Black Orchid Review: Action Comics #260 (?)

I have been reserving Wednesdays recently to look at Black Orchid's pre-Crisis history, looking through the lens of a fan theory in the 70's that Black Orchid was, indeed, Supergirl.

I have one more Black Orchid story to review from the Phantom Stranger series. But before I review that last look at the Orchid proper, I thought I might review Action Comics #260, a story cover dated January 1960, a full 13 years before Black Orchid was introduced.

Now you might ask yourself why I am reviewing this book but that should all become evident by the end. Perhaps you are a long time fan and you already know. But I promise you, I will bring this home. 

"Mighty Maid" was written by Otto Binder with art by Al Plastino. 

This reads more like a classic Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane, with Lois upset and frazzled that a superpowered female might become the love of Superman's life. We get a Lois rescue, some Lois shenanigans, and even the occasional <sob>.

But perhaps, best of all, it is a classic Silver Age story with enough insanity crammed into 12 pages than the average trade these days. 

It is all beautifully rendered by Plastino who brings a sort of angular beauty to all the people in the book. His women all resemble Joan Crawford.

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #326

These are interesting times here at the blog as I approach my 14th year posting. Supergirl is starring in a critically acclaimed mini-series which I find distasteful. The television show is off the air. And outside of reviewing current books (which don't star Supergirl), I have been trying to find some sort of enthusiasm or avenue for new posts. In the last few years, things like Black Orchid or Mark Shaw have been good side projects to keep my energy up.

One of the things I have been mulling around is the 'new' timeline Tom King has pushed forward in Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow. He has sort of mashed together all the minor variations of her origin but amping up all the possible psychological trauma she could have witnessed. For King, she is alive when Krypton explodes and therefore has to deal with all the terrible things which happen to Argo City.

Of course, in the original timeline, Kara is not alive when Krypton explodes. She is born on Argo City and lives there peacefully until she is rocketed away in her mid-teens. It made me wonder just how much of Kara's life on Argo we saw in the Silver Age. Certainly looking back at this blog, I have covered several stories filling in some of her youth.

And then, as luck would have it, my LCS had the hardcover Supergirl Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 2, a hole in my collection. (Even better, it was 50% off.) There are a lot of stories in there I haven't read and I am just starting to scratch the surface of this new material. One of the stories I did read was the Supergirl back-up in Action Comics #326.

Written by Otto Binder with art by Jim Mooney, 'The Secret of Supergirl's Suitor' is an insane story with so many plot twists that it would take up a 12 issue maxi-series these days. Instead, curveball after curveball is thrown in the last several pages, making it a dizzying read.

It plays up one of the more interesting tropes of Silver Age Supergirl, her miserable love life where every man she falls for hard has some backstory which makes it impossible. Poor Dick Malverne and Jerro ... they can never seal the deal.

It also plays up another common theme of this time, Supergirl trying desperately to get Superman's approval and respect and coming up short. I love this opening panel of her looking sheepish as she bails out her new criminal boyfriend Al Mintor, all while Superman derides her.

All this plus a look back at Argo!

On to the book!

Back Issue Box: Superman #123 -

I continue to figure out what to cover on this site with a complete dearth of Supergirl material to bolster new input. 

I sometimes am amazed at issues I haven't covered on this site despite this place being around for 12 years. One of those issues is Superman #123, the first appearance of a version of Supergirl. Here we met Super-Girl (notice the hyphen). 

It has always been said that this issue was a sort of trial run for Kara. But I wish some of the folks responsible were alive to discuss this more. 

Was there a discussion where it was said 'we should make a Supergirl but before we bring one into the universe, let's give a dry run to see how people like it'. Was there a discussion where they said 'if there is a big response we should consider making a Supergirl'? Or did they simply read the responses to this one-off character and say 'we should create one'? I know these are minor differences but I wish I could pick the brains of the creators to see if they remembered. This issue was released in June of 1958. Action Comics #252 came out in March of 1959. So we are 9 months away from our Supergirl.

I also wish I could find the letter column covering this issue to see what the letters were like to see if there was a feel about the fans' take from there.

I do wonder if the 'feel' of this story defined how Kara Zor-El would be treated in her own stories. If this was wildly popular, the writers might have decided to continue the relationship we see here between Super-Girl and Supergirl.

