Karen Starr: Power Girl Appreciation 2020

[Ascended]

So I just found out PG showed up with some regularity in Sovereign Seven. Anyone here have some experience with that book and is it worth looking up on DC Universe?

If you like old school Claremont it's probably worth reading, but not for Karen.

The original line-up was built along X-Men lines, where everyone fits into particular archetypes and have fairly narrow powersets that, while useful on their own, are more designed to compliment each other than they're designed to stand on their own. There were some interesting mysteries (more like unanswered questions), especially early on. The setting (a small town called Crossroads) was one of DC's more interesting places, the supporting cast was intriguing and fun, and there were some good guest appearances from the more "standard" side of DC. The overall premise was pretty great, sort of like a reverse Exiles. And one of the characters was non-binary decades before that became part of the national conversation. And the art was always top notch, especially by the standards of the mid 90's.

But I don't feel like Karen had her best showing there. She was brought in to replace one of the original members and never really seemed to fit; everything from her powers to her costume felt out of place compared to the others and she never really seemed to have a viable reason to be there. She was a round peg being forced into a square hole and this was back in the "Atlantean origin" era so Karen wasn't at her best in the first place. She would've fit the title better these days, with her multiversal refugee origin.

And the book was painfully over-written in classic Claremont style. Which some people like and some don't (I personally don't). I think the book is worth reading if you can get it for a reasonable price, but don't get it for Karen, you'll be disappointed.

[Stanlos]

No. It's hot garbage. It does PG no favors, and is Atlantean era PG. All she does of note is batter the Sovs a bit, and get shot in the face by Hitman, (which does nothing). She was put in near the middle of the series to boost sales.

Yes, it is Atlantean Peege who was of the Royal House of Atlantis, hence Claremont picked her up to interact with the other "sovereigns". It is not the Peege show by any means but it was fun and an inventive use of the set-up. And it is always a delight to see Peege go all Power Girl.

I don't think it being the Atlantis version is a negative as thus far I have observed no true benefit to the regression to the Kryptonian of Earth 2 origin.

[achilles]

Yes, it is Atlantean Peege who was of the Royal House of Atlantis, hence Claremont picked her up to interact with the other "sovereigns". It is not the Peege show by any means but it was fun and an inventive use of the set-up. And it is always a delight to see Peege go all Power Girl.

I don't think it being the Atlantis version is a negative as thus far I have observed no true benefit to the regression to the Kryptonian of Earth 2 origin.

That's because since they did it; they made no use of it at all. It was merely a trapping they used, and a shorthand for what her powerset was. They should have done something with her Kryptonian origin, but they didn't. However, apart from that interminable Aquaman romance thing, and a few bits in a mini, they did nothing with the Atlantean origin during all the years she was doing that. They could have done something with it, but again, didn't. It was just something to explain that she wasn't Kryptonian anymore.

And if they do decide to go with "multiversal refuge", which might work; it will only work if they do something with that. If they just say she is one, and then leave it at that, without any reason it makes her special, it won't mean anything. I honestly thought when they retconned her back in the 2000s that they would say....well, she's immune to Kryptonite from the main DCU Universe, or any other one but her own, which no longer exists, much like Prime was. But no, they didn't. I also thought, maybe that gives her new powers the rest don't have, or some special knowledge, or a Silver Age level powerset like Prime, but none of that either. In fact, that she was Kryptonian again barely made any stories.

[Stanlos]

That's because since they did it; they made no use of it at all. It was merely a trapping they used, and a shorthand for what her powerset was. They should have done something with her Kryptonian origin, but they didn't. However, apart from that interminable Aquaman romance thing, and a few bits in a mini, they did nothing with the Atlantean origin during all the years she was doing that. They could have done something with it, but again, didn't. It was just something to explain that she wasn't Kryptonian anymore.

For some reason I forget the Aquaman romance. It never clicked for me. But Hal Jordan? That did click and I am not the biggest Hal fan.

As far as what they did with the Atlantean origin, it was a plot point in War of the Gods in which she got one of her rare feats taking on Tiamat; it also informed several notable expansions of her powers; it came up in two negative bits as similar to WW and Captain Marvel mystically powered or divine beings can be bound by spells if the spell is powerful enough so that led to her possession by Nike (S7 story) and that awful baby storyline from JUDGMENT DAY; it was also used in Aquaman's amazing second year ended event when all Atlantean allies came together to get some space invader rumpkins; and it came up a number of times in the League books one of which had her face off against some divine powers and Kara/en offered a better solution than Wondy

[Agent Z]

and it came up a number of times in the League books one of which had her face off against some divine powers and Kara/en offered a better solution than Wondy

Which League books were these?

[achilles]

Which League books were these?

