Supergirl: The Hippest Damned Superhero Show On TV article - alfredeaker.com

Excellent article.....thanks for sharing.

I too enjoyed the article, but it was the opening that struck me- “Melissa Benoist is indisputably the most perfect actor embodying the role of a comic-based character since Christopher Reeve donned the red and blue for Superman in 1978. Given all the competition since then, such a statement might prove controversial…”

I know I will ruffle some feathers, but I can’t help what I think! Melissa is better than Christopher Reeve even!

You will not need to be an ace detective to uncover that I have a soft spot for Melissa. Absolutely true. But my assessment is not based on that (ok perhaps a tiny bit).

It is partly about opportunity. CR played Superman for only 8 hours or so. MB has had many times that to develop her character through many shades (and indeed her own acting skills).

It is also about range. I know the romance bits are not for everyone (I like them even at my age!) but she handled the happy and sad scenes with a depth not in the CR movies (I know they were not written that way). MB has also had the marvellous opportunity of showing family relationships (particularly with Alex) which didn’t really happen in the movies.

The humour in the CR movies was largely situational (at least in my memory), whereas MB’s own comic skills have contributed significantly (eg Hank as Kara/finding Winn in the closet/the drunk scene/Driving Hank’s car on Mars).

So, CR didn’t have the same in-depth opportunity that MB has had (and is to continue to have!!!!) but we can only judge on what exists. Don’t get me wrong. I thought CR was excellent as Superman and he kick-started the superhero movies. But I am not invested so much in Superman as a character as I am Supergirl, and that is do almost entirely to MB’s portrayal of the girl of steel.

"If you ask me that brooding superhero is what she has become this season...and I hate it!"

Yes, I suppose that she has begun going in that direction to some extent (and I don't care for it, either). But I'm hopeful that she will get back to being more like the old Kara by the end of this season.

The part I liked best in this article was when the author pointed out that "Kara enjoys being super (and Supergirl)". Exactly - she's not one of those clichéd contemporary "brooding superheroes" . As Time magazine pointed out last year, Kara "saves her city with a smile".. She clearly enjoyed being a superhero in the Silver Age comics, and also does on the TV show today (And so does Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman.)
As Sterling Gates wrote for the closing panels of his "Adventures of Supergirl" companion comics series: "I'm Supergirl....... This is my life. And I love it!"

If you ask me that brooding superhero is what she has become this season...and I hate it! Also having looked at that article there are so many other things I would say about it...having been triggered by this blogger's leftist politics..but I guess I would be shut up.

The part I liked best in this article was when the author pointed out that "Kara enjoys being super (and Supergirl)". Exactly - she's not one of those clichéd contemporary "brooding superheroes" . As Time magazine pointed out last year, Kara "saves her city with a smile".. She clearly enjoyed being a superhero in the Silver Age comics, and also does on the TV show today (And so does Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman.)
As Sterling Gates wrote for the closing panels of his "Adventures of Supergirl" companion comics series: "I'm Supergirl....... This is my life. And I love it!"

Great article! Thanks for sharing.