Lastly, I am presenting this from my copy of Supergirl Archives Vol. 1. If you see this in reprint form in other comics, they usually color Super-Girl's costume as green and orange and make her a redhead. It differentiates her from Kara and makes it less confusing. But in the original coloring (as presented here) she is in the red and blue. 

On to the story.

Supergirl's 60th Anniversary!

According to Mike's Amazing World of Comics, March 31st, 1959 is the day that Action Comics #252 hit the newsstands.

That means this weekend is the Supergirl's 60th anniversary.

Amazing!

It is always hard for me to know what to write on days like this.

I think my love of the character has been poured out on this site over the last 11 years.


For me Supergirl is the perfect blend of character traits. She is innocent and bright and optimistic. She sees the best in everyone. She is fierce in her fight for justice and in her desire to help. She sometimes thinks with her fists first. She can fail. She is learning. She wants to be the best she can be. She is a hero.

How can you be bright and innocent and sunny and still be fierce and think with your fists.

It isn't an easy tightrope to walk and that is we have seen so many versions of Supergirl veer to extreme to one end. She could be saccharine in the Silver Age. She could be grim and dark in the 2000s.

For me, when she hits that perfect mix, she is the best hero to aspire to. Because she isn't infallible. And she always wants to be better. Who can't empathize with that sentiment.

Now the character is everywhere - television, cartoons, comics in the media, with all the associated merchandise.

So let's celebrate this anniversary. Back in 1985 I don't know if we would have much to hoot about.

As we approached this, I asked for some celebratory tweets on Twitter. Here is what I got.

Leave a comment and let me know why you love Supergirl!

I'd love to hear it!

Review: Action Comics #258 - Supergirl meets Krypto, Sent Into Space

Marc Andreyko has sent Supergirl into space with Krypto to investigate Rogol Zaar. Here at the site, I am continuing my unofficial and somewhat random look at adventures with Supergirl in space. And what better issue to look at than Action Comics #258, Supergirl's first adventure in space and the story where she first met Krypto! I strive to have these back issue reviews have some bearing on current arcs. So this seemed perfect.

This story also plays into the Silver Age theme of Supergirl being extremely worried of letting Superman down and kowtowing to his various demands and rules. It also shows Superman to be a rather nasty individual, putting Kara through the wringer for reasons that don't warrant such harsh treatment. Supergirl was truly cringing in his shadow back then.  Remember, we are only 6 issues into her very existence.

Once again the creative team here is the legendary team of writer Otto Binder and artist Jim Mooney. And it pushes the Supergirl narrative forward a fair bit, not only with this ongoing theme of needing to prove to Kal that he can trust her but also by introducing her to more of the Superman universe.

I wish I owned the issue itself. Scans come from the Supergirl Archives, volume 1.

Onto the story!

Back Issue Review: Action Comics #337

We have started the Marc Andreyko era on Supergirl, a time in which Kara heads off into space to investigate the claims of Rogol Zaar. Heading off into deep space, Supergirl is bound to run into systems without a yellow sun. She is certain to make new friends. And she will most likely make new enemies.

With that in mind, I will be trying to look into the back issue box to find adventures of Supergirl in sppaaaccceee!

Action Comics #337 has one of the best gogo checked Silver Age covers ever with Superman being both a top-hatted millionaire and bare-footed hobo. How can you not want to buy this issue?

But the real reason I am reviewing this is "The Green Sun Supergirl!" story in the back. After all, we already have seen in the current title that Kara has donned a new uniform designed to absorb yellow sun energy and provide it to her. Because outside of a yellow sun, she is without powers.

Will she survive on a green sun world? Make friends? Make enemies? Solve problems? Become a worshiped figure?

It's the Silver Age. You should be able to guess.

On to the story.

Back Issue Review: Action Comics #262

Over on the Supergirl television show,  Supergirl has had a sometimes overly emotional response to the very existence of Kryptonite on Earth. She wants it destroyed, controlled, and out of the hands of people like Lena Luthor. She describes the pain it inflicts quite eloquently as the skin being ripped from her bones and nails coursing through her veins.

With that complete fear of Kryptonite and any exposure in mind, I thought I would review Action Comics #262, an early story of Supergirl's in which she intentionally exposes herself to Kryptonite, all in hopes of finding a cure for K-poisoning.

