- I like Power Girl a lot. Always have. She’s like Supergirl, but more assertive. In these issues, she’s definitely pushing hard to gain the respect of The Justice Society. However, that seems to be the right call as even Wildcat is won over by her in the end. The reason she may feel the need to push so hard might be because she was hidden away for so long.
What do I think of the fact that Superman hid her for so long? Well… (WARNING: This question has triggered a Silver Age Superman rant. You have been warned). Since we didn’t really see how the Earth-Two Superman went about hiding Power Girl, I only have what I know about the way it went down on Earth-One to go off of.
Now, Earth-One Superman is my favorite version of Superman, so everything I’m about to say is said out of love. One thing that I know for sure about Earth-One Superman is that he is really, really (some even might say Super) insecure. In the Silver Age, whenever it looked like someone might upstage him, Superman took it badly and acted poorly. For instance, the back up story to Superman Vol. 1 #174 is called “Super-Mxyzptlk… Hero!” In it, Superman suggests that Mxyzptlk use is powers to help people instead of pranking them. Mxyzptlk decides to give it a try, and completely eclipses Superman in the eyes of the public.
And how did that end for Mxyzptlk?
Just look at how relieved Supes is that Mxy is gone…
Another example can be found in Superman Vol. 1 #125 in the story “Superman’s New Power.” Superman loses all of his other powers, but gains a new power where he shoots rainbows out of his hands and a tiny image of himself with all of his old powers emerges (I am not making this up). Superman starts to grow jealous of the tiny rainbow Superman who now gets all the credit, and here’s how he solves that:
So, Supergirl comes along in Action Comics Vol. 1 #252, and you’d think: Finally! Another Kryptonian! His cousin! Superman is no longer alone! And yet… Here’s what he does:
“I have a great idea for your future life!” I’m going to dump you at an orphanage… in Midvale… But! It’s so you can train your abilities, I promise.
I submit that Superman never needed to hide Supergirl. I think he was just worried about getting upstaged. I think he was worried that, with her around, he would no longer be special. Just with Mxyzptlk and just with the tiny rainbow man, he felt a little threatened so he hid her.
Again, I love Silver Age Superman. I’m not saying this to demonize him. I’m saying this because it’s the truth and it needs to be said so we can let the healing begin.
If Earth-Two Superman is anything like Earth-One Superman, he hid Power Girl so he could stay relevant for just a little while longer. So, no, I don’t think it was a good idea at all. I think it was selfish and I think it colored Power Girl’s relationships with male authority figures.
- What I liked about Vulcan’s origin was that his hatred of the JSA stemmed from the fact that he idolized them growing up. This hero worship of superheroes set his life on a path where he would eventually become a monster. In the end, he is blaming others for choices that he made. That being said, I can definitely relate to making bad life choices because you always wanted to be a superhero. It was definitely the most compelling thing about Vulcan and I wish it had been explored more.
He was definitely a threat to the JSA. He took down Power Girl, Star Spangled Kid, Wildcat, and The Flash in his first attack. Then he went toe-to-toe with Green Lantern and Dr.Fate at the same time. He “killed” Fate, so, yeah, definitely a legitimate threat.
One thing that stuck with me about the battle with Vulcan was that the Star Spangled Kid killed him. They played it off by saying, “Vulcan killed himself by murdering the alien who could cure his weakness to sunlight.” But, nope, the Star Spangled Kid killed Vulcan. He blew him up with the Cosmic Rod. I mean, we all saw that, right?
- Did Dr. Fate die for a good cause? Well, he died trying to stop Vulcan from absorbing too much energy, exploding, and taking Gotham City with him. He probably saved lives just by drawing Vulcan’s fire and energy away from the populace. I would call that a good cause. Was it worth dying for?
I think Doc Mid-Nite believes life is so precious that it shouldn’t be thrown away for anything. I get that. However, I think something like that needs to be left up to the individual. It was Dr. Fate’s life. In the end, Dr. Fate decides what it’s worth. He decides what’s worth dying for.
I’m not sure how Fate feels about “dying” to stop Vulcan, but he sure thought it was worth the effort to stop Vulcan so… maybe there’s your answer.
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Doc Mid-Nite? A failure as a superhero? The man who overcame great fear to help defeat the first Psycho Pirate in All Star Comics #23, a failure? No. He’s a great superhero. I’m sure he’s a pretty fair surgeon, too. He was just taking Fate’s “death” a bit personally. He’ll rebound.
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I feel that Star Spangled Kid has found a place with the All Star Super Squad. That being said, I don’t think Sylvester ever really got over being time-displaced. I think he missed a lot and he’s trying way too hard to catch up. Nothing will ever really replace everything that’s passed him by, though. I think that informs a lot of his decisions in Infinity Inc.
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Well, I think Superman’s decision to retire from the JSA and give his spot to Power Girl is the LEAST he can do (see my response to question #1). Also, let’s face it, Superman was never the most dedicated member of the JSA. In the Golden Age adventures, he only showed up for the JSA… like… what… 3… maybe 4 times? I think the Justice Society gains a lot more with Power Girl as a dedicated member. Besides, Superman is editing the Daily Planet now, and he would soon be having his Mr. and Mrs. Superman adventures with Lois in the Superman Family comics. He has enough to keep him busy.
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Disco was big in Lemuria. Haven’t you ever heard "Shake Your Continent (Down to the Bottom of the Indian Ocean)? "
That’s all for now. Thank you for indulging me in my Superman rant!