Are you a fan of the New Supergirl? Do you follow the comic and her appearances across the DCU?

Maybe you were a fan of Peter David's Supergirl? Any of the Fire Angel Supergirl fans reading these threads?

How about the brash cocky teenager in the white t-shirt and lace up boots? Yay or nay?

Perhaps you're old school and you like the groovy hipster Supergirl of the 70's with the permed hair and the disco Super suits?

Or even older school and you prefer the innocent Linda Danvers in the Midvale orphanage?

There's a reason that the fans just love to love Supergirl. What's yours?

...now if I've forgotten to mention a favorite era then please inform us

Linda Lee in the Midvale orphanage all the way!

Seventies era hotpants and cape on a choker costume was my fave costume.

As for a personality I dislike the pre-crisis Kara. For me her only memorable appearance is Crisis on Inf Earths. I have no idea what Brainy saw in her aside from physical attraction really. She was so mean to him coming and going as she pleased, teasing him.

I think Timm's JLU Kara has the personality I like the most of all the Supergirl incarnations.

Unfortunatly, Supergirl's greatest moment was her role in the original Crisis.
That aside, I did like some of PAD's run on the character, and I am intrigued with the new version.
I haven't much cared for her series, but knowing Loeb was leaving, and Rucka was coming on board, I'll hang around to see where it goes.

PADs Supergirl is one of my favourite comics ever. In fact it was that as much as anything else that really got me back into comics. It's one of the few comic runs that I actually re-read a lot. I love the character that PAD created for Linda and the complex plot (which, yes, did get too complex for new readers but people don't seem to complain about that with regards to Lucifer or Robinson's Starman so why should it be such a big problem for Supergirl) and the gorgeous art by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs (it's nice to see how much Kirk came on over his run on the series). I was majorly upset when they cancelled it and would have loved to have seen what PAD would have done if he could have carried it on. One plan was to have the book star Linda as Superwoman, pre-crisis Kara (who turned up at the end of the series) as Supergirl and Karen Star as Powergirl and changing the title to 'Blonde Justice'. I'd have loved to have seen that, but it was a no-go with DC. And so they brought in various other rubbishy Supergirls and I have next to no interest in them.

Unfortunately that means Supergirl in the Legion is going to be a tough sell to me. I'm holding off any kind of judgement until i read the issues though since there's a good chance that the Supergirl we're dealing with is someone else entirely...

i'm a fan of PAD's Supergirl too(i miss Linda Danvers).
it was a really good series, with good artists too.

Agreed, although the early 70s was nice, too. I generally agree on pre-C persona, again, except COIE.

I read the first year or so of PAD; great stuff.

Haven't followed the current version at all.

I thought that hotpants and choker outfit was sooo cool when I was a kid.

Yeah - wasn't that the period where Supergirl wore a different outfit every issue?

Not Quite - The hot pants outfits first appeared around Adventure 414 (Jan 1972). The costume had a fringed pants and pixie slippers.
She kept this outfit through Adventure 424 and throughout her first series - Supergirl 1 - 10.
When that series was cancelled she moved into Superman Family 164 ( may 74) when she lost the fringes on her hot pants and gained her boots. She kept that outfit through the end of the SF series SF 222 and into her second series through issue issue 15 ( Dec 1983).

Just thought I'd mention that I've been catching up on PAD's Supergirl through back issues.

Just finished the cosmos-shaking #50!

Can't wait to see where it goes from there!

Great post in this thread by Bevis.

Any other Legion World fans of PAD's Supergirl?

I loved the series but always thought it lost a little something once she left her creepy home town. By the time it was cancelled, I was only mildly enjoying it. But those first 25 issues or so, espcially with 90's Gary Frank artwork--WOW. Some of the best PAD work EVER!

2 Words - Hot Pants!

Uh-oh. That's exactly the point where I am now. Well, consider me forewarned.

#51 wasn't too bad for an issue setting up the new status quo.

I'll let you be the judge--will not give any specifics or spoilers.

While in her home town (and the name escapes me), one of the most interesting parent / daughter dynamics going was Supergirl with Linda's. But of course it was that Twin Peaks-esque creepiness that was such a draw to the setting.

Thanks, Cobie.

