Back Issue Box: Superman Family #198

It was a bit of a slow week for new comics and Supergirl news so I decided to just find an old comic to go back and look at. This was seriously a random pull out of the comic box, based on the cover. I had no recollection of the story at all so in some ways it would be new to me. So today I'll be reviewing Superman Family #198 and the Supergirl story inside. 

The story is a fun one, a sort of mystery as a playwright disappears off a moving plane. Supergirl as sleuth is an interesting role for her. Not only does the writer disappear but then 'accidents' seem to happen to try and stop the play from opening. Will Supergirl solve this? I think you know the answer. Jack C. Harris was on the Supergirl strip for a bit and he did his best to bring in a supporting cast and some ongoing plots. But this is a simple 'done in one' story.

But ultimately, there is a panel at the end which I can extrapolate to today's comic market. So even though this was truly a completely random take, it worked for today.

The art is by Don Heck, not a favorite of mine and the monthly artist on the Supergirl at this time of the book. Luckily, Joe Giella is on inks and does his best to smooth out the angular, rushed look I usually think of with Heck's work.

Enjoy the Bronze Age silliness. On to the book.

Review: Superman Family #202

Last week I reviewed Superman Family #201 picking up on Supergirl's romantic feelings towards Peter Barton. That issue ended with a cliffhanger! Supergirl's super-hypnosis granted Barton super-powers. But he could never love Supergirl as that would be an insult to his male ego. So he uses his powers to become Dynamic and try to force Supergirl to retire.

The whole idea is ludicrous. 

As always I am amazed at how much could be told back in the day. In a mere 12 pages, we get a complete resolution to these problems. 

But mostly this shows that Supergirl's romantic problems are evergreen. How could she ever love someone like Barton. Yeesh.

If there is one thing to laud this early run of Supergirl stories in Superman Family by Jack C. Harris is that he did his best to inject Supergirl mythos into the stories. Remember, he brought back Lesla Lar. In this issue, he gives one nod to her Action Comics early adventures. I appreciate flourishes like that.

On to the story.

Back Issue Box: Superman Family #201

Last week I reviewed Superman Family #197 in which Supergirl finds herself smitten with Peter Barton. 

So what became of Peter Barton? Just recall that Supergirl has never had much success with romance in the present. And in this story, you see that Barton isn't someone that Supergirl should be so enamored of. His views on women isn't exactly woke, even if this is a story from 1980. 

But she is, as seen on this beautiful cover by Ross Andru showing Supergirl gazing into the clouds and thinking of Barton while she also almost crashes into a plane. Lovesick Kara ... a classic trope for the character.

Let's jump right into the story!

"The Face on Cloud 9" was written by Jack C. Harris with art by Win Mortimer and Vince Colletta.

And the story matches the cover art! That doesn't always happen!

Sure enough, Supergirl is flying in the clouds and just thinking about Peter Barton. She can't shake him from her thoughts. But I love how Mortimer has her flight be a series of pirouettes. She is literally twirling in the clouds as she thinks of him. It shows how this is really more of a crush-like, almost adolescent infatuation more that a deep romance.

She is so caught up in her thoughts that she doesn't see the small airplane whose flight lane she has flown into. She has to actual rescue plane who has to swerve out of her way and nearly crashes. These invasive thoughts about Peter are almost dangerous.

Back Issue Box: Superman Family #197

Welcome to the future when it may be that I review stories on a whim!

I pulled Superman Family #197 out of the long boxes because I wanted to reread the Private Life of Clark Kent, ' A Mynah Dilemma', one of my favorite stories ever. (Perhaps I should review that one at some point.)

While I had it out, I thought I would reread the Supergirl story. I was amazed. This is one of those  'buckle up your chinstraps' Bronze Age stories were so much happens in the span of 12 short pages that you are pummeled with ideas as a reader. Seriously, when I review the plot points, I want you all to consider just how many issues it would take to tell this story in the current market.

It is a very solid Supergirl story with her using brains and brawn. There is solid subplots and supporting cast moments. And she is clearly a well established and confident hero. Throw in some timey-wimey nonsense and a potential ghost, and you have a winner of a tale, neat and sweet in a dozen pages.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt to have Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (praised be his name) doing the cover art. JLGL always draws a great Supergirl!

On to the book!

Review: Superman Family #206 - Lesla Lar!

I recently guest starred on the Waiting For Doom  Podcast where Paul and Mike and I reviewed the times Supergirl crossed paths with the whole Patrol. Two of the issues we reviewed were Superman Family #191, #192 and #193. Within that story there is a disembodied foe, manipulating events to destroy Supergirl.

