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Supergirl Archives #1
The Supergirl Archives, Vol. 1
The Silver Age of comics had begun, and the concept of costumed super-heroes was once again gaining mass appeal. As demand for the colorful heroes grew in the late 1950s, DC Comics reacted by revamping many of their greatest heroes from the Golden Age -- heroes like the Flash, Green Lantern, and the JLA. But they also expanded their current super-hero franchises, with one of the most important being the Superman titles, headed by editor Mort Weisinger.
The Man of Steel was already featured in several DC titles -- Superman, Action Comics, World's Finest (teamed with Batman), and Adventure Comics (featuring his adolescent, exploits as Superboy). Under Weisinger, however, the Superman mythos underwent a sustained expansion, with the introduction of the Phantom Zone, multicolored versions of Kryptonite, and Krypto the superdog (as well as the rest of the super-pets). But Weisinger's most notable contribution to the "Superman Family" was the introduction of Superman's long-lost cousin, Kara Zor-El -- Supergirl!
Supergirl exploded into Superman's life in Action Comics #252. Although not the first time Superman had encountered a "Supergirl" -- see the first adventure in this volume from Superman #123 -- the introduction of Kara would become an important milestone in the Man of Steel's mythology.
Escaping from the doomed city of Argo, Krypton's last surviving remnant, Kara is sent to Earth in a rocket to be reunited with Superman, and under his guidance is trained to become one of Earth's greatest heroes. Supergirl's early adventures, charmingly crafted by writer Otto Binder, had Supergirl's actions always hidden from society, giving her the status of "Superman's Secret Weapon." But inevitably Supergirl became a public figure, even breaking the bonds of the 20th century to fight alongside the Legion of Super-Heroes.
In later years, with the coming of the universealtering series Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kara met a hero's fate, dying while saving her last family member, Superman. Supergirl's death was a most emotional event for professionals and fans alike. But let's not talk about the end. This is the beginning. So let us return to a simpler time, as a 15-year-old girl learns to fly, and learns to be a hero.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2001
61 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Siegel
624 books83 followersJerome "Jerry" Siegel, who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S. Fine, was the American co-creator of Superman (along with Joe Shuster), the first of the great comic book superheroes and one of the most recognizable icons of the 20th century.
He and Shuster were inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993.
He and Shuster were inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 22, 2015
This week's buddy read with the Shallow Comics Readers is Sidekicks!!
It might be stretching things a big to say that Supergirl was Superman's sidekick, because she was never like Robin, or Kid Flash or Speedy. Nevertheless, in her first appearances, she was being trained by Superman in her powers, so I chose to focus on the Silver Age Supergirl in this archive edition that reprints her first appearances.
This first story stars Jimmy Olsen, who obtains a magic totem that gives three wishes. After wishing for a female counterpart to Superman, a red-headed "Supergirl" appears and tries to help Superman, but things soon take a turn south. She doesn't last long, and the rest of the story is pretty much the same take on Jimmy's wishes being hindrances rather than help to Superman. So, this first story isn't about Kara at all.
A year later, Supergirl first appeared in an Action Comics story. OK, I know this was the Silver Age, which I love, and things were not as detailed or nuanced as comics were even in the 70s. It's so strange, however, for Superman to automatically accept this cousin who appears years after Krypton was destroyed, with no questions or suspicions. Then, Superman makes the decision that Supergirl can't be known to the general public, and shoves Kara into an orphanage. She picks the "earth name" of Linda Lee, another "double L" person in Superman's life.
The rest of the stories are variations on Supergirl using her powers, which she masters almost immediately, in various ways that help out her fellow orphans, or sometimes Superman. A boy in the orphanage starts to be her Lois Lane by attempting to expose her identity, but that subplot goes nowhere. Usually, most of the stories, which are backup-length at 8 to 10 pages, involve Supergirl talking a lot, with winks to the reader and so forth. She uses her powers while trying to avoid detection by people, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. The highlight of the volume is actually the two stories that introduce Streaky the Super-Cat. At least Streaky has a personality.
I have always had a huge problem with the Weisinger era of Superman comics. Mort Weisinger was the editor of the Superman family of titles for at least a decade and a half, and he did a lot to enlarge the Superman mythos. Supergirl, the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Bottled City of Kandor, etc, were all developed under his aegis. But even in a day when stories were written for ages 14 and under, they were never very clever, often relying on "twists of fate" or "as luck would have it" dei ex machinas. Although imaginative in scope, in details the stories were tired and very formulaic. These stories are easy to read, but leave behind a very empty feeling.