Agreed about the parents/daughter dynamic and the creepiness of the town (it was called Leesburg.)

You never read PAD's Supergirl, Fickles?

Can't get much better than PAD with Gary frank and later Leonard Kirk, I think. It DID lose a lot after the big epic concluded but was still readable. Definitely went out with a Bang with its final arc, though.

Definitely miss those characters. Dick Malverne's fate was particularly heartbreaking.

Lardy, what happened was that when PAD's Supergirl launched in late '96, I was totally burned out and frustrated with the Big 2 in general. Even reliable writers like PAD weren't delivering consistently anymore (his Hulk and Aquaman were past their peaks) and so Supergirl basically passed me by. So, for that matter, did Young Justice, as I was completely out of the loop by '98. I didn't get back into comics til 2005. It's been a lot of fun catching up with both books, though.

Agreed on Leonard Kirk. He's always been very underrated. I hope it's not too jarring when Ed Benes replaces him late in the run.

Ed only did that final arc I mentioned, IIRC. I thought he did a great job on it, though there may have been a guest artist(?) somewhere in there. That arc is kind of meta-textual (kinda reads like an imaginary story, really), but I enjoyed it.

I tried out YJ for an issue or two, but it didn't grab me. I'm sure it got a lot better later, though. Just never got around to trying it again.

I was first introduced to Supergirl from the Superman cartoon. I have read a few Pre-Crisis comics and liked them. I was a big fan of Brainiac 5/Supergirl until the Threeboot, which is when I got into the present day comics and fandom. I became a huge fan of Brainiac 5/Dream Girl. I kind of like the idea of Supergirl dating someone from the Bat-Family now.

YJ got really good from issue #15 onwards, but the whole run is worth owning. Even the lesser issues are still fun.

*has a soft spot for pre-PAD Matrix-Supergirl*

Honestly, I didn't much like the whole Earth-Angel thing.

I also have a similar soft spot. The way she was portrayed in the Superman comics during the Death of Superman era was fantastic.

So I finished PAD's Supergirl run, and amazingly, what left the greatest impression on me from those later issues was not Supergirl herself, but how spot-on was PAD's portrayal of Mary Marvel in the climactic issues to the Search for Supergirl arc!

Now I wish PAD would get a shot at the Shazam franchise, maybe something out of continuity like that Jeff Smith mini-series. Alas, PAD is still Marvel exclusive as far as I know, and he'll be persona non grata at DC as long as the Didiot is running the show.

Back to Supergirl, I'd have to say that even though she was outshined by Mary in those issues, my impression of Linda Danvers is overall a very positive one. She was a flawed heroine who rose above her sins and her shortcomings and redeemed herself. So, going back to the original point of this thread, Linda Danvers would have to be my favorite Supergirl to date.

I actually like all the Supergirls. There is something about how they're so pure, yet flawed at the same time. It's really attractive to see these heroines really be their best - they have their weaknesses, but they cope with them well, just like true heroes.

IB, you even like the Jeph Loeb/Joe Kelly "Dark Supergirl" of the mid-2000s?

I'm not saying there's anything wrong if you do. To each their own. I'd just be interested in finding out what you like about her, as she is by far the most unpopular Supergirl in all the decades of the name's existence.

FL, I'm not that familiar with Dark Supergirl, but I don't consider her a "true" Supergirl, like I do the various Kara Zor-els or the Matrix version.

I've never bee much of a Supergirl fan. I've always said the the "alternate" versions of the chraracter are more interesting than the original. I guess my favorite would be Power Girl, followed by Laurel Gand.

Rocky, I love Power Girl, too.

I think she lost a lot when the original Huntress was killed off in CoIE, though. They made a spectacular duo, hot-headed Karen and level-headed Helena.

I also think it's a shame that every time someone finally gets her "right", it's followed by years of her being either ignored or mischaracterized.

THIS!

Gods, I miss you, Bevis. I hope you come back to visit during the LMB Anniversary post-a-thon starting tomorrow.

I just now finished a marathon re-read of PAD's Supergirl run which was originally supposed to take seven hours but ended up taking a week and a half.

Now I feel that this is PAD's most underrated run. The quality drop-off after issue 50 is not as steep as it seemed the first time I read this run. The only real problem I have is that the Supergirl Quest arc was obviously supposed to be 25 issues instead of 24, with the conclusion feeling like a truncated rush job.