On that podcast, I reveal that the spirit villain is none other than Lesla Lar, an old time villain in the early Supergirl issues of Action Comics, #279, 280, and 281. Given that Lar works her way through much of Supergirl's Superman Family stories, I thought I owed it to folks to review her eventual defeat.

I actually love that Lesla Lar was a part of this long play arc. Supergirl, at that point (and some might say even now), had very few true rogues. Lesla appeared in a three parter back in 1961. That could be considered a 'major arc' back then. So bringing her back was a very nice homage to Supergirl fans. I also find it interesting that Lar was such a big part of these Superman Family books, spanning several different writers! I wonder if there was some editorial control about this.

All that said, despite being a major part of Supergirl's Superman Family stories, the finale to her story isn't great. So let's review it.

'Strangers at the Heart's Core!' was written by Jack C. Harris and drawn by Win Mortimer and Vince Colletta. Harris wrote a bulk of Supergirl's stories in Superman Family and had first reappeared way back in Superman Family #186, 20 issues earlier! Now all of these reappearances are either in flashbacks or as a disembodied energy blob. But still ... she was a villain working her powers against Kara for nearly 20 issues!

We start out with Supergirl having a nightmare, where her two sets of parents are trying to claim her. This is unsettling to Kara, causing her to toss and turn in the night until she is awakened by a phone call. It turns out that Edna Danvers, her stepmother, is calling to let her know she will be appearing with a surprise for Linda the following day.

Now certainly, when Kara first learned that her parents survived Argo City in the Survivor Zone, she had some emotional issues of loving two sets of parents. But she had come to grips with that in the past. So this is revisiting some more juvenile issues within Supergirl's life.

As for the art, I think Win Mortimer drew a fine Supergirl. Here he gives us some fan service, having her appear rather buxom in lingerie for the first few pages.

Heading to work, Supergirl is distracted by Superman flying around the New Athens Experimental School campus. Supergirl discovers that the 'Superman' is an actor who will play Superman in an upcoming movie on wires. This irks Supergirl, wondering why fake heroes get more adoration than real heroes.

This seems a bit catty for an established super-hero.

I also have to say, these felt like wasted pages given how insanely fast the rest of this issues rolls out.

The surprise of Mrs. Danvers is a drop-in visit to see Linda and have lunch.

But then something strange happens. Slowly, Fred and Edna Danvers morph into Zor-El and Alura. From their looks to their clothes to even there fingerprints, Supergirl's adoptive parents become her birth parents.

It is insane. And suddenly, perhaps weakened by this craziness, Supergirl finds herself attacked on the astral plane.

It is Lesla Lar! We see in a nice flashback panel all the plots that Lesla was involved in during Supergirl's recent adventures, all the times she was manipulating events to weaken Supergirl.

Now I suppose a brief history of Lesla Lar is warranted. Lesla lived on Kandor and looked exactly like Kara. She was also a brilliant scientist. Looking on from Kandor, she became obsessed with hate for Supergirl. Why should Kara live normal sized as a hero while she was stuck in the bottle city. In those early adventures, Lesla traps Kara in Kandor and then replaces Kara as Supergirl on Earth. While posing as Supergirl, Lar releases the Phantom Zone villains. Those villains then vaporized her with some weapon.

But apparently she survived.

She survived, evolving into living energy and psionic power, and still loathing Supergirl.

But then things get even nuttier.

Lar has become more deluded, thinking herself to be Kara's twin sister who was abandoned by Alura and Zor-El. And therefore, to reclaim her life, she will fight within Supergirl's mind to control Kara's body. And then she will confront Zor-El and Alura about leaving her in Kandor. So she used the powers she now has to mutate the Danvers into the Els.

Now there is so much that is bizarre here. The idea that Lar thinks she is Supergirl's twin is crazy (although Kara does admit they are identical - a cosmic coincidence). But it also is wild that she has enough power to transmute the Danvers effortlessly ... some power. If she has that much power, you would think she would have a better way of exacting her revenge.

Lastly, I don't know why Mortimer has Lesla and Kara fighting with glowing psionic rocks.

The battle weakens Kara enough so much that Kara's astral presence is kicked out of her body and Lesla takes over.

It appears that Lesla Lar has won!

Lesla then confronts her 'parents' calling them Zor-El and Alura (remember they are actually Fred and Edna Danvers).

