12/3/08: Showcase Presents: Supergirl Vol 2

DC Comics also announced the release of Showcase Presents: Supergirl Vol. 2 in their October Solicits. The 512 pg phone book style collection will be released on December 3, just in time for the holidays. The cover will be based on the cover of Action Comics 285, shown above. And all that Silver Age goodness is available for a mere $16.99.

Here is the official blurb:

Written by Jerry Siegel and Leo Dorfman;

Art by Jim Mooney;

Cover by Curt Swan and George Klein

Kara Zor-El takes center stage in the stories that presented her to the world, collected from ACTION COMICS #283-321.

This should be a great collection to grab. This volume includes a number of key moments in the Earth-1 Supergirl's history including adoption by the Danvers, being revealed to the world, meeting Comet the Super-Horse, and finding out her Kryptonian parents are alive in the 'Survival Zone'. That's a lot of history! And I am sure I am forgetting other major life events in Kara's life that happened in those issues.

Since purchasing those issues is difficult (both rare and pricey), I highly recommend grabbing this book. Yes it is on phonebook paper and in black and white. But how can you say no to all those great early Kara stories and the beautiful Jim Mooney art? And the sheer volume you get for such a low price makes it a better alternative than the over-priced hard covered Archives.

I also would recommend Showcase Presents: Supergirl Vol 1. Many of the stories are dated, but still worth reading.

It Came from the Back Issue Box- Action 292

Since I know it will be impossible for me to collect all of Supergirl's Silver Age stories, I have made a list of seminal issues to watch out for. I was lucky enough recently to find a pretty ragged copy of Action 292 in a bargain bin for $4. It's importance to Supergirl? It's the first appearence of Comet the Super-Horse.

Overall, the story drips with Silver Age innocence. Kara has several dreams in which she is saved by a flying super-horse with an odd comet-shaped mark on his brow. In the first dream, the horse rescues her from kryptonite wielding aliens. In the second, Comet pulls a sinking submarine to shore. In the third, Streaky and Krypto travel back in time to WW2. A kamikaze plane is about to crash into a hospital ship but is thwarted by Comet, who suddenly appears just in the nick of time.

Completely mystified by these vivid dreams, Kara attempts to rid herself of these dreams by riding a real horse. As Linda, she visits the Supergirl Dude Ranch! (Please suppress that smirk ... it was the Silver Age!) Surprisingly, at the ranch is a wild white stallion with a comet-shaped mark, a horse no one has been able to ride. No one that is but Linda. While riding the horse, the stallion makes some motions to let Linda know he is aware she is Supergirl. He also secretly evidences some super-powers like flight and strength. The cowboys are all shocked that little Linda can ride the bronco with such ease.

The story ends on several cliff-hangers. Why did she dream of him? Who is he really? And what new adventures will they have?

Most Kara fans will know that Comet ends up being Biron, a centaur from ancient Greece under some enchantment.

As he did many times in his Supergirl run, Peter David did an homage to Comet in the 1996 Supergirl series who had a very very different origin.