The final 6-part arc was powerful and heartbreaking. I kinda wish now that Linda had simply ditched the blonde wig but kept the cape instead of (unofficially) becoming the Fallen Angel -- I love the Fallen Angel series, but now I think that after everything Linda went through and everything she proved to herself and the universe, she deserved a brighter future. I'd like to think that Linda's daughter from Hypertime still exists somewhere in the Multiverse.

I would be interested to know what exactly Cobie and Reboot and Sarky and other fans of Matrix Supergirl see in her. She's just never appealed to me, her pre-PAD story reminding me too much of other characters done better -- Halo of the Outsiders to name one example, Marvel's Meggan to name another.

As of now, PAD's creation, Linda Danvers -- artist, tortured soul, redemption seeker -- is DEFINITELY my favorite Supergirl.

Part of what I love about the Earth-Angel Supergirl is, first and foremost, the design, because I think those angel wings she had made out of fire were beautiful.

But what I love about Matrix and Linda was the struggle the two went through. Matrix believed she wasn't a real person, that she didn't have a soul, and yet everything we saw of her was someone who was human, someone who believed in doing good to the point she sacrificed herself to save Linda without thinking about it. But she was also someone who doubted and struggled with figuring out what the right thing might have been. She had a chance to become a bloodthirsty monster, to become just another killer who dispensed "justice," but she didn't cross that line. She could have, but she relented because she realized it was wrong.

I feel like Matrix's actions in the PAD Supergirl series were a giant middle finger to the idea of superheroes who kill because they consider it justice. Let's face it, we could have very easily had an anti hero Supergirl in the 1990s, instead we got a story about humanity and redemption. I can't stand it when people think Matrix and Linda were never "real" Supergirls, both separately and together. The two of them are some of the best representations of what Supergirl should be. Someone capable of love, compassion, and strength, someone who may not be perfect but will keep fighting, someone we should all aspire to be in some way.

Does that make sense?

It makes perfect sense to me.

Thanks, Sarky.

I still haven't read the PAD Supergirl run. I must fix that soon.

I don't really separate the Matrix and PAD Supergirls. Oh, I understand the difference and love the direction PAD took her; but to me, one is an evolution of the other, rather than two different characters. I don't see it as Matrix having been subsumed by Linda, rather that both became one. In a sense the combined version seemed to basically be Linda, but I never saw it that way. Certainly, Linda before the change was said to be callow and selfish. Afterward, she was a different and better person.

There's no argument for me that what PAD did on the book was really phenomenal. I'm still pretty pissed that the character was basically never even mentioned again in continuity after the series ended.

I definitely preferred the first long storyline centering around the earth angel concept and all of the spirituality that came with it. I missed Comet/Andrea, Buzz (or did Buzz continue for a while?) and all of the characters who figured into that milieu. It was never a bad comic, and that last arc really was awesome.

All that said, Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle did a hell of a job redeeming Michael Turner and Jeph Loeb's terrible Kara reboot. While they were on her book, it was clearly the best book in the Superman family by a mile. While anyone should check out PAD's book first, this was something that deserved a close look, as well.

Paladin, RE: Buzz.

Geoff Johns retconned him into being involved with the story of how Trigon impregnated Raven's mother, by being a member of the cult that took her in.

It's been a long time since I read the series but it's funny how everyone likes that last arc with Kara. At the time, knowing the series was being cancelled, I was angry and just felt like it sucked. I think I blamed Kara and the last arc for the cancellation, and always had a bad taste in my mouth over it.

For many years this was one of my favorite series. I was enthralled by it when it debuted.

I also feel the same way Lardy does above. For most her life, Matrix was a great character written incredibly well in the Super books. I saw her and Linda as the evolution / continuation of that same character, not a seperate character.

I miss those days. 4 Superman series, a Supergirl series, a Superboy series and a Steel series and all 8 were excellent at once.

I'll also add that while I love Kara / Supergirl, I think this was the best Supergirl series in her history by A MILE.

But I also think you definitely can't go home again with Linda & Matrix. She was Supergirl for a moment in time but its past. And that's okay--that makes it even more special.

