Kara Zor-El Supergirl Appreciation 2019

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Supergirl & Captain Marvel!
Following several team ups, Billy Batson aka Captain Marvel eventually worked up the nerve to awkwardly ask Supergirl to go on a date...

by adamantis

[kcekada]

Tsk... artist should've used the 1980's Ms. Marvel logo there. That one is Kamala's logo, originally used when Moonstone was Ms. Marvel in the late 2000s.

May have been a deliberate choice to work better with the Bronze Age Supergirl logo. I really prefer that logo to the one that is just Superman's with 'girl' replacing 'man'.

I'm reaing the current series but am on the verge of dropping it. I do like the addition of Krypto -- but the rest of her supporting cast --- including the Brainiac 5 ripoff -- are not very interesting.

[Tzigone]

What do you think was the best or would be the ideal Supergirl? In terms of characterization and supporting cast, and very much in terms of age (relative to others) when she arrives on earth.

She starts Dick Grayson’s age or a little younger. But she ages more quickly, graduates high school before him, and graduates college while he’s still in freshman year. Never joined the Teen Titans because she’d graduated high school before they formed, I think.

Since she aged faster, she got to occasionally team up with a grown up Barbara Gordon later on.

When we get back to the Clark’s cousin version post-crisis, she’d started over again and is a peer to Kon, Tim, and Steph - though I don’t know her exact age.

By Rebirth, she’s still similarly aged to those three, but also teaming up with Batgirl, since ages have been compressed so much. I don’t like the compressed ages. I want at least 5 years between Barbara and Dick and 7 between Dick and Tim.

And, of course, there's all the other version in comics and other media.

Then there’s her relative ages to Jon or especially to Superman. Does she need to be teenager when Jon’s 10 or would her being an adult be fine? I certainly don’t want her as a peer of Jon, as the age-jump has done (no age-jump in my headcanon). For Superman, I almost think bring her in earlier is better. I do not think they have ever had, nor do I want them to have, a parent-child relationship. So bringing in a teenage Kara when he’s 27 works a bit better for that than bringing in a teenage Kara when he’s 37.

Her age - relative to others - very much affects which heroes she primarily interacts with (at least until grown), and what types of relationships she has with them. I think most of her civilian supporting characters can work whichever age she is. But her relationship with the wider hero community, less so. And, of course, during most of her earlier years, it seems the Supers were more sequestered from the wider DC world. So how many fans of hers care as much about superhero friendships (outside the Supers) rather than civilian ones? Of course, like Wonder Woman, her supporting cast gets jettisoned frequently. Seems like Supergirl/Batgirl gets played up more in fandom than in actual comics - they only seemed to team up a few times in pre-Crisis. Not sure how many later when Steph was Batgirl, but it didn't seem like that many to me. I know they have teamed up more recently, though, even though I'm not currently reading the titles.

For the record, I agree with several people who expressed the opinion that Kara should not go into journalism. I rather like science, and her current self has such a background. Maybe materials scientist. Definitely doing new things and not just re-inventing Kryptonian tech.

EDIT: "Maid of Might" was used in 1971 in Adventure Comics 404. Just happened to come across it today when I was looking to see her transition from college to San Fransciso. Have not read a lot of Supergirl. Did some more checking, though, and it seems to have also appeared shortly after Linda graduated high school and went to college (Action Comics 320 in 1965). Perhaps "Girl of Steel " didn't work any more after she grew up? Mind you, I've only seen select issues, and reprints may be leading me astray. Here's the 1971 one.
supergirl maid might.jpg

[kjn]

Why Supergirl usually doesn't have bangs (by Sarah Leuver).



(Follow the link for the explosive conclusion!)

[Tzigone]

Best Supergirl runs? The current one isn't something I'd be interested in :x

What are you looking for in a character/plot? There have so many Supergirls, with so many plot types and so many characterizations and so many premises, there might well be something you'd like. Her supporting cast also seems to change every time a creative team changes.

I rather liked early Rebirth Kara, before the more recent switch up. But I like earth-based adventures and supportive families. Yes, there was some copying of the show, for sure. Oddly, I didn't like the show. I don't think Kara working for DEO long-term was ever going to be doable, but I liked Chase, and loved Jeremiah and Eliza. Didn't care for evil Zor-El (why do they keep making the parents evil?!) or the journalism work. Ben was pretty nice. But what it gave me that I was looking for was a Kara newly on the planet (I know not brand new because it was really only a soft reboot, but it really felt rebooty to me) adapting to a new place and the loss of her home and to even herself seeming to change. That's why I lost a lot of interest in the show immediately - she'd already been on the planet for years (and wasn't a teen). I stopped watching after either first or second episode. To me, it's a big point of differentiation between Kara and Clark that she remembered the home and parents she lost and he didn't. And that didn't really get explored in the silver age, because it was the silver age, so I was eager to see it now. And I thought early days would be the best time for it to be in the forefront.