It is a pretty classic Supergirl story for the time with a little bit of Midvale orphanage, a recap of her origin, some concern about Superman's thoughts about her, and some wild Silver Age coincidences. This could be a primer for this era in her life. You get a sense of the formula writer Otto Binder followed. And you see a lot of the classic art tropes that legendary Supergirl artist Jim Mooney brought to the table.

I'll also point out this cover by Curt Swan with a cool coloring error, showing how slick this costume looks with a red skirt as opposed to the blue skirt she wore at the time.

So settle in for a fun story.

Digest Cast: Supergirl

You all have read my thoughts about Supergirl over the years here.

Have you ever wanted to HEAR my thoughts on Supergirl?

Over on the Fire and Water Network of podcasts, I was invited onto the DigestCast to discuss The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digests #17 - The Many Lives Of Supergirl.

Here is the link for DigestCast so go and listen!

We review this great digest from 1981 showing the different periods of Supergirl's life.
There is orphan and secret weapon Supergirl in The Great Supergirl Mirage from Action Comics #256 (by Otto Binder and Jim Mooney).
There is revealed super-hero in The World's Greatest Heroine from Action Comics #285 (by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney).
There is college student Linda in Supergirl Goes to College from Action Comics #318 (by Leo Dorfman and Jim Mooney).
There is reporter Linda in Crypt of Frozen Graves from Adventure Comics #424 (by Steve Skeates, Tony DeZuniga, and Bob Oknser).
There is drama student Linda in Trail of the Madman from Supergirl #1 volume 1 (by Cary Bates and Art Saaf).
And finally there is Guidance Counselor Linda in Princess of the Golden Sun  from Superman Family #165 (by Elliot S Maggin and Art Saaf).

Whew ... a lot of great stories, many covered on this blog.

Not only do I help with the reviews, I talk about Supergirl's history and my love of the character.

But there is more.

Supergirl Digest

One of the things that I love about social media and even this blog is that I have met great people over time, people I may never meet in person but who I count as friends.

One of the first was Mart Gray, from across the pond, steward of the Too Dangerous For A Girl comic review site, Supergirl fan, and overall great guy! I have talked comics with Mart for a long time and think he is a wellspring of comic knowledge. If you are looking for great comic reviews for a multitude of books, you should head there!

Mart sent me a gift recently, something missing from my collection. The Best of DC Comics, Vol 3, No. 17, better known as the Supergirl digest! I have been looking for this book for a long time so this is truly a wonderful present.

The digest sports a nifty George Perez cover, Linda Danvers in the background switching to Supergirl, flying towards the reader. She looks outright graceful there.

The supra-title is 'The Many Lives of Supergirl' and it shows how varied Supergirl's life was back then.

 The back cover is just as wonderful with a playful and casual Supergirl leaning on the panels showcasing the stories on the inside. And what I love about it is that it concentrates on the Linda side of Supergirl's life. There is action in all these stories. Instead we see the different points in Linda's life they occur. From orphan to revealed super-hero to college student to reporter to acting student to guidance counselor, Linda was trying to find her place. This is a Linda cover!

I have reviewed the last 4 stories in this digest here over the years. Perhaps most surprising is that I haven't covered the second story, Action Comics #285, in which Supergirl's existence is revealed. How have I not covered that issue here??

The back cover does a nice job writing about how Supergirl's life meandered over the years at this point.

It was 1981 so she was starring in Superman Family. This was two years away from another turn in her life, as grad student in Chicago.

It is a shame there were no footnotes or issue references in this blurb. This was well before the internet. I might have liked to know what issue she discovers her family, etc.

Since I haven't covered Action Comics #285 in depth, I had to include this panel.

This might have to become a t-shirt.

An absolutely huge thank you to Mart for sending this my way! I owe you one, my friend!

DC Special Series #19: Secret Origins of the Super-Heroes

Never underestimate the power of nostalgia!

As a kid, I absolutely loved DC Digests. They were cheap, had a ton of pages, and were an important part of my childhood. I totally remember having these with me on the beach in summers. The digests also exposed me to a ton of DC characters I didn't know about. It was in digests that I read early JSA adventures, met the Silent Knight and Viking Prince, read the original Fatal Five arc where Ferro Lad died. It was here I also read the excellent Dr. Fate story by Pasko and Simonson.