Personally I just want Matrix and Linda back even if they don't call themselves Supergirl anymore. Matrix is Twilight and Linda can be Superwoman.

NL, you're in for a treat, albeit a rather pricey one, as only the opening and closing arcs have been collected in trades. Just another sign of how little DC appreciates the contributions PAD made to their universe.

Lardy, good point about the deep connection established between Linda & Matrix and how the latter helped the former become a better person.

Cobie, my initial reaction to the closing arc actually was very close to yours. But upon re-reading, it improved a lot. I know that the only classic runs handy to you at the moment are the Legion and the X-Men, but I hope that once you build your comic book room (how's that going, anyway?) you can re-read and re-evaluate not only PAD's Supergirl, but also his entire contribution to the DCU.

Sarky, thanks for mentioning Twilight -- she was a true rarity, a post-Kirby addition to the New Gods mythos that actually added something to the mix AND worked fine as a character in her own right.

I think I saw some of the issues at my local used bookstore, but was never sure if I should pull the trigger on them.

My favorite story from PAD's Supergirl series was the two part story about Ember and the new version of Satan Girl.

That was a great one! And an Easter Egg for Legion fans to boot!

All this talk about PAD's Supergirl, I want to mention that the Wings Elseworlds one-shot is one of my favorites.

This one for sure:



But I also liked this one:

Doom Patrol Team Up Anyone!

Thanks for asking about the comic book room, Fanfie! I hit a big snag this year--namely, I need to get a new roof for my post, as the enormous amount of snow and ice this winter revealed two different spots where there are leaks. I knew it was on the horizon, but there's suddenly an immediate need to replace the roof before the next New England winter. Which means all house projects are on hold until I build up the $$ to do it and then get it done.

But I really can't wait. I'm anxious to read a lot of runs I loved in the 90's, chief among them Waid's Flash (including Messner-Loeb's run) and PAD's Aquaman. This will be a great addition to that!

Her heroism in fighting Darkseid, her assertiveness with Brainy and her early to mid '80s costume and sacrifice were the defining moments for me.

COIE still makes me tear up. But gosh, what a sendoff!

For our recently joined member, Sue Pergirl. We'd love to know who your favorite Supergirl is.

Fanfic Lady: Three words.

P

A

D

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/1/13445/304377-69594-linda-danvers.jpg

Best Costume:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/22/24F4ED8900000578-2922219-image-a-71_1421956414311.jpg

YAY! I'm always happy to learn that someone else is a fan of PAD's Supergirl!

Hot pants and blousey shirt with the small emblem during the original JLA run. That was my favorite.

^ Same!

But I'm also a big fan of the 80s head-band and perm look she had in Crisis when she died.

I don't think I've liked a single one of her post-Crisis looks (although the one Sue Pergirl posted is probably the best of them).

Basically, my Dad taught me to read with Jhon Byrne’s “Man of Steel”.

It was pretty confusing for a Kindergartener, and my Dad never explained anything. Byrne’s wink-wink, see-what-I-did-there style was pretty puzzling if you did not already know who Luthor, Brainiac, Bizarro, etc. where. (Why does Supeman think the red-headed guy evil, just because he’s rich?)

This is where I met my first Supergirl, who wasn’t really Supergirl at all, but Super-asexual-artificial-creature-of-protoplasm. It is as if Proty II came from Krypton. By this time I had also been introduced to the Legion of Super-Heroes and super-Superboy from the pocket universe, and I found them interesting. My Dad suggested I look at the Great Darkness Saga, and went out and found it for me. There was another Supergirl, much more interesting than Byrne’s blob-Supergirl. She was as super-super as her cousin! She actually did stuff!

Which eventually led me to the 1982 24-issue Supergirl comic.

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20081031043140/marvel_dc/images/7/77/Supergirl_Vol_2_1.jpg

An even better Supergirl—although, the costume could use some work. And half-way through, yay! they did change the costume.

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080623161443/marvel_dc/images/a/a7/Supergirl_v.2_13.jpg

And then she died.

Although I want to point out that during the 24-issue run, Supergirl did something she would do again: split into two people, without the aid of Kryptonite. Maybe this is an extra super-power female Kryptonians get. But this 2nd Linda went off to live an independent life, and was never heard from again.