Of course, a daughter would never call her father by his first and last name, nor her mother by her first name. So the fake Zor-El and Alura make Lesla confront her own mistake. (But since this is really Fred and Edna, is this Lesla making them say this?)

Distraught that she might not be Supergirl's sister, Lar's hold on the body weakens.

And so, mentally anguished, Lesla's control on the bodies of "Zor-El and Alura" dissipates. Suddenly Fred and Edna are back. And with that Kara is able to cast out Lesla and regain control of her body.

That attack destroys Lesla's energy integrity. She dispersed in the astral plane, utterly defeated. So did Kara kill her?

I also don't get Linda's last statement, saying Lesla gave her some 'last moments' with Zor-El and Alura. They are alive! She's had plenty of moments with them!

And that panel where Linda has inhabited her body is odd. Why cover her face?

So what do I think of this issue? I love that Lesla Lar was the mastermind of all these issues. That was a great callback to Supergirl continuity. But her powers are immense and her plot seems foolish if she wields such command of reality itself. (Of course, she is insane ... maybe it makes sense to her.)

I also think the battle with Lar feels rushed. It is crammed into 6 pages! The first 5 are the set up of the bad dream and the Superman movie star. The Lar battle deserved some of that time!

Still, overall, a long winding plot done in an anthology book is pretty cool, especially when it leans on a character's past. I don't know if you need to have this in a Supergirl collection but it does show how some Silver Age elements worked their way into the Bronze Age.

Overall grade: B

Review: Superman Family #182

The first issue of The Truth came out last week and really brought with it a strong discussion on the nature of Lois and Clark's relationship. I think the Lois/Clark dynamic has been fodder for discussion since the inception of the New 52 given how Lois has been basically pushed off stage. However, the plot point of her revealing Superman's secret identity has brought with it more discussion than ever.

Blog friend Mart Gray brought up the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Superman stories which appeared in the Superman Family books. These were tales of the Earth-2 Clark and Lois, married, and working together as a team in zany adventures. And, having been reminded of those tales I thought I would head to the back issue boxes and start to reread my Superman Family issues. Not only was there Mr. and Mrs. Superman stories but this was the place to read Lois solo adventures.

I started with Superman Family #182, the first of the Dollar Comic format for the book, and the first without reprints. These were all new stories featuring the main characters in the mythos - Lois, Jimmy, Krypto, and Supergirl. There is also a Wonderful World of Krypton story in here as well. And it sports a great cover by Curt Swan and Neal Adams.

Mr. and Mrs. Superman don't become a staple in the book until Superman Family #195. (That also marks the addition of The Private Life of Clark Kent stories as well, one of my favorite features.)

Superman Family was the home for Supergirl once here short-lived solo title in the early 70's was cancelled. Her stories are something of a mixed bag although during this time she fought Lesla Lar, dabbled in some romance, moved to New York, and became a soap opera star.

But Superman Family #182, being a sort of new beginning, starts out the Supergirl run with a bang. The Maid of Might battles Lex Luthor. And it calls out one of my favorite DC stories of all time.

The Deadly Treasure of Mars was written by the then Supergirl scribe Jack C. Harris and is a great story that intersects a particular moment in history, a particular time in DCU history, and is a  wonderful jumping on point for fans who might be reading Supergirl for the first time in this inaugural Dollar Comic. We see her as an individual in an empowerment story which shows she has moved pretty far down the hero's journey.

But for me, the biggest revelation of this story is the art by Mike Vosburg and Al Milgrom. Vosburg for me is best known as the artist on the 70's DC sword and sorcery Starfire comic and has always drawn strong and beautiful women. I had forgotten he had drawn Supergirl and so re-discovering this story and his work on it made me happy.

We start out in space with Supergirl punching meteors out of the way of the Viking probe, the NASA ship whose mission it was to land on and send pictures from Mars. Just a great action shot of Kara to open things up. That's power!

Now the Viking did exist here on Earth Prime and did get to Mars. But I find this mixing of reality and comics occasionally strange. Why not have Supergirl just take the probe there? Or talk to J'Onn J'Onzz? Or any other easier way to study Mars when you live on a planet with super-humans? But this does set the time of this story pretty concretely.

While her 'rescue' of the probe is a success, NASA has other concerns. Someone has been stealing secret rocket components from the base. And the security team seems at a loss as to who it could be.

Meanwhile Supergirl is excited to see the pictures from Viking but can't stick around. She has to head back to the New Athens Experimental School where she is a guidance counselor.

