Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Your Favorite Supergirl?

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.