But IF the Byrne-Superman hadn’t happened post-Crisis, THERE STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN A KARA ZOR-EL / LINDA LEE DANVERS IN THE DC UNIVERSE!

And then Peter Alan David took the blob-Supergirl and fused her with an actual human being, and we got a pro-active Supergirl with her own powers, her own mythology, her own Marvel comics-like angstiness and, in the last three issues, the ORIGINAL Supergirl as well. Love you, Peter Alan David.

Supergirl has always been a character with more potential than achievement. One thing I do love about the Silver-Age Supergirl was the way that, in an era where girls who did not permanently hook up with one single boyfriend were “tramps”: Supergirl had a boyfriend named Dick! An alien boyfriend from the future! A mer-boyfriend! A completely inappropriate relationship with her pet horse!

On the other hand, Silver-Age Supergirl got married AS A TEENAGER three or four times to various abusive super-villains, so there’s that.

She only ever really came into her own in the Legion a thousand years in the future. That’s why I am glad that the cartoon Supergirl (Kara In-Zee of Argon) in Justice League Unlimited eventually ended up in the Legion (and Brainiac 5) permanently.

It occurred to me a while ago that Jennifer Garner (to those who are not familiar with her, she's the one on the left) circa 15 years ago looked A LOT like Peter David's Linda Danvers:

Here's a more flattering picture of her from around the same time:

I was recently watching a couple of old Jody Foster films and thought that, in her day, she might have made an excellent Supergirl.

Jodie Foster comes across to me more like Power Girl than Supergirl.

And I thought I might as well show how Jennifer looks in a long blonde wig:

Hey guys, so guess what? They're reprinting PAD's run on Supergirl starting with the first 8 issues in trade paperback form.

Splendid! Thanks for the good news, Sarky.

I won't be picking it up because I own the original trade paperback of the first eight issues. But God knows I look forward to any more that might come out.

Yay, that's great news!

My favorite Supergirl is PAD's rendition as well.

My second is probably Kara In-Ze of Argo from the DCAU.

I'm really looking forward to Melissa Benoist's portrayal in the upcoming tv series!

Guys can someone explain to me what the general problem with Cir-El was?

Well, to begin with, she was a red herring-- only intended to have a temporary existence, like the Jimmy Olsen magic-Supergirl or the Clark Kent-Supergirl.

Two, while she was not what she originally claimed to be, it is clear that the writers at the time were now sure what-all her real origins were, as they kind of kept switching it up.

(Definitely proven genetically to be the daughter of Superman & Lois, then the daughter of Superman & somebody else, then "mostly human", then switches-back-and-forth like Captain Marvel)

Three, she was part of a really crummy story-arc that, among other sins, confused computer viruses with biological viruses, made Brainiac look dumb, and handled time-travel poorly.

Just skimming the surface.

I've looked Cir-El up on tumblr, and I've yet to find anyone who doesn't like her.

I've only read a handful of issues with Cir-El, but as for her character specifically, I felt she was someone who just wanted to make her "father" proud and I thought she was trying her hardest.

I can't say anything for the specific storyline, but as for the character, I haven't felt she's as bad as I've read people saying she was. I wonder if any animosity directed towards her might have also been a result of Kara Zor-El's reappearance in "Many Happy Returns," and that DC didn't immediately bring her back when Peter David's run ended.

I was trying to re-read my copies from the Gates/Igle run and OH MY GOD that stupid New Krypton story was everywhere! How did any of us manage to keep up with that God awful run when it was being released?

Upon Sarky's recommendation in the "Superwoman" thread, I searched my library's catalog for "Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade" trades. And they do have the first one. YAY!! My electronic request is already in. Should only take a few days til I can read it.

Thanks again, Sarky. And, of course, I'll post my thoughts on it.

Bump



For our new Legion World member, Supragirl.

Pre-Crisis Kara is my favorite, full stop. But I came to really love her Post-Crisis version after Sterling Gates took over, and he?s since become my favorite Supergirl writer.

The DCAU?s Kara In-Ze is third, Linda is next, followed by Mae, and then Mia.

(Actually, if we count Karen, she goes before Linda.)

But honestly I love all of the Supergirls, and I wish DC would show some love to the non-Kara?s.