Supergirl (comic book)

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Supergirl
Cover of Supergirl #1 (November 1972), featuring the Kara Zor-El version. Art by Bob Oksner.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
Schedule
List
  • (vol. 1)
    Bi-monthly
    (The Daring New Adventures of.../vol. 2, vol. 3–7)
    Monthly
Format
List
Genre
Publication date
List
  • (vol. 1)
    November 1972 - September/October 1974
    (The Daring New Adventures of.../vol. 2)
    November 1982 – September 1984
    (vol. 3)
    February – May 1994
    (vol. 4)
    September 1996 – May 2003
    (vol. 5)
    October 2005 – October 2011
    (vol. 6)
    November 2011 – May 2015
    (vol. 7)
    November 2016 – June 2020
No. of issues
List
  • (vol. 1): 10
    (The Daring New Adventures of.../vol. 2): 23
    (vol. 3): 4
    (vol. 4): 81 (#1-80, plus #1,000,000) and 2 Annuals
    (vol. 5): 68 (#1-67, plus #0) and 2 Annuals
    (vol. 6): 41 (#1-40, plus #0) and a Supergirl: Futures End one-shot
    (vol. 7): 42, a Supergirl: Rebirth one-shot, and 1 Annual (as of November 2019 cover date)
Main character(s)
List
Creative team
Written by
List
Penciller(s)
List
Inker(s)
List

Supergirl is the name of seven comic book series published by DC Comics, featuring various characters of the same name. The majority of the titles feature Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El.

Publication history[edit]

Volume 1 (1972-1974)[edit]

The first series featured the original Supergirl, Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El. It began publication in 1972[1][2] following a 44-issue run of Supergirl stories in Adventure Comics, ending with issue #424 (October 1972). The series lasted for 10 issues until 1974,[3] after which the character began appearing regularly in The Superman Family commencing with issue #165.[4] The release of the last issue of Supergirl was delayed for several months due to a nationwide paper shortage.[5]

Volume 2 (1982-1984)[edit]

During its first year of publication, the second Kara Zor-El series was titled The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl.[6] With issue #13, the name was shortened to Supergirl,[7] and the title continued monthly publication for a total of 23 issues.[8]

Volume 3 (1994)[edit]

In 1994, DC Comics published a four-issue limited series[9] featuring a new Supergirl who was introduced early in the Post-Crisis era. Sometimes referred to as the Matrix, this new character was a protoplasmic duplicate of an alternate universe Lana Lang, granted superpowers by an alternate Lex Luthor. Having been brought to the mainstream DC Universe by Superman, she became romantically involved with the mainstream Luthor, who was posing as his own fictitious son Lex Luthor II. This limited series resolved many of the threads remaining from that storyline.

Volume 4 (1996-2003)[edit]

The fourth series featured a third Supergirl.[10] This character was a fusion of the Matrix Supergirl and Linda Danvers (a Post-Crisis version of Linda Lee Danvers, Kara Zor-El's Pre-Crisis secret identity). The series ran for 80 issues,[11] ending with the main character journeying to an alternate universe following the re-emergence of the original version of Kara Zor-El.

Volume 5 (2005-2011)[edit]

In 2004, DC Comics introduced an updated version of Kara Zor-El in the pages of Superman/Batman. The following year, she began appearing in her own ongoing series,[12] with Superman/Batman #19 being republished as issue #0 of Supergirl.[13] Sterling Gates took over the title in late 2008 with issue #34.[14][15][16] Amy Reeder Hadley was attached as the new cover artist for the series in May 2010.[17]

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade (2008-2009)[edit]

It is a 6-part mini-series featuring the Linda Lee version of Supergirl, written by Landry Walker.

Volume 6 (2011–2015)[edit]

DC Comics relaunched Supergirl with issue #1 in September 2011 as part of The New 52 reboot.[18][19]

Supergirl: Being Super (2016-2017)[edit]

The four-part miniseries Supergirl: Being Super, written by Mariko Tamaki and pencilled by Joelle Jones, is a coming-of-age take on Supergirl's origins.[20] It depicts Kara as a seemingly ordinary teenager living in the rural Midvale with the Danvers, since the couple found her inside a pod in the middle of a field. Kara grows up aware of the pod and her unknown origins (which are glimpsed in dreams) and struggles to live a normal life as she discovers her astonishing super-human abilities, which she keeps a secret even from her closest friends.[20]

Volume 7 (2016–2020)[edit]

A new Supergirl series written by Steve Orlando and incorporating elements of the Supergirl television series began in September 2016 (November 2016 cover date) as part of the DC Rebirth relaunch.[21][22] The series took a three-month hiatus in April 2018 and resumed publication in August with the release of #21. The new creative team was writer Marc Andreyko and artist Kevin Maguire.[23]

Starting with issue #37 in December 2019, writer Jody Houser and artist Rachael Stott helmed the series until cancellation in June 2020; issue #42 was the last in the volume. The final arc dealt with the fallout from Batman/Superman's "The Infected" event where Supergirl was "infected by a tainted Batarang that was meant for Superman"; as a result, Supergirl turned "into something of an unstoppable villain".[24]