Jim Mooney was the artist for most of these stories, and his style, although pretty good for this time period (late 1950s), was very stiff compared to his later work for Marvel in the 70s. A lot of stock poses, and Kara/Linda often has the same expression on her face, looking a lot like that girl from The Bad Seed.
Probably the oddest thing about this collection is the cover art. Every other DC archive uses interior art on the cover, choosing some panel that encapsulates the entire collection. Here, DC decided to use a very grotesque Frank Miller illustration. The introduction, by a former Dark Horse female editor, says that she (sorry, I have forgotten her name and don't feel like pulling the book back off the shelf) convinced long-time DC editor Julius Schwartz and others at DC to do this Supergirl-themed archive, and she would convince Miller to do the cover as a bonus. Well, she shouldn't have bothered. It's horrible and the book would have looked much better with a Mooney or Art Plastino Supergirl instead.
If you are familiar with the Superman of this era and like the stories, then pick this up. Otherwise, keep hoping we will see Supergirl's stories from the 70s and 80s collected. There is a volume 2 of Supergirl Archives, but other than reading the story where Superman finally introduces Supergirl to the world, I can't say I'm looking forward to it.
It might be stretching things a big to say that Supergirl was Superman's sidekick, because she was never like Robin, or Kid Flash or Speedy. Nevertheless, in her first appearances, she was being trained by Superman in her powers, so I chose to focus on the Silver Age Supergirl in this archive edition that reprints her first appearances.
This first story stars Jimmy Olsen, who obtains a magic totem that gives three wishes. After wishing for a female counterpart to Superman, a red-headed "Supergirl" appears and tries to help Superman, but things soon take a turn south. She doesn't last long, and the rest of the story is pretty much the same take on Jimmy's wishes being hindrances rather than help to Superman. So, this first story isn't about Kara at all.
A year later, Supergirl first appeared in an Action Comics story. OK, I know this was the Silver Age, which I love, and things were not as detailed or nuanced as comics were even in the 70s. It's so strange, however, for Superman to automatically accept this cousin who appears years after Krypton was destroyed, with no questions or suspicions. Then, Superman makes the decision that Supergirl can't be known to the general public, and shoves Kara into an orphanage. She picks the "earth name" of Linda Lee, another "double L" person in Superman's life.
The rest of the stories are variations on Supergirl using her powers, which she masters almost immediately, in various ways that help out her fellow orphans, or sometimes Superman. A boy in the orphanage starts to be her Lois Lane by attempting to expose her identity, but that subplot goes nowhere. Usually, most of the stories, which are backup-length at 8 to 10 pages, involve Supergirl talking a lot, with winks to the reader and so forth. She uses her powers while trying to avoid detection by people, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. The highlight of the volume is actually the two stories that introduce Streaky the Super-Cat. At least Streaky has a personality.
I have always had a huge problem with the Weisinger era of Superman comics. Mort Weisinger was the editor of the Superman family of titles for at least a decade and a half, and he did a lot to enlarge the Superman mythos. Supergirl, the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Bottled City of Kandor, etc, were all developed under his aegis. But even in a day when stories were written for ages 14 and under, they were never very clever, often relying on "twists of fate" or "as luck would have it" dei ex machinas. Although imaginative in scope, in details the stories were tired and very formulaic. These stories are easy to read, but leave behind a very empty feeling.
Jim Mooney was the artist for most of these stories, and his style, although pretty good for this time period (late 1950s), was very stiff compared to his later work for Marvel in the 70s. A lot of stock poses, and Kara/Linda often has the same expression on her face, looking a lot like that girl from The Bad Seed.
Probably the oddest thing about this collection is the cover art. Every other DC archive uses interior art on the cover, choosing some panel that encapsulates the entire collection. Here, DC decided to use a very grotesque Frank Miller illustration. The introduction, by a former Dark Horse female editor, says that she (sorry, I have forgotten her name and don't feel like pulling the book back off the shelf) convinced long-time DC editor Julius Schwartz and others at DC to do this Supergirl-themed archive, and she would convince Miller to do the cover as a bonus. Well, she shouldn't have bothered. It's horrible and the book would have looked much better with a Mooney or Art Plastino Supergirl instead.
If you are familiar with the Superman of this era and like the stories, then pick this up. Otherwise, keep hoping we will see Supergirl's stories from the 70s and 80s collected. There is a volume 2 of Supergirl Archives, but other than reading the story where Superman finally introduces Supergirl to the world, I can't say I'm looking forward to it.