And I learned the secret origins of heroes.

I had this DC Blue Ribbon Digest, Secret Origins of Super-Heroes. But officially, it is DC Special Series #19. And I remember having this and reading this as a kid. To be honest, this has to be the first place that I read the actual Supergirl origin story from Action Comics #252, reprinted here.

I have a number of reprints of Action Comics #252 but I had to buy this from the bargain box when I saw this in my local comic store. And mostly, because it is so heavy with memories that I felt like a Kid Anj again. Plus it does have a bunch of great stories in it!

It also sports a great cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano. Great little Supergirl in her seventies costume in the background.

They also really pack a lot of comic into a very tiny little space.

Here we get the classic Otto Binder/Al Plastino origin story but in this cute little package. I mean, I can easily scan two full pages!

I love this story.

This digest also introduced me to one of the oddball characters that I love from the DCU: the Manhawks!

From The Brave and the Bold #43, we have a Gardner Fox/Joe Kubert story which isn't the origin of Hawkman, but the origin of the Hawk police force on Thanagar. Why do they wear Hawk regalia? Because of this battle with the Manhawks.

Seriously, look at the last panel of Hawkman battling a Manhawk. That is fantastic!

And we even get new material! A new retelling of Wonder Woman's origin is done by writer Cary Burkett and legend Jose Delbo. It is great to see a more classic origin again, the masked Diana fighting in a tournament, and earning her passage to America. Incredible.

But listen to this murderers' row of great stories and creators.

Robin, from Batman #213, by  E. Nelson Bridwell and Ross Andru.
The Legion's Ranzz family, from Superboy #172, by E. Nelson Bridwell and George Tuska.
Aquaman, from Adventure Comics #260, by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon.
The Elongated Man, from Flash #12, by John Broome and Carmine Infantino.
And one of the many Superman/Batman World's Finest team origin, from World's Finest #94 by Ed Hamilton and Dick Sprang.

I always look for these digests. There is a Supergirl solo digest which I don't have!!

DC Comics Silver Age Classics Action Comics #252

DC Silver Age Classics was a series put out by the company 25 years ago reprinting key issues from DC's history. It was an interesting 10 issues that DC chose, including the Showcase 4 (first silver age Flash), Showcase #22 (first silver age Green Lantern), Brave and Bold #28 (first JLA), and others.

One of the ten was Action Comics #252!

The book is a complete reprint of the issue including the Superman solo story introducing Metallo, a Congorilla story, and the first appearance of Supergirl, the eight page story at the end of the issue. So interesting that Supergirl's origin and the set-up for her back up series was done so quickly. These days her origin took 6 issues!

The story is reprinted in many many places so no need to cover it again.

But the issue did include a small column called 'Classic Comments', a brief write-up about the importance of the issues.

I don't know if this column by Kim 'Howard' Johnson is great but I thought I would share.

For one, even in 1992, I don't know if Supergirl would be the second female super-hero that people would name. As much as I think Supergirl is up there in the pantheon, I don't know if the general public knew about Supergirl then. Would she be the quick second choice? Maybe ...

And Howard's statement that maybe part of Supergirl's appeal is her being a cute young girl was probably true back in 1959.

Howard does a good job of quickly recapping not only this Supergirl's origin but the 'dry run' of Supergirl from back in Superman #123.

Her career and adventures are truncated to one paragraph, jumping from Midvale orphan to death in the Crisis 3 sentences.

Still, this issue might be the closest I get to actually holding Action Comics #252 in my hand. So I am glad to have it in my collection.

Amazing Heroes #17 (1982)

I am hoping that people don't mind my looks back at Supergirl history from time to time. As I said recently, time off at the holidays meant time to read. And that meant time to thumb through the long boxes and read some stuff in my collection that I haven't revisited in a while.

Amazing Heroes was a comic magazine that came out in the early 1980's. This was the pre-internet days so if you wanted to read interviews with the creators, or read about older issues, or even find out what was coming out, there weren't many resources.