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2021–2022)[edit]

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is an eight-issue miniseries by writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely which started in June 2021.[25][26] It focuses on Kara Zor-El's quest in space, aided by Krypto, and is told from the perspective of the new character Ruthye, an alien girl that Kara meets and is looking for justice for her father's death.[25][26][27] The last issue in the series was released in February 2022.[28] Susana Polo, for Polygon, commented that "with the final issue of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow I can definitively say this book slaps front to back, applying Sandman vibes to space adventure starring Supergirl and a plucky young space child. The best thing Tom King's done since Mister Miracle and Bilquis Evely just dropping mics on every dang page".[29] Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow was nominated for the 2022 "Best Limited Series" Eisner Award.[30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Supergirl at the Grand Comics Database
  2. ^ McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1970s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Following a decade of back-up action and three years headlining Adventure Comics, Supergirl finally starred in her own series. For the inaugural issue, Cary Bates and artist Art Saaf enrolled Linda Danvers in college.
  3. ^ Wells, John (October 2015). "Supergirl in Bronze". Back Issue! (84). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 9.
  4. ^ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 159: "DC's 100-page Super Spectaculars were proving popular, so DC said goodbye to Supergirl, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, and housed the characters together in Superman Family. Continuing the numbering from where Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen ended, the series featured classic reprints with new tales in the lead spot".
  5. ^ Wells, John (October 24, 1997), "'Lost' DC: 1971-1975", Comics Buyer's Guide, no. 1249, Iola, Wisconsin, p. 125, In the wake of a nationwide paper shortage, DC canceled several of its lower-selling titles in late 1973...[Supergirl #10] and three other completed comic books slated for release in November 1973 (Secret Origins #7, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #137, and Weird Worlds #10) were put on hold until the summer of 1974.
  6. ^ Wells in Back Issue, pp. 18-20
  7. ^ The indicia for The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl was shortened to just Supergirl with issue #13.
  8. ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 198: "With the guidance of writer Paul Kupperberg and prolific artist Carmine Infantino, Supergirl found a home in the city of Chicago in a new ongoing series...Unfortunately, this was not exactly the reinvention DC had hoped for, and The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl was cancelled after only twenty-three issues".
  9. ^ Supergirl vol. 3 at the Grand Comics Database
  10. ^ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 274: "The Girl of Steel flew back into an ongoing series at long last, courtesy of fan-favorite writer Peter David and artist Gary Frank".
  11. ^ Supergirl vol. 4 at the Grand Comics Database
  12. ^ Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 321: "Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El received her own title. Written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ian Churchill, the fourth [ongoing] series featured a Supergirl still getting accustomed to her life on Earth".
  13. ^ Supergirl vol. 5 at the Grand Comics Database
  14. ^ Rogers, Vaneta (June 27, 2008). "WWC: Gates and Igle Join DC's Supergirl". Newsarama. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
  15. ^ Rogers, Vaneta; Biggers, Cliff (September 2008). "Planet Stories". Comic Shop News (1108).
  16. ^ Rogers, Vaneta (August 4, 2009). "Some Will Be Revealed: Sterling Gates on Supergirl". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
  17. ^ Rogers, Vaneta (May 28, 2010). "Artist Amy Reeder Faces Challenge of Batwoman, Supergirl". Newsarama. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  18. ^ Supergirl vol. 6 at the Grand Comics Database
  19. ^ Uzumeri, David (June 10, 2011). "The New Superman Titles Are Here, Grant Morrison on Action Comics". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014.
  20. ^ a b Estrella, Ernie (May 28, 2018). "Inside Supergirl: Being Super with writer Mariko Tamaki". SYFY WIRE.
  21. ^ Supergirl vol. 7 at the Grand Comics Database
  22. ^ Salvatore, Brian (September 6, 2016). "Steve Orlando on Supergirl, Synergy Between the Show and the Comic, and What Makes Kara So Special". Multiversity Comics. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. TONE wise, I think it's very important to sync up with the show, but also that's a bit of a trick question, because the show has done so well for the very reason that it truly understands the tone of the best Supergirl comics. So it's a bit of a circle: hope, positivity, inspiration.
  23. ^ Estrella, Ernie (August 14, 2018). "Marc Andreyko sends Supergirl (and Krypto) off into deep space in a newer, more 'vibrant' Super series". Syfy. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019.
  24. ^ "DC Cancels Supergirl With Issue 42". ComicBook.com. February 15, 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  25. ^ a b "REVIEW: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 Tries to Have True Grit". WWAC. 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  26. ^ a b "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 Review: A Gorgeous Rendering Cloaks Notable Narrative Flaws". ComicBook.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  27. ^ "Supergirl: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Woman Of Tomorrow". CBR. 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  28. ^ "SUPERGIRL WOMAN OF TOMORROW #8 (OF 8) CVR A EVELY (DEC213130)". www.previewsworld.com. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  29. ^ Polo, Susana (2022-02-22). "Batman keeps lollipops in his belt, but he has good reasons". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  30. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2022-05-18). "2022 Eisner Awards Nominations Announced, led by DC and Image". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-05-18.

External links[edit]

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