The 10th anniversary celebration of the New 52’s take on the Superman franchise rolls ever-onward, as this week’s focus is on Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl !
Who is this feisty Kryptonian? Why does she not have the affection for Earth and it’s people as her cousin Superman does? What’s her overall…deal? Find out via the ever-so-choice info below!
Read what you can, when you can. The threads will be here, and are always ready when you are.
Cool! I’m excited for your excitement.
This volume of Supergirl was pretty solid. The 2005-2011 volume is my favorite Supergirl series, but the New 52 book? Yeah, its got some pretty darn cool stuff in it.
That’s so great to hear! I’ve always been kinda adverse to Supergirl because everyone always told me I should like her and not Superman because I’m a girl and it drove me crazy! I was always adamant that I chose Superman but it inadvertently made me avoid Supergirl and even Wonder Woman to an extent. Kinda happened without really realizing it and I’m trying to fill in those gaps!
First, thank you for this!!! I am catching up on so much stuff between club reading and my own collection which is always growing.
Ranking Supergirl with Superman titles, and I rank Superman and Action as the same at 1, Supergirl is number 2, and Superboy is ranked last.
I really enjoyed this story of Supergirl. It was weird and kind of funky at times but it was fun. As I am getting older, one thing that I seem to be chasing is that feeling of fun when I read a comic book. Supergirl definitely fits into that requirement. (Yes, I often get the same feeling from reading misc horror comics and many other genres)
I liked her alien aspect being showcased in her story, which set her apart from the other Supertitles. I also liked her new costume design. I really like the Michael Turner design for Supergirl’s big comeback in Superman/Batman from a few years before but this might be my second favorite costume.
To quote my favorite little wiseass hellraiser, “No problemo, man!”
I don’t ever expect a lot of people to fully reply within a given week. I just post the content, and everyone else can “do!” (as Joker said in The Dark Knight) as their free time/schedules merit.
Agreed on both accounts. I did read some brand-new books yesterday, but I’m still behind on reading:
Brand-new books from weeks ago
Club reading
DCUI reading. I just added Y: The Last Man to my list, which fully ensures I probably won’t read everything on my list (be it a re-read or something that’s new to me) until sometime next year, at minimum.
The previous wave of Walmart bundles (without the masks)
Spot-on with what I do (and did, in 2011 and beyond) too. Up top!
Action and Superman were fairly interchangeable as #1, but yeah…Superboy was almost always my least-favorite New 52 Superbook, even after the advent of Superman/Wonder Woman, Superman Unchained and, from o’er in the Batman line, Batman/Superman.
I really enjoyed the art in these issues, both when they were new and in my recent re-read of them. It popped nicely and gave Supergirl a very distinct artistic flavor, not only in the Superman line, but across the entire DC Universe line as well.
Likewise. I sometimes see a book and think “Oh, that reminds me of this, that and/or the other. Well, I’m sure it will be an identical experience, then.”
Unfortunately, it usually isn’t. Fortunately however, it gives me a new reading experience, which I’m always a fan of.
To go off-brand for a moment:
Back when I was into Marvel and a new volume of Runaways would debut, I always thought “Okay, neat. Hopefully it’ll be like volumes 1 and 2.”
Volumes 1 and 2 were the high mark of Runaways for me, while the other volumes/series were just caught in the exhaust of far better storytelling from far better takes on Runaways.
SN: I Runaways, especially Nico Minoru. She was absolutely my favorite Runaways character, and still is.
Me too! I have this figure of her New 52 look (the only one so far)…
She’s outside of my budget right now, but I’ll pick her up, some day.
Again, I agree! You and I are on similar wavelengths and then some!
Of course, I’m a massive fan of Superman/Batman, so practically anything from that will be A+ for me, especially when rendered by Ed McGuinness and/or the late, great Michael Turner (RIP).
Thanks for checking in, man!
I’ll bet you can’t guess what’s coming up for next week…
I have an idea and even have a toy I can share via a photo next week!
I finally went in the basement and picked up some of the things in boxes that were left after I moved to where I am now. I still need to get my Injustice statue up here but first I need to find a place for it.
Is this your first time reading the New 52 iteration of Supergirl?
Not at all. In fact, I vaguely remember reading pretty much the entire run at some point – it did tie-in with a lot of Superman events at the time, after all.
If you’re familiar with Supergirl in her various forms/identities, which is your favorite and why?
That’s a toughie…in a way, I think this New 52 version is my favorite because I enjoyed the story she had as she realized what happened to her world of Krypton and what she does before settling down and becoming a protector of Earth.
In terms of other media, I also really liked her in the Superman: The Animated Series. While the tweak to the origin was a little “eh,” I liked her moxie and attitude and seeing her grow as a hero.
Speaking of tweaks, from what I’ve read of the Peter David run, I also enjoyed the Matrix/Fallen Angel Supergirl. I mean, yes, her origin is almost completely different, but so much so that I can enjoy her as a separate character, to the point where I’d love to see both Kara and Linda be in the same universe together and interact.
Given the changes made to the New 52 Supergirl, where would you rank her reinvention amongst those of Superman and Superboy?
Just below Superman and well above Superboy. I think Superman has an edge in terms of compellingly new and yet classic reinventions (having Grant Morrison involved will do that), but her story resonates with me far more than Superboy’s.
If you’ve read the other Superman-related launch titles from The New 52, where do you rank Supergirl in the mix?
I’m going to wait until I read the first arc of Perez’s Superman to fully list the titles, but I’ll say this one is likely going to be high on the list.
I know you looked at some of the DC History Club Topic Supergirl Being Super but it covers most of Supergirl History and so is a good supplement to this topic
Ok so I know I’m way behind but so what, at least I’m catching up!
I’m only on issue 6, but I feel like I need to converse already
So as stated before this is the first time I’ve read a Supergirl comic and I’m already reminded why don’t pick these up. I’m basically the opposite personality as Kara. Maybe there are other iterations I would like so I’m keeping an open mind and I’ve decided to finish this and read more Supergirl to find one that resonates with me better. But this isn’t clicking for me.
I’m just not a fighter. She’s so aggressive in this comic, doesn’t let anyone explain what’s going on and yea I know she’s freaking out but I would cry and give up before attacking and blaming. So that’s hard for me to connect with. I’m frustrated she won’t listen to the only person speaking her language. I get it, she doesn’t believe what’s happening, drama, etc. and maybe I’m too trusting but I’d be listening to the only person who I can communicate with even if I think he’s sus. It makes her come across to me as naïve and confrontational for no reason. Naïve I can deal with, confrontational is not my jam. I end up embarrassed for her and cringing and I can already see how she’s running head first into trouble because she’s so brash. And she does, a lot, wow, much shock.
So thinking through my thoughts more I realize I need more. More backstory, more exposition, more of Kara working through her personality to help me understand her. But also, she’s not the character, at least in this, that makes me want to know more about her. She’s the kind of person, in this comic, that would steamroll my personality in real life. So it’s leaving me frustrated. I want to be hooked! I want to be interested! I want to root for her! Instead I’m terrified she’s going to Omni-man everyone!
What are your thoughts about my thoughts? Am I being too judgy? Do I just need to hold out for the comic to hit it’s stride and keep going or should I try something else stat! This is my first dive into the New 52 so maybe it’s the shock of the tone overall or maybe this writer isn’t connecting with me.
There’s nothing to catch up with. Just reply when you can. No pressure at all.
ponders if his Matthew McConaughey-esque vibe came through in his words
I’ll bet a cool dollar that you’ll like this Supergirl series more so. I do, and we seem to be on a pretty even keel as far as Superbooks go.
Oh, I’d love a Supergirl/Invincible crossover. I’d of course root for Kara, but it’d still be a hoot to read.
When I first picked up Supergirl #1, I thought “Well, its different.” given how aggressive and un-Kara like she started out as.
But…I stuck with it, and came to quickly enjoy the series. The New 52 volume of Supergirl ended up as my second-favorite Supergirl ongoing, after the '05-'11 series.
I would. You know how sometimes with a book, it starts off rough (whether by design, or its just the creative team having a bit of trouble in finding their footing at the start), and then just gets a lot better as the pieces come together and the big picture of the puzzle starts to be within view, to where you then say “Oh, okay. Now I’m getting where this is going.”?
That’s how this Supergirl series was for me. It took some getting used to with the first 3 or 4 issues, but as the months progressed, I got more and more into it and was glad that I stayed onboard.
Wow, your very first dive into any New 52 series? That’s neat.
Give the Justice League book a go. Superman’s in it and its creative team can’t be beat (and yes, I’m extremely biased in saying that).
There’s even a book club that covered the New 52 Justice League series too, I think…
Added to my reading list! I bet I’ll like it since I love the Superman/Batman series from that era!
That’s great news and makes me feel better about sticking with it!
Yeah I pretty much only read S/B until I graduated high school in 2010. Then I found a comic shop I loved in my college town but I was a broke college kid so I wasn’t able to collect. Then I moved to Alaska and was a broke college kid for a second time AND without a comic shop
I will say I’ll be curious to see what your thoughts are after reading issue #7, because I think that actually does address a fair amount of those criticisms, as it deals with Kara really starting to become a “superhero” as she defends people of Earth against a group of enemies, without going into too many spoilers.
I will say that while she has a rough journey ahead of her and she makes mistakes, she definitely doesn’t go the “Omni-Man” route at all.
@Bar-El How do you feel about Legion of Super-Heroes?
There’s a Supergirl-starring Legion series I’d like to recommend, depending on what your interest is in the Legion (which is connected to Superman, so it’s a nifty circle).
I’ll let you check out the first few issues of the '05-'11 Supergirl and if you like those, then we can talk turkey on Supergirl’s adventures with the Legion, as its that Kara that is featured in the series I’ve in mind.
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Supergirl 
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Runaways, especially Nico Minoru. She was absolutely my favorite Runaways character, and still is.