But I really liked Kara, and Eliza and Jeremiah's interactions. And the parents with each other. They were awesome to me. That relationship made the comic for me.

Obviously, she would have to adjust eventually, and grow up and leave her second set of parents, too. That's good. But I just liked those stories as a starting point.

But, I acknowledge I hadn't read much other Supergirl then. Still haven't, really, though I've read a little more. There was no previous version that I liked that I was comparing her to.

[KangMiRae]

What are you looking for in a character/plot? There have so many Supergirls, with so many plot types and so many characterizations and so many premises, there might well be something you'd like. Her supporting cast also seems to change every time a creative team changes.

I rather liked early Rebirth Kara, before the more recent switch up. But I like earth-based adventures and supportive families. Yes, there was some copying of the show, for sure. Oddly, I didn't like the show. I don't think Kara working for DEO long-term was ever going to be doable, but I liked Chase, and loved Jeremiah and Eliza. Didn't care for evil Zor-El (why do they keep making the parents evil?!) or the journalism work. Ben was pretty nice. But what it gave me that I was looking for was a Kara newly on the planet (I know not brand new because it was really only a soft reboot, but it really felt rebooty to me) adapting to a new place and the loss of her home and to even herself seeming to change. That's why I lost a lot of interest in the show immediately - she'd already been on the planet for years (and wasn't a teen). I stopped watching after either first or second episode. To me, it's a big point of differentiation between Kara and Clark that she remembered the home and parents she lost and he didn't. And that didn't really get explored in the silver age, because it was the silver age, so I was eager to see it now. And I thought early days would be the best time for it to be in the forefront.

But I really liked Kara, and Eliza and Jeremiah's interactions. And the parents with each other. They were awesome to me. That relationship made the comic for me.

Obviously, she would have to adjust eventually, and grow up and leave her second set of parents, too. That's good. But I just liked those stories as a starting point.

But, I acknowledge I hadn't read much other Supergirl then. Still haven't, really, though I've read a little more. There was no previous version that I liked that I was comparing her to.

I really don't like Kara being so involved in typical high school young adult life. It's so weird and boring. Her hanging out with people who aren't super is pointless in my opinion. I think she needs to be one of those younger heroes who grows up deep in the heart of super hero society. I think I'll have to read the stories where she's with the Legion of Superheroes.

[Digifiend]

Why Supergirl usually doesn't have bangs (by Sarah Leuver).



(Follow the link for the explosive conclusion!)

How do ANY of the Supers cut their hair, if it's just as invulnerable as the rest of their bodies? Heat vision won't work to trim the back of Clark's head (you'd need to bend the beam 180 degrees), though we have seen him use it to shave off a beard. And even if you do use heat vision you have to be careful, as that fan comic proves. I wonder if that's why Clark kept that mullet for so long in the 90s?

[signalman112]

Adventure Comics #408. Those red leggings Supergirl is wearing look UGLY. Terrible design.

408Adventure.jpg

[KangMiRae]

Adventure Comics #408. Those red leggings Supergirl is wearing look UGLY. Terrible design.

408Adventure.jpg

I kinda like it! Although he shoes could use a little changing. Too much red with them.

[gwhh]

I first saw this gag on the Superman anitmated adventures in the 1990’s

My question was how a normal mirror could blast it back at them without breaking.

Answer that one for me?

How do ANY of the Supers cut their hair, if it's just as invulnerable as the rest of their bodies? Heat vision won't work to trim the back of Clark's head (you'd need to bend the beam 180 degrees), though we have seen him use it to shave off a beard. And even if you do use heat vision you have to be careful, as that fan comic proves. I wonder if that's why Clark kept that mullet for so long in the 90s?

[AnakinFlair]

I first saw this gag on the Superman anitmated adventures in the 1990’s

My question was how a normal mirror could blast it back at them without breaking.

Answer that one for me?

Well OBVIOUSLY it's a Kryptonian mirror, which can take the heat and stress

My question is, when Clark shaves using his heat vision, how does he not burn himself? It his heat vision will burn his hair off, you'd think it would also burn the skin underneath.

[GreatKungLao]

[Frontier]

Adventure Comics #408. Those red leggings Supergirl is wearing look UGLY. Terrible design.

408Adventure.jpg

Foreshadowing the red boots?

[AnakinFlair]

Now if only they'd give Alex a better super suit.... and a more believable girlfriend...

[Osiris-Rex]

I wonder what Winn is going to think when he comes back from the future and sees Kara is no longer wearing the suit he made for her.