It's a range, from the Giffen Leagues to the late 90s and early 2000s League titles. In them...they made a few plot points, but never really established an area that firmly defined her. You notice that no one really complained when she was retconned back in the 2000s. That was because no one was really invested in PG as an Atlantean. That was in turn because they just never went beyond what Stanlos mentioned. They could have delved deeply, (but not too deeply lest they wake the Balrog), into Atlantis, or indeed even the larger matter of the DCU magic world. They could have tied her as deeply into DC's magic part as they have with Wonder Woman these days. But....yeah, a couple of throw away things for specific stories, but that was it. BTW, there also was that JLI/JLE thing where she was the solution to Echidna, the mother of monsters...but that was never explained. She didn't do anything special, just bargained with her to have tea with Echidna on Tuesdays or something, but that was never mentioned again AFAIK. I don't know what she did with Tiamat.

[Stanlos]

That depends on how you define no one. I certainly was annoyed when Johns suddenly made her mopey because she was not in Supergirl's place and randomly did the IC stuff. There were other Peege fans that were also miffed.

I think I would be less annoyed if there was some payoff FOR HER. But so far it only seems like there was a theoretical payoff for Superman fans. Not necessarily so much as in enrichment by story because she isn't really featured but I think there was like a peace of mind thing for them to think, "Peege is back in the Superman Family". And yaaaaaaayyyyyy for them but I fear that was pretty much death for her except for patent compliance. Time will tell and I really hope it pays off FOR PEEGE.

[Stanlos]

This makes me want to ask you guys another question: are you happy with the return of the multiverse, omniverse thing?

I worry DC will go full Hickman with the concept and I gotta say I am not much into that. I am trying to look for gains since its return but I feel like we lost more than we gained.

[achilles]

This makes me want to ask you guys another question: are you happy with the return of the multiverse, omniverse thing?

I worry DC will go full Hickman with the concept and I gotta say I am not much into that. I am trying to look for gains since its return but I feel like we lost more than we gained.

I don't know yet. It depends on as you say if the payoff for PG herself, (and also for the JSA) is there. There's got to be some benefit there, or why bother.

[achilles]

That depends on how you define no one. I certainly was annoyed when Johns suddenly made her mopey because she was not in Supergirl's place and randomly did the IC stuff. There were other Peege fans that were also miffed.

I think I would be less annoyed if there was some payoff FOR HER. But so far it only seems like there was a theoretical payoff for Superman fans. Not necessarily so much as in enrichment by story because she isn't really featured but I think there was like a peace of mind thing for them to think, "Peege is back in the Superman Family". And yaaaaaaayyyyyy for them but I fear that was pretty much death for her except for patent compliance. Time will tell and I really hope it pays off FOR PEEGE.

That's something that annoys me; PG always serves to boost some other character, but never really her. That should change.

[Agent Z]

A nice moment from Wonder Woman #175.

[achilles]

If anyone like Geoff Johns ask what is Power Girl all about, they need only look to the above post. I think that nicely gets you started on who PG is. It's a nice demonstration of her personality. As opposed to whiny, crying, useless PG of some Johns' writings.

[Robanker]

This makes me want to ask you guys another question: are you happy with the return of the multiverse, omniverse thing?

I worry DC will go full Hickman with the concept and I gotta say I am not much into that. I am trying to look for gains since its return but I feel like we lost more than we gained.

You know, I'm not the biggest X-Men book but man of that book was impenetrable before, Hickman redefined the term. Kind of glad he didn't get on JSA now.

[achilles]

I always thought that Darwin Cooke's death was a huge tragedy, not just for his family and friends, but comic book fans in general. Now, what with pondering who could write either a JSA title, or who knows, a Power Girl title, that he would have been the perfect person to write, (and draw), either. I mourn the loss of a potential 50s Marilyn Monroe-like Power Girl like that famous sketch or two he did along those lines. I would have read the hell out of a mini done by him putting PG in say 50s Vegas looking like that. Now...I'm not sure who I'd want at either JSA or PG.

[Ascended]

This makes me want to ask you guys another question: are you happy with the return of the multiverse, omniverse thing?

I worry DC will go full Hickman with the concept and I gotta say I am not much into that. I am trying to look for gains since its return but I feel like we lost more than we gained.

You mean the multiverse with DC in general or Karen's origin specifically?

I'm down with the multiverse either way. For DC it opens up all kinds of fun narratives, even if DC does bounce back and forth between ignoring the multiverse and doing nothing *but* the multiverse. And characters like Flash, Vibe, Superman, GL, etc., benefit from the concept in pretty direct, obvious ways.

And Karen being a multiversal refugee is one of the coolest damn origins out there. Even taking Superman out of the equation it makes for a damn epic story and Karen's connection to Clark is just icing on the cake.