A Linda Danvers Look Back: Final Night
The new Superboy series is set in Smallville and Jeff Lemire portrays the town as a seemingly normal town with strange things going on under the surface. I wish I could remember who said it, but some blogger wrote that this series owes more to Peter David’s Supergirl series and the town of Leesberg then anything else. I have to agree! And it has put me in the mood to once again look at the early adventure of the one and only Linda Danvers!
Last time, we learned that the protoplasmic Supergirl known as the matrix had bonded to teenaged Linda Danvers and saved her life. (Click on the link to learn more.) This time we learn more about Linda Danvers’s past. As Frank commented, Linda had something to do with the ritual murders going on in Leesburg. In fact…
Buzz is certainly a powerful guy isn’t he? Able to interact with Supergirl on a telepathic level. Here he shows her the atrocities that Linda had committed. Supergirl refuses to let that bother her..
She accepts that Linda was a bad person…but believes she was destined to save her. Once again continuing the theme of faith and destiny that underlies this book.
Anyways, in the third issue of her new series, Supergirl crossed over with the DC Big Event of 1996, Final Night. In it the sun is nearly destroyed by a sun eater and many believe the world is coming to an end. Fortunately, this allows for the perfect look at religious ideas about the end times. Seriously, Peter David knows how to tie into a cross over without taking away from the main themes of a series.
And to show the hopelessness of the final night juxtaposed with religious imagery, we get these panels…
One of the great things about this Supergirl was she wasn’t Kryptonian and therefore had different powers then Superman, and that allowed for different stories. Unfortunately, it looks like bonding with the human Linda has made her lose her invisibility power. Once again, we are shown how Buzz seems to be everywhere at once too. He is a powerful little creep.
Not only is Leesburg filled with looters, but something else is going on here we learn when Linda’s religious mother enter the church and finds the citizens of the town turning into literal beasts!
Apparently, Linda’s mom is quite the devout Christian. Look at how awesome Supergirl’s costume was then! Truly iconic!
The issue ends with Supegirl discovering Gorilla Grodd and a strange talisman to be behind the transformations! And Supergirl transforming herself!
Even Linda had her own Dark Supergirl outfit long before Kara Zor-El did! Despite being under Grodd’s control, we automatically see the Girl of Steel fighting it – starting with the refusal to hurt her mother. Buzz seems to be helping her here.
There are a few foreshadowing moments in this issue – two on the page below.
Peter David has Grodd calling Supergirl his angel! If you know anything about how this book turns out you will understand why Peter David wrote that line — if not stick around and you will find out. The boy that Linda Supergirl sees watching her will become an important character as well.
Needless to say, Supergirl defeats Grodd and returns the populace to normal but not before Linda’s friend Mattie’s brother is murdered and the townsfolk do many things they are ashamed of. In the final moments of the issue we get another sighting of that little boy.
What’s his deal? Stay tuned for more Look B
acks at Linda!
The Anti-Didio League of America 