Read
March 29, 2013Although I love the artwork, innocence, and settings of the older comics, I was really disappointed by the key plot fixture that Supergirl was required to keep her very existence a secret.
August 6, 2019
Silver-Age goodness.
Silver-Age D.C. comics often get a bad reputation for being silly. While there i9s some silliness here, there is a lot of goodness here, too.
The art is bright and colourful which fits well with these cute fun stories.
I believe this collection would suit a pre-teen audience and the young at heart. I certainly enjoyed them; I especially enjoyed the first two Streaky the Supercat stories that are included in this book.
This edition collects the Supergirl stories from Action Comics #252-268 as well as a story from Superman #123 where Jimmy Olsen wishes for a Super-girl to help Superman out. I believe this was a try-out for Supergirl to see how readers would react to her.
Silver-Age D.C. comics often get a bad reputation for being silly. While there i9s some silliness here, there is a lot of goodness here, too.
The art is bright and colourful which fits well with these cute fun stories.
I believe this collection would suit a pre-teen audience and the young at heart. I certainly enjoyed them; I especially enjoyed the first two Streaky the Supercat stories that are included in this book.
This edition collects the Supergirl stories from Action Comics #252-268 as well as a story from Superman #123 where Jimmy Olsen wishes for a Super-girl to help Superman out. I believe this was a try-out for Supergirl to see how readers would react to her.
November 12, 2019
Frivolous harmless fun.
September 16, 2022
These stories are a bit dated.
November 10, 2023
A collection of slight, and sometimes silly, stories from the early Silver Age, social history as much as comic book history, but still fun.
March 28, 2016
I admit it, I have a soft spot for the old Supergirl stories, as goofy as they were. Part of it might be the great Jim Mooney artwork, but part of it is the stories -- they're good-natured romps, even if Superman's a bit of a dick (that was rather his standard characterization at the time, though) and the Legion, when they show up, are a tad inflexible when Kara is accidentally aged up physically -- she's still fifteen, she just happens to look ten years older. So the Legion rejects her as she's no longer a teenager. 30th Century kids: graduates from Trump University, one and all.
If I have a quibble about the Archives restoration, it's that the recoloring sometimes goes a bit awry -- Supergirl's blue dress keeps turning into a blue top with a red skirt, which is disconcerting. Other than that, though, the art restoration is excellent.
...actually, I do have another quibble (no, I'm not about to Spanish Inquisition you), and that's that Showcase Presents: Supergirl, Vol. 1 includes a number of stories from Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen that aren't present in either of these Archive volumes. I'm hoping that the upcoming (as I write this) Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus v1 will correct that and include them in proper placement (and correct the colouring errors while they're at it.)
If I have a quibble about the Archives restoration, it's that the recoloring sometimes goes a bit awry -- Supergirl's blue dress keeps turning into a blue top with a red skirt, which is disconcerting. Other than that, though, the art restoration is excellent.
...actually, I do have another quibble (no, I'm not about to Spanish Inquisition you), and that's that Showcase Presents: Supergirl, Vol. 1 includes a number of stories from Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen that aren't present in either of these Archive volumes. I'm hoping that the upcoming (as I write this) Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus v1 will correct that and include them in proper placement (and correct the colouring errors while they're at it.)
May 3, 2008
This was fun. The first volume of comic reprints from the original 1950s supergirl stories. A lot fo these I own in the original comics. But this is a great way to re-read and enjoy them. Supergirl was my hero as a kid and though the comics can seem really outdated and silly now, there are some warm and fond memories as the young Supergirl learns to use her new powers and makes mistakes which she has to learn to fix. Its very creative and fun.
November 18, 2015
The original Supergirl is seriously lame. It is, of course, quite typical of the "ideals" of 1958 -- girls and women have to keep their strengths hidden and defer to the needs of men. Superman is a selfish twit who wants to keep Supergirl as a "secret weapon," so in the guise of protecting her he insists that she not do anything at all super. At least she has the sense, and the guts, do super stuff, but only if she can keep it super secret.
December 13, 2012
I enjoyed the read, but generically, it was pretty bad. Incredible leaps of faith for the plots, and the "can do *everything*" spirit that needed to be restrained before really good storytelling could take place.
February 12, 2013
The stories in both this volume and that which follows it are charming and fun. Supergirl is a genuinely likable character--humble and gracious. The plots are pretty simple (these were published late-50s/early-60s) but are endearing nonetheless. Nice artwork, too.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews