Book of the Week: A Superhero Graphic Novel to Avoid

As an avid reader, and comic book collector since the 1970s, I've read countless books, comics and graphic novels. Recently, I bought an old graphic novel about a Supergirl series from the 1990s, and it was the worst thing I've ever read related to the Superman family of characters. There's a good reason why, too.

(Pictured: This 1990s graphic novel collects DC "Showcase 96" issue #12 with the character origin, and the first 9 issues of this awful series) 

IT STARTED IN 1985- When DC comics created the famous "Crisis on Infinite Earths" 12-issue story that changed comic book history, and merged the "multiverse"- that is, countless versions of Earth vibrating at different frequencies (same for all planets and universes), the original Supergirl, Linda Danvers, was one of two major fatalities in the story (the other was the Barry Allen version of the Flash).

AFTERMATH THE "MATRIX SUPERGIRL" - Readers wanted Supergirl back, but one of the writers of DC Comics decided to create a "Supergirl" out of a shapeshifting type of alien, known as the "Matrix" to assume Supergirl's identity and her civilian Linda Danvers role. She was created by the good Lex Luthor of a "Pocket Universe,"  using an artificial life form called the "protoplasmic matrix." This character has telekinesis (does things with her mind), shape shifts, has super strength and flight. That Pocket Universe was destroyed, so Superman took the orphaned Matrix, now turned into a humanoid form of protoplasm, back to the mainstream DC Universe where she took on the identity of Supergirl, without Supergirl's memories. ... until the writers suggested she merged with a dead Linda Danvers...

MY TAKE ON THE "MATRIX SUPERGIRL" - Truly one of the WORST characters DC Comics ever came up with. Supergirl needs to be Supergirl. Not some protoplasmic blob trying to impersonate the character. I read the first 9 issues of the 1990s series and they were AWFUL.  By the last 4 issues, I didn't care about the character, and read quickly through it. I'm glad that DC got rid of that dumb character.