I discovered Amazing Heroes in the latter half of the decade when I was driving myself to the comic store and discovering that there were certain creators who I was going to follow. When those creators were interviewed or spotlighted in the magazine I would buy the issue. And when characters I liked were highlighted I would get those issues. And with the advent of a comic book store, I could look at back issues and buy them. And that was how I ended up getting Amazing Heroes #17 which looked at the history of Supergirl. In fact, it ends up being a 2 part review, the second half appearing in AH #18.

With some time on my hands, I thought I would reread this article from 1982, a time when Supergirl had just graduated to the solo title Daring New Adventures of Supergirl. She was still in hot pants and 4 years away from being killed in the Crisis. What was the feel for the character in those days?

Of note, I have to comment on this (I think) painted cover of Supergirl by Kevin Nowlan. I am a big fan of Nowlan and his comic art and I would not have pegged this as work from him. His style certainly has evolved. At first I thought she was holding a cigarette but it is chalk with which she has written 'and heroines'. And check out the frizzy locks! Still, I like the cover.

The article is titled Supergirl In Action: A Heroine History and written by Dwight R. Decker.

I can't comment on who Decker was or his credentials. But it is clear he is a Supergirl fan even if I don't necessarily agree with what he says all the time.

The first part of this two-part series is the better article (I assume I'll review the second part at some point) as it takes a look back at the earliest days of the character, including the 'trial run' Super-Girl that was featured in Superman #123. That hyphenated Super-Girl, wished into existence by Jimmy Olsen, was probably used as a gauge to see if there was in interest in another member of the Super-family. That story ran 9 months before Kara graced the cover of Action Comics #252.

Here are a few other tidbits from the article that I thought were worth sharing.

Otto Binder, who penned the earliest Supergirl stories had also created Mary Marvel for Fawcett long before Supergirl came into existence.

I will admit I haven't read too many of the early Mary Marvel stories so I don't know if the tone mirrors the earliest adventures of Supergirl. When he says it was 'reliving the past', it makes me wonder if he revisited his Mary's stories, retreading some plots.

Of all the things in the article, this piece was the most fascinating to me.

DC applied for a trademark of the name 'Super-Girl' all the way back in 1944, a full 15 years before she became a consistent character in the DC universe. I wonder if other people pitched a use of the name before the version in Superman #123.

One thing I don't agree with is Decker's somewhat relentless disparaging of Jim Mooney's art. Here he says he has a limited repertoire, swiped other people's work, and made things silly or dull.

Elsewhere he bemoans Mooney as being a copycat. He even says that Kara was never 'pretty' when drawn by Mooney.

I simply don't agree. I love Mooney's work.

Decker does do a good job of pointing out the subtle changes that wormed their way into the Supergirl origin during reprints and revisits. Initially it was a 'street of homes' that was blown off of Krypton intact. That changed to Argo City. It was initially a bubble of air for atmosphere; that became a dome. At first it was straight up Green K that killed the citizens. But since Green K is later found not to effect non-super-powered Kryptonians, it is changed to anti-Kryptonite. So things kind of get refined over the years. He reviews Zor-El and Allura's roles too.

The remainder of the article looks mostly at Mort Weisinger and his editorial style and a thorough review of Action Comics #252.

So there are some nice 'behind the scenes' pieces of Supergirl's history make this a decent article. And, as I always say, Supergirl publicity is almost always welcomed by me. Amazing Heroes was one of the few comics scene magazines out at the time and certainly one of the biggest. It's great Supergirl made the cover and had this in-depth coverage.

The articles in the book include some funny cartoons and other drawings from (what I assume) are artists on the Amazing Heroes' staff.

This one was funny enough to reprint here, a sort of amusing look at the 'secret weapon' phase of Kara's career.

In terms of a Supergirl collection, I think text pieces like this on the character are rare so it is worth hunting down for readers interested in more than the comic history of the character. I don't know how many of these things survived and they might be in the bargain bin so well worth a couple of bucks. I would put it of low importance but of moderate interest.

Back Issue Review: Superman #140 and Bizarro Supergirl

In anticipation for the latest appearance of a Bizarro Supergirl in the upcoming Supergirl #54, I figured it was time to go to the back issue box and review Superman #140, the first appearance of a Bizarro Supergirl.