Am I also being too much of a realist that I can't understand why Supergirl is so excited to see the grainy pictures from Viking? Hasn't she been on Mars? Or many other planets? Or is it she is so proud of humanity's accomplishments?

Now I was alive but I was a little kid when this comic came out. So I don't know if there was such a national fervor for the pics from Mars. Maybe?

But at least in the comics, this was a big deal. The students of the school are crowding around the television to see the transmitted pictures from Mars.

And check it out! There is an actual photo of the rocks as one of the panels here! Those have to be actual photos of the Vikings pics. So interesting to include that.

I also love the "fan service"/"not fan service" first panel by Vosburg. This is a fully clothed woman getting more fully clothed. But there is definitely an element of sexiness there.

Shortly after the first information from Mars gets transmitted back to NASA, the scientists there contact Supergirl. Viking has discovered something on Mars ... a chunk of Kryptonite.

And it seems, Jack C. Harris was one of the DC writers who still held the Denny O'Neil Kryptonite Nevermore story from Superman #233 as canon. Thus all Kryptonite on Earth had been changed to iron making this chunk on Mars even rarer than Kryptonite usually is.

Now I love Kryptonite Nevermore. Heck, my avatar is the Sand Superman from that arc. But I think it was almost immediately retconned when it ended. And retconned without explanation. Still, I think there were some writers who recognized it and some who didn't.

Having this story reference that story was a special treat for me.

It turns out that the secret rocket components have been stolen by a man named Kolpan, a Luthor flunky working on the inside of NASA.. Hearing about the Kryptonite, Kolpan contacts an imprisoned Luthor who happens to have cribbed together a super-computer and communication device under his cell's mattress. (How the heck did the guards let that happen?)

Luthor was more than willing to bide his time in prison but the news of the Green K is enough to spur him into action. He uses his computer to summon a  nearby rocket which he has disguised as a tree in a nearby wooded area.

The rocket flies to the prison, blasts the building setting it ablaze, and then uses a tractor beam to scoop up Lex.

I have to admit, I love stories where villains cool their heels in prison even though they can escape any time. I especially like it when plans are unfurling on the outside while the villain has the perfect alibi.

Luthor has escaped. The prison is on fire. Prisoners are free. And Superman happens to be in deep space and unavailable. So the prison calls Supergirl.

I like this page as well, showing nice panel progression by Vosburg as well as showcasing Supergirl's intelligence.

She swirls around the prison using the winds to both extinguish the flames as well as temporarily robbing the prisoners of oxygen, knocking them out. The swirl lines of her flying are both in the top panel but also extend into the lower panels, giving the page some flow.

And then Supergirl yawns saying this rescue tired her out. But it also gives her a look of boredom like saving this place was a snooze.

As for Luthor, he uses the rocket to head to Mars. But since he is brilliant, it won't take him months to reach Mars (the length of Viking's trip). It will take him hours because he has mastered space warps!

I love this very 70's futuristic insane almost Kubrickian 2001 panel. Futuristic and retro at the same time!

With the prison taken care of, Supergirl heads to NASA and captures Kolpan. She knew someone was working on the inside of NASA for Luthor. This whole Kryptonite caper has made him reveal himself.

Another nice action sequence by Vosburg.

And then it is off to Mars to stop Luthor. Lex has already put the Green K into a laser bazooka with the plan to finally rid the world of Superman.

But Supergirl is there instead. I like the banter here. I especially like Kara calling Lex a male chauvinist pig. And great panel here as well with Supergirl striking a defiant pose.

But maybe it is too soon for her to be so confidant. Luthor blasts her with Kryptonite energy, seemingly killing her while NASA watches on.

But the second panel shows that Supergirl is playing possum.

Okay, why play possum? Unless making Lex think he has a moment of victory makes it that much more delicious to seize it from him. I mean, she is smiling!

It turns out the whole thing has been a Supergirl trap. She wanted to uncover Luthor's lackey. She wanted Luthor to reveal where he hid his rocket. And she wanted a battle with Luthor to be far away from Earth in case it got ugly (hello Zack Snyder!). So she put fake Kryptonite on Mars knowing it would be too tempting for Luthor to sit tight. And she was right!

As she says. Luthor was 'baited, caught, and reeled in -- all but the 'little girl with super-powers'". Perfect.

Well, almost perfect. What if something bad happened during the prison escape? Like someone dies in the resulting fire? Or guards get killed by escapees? Supergirl must have been pretty sure she could control the situation.

And how can you not love the last panel of the smiling proud Kara hauling Luthor back to Earth!

