SUPERGIRL #9 ART by GARY FRANK and CAM SMITH - THE SWING VOTE!

Original artwork for Supergirl Vol. 4 #9 page 19 (DC, 1997) by the talented team of Gary Frank (pencils) and Cam Smith (inks). Will Supergirl give in to her rage for revenge or forebear? The demon Buzz presents to her a pivotal choice (and advice) in this significant scene from the Peter David story, "Tempus Fugit."

Pages that depict the hero at a crossroads moment in their life, especially when they must fight to either save their immortal soul of lose it, are always fascinating to read and contemplate upon, and this one is no exception. In this intriguing tale, Buzz was ordered by the Chaos Lords of hell to get Supergirl to kill Tempus, whom she believed had murdered Linda Danvers parents, but, just before she lands the coup de grâce, Buzz cryptically warns her about the fateful decision she is about to make - "Do you make Linda's ways yours..." (the evil path)...or your way hers?" (the good path).

And why would a demon defy his stygian masters? Because Buzz himself as once human, the Roman Gaius Marcus who was very much in love with his wife Valeria, whom was ravished by the evil emperor Caligula. Thus, Valeria blamed Gaius for her violation and murdered her husband. And now, due to the disastrous pact Gaius had made (while he was alive) with the arch-devil Beelzebub, he was transformed into the demon Buzz, who would work as his malevolent representative on Earth. And, after millennia of evil shenanigans, Buzz eventually met and fell in love with Linda Danvers, who reminded him of his long lost love Valeria, desiring that Linda's fate would be intertwined with Supergirl's deeply rooted good nature and not his own damnation.

Subtext ripe with theological truth - GREAT STUFF!