When Brainiac 5 was added to the Supergirl show's cast, I was thrilled. The Brainy/Supergirlromance is such a big part of her history. For many (including me), Brainy is her true love, her destiny. So to see it potentially played out on the small screen is a treasure.
Usually on this blog, I try to build on current Supergirl news by looking into similar stories in her past. So I wanted to cover some aspect of the Querl/Kara romance here. There was a problem though. When you have been blogging about Supergirl for nearly 10 years, you cover a lot of material. I have already covered much of this romance already. Just click the Brainiac 5 link and you'll get a ton of posts about Brainy and Supergirl, from his earliest appearances to team-ups and smooches in the Legion to his response to her death.
So with all those stories already covered, I decided to look at their relationship during a different sort of time in the DCU. Supergirl Annual #2, from 1997, was one of the PulpHeroes Annuals. These annuals riffed on the classic pulps in some way, whether it be pot-boiler hard-nosed mysteries to old school Sci-Fi to lurid romances. This issue focused on the latter, labeled Young Romance and looking at Supergirl's romantic relationships. What makes this interesting is that this is the Earth Angel Supergirl and (I believe) the Archie Brainiac 5. These two don't have the history of the Pre-Crisis pair. This isn't the classic Kryptonian Kara. And this is a Brainiac 5 stranded in the (then) 20th Century. It takes place in my ten years away from the Legion post-Zero Hour! So how could these two be in love?
Turns out they really aren't. The creative team of writer Tom Peyer and artist Anthony Castrillo play on the historical aspect of their romance by giving us a sort-of romance story. For old timers like me, at the time, it was like finally scratching an itch. I got to see Brainy and Supergirl together again.