I have to highly recommend buying this issue for all this Supergirl goodness. The Swan/Adams cover! The Vosburg art! The NASA Viking history! The Kryptonite Nevermore reference! Supergirl beating Luthor!

It is all good!

But if that isn't enough to tempt you ...

The issue includes a sort of religious parable in The Wonderful World of Krypton. "The Stranger" was written by Supergirl writer Paul Kupperberg. But it also has lush Marshall Rogers artwork. I love Rogers and he shines here.

Definitely look for this issue and grab it if you find it at the right price! And thanks again to Mart Gray for giving me the impetus to pull these issues out again!

Overall grade: A

Back Issue Review: Superman Family #208 - Supergirl On TV

Let's face it, the biggest story of the year so far has been the news of Supergirl heading to television. As a Supergirl fan, I am pretty cautious with my optimism. I go into Supergirl news very warily due to past missteps. But so far, every announcement about this show has been great. This feeling of optimism is strange to me ... novel.

With that news percolating, and needing a back issue to review, I thought I would take a look at Superman Family #208. This issue has, in a sense, Supergirl heading to television. And, it also seemed to be the beginning of a new chapter in the life of Kara ... an interesting foil to the ending of the current incarnation's book and the new chapter (eventually) of Supergirl being on the small screen.

I do my best to try to make the back issues I review relevant to current storylines or news ... so take this one with a grain of salt.

The Super-Switch to New York was the lead story in Superman Family #208, written by Jack C. Harris with art by Win Mortimer and Vince Colletta. This was the creative team for Supergirl on the book and honestly, there aren't many memorable stories in this run. Outside of the return of Lesla Lar, most of these Supergirl stories are pretty forgettable.

So this injection of a new location and a new supporting cast was welcomed.

It starts out with a nice little primer on the Supergirl character. This is a good splash page, showcasing Supergirl in the center, and then putting in key history moments around it. Argo City, Zor-El and Alura, showcasing her growth as Supergirl, and then covering the careers of Linda Danvers. She's been a cameraperson for the news, a student at an acting school, a guidance counselor ... and now?

The actual story starts out with Supergirl stopping a tornado which just happens to be right in the vicinity of the New Athens Experimental School where she is guidance counselor in her Linda Danvers identity.

This isn't particularly innovative of a sequence. She unwinds the twister and blocks the lightning it spawns. But this rescue mission keeps her from her office duties.

In fact, when she gets to her office, she finds her boss Mr. Pierce waiting for her. He has been keeping track of when she is in her office, when she is available, and what she does. Now why he would think the right thing to do when a tornado is about to strike the campus is wait to see if one of his workers is on time is beyond me. And couldn't Linda just say the impending natural disaster delayed her?

Instead of tap dancing around her tardy arrival, Linda attacks. Her contract says she can keep her own hours. She has done great work. And if her boss wants to fire her, he can go ahead!

Nice fire by Linda!

Incredibly, Peter Barton (one of the supporting cast in the book) is walking by Linda's office when he hears her read Mr. Pierce the riot act. He is an acting agent and is so struck by her passion that he thinks she should try out to take the place of Laura Larue, the star of the 'Secret Hearts' soap opera. Tough luck for the actual actors struggling out there!

I do like the little comment by Linda in the last panel. She had been trying to date him for most of this run. He ends up proposing to someone else. If only he had heard her passion earlier!

This was a simpler and, in many ways, better time.

Should she quit her job in education? Head to New York? Try out for an acting job on a soap opera?

She decides to bounce the idea of someone she trusts. She meets with her cousin. After a little back and forth, he tells her to go for it. He thinks she should go for it. And you can tell that Kara sort of needed to hear that. She can do something for herself for once.

Realizing that Supergirl and Linda Danvers shouldn't arrive in New York at the same time, Kara decides to act as Supergirl heroically in the Big Apple for some time, establishing herself there.

It is a rather mundane page of daring-do. She stops some muggers. She pulls someone off the train tracks. She starts to get some fans. Imagine that ... DC letting everyday people like their heroes. And she is as big a deal as Wonder Woman and the New Teen Titans!

But couldn't we get one shot of her punching out a super-villain?

Finally, we get something of bigger deal then petty theft.

As she flies by the UN building, a bomb goes off one of the middle floors, blowing out the windows and throwing out a delegate. Supergirl swoops by and grabs him mid-air.

His country isn't named but he is dressed as someone from the Middle East. He wants to work with the United States but terrorists have threatened him to break relations. This bomb was the first of many the terrorists have set up.