"The Son of Bizarro" was written by Superman legend Otto Binder and drawn by Superman legend Wayne Boring. I suppose almost everybody back then has reached legend status. I don't have this issue but it has been reprinted in Action Comics #347, Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol 1, Showcase Presents Superman Vol 2, and the recent Superman:Escape From Bizarro World trade paperback. It is from that trade that I obtained my scans.

The story opens with a nice little recap of Bizarro's prior history. That includes a nifty little scene were we see Luthor first use his imperfect duplicate ray which creates an ice cube from a diamond and an awkward looking 5-leaf red clover from a 4-leaf clover.

It also reviews the creation of the Bizarro world which is completely populated by Bizarro Supermen and Bizarro Loises. On the planet, Bizarro Superman sets down some rules. They hate beauty. They love ugliness. And it is a crime to create anything perfect on Bizarro World.

In this rendition of Bizarro, he says what he means even if it is in poor grammar. You don't have to try to figure out 'reverse speech' here ... something which occasionally gives me a headache. When Bizarro says he loves ugliness, it means he loves ugliness.

Nothing is easy in the life of Bizarro however.

Coming home one day he discovers that Bizarro Lois has given birth to the Son of Bizarro. Unfortunately he is a cute human appearing baby. Those 'normal' looks makes the baby a disgrace to the Bizarro World. After all, they hate beauty.

Still the parents love their little guy, so decide to raise him in hiding so no other Bizarros will see their shame. I assume time passes because the next time we see the Bizarro baby, he is more of a toddler than an infant.

Despite their best efforts to keep 'Junior' hidden from the populace, he is discovered.

No one is above the law, even on the Bizarro world. The masses quickly organize into an angry mob. The beautiful child cannot exist on Bizarro World! The mob gets the imperfect duplicate ray from Bizarro's Fortress of Solitude (located in the desert and filled with junk of course) with the plan to fire it at the toddler and create a more Bizarro-ly perfect child.

In some ways, Bizarro #1 isn't that different than us. Despite the law that he himself decreed, he wants no harm to come to his child. He loves the little guy just the way he is. In a desperate bid to keep his son away from the other Bizarros, he flies him into space and tucks his son into a nearby Sputnik-like space probe.

With the child not around, the crowd disperses. But when Bizarro goes back into space to retrieve his child, he cannot find the satellite! It is heart-breaking news as the loving parents realize that they have lost their son.

Or have they? It turns out that the probe was an Earth probe and is now being brought home by remote control. It is sort of a riff on the Superman origin but with a Bizarro twist. A father saves his son from doom by putting him into a space vehicle and having it go to Earth. Of course, since it is Bizarro, it is an unwitting trip.

And this being the Silver Age, you have to overlook any amazing coincidences.

Despite being brought back to Earth by automatic controls, the probe crashes to Earth. And it crashes to Earth near Midvale Orphanage, where Supergirl currently resides as Superman's Emergency Weapon in the guise of Linda Lee. And it is discovered by a couple who ask no questions how a child could be unharmed near a space crash site. They simply pick him up and drop him off at the orphanage. Ahhh .... the Silver Age. It is sooo gooey and sweet.

'Baby Buster' reveals his powers early on in his stay at the orphanage and Supergirl realizes she is going to need to work double time to keep his abilities hidden.

On top of that, she'll need to keep her super-identity secret on top of his abilities. The general public doesn't know Supergirl exists yet. As a result poor Supergirl is run ragged as she uses all her skills to keep Buster's abilities hidden.

Buster ends up escaping and flying across the countryside. As he approaches Metropolis, Supergirl has to give up the chase. There are too many people in the city who might see her and discover her existence on Earth.

Superman is able to corral him after some high-flying hijinks (for example Buster takes a bite out of a giant advertising ice cream cone) and flying back out into the country, runs into Supergirl.

Superman decides that Buster should return to the Midvale Orphanage and that Supergirl needs to keep his identity secret. I'm sure Supergirl is thinking "Thanks a lot!" even though she says "G-gosh, what a super-job!"

For me, even worse than that, Superman decides that this unknown kid with superpowers could grow up and be his successor. Yeah ... perfect. Rather than his cousin who is training like mad, Superman should pick the mystery toddler as his eventual successor. This is the unsavory underbelly of the usually saccharin Silver Age.

At least Superman does the right the thing and gets Buster out of the orphanage quickly. A couple comes and adopts Buster ... a couple of robots that Superman has built, that is.


