Kudos to DC on their newly-announced Supergirl title, "Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures In The Eighth Grade."
As I've said on this blog many times before, Supergirl is (or can be) an excellent character for young girls to look up to. And I think the idea of a sweet, sprightly, wholesome adolescent Supergirl is a great one...
My only disappointment regarding all this is that Dean Trippe isn't working on it. He started a powerful meme on redesigning Supergirl a year or so ago. And the art he did of a younger Kara touched many hearts:
Dean Trippe's pen is filled with the awesome sauce that flows through his veins! He should totally be on this!
ReplyDeleteI do like the official art, though. It screams fun! Could totally work animated as well.
When I first heard of this, my thoughts were that the character design better be at least as good as Dean Trippe's.
ReplyDeleteThey failed.
That Trippe image is still the background on at least one of my computers. So good.
ReplyDeleteHa! I have a "postcard" with Trippe's Supergirl on my fridge. :)
ReplyDeleteI only really like Supergirl as the "inheritor." I want the next "Super" to be Super-Woman (or whatever), the grown up Supergirl, & not the grown-up Superboy.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, I'm all for this.
Yeah, I much MUCH prefer Dean Trippe's organic linework to that harsh, overly geometrical "animated" version DC's actually giving us. It looks like crappy TV Flash animation.
ReplyDeleteDean's looks like a character that thinks and feels real, honest, human thoughts and emotions. The official DC one looks like a soulless corporate product that's supposed to scream "FUN" but it's derived from secondhand, artificial sources.
Give us something that looks like a human being did it, please, DC.
Oh... and- er- one more thing (as per Columbo)...
ReplyDeleteThe DC one's supposed to be an 8th grader? Looks like she's barely 5. Why do teens have to look infantile in comics and cartoons?
Dean's is perfect. Just perfect.
I hope that this supergirl doesnt degenerate and become something for the lolicon and pedo demographic.
ReplyDeleteWell as a huge fan of Supergirl and the father of 3 girls still single-digited in age, I am all for this.
ReplyDeleteThey have their Supergirl action figures; they have seen some JLU cartoons she is prominent in; they even liked being read some of the Showcase Supergirl TPB.
Now a new comic they can call their own.
Dean would be awesome at it, wouldn't he?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see a kid's version of of the character come out, though. The old Superboy for kids slot has been empty for too long, and Supergirl is the perfect character to use for it.
Thanks Val (and fellow readers). :)
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to some other work by the actual artist:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slgcomic.com/pages/prev_SSMS/prev_ssms.
It might make more sense to wait and judge the art after more than one image is released.
I think the judgment has been based solely on the art that HAS been released and as such it's a totally fair assessment.
ReplyDeleteThe point is, DC released this image to generate interest and "buzz" and that means having people discuss it. And that's what we've been doing here.
They certainly could've chosen something more representative if indeed the actual comic's artwork is going to be so radically different from this image. And if that's the case, why did they choose something this lame and mechanical rather than a more accurate depiction?
While the comic itself may or may not be wonderful, they haven't done themselves or the readers any favors by leading off with this particular image.
And assuming the powers that be at DC are reading this (and I'm pretty sure they do), giving feedback whenever and wherever- and I don't see anything here that comes close to the hysterics that greet other announcements and product releases- is totally warranted. Personally, I want them to know there are other routes they could've gone that would've been more appealing and charming and "human" than this particular rather charmless and computer-looking promotional art.
Basically, if comes down to this- if you don't want people opining on something, do it in secret. If you want people talking about it, do it in public.
And all that aside, whoever they chose to do the art... the point is Dean Trippe's version would've been great. As it stands, his drawing is categorically better than the official DC image we current have before us.
Marvel have been doing this for years with their Power Pack books - Krypto The Super Dog was a cartoon show how many years ago already? I know it's an internet sport among fanboys to decry DC as out of touch, but Supergirl as an actual girl, rather than mega-boobed micro-waistline jailbait sleaze is - and always was - a no-brainer. The submissions to Project Rooftop proved that much.
ReplyDeleteTo add to my negative derision (and his expanding head), I must also concede that Dean Trippe's Supergirl is superior to Eric Jones'. It looks more organic and less forced - like a representation of an idea, rather than a character design for a toy-line in the making.
Kids have a great nose for bullshit - far too many companies underestimate that their successes are an indulgence of the tweeny market, and not a manipulation of it, despite the fact that they're always lamenting how fickle that market can be.
All the same, probably a step in the right direction for the Supergirl character - this might lead to some positive synergetic creative interplay and improve the portrayal of the regular DCU Supergirl if the tweeny book is successful.
"As it stands, his drawing is categorically better than the official DC image we current have before us."
ReplyDeleteIt's always fun when somebody states their opinion as fact. Sorry. No. You don't like the design. Your opinion. I like the Dean Trippe one and this about equally, as they are simply two different possible directions.
So how exactly is your opinion the correct one?