So this is different.
This fall’s “Supergirl” TV series is introducing several comic book characters, including the at-times enigmatic android Red Tornado.
That’s him above, as seen in a photo released this week.
I dunno. I’m more accustomed to the way the character – at least the Silver Age version – looks.
I’m missing the yellow arrow. But I guess we’ll see.
But seriously, could these two be any more adorable?
Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist, from the “Flash” and “Supergirl” series, photographed for a Variety article about producer Greg Berlanti.
Supergirl is a character with a history in comics that’s too confusing, too often retconned, to go into here. Suffice it to say that there’s been a surprising number of versions of Superman’s cousin in both comics, movies and TV.
So it’s kind of fun to look at the live-action treatments of the character, especially with the new CBS series featuring Melissa Benoist coming this fall.
Of course, Helen Slater was the physical embodiment of the character in the 1984 movie. Awful movie, but Slater looked perfect. Cute and wholesome.
Then there’s the “Smallville” version, with Lara Vandervoort playing Clark’s cousin in a few 2010 episodes.
Benoist looks like she’ll be modeled after the cute and wholesome Supergirl rather than the bare-midriff Kryptonian sex bomb that’s been seen in the comics at times. And that’s okay.
Back with our occasional look at odd moments in comic books.
It’s easy to forget how crazy much of DC’s Silver Age was. Batman was fighting space monsters, Lois Lane was scheming to discover Superman’s identity – and marry him – and Superman was constantly falling in love with mermaids and the like.
Or getting fixed up, like in Action Comics 289, which came out in June 1962.
In a plot that could be adapted as a Kate Hudson romantic comedy, Supergirl, worried about her cousin Superman’s loneliness, keeps trying to fix him up. Potential mates include Helen of Troy and members of the far-future Legion of Superheroes.
Ultimately, Supergirl finds a perfect match for her cousin. And what the hey – she looks just like a slightly-older Supergirl!
Some feverish dreaming going on there, among fans and in the DC editorial offices.
keithroysdon 