With Buster now tucked away in the Fortress, Supergirl takes on the role of Super-nanny. She has her Linda Lee robot take her place in the orphanage so she can take on the role of primary care-giver.

Look at how cute she is in her apron frosting a giant cake with a gargantuan frosting gun. Okay ... I know it is a little old-fashioned and probably politically incorrect ... but it's still cute!

Despite being away from the orphanage's school, Supergirl continues with her studies. As usual, there is a complex chemistry experiment as part of her homework. Despite gently warming a beaker with her X-ray vision, the experiment explodes ... right near the sleeping Buster. And when the smoke clears, Buster has turned into a Bizarro.

I love the shocked look on Krypto's face. Spectacular.

And at last we get our Bizarro Supergirl.

As Supergirl streaks out of the Fortress to see if she can figure out what happened to Buster, he turns the imperfect duplicate ray on her. The result is a Bizarro Supergirl.

Superman arrives and is confused by this whole scene. How did Buster become a Bizarro? And where did the Bizarro Supergirl come from?

Luckily, Buster lets Superman off the hook a little. He sees his reflection and reveals that he know looks like his real Mommy and Daddy.

With the truth out, Superman realizes that Buster belongs with his own people, with his own family. He entrusts Bizarro Supergirl to take Buster back to the Bizarro World. He also tells the Bizarro Supergirl that she should stay on the Bizarro World as well.

Bizarro Supergirl has a different idea though. She can't deny her maternal instinct. She loves Buster too much to bring him back. She wants to raise him as her own. She builds a small rock shack on Earth and sets up a little home.

Meanwhile, Bizarro Superman has continued to scour the universe looking for his son. When he sees Buster, as a Bizarro toddler, on Earth, he assumes the worst. Feeling that Superman has kidnapped his son, Bizarro declares war on Earth. And the other Bizarros must love forming angry mobs. They join their Bizarro #1 in forming a Bizarro army with the plan to overrun Earth and get Buster back. Hmmm ... 1oo,ooo super-beings declaring war on Earth. Haven't we seen this recently?

When Superman confronts Bizarro Supergirl to try to get Buster away, he is thwarted. After all, she is invulnerable too. Unable to pry Buster away, Superman realizes he needs to stop the Bizarro army before Earth gets attacked.

Donning a lead suit, Superman gathers a pile of Green Kryptonite and places it in the path of the rampaging Bizarro Army. He then fires the imperfect duplicate ray at the Green K. The result is the first appearance of Blue Kryptonite, the anti-Bizarro Kryptonite. Armed with this, Superman is able to drive the army back.

The Superman takes a piece of the Blue Kryptonite to Bizarro Supergirl's shack and uses it to get Buster back.

Taking Buster back to Bizarro #1, Superman and Supergirl are able to smooth things out. The war is called off and Buster is happy to be home.

On their way off the planet, Superman and Supergirl spy another Bizarro couple living in the deep woods. They also have a human appearing baby and have been living in shame and isolation. Serendipitously, the cute baby changes into a Bizarro baby before their eyes. Superman deduces that the initial appearance of the Bizarro baby is merely part of their life cycle, like a caterpillar before they become a butterfly.

So Supergirl isn't responsible for Buster transformation after all! It was all a Silver-y coincidence that he changed just as her chem assignment exploded.


Even though Buster is safe at home, the ramifications of this adventure aren't over. Bizarro Supergirl is on Earth. If she is seen, everyone will know that a 'real' Supergirl exists. Supergirl's 'secret weapon' status is in jeopardy.

That turns out not to be a problem. As Supergirl and Superman fly home, the come across Bizarro Supergirl's blue-tinged corpse next to a chunk of Blue Kryptonite she blundered into. You know, all she wanted to do was be a good Mommy. I don't know if Superman should really say 'it's better this way'. Shouldn't he be mourning her loss of her life?

This is a very good issue in the context of the Silver Age Superman mythos. It includes a nice primer of Bizarro life and is the first appearance of Bizarro Jr., Bizarro Supergirl, and Blue Kryptonite. One thing I can't help but notice is how small Supergirl's skirt is as drawn by Wayne Boring. In some panels it looks more like a tutu ruffle instead of a skirt.

