Convergence: Supergirl - Matrix #2 Review

Written by: Keith Giffen
Art by: Timothy Green II
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 13, 2015

A Load of Spackle

I want to begin this review by telling everyone reading this that I think I have a decent sense of humor.  I'm no Henny Youngman or Fred Allen, mind you, but I know my way around a joke.  I also think I know when a joke has played itself out and if I didn't, I learned firsthand last month in Convergence: Supergirl - Matrix #1.  The issue was also a total mess with misplaced dialogue, paper thin characterizations and not much of a story to speak of.  Because of that, the "humor" came off as a pathetic instead of clever and threw the whole issue off to the point of it being one of my least favorites of the Event.  It did end with Ambush Bug showing up so I had a little glimmer of hope that this finale would change everything and make it all worthwhile.  Did Ambush Bug save the day?  Let's find out...



The issue opens with Ambush Bug, Supergirl and her ridiculous hair having a little drink.  I'll probably mention it again in this review, but what the hell was going on with Supergirl's hair?  I would have guessed that she just got off the 80's bus smelling of Aquanet, but that's not the case.  Ambush Bug tells Supergirl where they are and begins the big joke of the issue...that Supergirl smells like spackle.  No lie...spackle.  I get it, but it's not that funny the first time and believe me, the next twenty times don't get any better.

We get back to some Convergence action when Lady Quark shows up, but Supergirl uses her telekinesis to quickly dispatch of her and then goes off to find Ambush Bug who disappeared right before this quick, lame battle.

She does find him (in Kamndi's Post Great Disaster New York which is awesome) and they begin a tour of realities that keeps getting interrupted by Lady Quark and Supergirl battles.  There are amalgam characters, in-jokes and fourth wall breaking moments that sometimes hit, but mostly fall flat.

Through all of this, Keith Giffen wants us all to sit back and laugh at how he is thumbing his nose at this whole Convergence Event.  Unfortunately, that's the reason I'm reading this book and as a Convergence issue, this is a total failure.  Moreover, as a Supergirl -Matrix book, it's just as bad.

The book then switches from a fight to an effort to grab Ambush Bug and use him to get off of Telos.  It's an okay premise, but the setup and payoff were both nonexistent.  It just kind of came up and Supergirl and Lady Quark went with it.

No sooner did that happen, then Lex shows off, insults Supergirl and her and Lady Quark get back to fighting.  What?!?  The book then ends with Ambush Bug heading back on the road and uttering a line that only Bugs Bunny is allowed to say.  How dare you Keith Giffen.

I hated this issue.  I'm sure there are Keith Giffen/Ambush Bug fans that will say I "don't get it", but please tell me what "it" is?  Stale jokes that were somewhat humorous in the 90's and have aged like an egg buried in the backyard?  Maybe spackle jokes are your thing, but they aren't mine.

I did like Timothy Green's art, but a hairdo as big as Supergirl's can't hide the fact that this issue was a huge stinker.

Bits and Pieces:

I do not have a black heart and I really do like to laugh, but this issue made me want to strangle someone.  Keith Giffen uses this Event tie-in to poke fun at everyone he can and chuckle at the Event itself...but he forgot to write a good issue to go along with it.  This issue, like the first, was not good and made me cringe a whole lot more than laugh.  I think it's time for Giffen to retire Ambush Bug and update his book of jokes to at least catch up with Y2K.  Maybe by 2050, we'll get to 2015.

2.0/10