Review – DC's Kal-El-fornia Love #1: Super Vacation
Ray: DC's latest anthology turns the focus over to the Superfamily for a summer of wacky adventures, with eight new tales. How do they shake out in a golden age for the property? Credits. Via DC Comics.
'See Spot Fly' by Miller and Sandoval is a quick, fun Superman story that perfectly captures his heroic energy. A kaiju has attacked Metropolis, seemingly a juvenile alien monster who is confused and hungry. Lois tried to rescue some kids on the ground – only for all of them to be swallowed up. Now Superman has to figure out how to neutralize the creature peacefully – and get his wife and the kids out of the monster's stomach safely. It's a great little story and I love seeing Miller back on DC books. Crash landing. Via DC Comics.
'The Gorilla Ex-Wife of Jimmy Olsen' by Bogacs and Salcedo revisits the most infamous Jimmy Olsen story/meme of all time, with Jimmy being reunited with his short-lived Gorilla wife Bruna at a Hollywood premiere. He needs to get an exclusive for the Daily Planet – but doesn't want to talk to Bruna since he broke her heart. So naturally, he thinks the best approach is to challenge her manager/mate Gorilla Grodd to a tournament of Gorilla Games. It's obviously a completely ridiculous story, but I think it's supposed to be.
'Before Sunrise' by Fialkov and Abdias focuses on Power Girl – except not really. This is essentially an Ice story, as she tries to enjoy a baseball game, gets hit on by a random guy, and then the stadium gets attacked by a political shooter and Power Girl shows up to offer an assist. The two heroines from JLI days hang out, share frustrations with being a woman in a male-dominated field, and discuss relationship issues. In the end, it gives Ice the motivation to make an important life decision, although this is probably the most laid-back story here.
'Against the Wind' by Reid and Mikel brings back my favorite version of Bizarro – the confused, well-meaning bumbling clone who causes a lot of chaos accidentally. After destroying a bridge to save a kitten and getting verbally ripped apart by Guy Gardner, Bizarro decides to prove everyone wrong and become Superman – by auditioning for a new movie filming in LA. After a brief detour in Louisiana and disrupting Basil Karol's audition, he gets an important message in what it means to be Superman in a sweet, timeless finale.
'Bite of the Apple' by Fitzmartin and Vargas sends Lois Lane on a solo adventure, as she flies in to guest on a podcast run by a sinister Nancy Grace-esque pseudo-journalist. The two have butted heads over a recent high-profile murder where the journalist has fingered the boyfriend. As Lois plays verbal chess with this woman, we flash back to her and Lucy exploring the scene of the crime. The big reveal in this story is a little out-of-nowhere, but I do think the main story has very good Lois characterization.
'Across the Room' by Thomas and Ba has John Henry Irons and Natasha taking a vacation to California to relax – and Natasha instantly meets a gorgeous wedding planner who she falls for. But as she tries to connect with her new love interest, she keeps getting called away by one crisis and monster attack after another. The story here is a lot of fun, but the main selling point here is Juni Ba's incredibly unique art. There's a cartoony but still incredibly detailed style to his work that's among the best cartooning out there.
'Who Do You Belong To' by Wielgosz and Vasquez focuses on Jon Kent and Conner Kent, the two Superboys – who have never quite gotten to know each other, with both having anxiety about who the other is to them exactly. But when one of Conner's old friends/pets from Cadmus gets loose and is targeted by ARGUS, the two figure it out and team up to protect the giant cat-like thing. The characterization here is really good, especially considering the very strange permutations both characters have been through recently.
'Something in the Water' by Mann and Mercer closes things out, and this Supergirl tale finds her just trying to enjoy a day at the beach – only for it to be interrupted by some sort of supernatural giant squid. It's not just a standard Kraken, it's an elder God summoned by a dark mage – so John Constantine's come to lend a hand and a lot of sarcastic comments. These two make a fun odd-couple duo, and the art is gorgeous and incredibly vivid. Supergirl is having a great run of stories right now.
