted and irredeemable brand, now; bigger than ever.  That last one though is a bit of an earned concern because, now having watched 1984’s Supergirl, I can tell you that it’s the worst superhero film ever made. 

Comics Rainbow - Supergirl

Edited by Robert Beach 

So, Supergirl has premiered, and I loved it. It’s a fun show that absolutely cuts to the heart of what makes Supergirl such a great character and proves how easy it is to actually get the Superman franchise right without descending into the same disappointing well as Smallville, Quest for Peace, Superman Returns, or Man of Steel.  It’s actually a pretty impressive feat given the fact that Supergirl has always had a decidedly checkered history in the comics. 

Like a lot of female heroes that emerged out of the comics code to support superhero families, Supergirl’s design, origin, and backstory have been through a plethora of alterations; none of which was helped by her sidelining in the mid-80s when DC wanted to revert Superman to the last Kryptonian survivor on Earth.  In honor of Supergirl’s triumphant debut on the TV landscape, this is your full spectrum look at Supergirl, all her shades, shames, and successes.