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Superman/Batman Vol. 2: Supergirl | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeph Loeb
Creator: Michael Turner
Publisher: DC Comics
Category: Book
List Price: $12.99
Buy New: $6.64
You Save: $6.35 (49%)
New (38) Used (18) from $6.43
Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 252734
Media: Paperback
Pages: 168
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 10 x 6.4 x 0.5
ISBN: 1401202500
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781401202507
ASIN: 1401202500
Publication Date: September 12, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Batman has discovered something strange on the bottom of Gotham Bay which leads him to a mysterious and powerful teenaged girl whos bent on destroying Gotham City! Whats her connection to Superman? Why does Wonder Woman want to hide her from the outside world? Will Darkseid succeed in recruiting her into doing his bidding? This volume also includes an introduction by Loeb as well as a Kryptonian language translation key!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 36 more reviews...
 Supergirl's Origins Done Right. December 23, 2008
Christopher T. Egan (South Plainfield, NJ, USA)
Out of the 3 or 4 Superman/Batman volumes that I have read this is my favorite. This is a retelling of Supergirl's origins using plotpoints that have been around for years while introducing new ones. With Jeph Loebs superb writing and Michael Turner's gorgeous illustrations this is a must for any Superman or Batman fan. I picked this up on a whim a few years ago and I'm so glad I did. Check this one out.
 It's a decent book but I find one overshadowing criticism October 7, 2008
Reconnecting To My Childhood
I think enough people have written on the story, which is entertaining, and commented on the beautiful artwork in this collection, which is thankfully more realistic or adult looking than the juvenile artwork in the first volume of this series. That said I agree that it's a fine book for your average comic reader but I do have a criticism to note that ruins this book for me personally.
I'm a guy who just started reading comics after seeing The Dark Knight (which lead me to read my first graphic novel Jeph Loeb's The Long Halloween). Despite the writing Loeb has passed out for this which is enjoyable and better than most writing, but still disapointing in comparison to TLH as my introduction to him, I really have to say that the artists depiction of women in this supergirl book is really just mindboggling and disturbing. Turner draws his women with almost no meat on them, Supergirl and Wonder Woman look like they are starving.
I find it very disturbing to see them depicted in such a small figure, at least when women in comics are vuluptuous they can still be strong and look like healthy grown women and it's a fair trade for men always being drawn with full muscles. Here the women still seem to have the same size chests but it looks like their sucked in mid sections cannot support the load. These sticks look like they need a sandwich and for a girl to try and attain this physique (without being born that thin) would require a constant finger down her throat. I admit I like women in comics to be portrayed beautifully but reading this I don't know how a guy can feel like anything but a perve with unrealistic, unfair and unhealthy views of women. It's a shame that this is an entertaining piece of work with the usual overlookable flaws but I cannot suggest it because I don't see how you could own it and not feel like it represents a shallow view of women that I'd be ashamed to have on my shelf.
At least a full grown WW can be related to reality and admired as an icon alongside BM and SM but here she is depicted with the body of a twelve year old girl but with inhuman implants (their necks are so petit how can they hold their heads up). If reading this we are to still believe Wonder Woman was carved from clay by her mother then she must have only had half the recommended amount. They gave WW and SG the bodies of olympic cyclists, a sad exchange for the girl of steel that SG was meant to be and the amazon WW is, instead they look more suitable to be cycling ten k than fighting Doomsday reproductions.
Granted in this book Kara/SG is only a teen and should be smaller (which to me begs the question why she and WW are the same size) but she is still so damn unproportioned it's not based in reality or even stylized reality. Even if we're supposed to believe Kara is a young teen here it's a sad comment that they'd degrade a character they claim to love by having her wear a thong in a scene out on the town hiked up so high it looks like suspenders and shirts that barely contain her breasts. This is unrealistic boys and that's not what I want, their are always liberties but they must be traded off, WW can be full and endowed but must be strong and firm at the same time not turned into eyecandy for the sake of being there.
If you look past these depictions and enjoy this novel I mean no disresepct but I needed to express this is the kind of art I feel degrades all comics and their readers as well as perpetuating the negative stereotypes about guys who enjoy comics. I feel this is an insult to proper graphic novels like Long Halloween and Dark Victory. I personally can't recommend this book to people despite the cool story set ups, which can at times make no logical sense but are admittedly fun to watch playout, I just can't recommend it. There are cool scenes and artwork that is overall good but it is overshadowed for me by the sad near perverse depictions of WW and SG who should've been better respected, the breaking point for me being the several pages with the hiked thong (when did wedgies become attractive) and the fact they both inexplicably have twelve year old faces and anorexic bodies with implants.
If you truly just want to fantasize about unrealistically proportioned, unattainable girls with no depth then go buy a playboy so we can keep it out of comics and portray relatable women with meat on their bones that can compare to the male heroes and be role models for girls.
PS
If you want to see a real example of women appropriately portrayed in comics with hightened reality that is acceptable go read 'Catwoman: When in Rome' one of Jeph Loeb's higher quality stories or 'Batman: Hush' another by Loeb which has beautiful artwork by Jim Lee similar to Turner but more based in reality. Matt Wagners 'Trinity' is also more enjoyable and has a pairing up of the 'Big 3' but with Wonder Woman drawn proportionately with respect.
One of the Best Superman/Batman stories I have ever read. October 5, 2008
Isaac J. Mahoney
This is my favourite Graphic Novel. From the artwork, to the dialog, to the monologue, it's excellent in every way. While "Public Enemies" gives us a story packed with action on a grand scale, "Supergirl" delves into the thought processes and interactions between Superman, Batman, and this new girl, Kara. From Superman's need to protect, to Batman's unwillingness to trust, this story has my favourite portrayals of the Man of Steel and Dark Knight.
A tribute to Michael Turner August 6, 2008
AeroRep (Los Angeles, CA)
It's difficult to read this story now without a tinge of melancholy in light of the recent heartbreaking and tragic passing of Michael Turner. The entire comic industry, along with his family and friends, has lost a remarkable talent and, by all accounts, a great guy also. He didn't do many complete stories outside of his own projects, which makes this rare assemblage of impressive illustrations all the more cherishable. This trade is one of the very few that I occasionally peruse strictly for his beautiful artwork alone. From his fearsome Batman to his gorgeous Wonder Woman, his amazing ability is strikingly evident in every panel. Not to be slighted, Jeph Loeb's writing talent is also quite evident in this tale that is easily the best of the four that he worked on for this title. His trademark dueling internal monologues are showcased, as is the return of Supergirl. This time around, Superman and Batman are joined by Wonder Woman and Big Barda on a perilous mission to Apokolips to rescue Supergirl from the clutches of that dastardly despot Darkseid, highlighted by a titanic physical battle and also one of high stakes poker between Batman and Darkseid. The sole flaw is that the story should have ended about thirty pages sooner upon their return to Earth, since the closing pages appear more like an epilogue whose primary purpose was to set the stage for the introduction of Kara to the rest of the DCU, and painfully cheesy it was at that. Nevertheless, still a very solid story with stunning art, the likes of which, sadly, we will never see again. Michael, you will be missed.
 Laughably bad July 28, 2008
Marcus Gealy (Erie, PA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jeph Loeb is known for two things in the world of comics, creating amazing stories that become instant classics and creating unreadable dribble. This stories falls into the latter category, and being backed up on art by Michael Turner who apparently has never seen a human body doesn't help matters. Save yourself some money and skip to Superman/Batman Volume 3.
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