Overall, this is a light, fun anthology with quite a few great tales in this and zero duds.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Brooke Hogan shares wild conspiracy theories over Hulk Hogan's death
Brooke Hogan, the daughter of the late WWE legend Hulk Hogan, has a lot of questions regarding her father's death last month. Article content And she's not going to be quiet about them, either. Article content Article content On Tuesday, Brooke posted a screenshot of an article by radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge with the headline 'Quick cremation without autopsy raises questions about Hulk Hogan's death,' under which Brooke wrote 'Thank you.' Article content Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, died on July 24 at age 71 from an acute myocardial infarction — otherwise known as a heart attack — as per the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center. Article content Per the records, the pro wrestling icon also had a history of leukemia CLL, a type of cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes — which had not previously been reported. Article content Brooke appeared live on Bubba's Twitch stream on Tuesday, calling in to share some theories about her father's death. Article content 'I do think it's weird that no autopsy was performed,' Brooke Hogan said. Article content 'Because yes you can have a heart attack, but what was the reason for the heart attack? If he was up and doing breathing exercises, then that means the surgery on his heart was a success and it was working.' Article content Brooke, who had been estranged from her father, added that she felt 'the leukemia out of nowhere hits me as BS,' insisting she never knew of that diagnosis. Article content 'I would be surprised if a surgeon would work on someone with leukemia or a high blood cell count and not do further investigations,' she said. 'I told my dad 'put cameras in your house because one of these bastards could push you down the stairs and nobody would ever know.'' Article content Bubba, whose real name is Todd Clem, also alleged that Hogan's body has already been cremated and that somebody could have injected something into his dialysis port while he slept to induce a heart attack. Article content The medical examiner's report stated that Hogan had just returned home from surgery and was 'currently waiting to start dialysis,' while Clem claims nobody knew he was due to begin dialysis. Article content Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brooke Oleksy (@mizzhogan) Article content Reports say that the Pinellas County Medical Examiner did not perform an autopsy on Hogan because his death was not deemed to be suspicious. Article content Article content 'There were no signs of foul play or suspicious activity,' a member of the Clearwater Police Department said. Article content According to his death certificate, Hogan will be cremated at the Bay Area Crematory in Clearwater, but the specific date has yet to be announced. Article content 'He told me he's never getting married again,' Brooke said. '(Sky is) nice and she's cool (at the beginning), and, you know, I don't really want to go into too much detail about our conversations, but he was saying, you know, 'She's pushing the marriage thing real hard.' Article content 'And I said, 'Well, dad, you don't have to do what you don't have to do, you know.' Blame it on me.' Article content Brooke also claimed that the former wrestler – who reportedly has an estate in worth more than $40 million US — was worried about potentially ending things with Sky, alleging that he said: ''Well, if I broke up with her, it'd be really bad.' And I said 'What do you mean?' And he goes, 'I don't want to get into it,' Article content 'That was the first thing where I was like what the hell? Why would he say that?' Article content
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Digital Lifestyle Expert Mario Armstrong and News Media Group, Inc. Unveil "What's Cool for School" 2025 on Nationwide Satellite Media Tour
Several Top Brands Join the Media Tour to Showcase Essential Tips and Tools for Back-to-School Success West Palm Beach, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - August 5, 2025) - As the new back-to-school season arrives, News Media Group, Inc. partnered with award-winning Digital Lifestyle Expert Mario Armstrong and a handful of top brands to answer the perennial question: "What's Cool for School" this season? Through a dynamic satellite media tour ("SMT"), Mario Armstrong highlighted a selection of A+ ideas and products designed to help empower students and parents this new school year. The SMT product roundup featured innovations spanning from printing bite-sized lessons and enhancing reading skills, to choosing the right tools for fostering creative learning, simplifying school supply shopping, and even making daily routines like teeth brushing more enjoyable for little ones. This collaborative effort media tour reached out to stations and shows across the country and provided families nationwide with the latest solutions for a successful and smoother academic year. A recap of the roundup of products along with details can be found on Cannot view this video? Visit: Brands that were featured in the SMT included: HP's Bite Sized Lessons, just in time for back-to-school, offer free, low-effort printables that turn everyday moments, like dinner, into fun, engaging learning opportunities for kids ages 5 to 10. Epic is the leading digital reading platform for kids with a collection of over 40,000+ popular, high-quality books, audiobooks and videos from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Crayola has classics every student needs to spark creativity, like their 24-count Crayons, 10-count Markers, and 12-count Colored Pencils at the same great price parents know and love. Staples makes back-to-school easy and affordable with supplies starting as low as 25 cents, weekly free gifts with purchase through August 16 and 20% discount for verified teachers, as well as fun, trending gear kids love, including exclusive designs and favorite characters like Stitch and Minecraft. The Cavitar Caddy & Mouthcare Organizer from SuperMouth was designed for kids and parents in mind by the dentist-founded brand known for creating advanced oral care solutions for all ages, featuring slots to hold your kids' cavity-fighting SuperMouth Toothbrush and Toothpaste. All the details and links can be found on
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Ketamine Queen' accused of selling Matthew Perry fatal dose gets September trial date
Matthew Perry appears at the GQ Men of the Year Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2022. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File) LOS ANGELES — A woman charged with selling Matthew Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him is headed for a September trial. Jasveen Sangha's trial — the only one forthcoming in the death of the 'Friends' star after four other defendants reached plea agreements with prosecutors — is now set to begin Sept. 23 after an order Tuesday from a federal judge in Los Angeles. The 42-year-old Sangha, who prosecutors say was known to her customers as 'The Ketamine Queen,' is charged with five counts of ketamine distribution, including one count of distribution resulting in death. She has pleaded not guilty and has been held in federal custody since her arrest last year. Her trial had been scheduled to start Aug. 19, but the judge postponed it for the fourth time since her April 2024 indictment after both sides agreed it should be moved. Sangha's lawyers said they needed the time to go through the huge amount of evidence they have received from the prosecution and to finish their own investigation. Sangha was one of the two biggest targets in the investigation of Perry's death, along with Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who pleaded guilty to ketamine distribution last month. Perry's personal assistant, his friend and another doctor also entered guilty pleas and are cooperating with prosecutors. All are awaiting sentencing. Perry, who was found dead at age 54 at his home on Oct. 23, 2023, had been getting ketamine from his regular doctor for treatment of depression, an increasingly common off-label use for the surgical anesthetic. But prosecutors say when the doctor wouldn't give Perry as much as he wanted, he illegally sought more from Plasencia, then still more from Sangha, who they say presented herself as 'a celebrity drug dealer with high quality goods.' Perry's assistant and friend said in their plea agreements that they acted as middlemen to buy large amounts of ketamine for Perry from Sangha, including 25 vials for $6,000 in cash a few days before his death. Prosecutors allege that included the doses that killed Perry. Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
