Supergirl #49 & 50.

Since I'm still waiting on my package of new comics, I'm getting down to the nitty-gritty/stuff near the very bottom of my new comic pile... I'm actually beginning to get slightly alarmed by the fact that my new books haven't arrived yet, and considering the headache I went through with one of my CB packages getting lost in the mail last October, it should come as no surprise that the longer I wait, the more nervous I get!

Besides that, I decided to do a Magneto week over at my scan blog(which you can check out here)... Kind of... As I was going through my collection, I realized that I have A LOT of Magneto appearances... So what I decided to do was just post Magneto appearances from the 90's, excluding Age of Apocalypse stuff. Plus I tried to pick some rare(ish) appearances. Alright, that's enough babbling for now, let's get to these Supergirl comics. One quick note, I hardly ever read Supergirl comics(only if I have to during x-overs), but I decided to give these issues a shot since the series made it to issue #50. Will I like it enough to put it on my monthly pull list? I guess I'll know in a couple of minutes.

Supergirl #49: Writer: Sterling Gates. Artist: Matt Camp.

This comic begins with Lana Lang(who I'm guessing was letting Supergirl crash at her place)collapsing in the lobby of her hotel in a pool of blood. From there, Supergirl, who seems to be possessed by evil Irish spirits, is battling Silver Banshee. I've got to say that I'm a wee bit lost here... It kind of feels like I walked in during the middle of a movie... Long story short, SG and a cop(Inspector Henderson)manage to drive the evil spirits out of Supergirl's body. Since those spirits were old enemies of Silver Banshee, she thanks the cop and teleports away. Afterwards, SG and the cop have a chat on the roof of a building, and SG hears the doctors trying to resuscitate Lana at the hospital, so she takes off and changes into her street clothes, arriving at the hospital just as the doctors were pronouncing Lana dead. SG talks to one of the doctors and asks to see Lana's body(since Lana was apparently suffering from some sort of bizarre illness before she died), but before the doctor can answer her, she hears some strange noises coming from the morgue. Changing back to her Supergirl attire and rushing to the morgue, SG discovers Lana's body completely enveloped in a strange cocoon. This issue ends just as the cocoon begins to open.

Not bad, not bad at all. The story was good enough to make me want to get the past couple of issues so I could see what was up with Silver Banshee and that cop, plus the cliffhanger has me eagerly anticipating the next issue. Well, I guess I might as well stop talking and get to SG #50.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.Hmm, that sure doesn't look very good...

Supergirl #50: Writer: Sterling Gates. Pencils: Jamal Igle.

This issue gets underway with General Lane finding his thought to be dead daughter, Lucy, alive and not so well. It seems Lucy(or Superwoman if you prefer)has developed magical AND Kryptonian based powers, which freaks out her father, who recoils from his pained daughter and orders her restrained and tested to see what was wrong with her. From there we head to Metropolis, which is dealing with an invasion from alien bugs! Wow, like those awful old black and white movies! Anyway, it seems the insects have captured Supergirl and erected a hive over the hospital SG was in last issue. Gangbuster manages to sneak into the hive and break SG out, and the two return to STAR Labs, where Dr. Light explains to SG what they knew(not much)and what they were planning(nothing yet!). Remembering what happened last issue, SG figures Lana Lang's body and the strange illness she was suffering from had something to do with the bug problem, so she decides to go back in with Gangbuster to see what she can learn. The two are discovered by the bugs, and SG allows herself to be captured, hoping to get some answers. Sure enough, the drones bring SG to Insect Queen, who had seemingly taken over Lana's body, and as any villain worth their salt would do, Insect Queen begins to taunt the trapped SG. SG listens to Insect Queen's origin story before breaking free and going on the offensive, grabbing Insect Queen and bringing her to Dr. Light, who had created a machine to separate Insect Queen from Lana. The women toss Queen into the machine, and after a quick scare, Lana is back, and Queen is purged from her body. After Lana had recovered a little, SG scolds her for not being truthful about her disease and the severity of it, and pretty much tells Lana that she wants nothing more to do with her. Lana tries to explain that she didn't want SG worrying about her illness as opposed to doing the whole super-hero thing, but SG is unmoved and decides to put some space between herself and Lana. This issue ends with the newly powered Superwoman killing one of Gen. Lane's doctors and proclaiming herself ready for duty.

Well, after reading these two comics, I think I'll give the SG series a shot. They were good enough to warrant a spot on my monthly pull list. The main story(with Insect Queen)was good and all, but the back story with Gen. Lane and Superwoman was what really caught my attention. Superwoman seems to have the potential to match SG power level-wise, which should make their inevitable showdown a pretty good read.

Score: 8 out of 10.Ugh... That's one villain I'd never want to tangle with...