For a Supergirl collection, I would rank this issue of low importance. This Bizarro Supergirl wasn't seen again and it has no long-lasting implications for Kara. That said, if I see it in decent condition for the right price, I would probably buy it.

I can't wait to see the new Bizarro Supergirl.

Overall grade (through the eyes of nostalgia): B+

Back Issue Box: Superboy #80

With the sudden return of a Smallville Superboy in Superman Secret Origin, I thought I would take a look into the back issue box for a Superboy Supergirl meeting.

And thanks to a half-price sale at my local comic book store earlier this year I was able to get Superboy #80 which featured the first meeting between Superboy and Supergirl. The issue has a cover date of April 1960. It is written by Otto Binder and drawn by Superman master artist Curt Swan.

One thing I have noticed is that there are a number of covers in this early Silver Age career of Supergirl where her skirt is incorrectly colored red. I like the red skirt so I don't mind the error. But this is definitely in the blue skirt era for Supergirl; this issue was released within the year of Supergirl's first appearance.

The opening panel sets the stage. Supergirl decides that Superboy needs a super-powered pal to hang out with and so decides to have a play date with her cousin.

The issue starts out with Superman and Supergirl making a giant snowman outside the Fortress. While it should be a fun time, Kara can sense that something is troubling her older cousin.

Superman confesses that this fun time with Supergirl reminds him of some lonely days in his youth. He couldn't really play with other kids easily because he feared hurting someone with his super-powers (a theme played out in the current Secret Origin series). He really wanted someone with powers that he could play with back then.

Hearing her cousin's sad words, Supergirl decides to help out. She travels back in time to Smallville, surprising Superboy. Helping other people with everyday problems was a running theme in these early Supergirl stories. She was more likely going to help an orphan get adopted than square off with a supervillain. So to see her help Superboy with his loneliness was a nice little twist.

Breaking a number of time travel rules, Supergirl tells Superboy that she is his cousin from the future.

With someone as invulnerable as him finally there to play with, Superboy starts some super-play with his cousin.

First off, why not a nice game of darts where the target is on the opponents chest. Kara scores bullseye after bullseye.

Next the two have a race to the other side of the galaxy to the planet Hebos.

Superboy thinks that he has left Supergirl in the dust, only to find a statue of Supergirl on the planet. When he examines it closer, he finds that it is Kara who has arrived so far in front of Superboy that she covered herself in stone as a joke.

I do think it is interesting that Binder wrote Supergirl besting Superboy in all the games that they play.

After the race, the two decide to frolic in space.

Nothing is as fun as meteor leap frog! They also play some space hide and seek and have a quick adventure on a water planet.

Now maybe I am reading into things a bit too much but does anyone else get the feeling that maybe Superboy is a bit smitten of his cousin?

But the day comes to an end and so they head back to Earth.

There they find to android manned alien ships about to bathe the Earth in death rays. The rather phallic look of the alien ships added a little bit to my 'Clark hopes they could be kissing cousins' theory. I mean ... those ships could have been drawn any shape in the world.

With the alien threat ended, the super-cousins fly back to Smallville.

When back on the ground Supergirl finally realizes her goof. If Superboy remembers his playdate with Supergirl then he will be aware that Argo survives. She has revealed her secret existence to someone. And even if it is to Superman, the Man of Steel will be unhappy.

Remember this is the time when Kara was hidden in an orphanage, where Superman routinely threatened to banish Supergirl. She has every reason to be worried.

I wonder if Superboy worries that he will grow up to be such a jerk?

He doesn't want his cousin to get in trouble after she gave him such a fun day. He flies to Albo where he sniffs a flower that gives him recent amnesia. He won't remember Supergirl after all.

Back home, Supergirl remembers her fun time fondly and wonders if she will meet Superboy again.

This is a nice issue showcasing how much Supergirl wants to help people with their problems. I think it is wonderful that she hoped to help Superboy with his loneliness like this. It definitely is a sweet Silver Age story.

And as the first meeting of Superboy and Supergirl, this is a very good issue to have in a Supergirl collection. This issue was in very good/fine condition and had a price tag of $75 at my store. Thank goodness for that 50% off sale.

It is also reprinted in Action Comics #334 and Showcase Presents Supergirl Volume 1 so you can read it in its entirety for a more affordable price.

Overall grade: B+