Supergirl #8

The New Doom Patrol have their hands full with Reactron, and Supergirl can only look on in "Stand-ins for Supergirl"!

Features a story in black and white.

Supergirl, “Stand-Ins for Supergirl.”

We continue from the previous issue with the mysterious woman. The mysterious woman is none other than Valentina Vostok a.k.a. Negative Woman. Vostok releases her negative energy as a sort of queue to allow three figures watching on a screen in a van to come out. The three figures that emerged from the vehicle are Vostok’s fellow members of the Doom Patrol: Joshua Clay a.k.a. the Tempest, Arani Desai Caulder a.k.a. Celsius, and Clifford Steele a.k.a. Robotman. Vostok’s queue was a signal to her fellow members of the Doom Patrol that the villain Reactron has arrived.

Linda Danvers checks on the body of Valentina Vostok. Tempest tells Linda to get out of there. Linda is determined to find a place to transform into Supergirl to help the Doom Patrol battle Reactron. As Linda tries to find a secure location, her friend Daryll finds her and is relieved that she is safe. He brings her to his car where Cheryl is waiting, and the three of them leave quickly to get out of danger. Linda feels interrupted as it will now be particularly difficult for her to help the Doom Patrol as Supergirl.

Back at the field of battle, the Doom Patrol and Reactron fight fiercely against each other. Both sides have their moments of being on the upper hand. Linda is forced to use her supervision in Daryll’s car in order to observe the battle. With the battle being at a sort of stalemate between the Doom Patrol and Reactron, Reactron swiftly vanishes. Linda commits to herself that the next time Reactron shows up she will be ready; however, Linda confesses in her mind that she does not know who Reactron is.

The comic takes the reader to the next day with Linda at Lake Shore University. Linda is on her way to a Psychology class that she is taking. Linda arrives and is now sitting in her Criminal Psych Seminar course.

In the next scene it is shown that a group of scientists are testing an experimental nuclear reactor underground in the middle of Lake Shore campus. One of the scientists voices his concern about experimenting with this technology in the location that they are at. One of his colleagues tells him to “watch it” with his concerns.

In a municipal garage somewhere else in Chicago, the Doom Patrol are back in their high tech vehicle contemplating possible locations of where they could find Reactron. In this scene it is revealed that Doom Patrol member Tempest knew Reactron back when the two of them were in the Vietnam War together. Robotman expresses the urgency in finding Reactron before Reactron does major damage.

In the next scene Linda and her friend Joan end their English Literature class and immediately begin talking about men. The two of them bump into a Professor, named Phil Decker. Joan tries to put the moves on him as it were, but much to her disappointment Decker is more interested in Linda. Decker makes a dinner date with Linda as he is in a rush to go.

In a laboratory under the school’s Fletcher Hall, Reactron attacks a security guard and it is implied that the villain kills him. Reactron expresses that all he needs is to get what he came for and then he can get out of there. Before the villain can leave the Girl of Steel arrives on the scene and tells Reactron that she could hear the security guards gun fire. Supergirl flies toward Reactron, and Reactron shifts his body as if preparing for battle.

Continued in the next issue.

Lois Lane, “There’s No Fool.”

At the beginning of this story Lois Lane is at Smith and Silver’s Bookstore signing her newly published book, “Around the Planet in 80 Months,” for fans. After a hard day’s work greeting fans, Lois goes home to find co-workers from the Daily Planet including Perry White in her front room to throw her a surprise party in celebration of her newly published book. Lois is at her party just long enough to talk to some of the guests there, to change, and head out the door leaving all of her guests back in her apartment. Lois heads to the Plaza for a dinner date with someone she met at her book signing at Smith and Silver’s Bookstore. She is there to meet Craig Van Buren.

Lois sees Craig; however, she witnesses him being nabbed by two men. She follows Craig and the two men that are with him. The two men force Craig to enter a car. With luck Lois is able to catch a cab immediately and has the driver follow the car that Craig is in. Lois follows Craig and the two men to a building; she gets out of her cab and follows them inside. Inside, Lois sees two more men besides the two that nabbed Craig in the Plaza. Lois sees one of the now four men shoot Craig.

Lois runs to the side of Craig, and notices that there is no blood. Craig gets up and reveals to Lois that this was all a prank. It is also revealed in the story that Craig is a reporter. Craig wanted to get even with Lois for her stealing his big break with a previous story she had written. Lois explains to Craig that she knew it was a hoax the entire time and gives him the evidence that proves it. Lois asks Craig if she should now write a story about how a reporter from Baltimore spends his time; Craig reply’s by telling Lois that she is a better reporter than he is.