Back Issue Box: Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl #8

Well after a flurry of news items last week, there hasn't been much to report this week. That allowed me some time to delve into the back issue box for a Supergirl comic to review.

Since Reactron has played such a big part of the current title, I thought I would review his first appearance back in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #8 from June 1983. This issue sports a cover by comics legend Gil Kane.

The whole Daring New run of 23 issues was written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Carmine Infantino. In my younger years I didn't appreciate Infantino's art style. As I have aged, I have come to like it more. For one thing, I think he draws a lovely Linda Danvers. The series was set in Chicago where Linda was attending Lake Shore University as a graduate student.

This issue also stars The 'New' Doom Patrol which was also created by Paul Kupperberg. In fact this reads more like a DP issue than a Supergirl one. Linda is kept on the sidelines for the majority of the story.


The issue starts in a park where Linda (seen on the background monitor screen) is enjoying an afternoon with her friends.

The Doom Patrol have been tracking Reactron across the country and trailed him to the windy city. Negative Woman was sent to the park to try to force him out into the open.

The plan works and we get our first glimpse of Reactron, the Living Reactor!

That's sort of a garish outfit for such a tough talking guy. But his speech and demeanor here is similar to the current version's gutter talk.

Unfortunately, as much as Linda would like to join the battle, she just can't seem to get away to change into Supergirl.

First she is stopped by Doom Patrol member Tempest who tells her to 'act like a good little citizen and run away in panic'. Despite his warnings, she intends to lend the Doom Patrol a hand.

But before she can slip away, Linda's friend Daryll grabs her and tells her that they can't stay in such a dangerous environment. Reluctantly Linda gets into a taxi her friends have hailed and drives off.

Using her super-senses, Linda keeps tabs on the battle. This version of the Doom Patrol had a bit more offensive punch than the prior version and are able to fight Reactron to little more than a stalemate.

Realizing that he may actually lose, Reactron uses his powers to create a 'concentrated stream of particles' which allows him to warp away. The Kryptonian super-senses are full display in this issue as Linda is able to deduce not only how Reactron's powers work (focusing his radiation through the control rods on his costume) but also that this teleporting trick is not something he can do frequently.

One thing I really liked about this series was that Linda/Supergirl was pretty confident in her abilities and would typically fly right into the fray. Even here she vows to be on hand when Reactron appears again. I love the determined look on her face in that last panel.

My guess is that Kupperberg wanted to showcase his Doom Patrol a bit. So he made Supergirl not be able to join the battle in order to protect her secret identity.

Something else I liked about this title was that we actually saw a lot of Linda's personal life. Yes there was the zany man-crazy roommate and the usual number of failed romances. But we also saw some of her academic career. Linda went to LSU to study criminal psychology as a way to help her Supergirl career. I thought that was an interesting part of the title and showed how Supergirl was always trying to improve as a hero.

But LSU also is a typical Silver Age-y campus meaning that its science building has a fully functional albeit experimental nuclear reactor humming away in its science building.

And for a villain like Reactron who absorbs radiation, this reactor is like an 'all you can eat' buffet and the plans for the reactor could help set him up for the future. He breaks into the science building and a security guard crosses his path. Without much thought, Reactron grabs the man and kills him. The current Reactron and this Reactron seem to have the same murderous sociopath personality.

I wonder if Gates used these issues as his template for his Reactron. Certainly the current villain is more like this one than the philosophical bank robber from the Puckett issues.

Of course, the guard's gunshots and death screams are heard by Supergirl who shows up to face off with Reactron. That's right, we finally see Supergirl in this issue even if it is only in the last 2 panels. Nice cliffhanger for next issue (which I will review with the next trip to the back issue box)!

I really like these last panels. The first has Supergirl in a very classic heroic pose but the shadowing of her face and costume makes her appear menacing. I think that's a nice touch. Kryptonians should be frightening to criminals. I also like the banter she gives Reactron in the last panel ... daring him to 'go ahead and scare' her more. It is almost as if she is saying 'ooooohhhh .... scary' in a mocking tone. As I said, this serie's Supergirl was pretty confident, sometimes even overconfident.

You have to read these older issues through the lens of nostalgia. Supergirl barely appeared in the issue. There was some magical Silver Age (Bronze Age?) moments ... Reactron suddenly being able to teleport, Supergirl's senses able to figure out just about everything. But there were some nice Linda moments.

Still, I think this would be a nice part of a Supergirl collection, especially given the importance of Reactron in the current continuity. This is probably $1-3 at most conventions, maybe less on line.

Overall grade: B