After dropping off the delegates with the police, Supergirl goes out and does her best to limit the damage from the other explosives. She can't stop the explosions at the Empire State Building or the Museum of Modern Art, but she significantly limits the damage. And she is able to defuse the one under the Atlas statue at Rockefeller Center.

People cheer for her! Supergirl is New York's Superman. Hurrah!

And then ... a plot twist.

The delegate who almost died in the initial explosion, being thrown out from an upper floor of the UN, is actually the terrorist.

Was the first explosion faulty? Did he plan to get thrown out of the building and get saved by Supergirl? Why tell her about the other bombs? Why?

I guess I shouldn't think too much about it. Because it makes no sense at all.

And that terrorist isn't going to escape. She tracks him by a unique smell at all the explosions.

And once again ... she is welcomed by the city, this time by the mayor!

Imagine that, a city welcoming a superhero with open arms! And people are smiling!!!!

I love it!

And with Supergirl established, Linda can arrive in New York City and sign the acting contract. Supergirl ... that is Linda Danvers ... is now a television star.

It's a whole new chapter in the life of Supergirl.

This is a nice little story showing how established Supergirl is, welcomed by as tough a city as NYC, and working to stop crimes both big and small. The art is classic Mortimer, smooth and clean. I like how Linda looks in this issue.

Now I don't know if this is a huge issue in Supergirl history but it does mark a shift. As such, it should be held as being of moderate importance to a Supergirl collection, akin to Superman #376. You can probably find it for $1-3 at conventions and it is worth buying.

Overall grade: B

Back Issue Box: Superman Family #203

It has been a while since I came up with a Back Issue theme to review here at Comic Box and then I was struck by the muse. You see, as I was reviewing the last issue of Supergirl I kept getting this vibe that Supergirl was really as angry at herself as she was towards the rest of the universe. She could have done a lot in her time to be less isolated and to acclimate more. She could have relied on family and friends to help her with her grief. But instead she seemed to be hurting herself by staying distant and things have festered until finally it seems they are going to explode.

That concept of Supergirl hurting herself made me think about past times where Supergirl has met Supergirl, maybe even fought her.. And so here is the first entry in the four part back issue series of Supergirl confronting Supergirl - Superman Family #203, published way back in late 1980.

As was the case in many of the Superman Family issues at that time, Supergirl is the headliner, getting the lion's share of the cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano. It is a great image for the tale, a young Supergirl, still in her pleated blue skirt, crashing out a building, surprising the older Supergirl decked out in her hot pants. And the elder Kara seems stunned, asking the question 'If she's Supergirl ... who am I?'

"The Supergirl from Planet Earth" was written by Jack C. Harris with art by Win Mortimer and Vince Colletta, the predominant Supergirl team on this book. This was the 'guidance counselor at the New Athens Experimental School' time period for Linda Danvers, a time between stints as a journalist and a soap opera actress.

These stories are for the most part forgettable. Not many of these made a major impact on the Supergirl character. And while this is a more seasoned Supergirl her adventures rarely carry the gravitas of Superman's. Still, the writers did their best to inject some Supergirl history into the proceedings including bringing back Lesla Lar, Lena Thorul, and a surprise plot twist (even if a bit wonky continuity-wise) in this story. There is a sort of easy charm to these stories as you read of a Supergirl ready to be a hero and dealing with ordinary life.

We should be glad that the creators kept the Supergirl character moving forward and in the spotlight enough that Paul Kupperberg's Daring New Adventures is just a couple of years away.

Nice opening splash page here again showing the younger and older Supergirl facing each other. What does it all mean? Let's find out.

The story starts in Midvale, in the home of the Leeds' Family.  Mr. and Mrs. Leeds lament the fact that their young daughter Ellie has been in a coma for seven years. And, strangely enough, despite being comatose, she is growing normally and healthily. How can that be without nourishment? And the doctors are flummoxed. They could not even find a way to feed Ellie intravenously.

It is a mystery.

It just so happens that Supergirl has decided to take a day off from her life in New Athens Florida and thought revisiting Midvale might be a good way to clear some cobwebs from her mind. As usual, Linda was having some romance problems that decided she needed some space.

She revisits the spot where she actually crash landed years earlier.

Amazingly, at the same time, Ellie wakes up from her coma and somehow exhibits super-powers, looking right through the wall and seeing Supergirl.

Linda manages to run into her father as he is heading to work as a scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs. She explains that this Midvale trip was spur of the moment and she'd love to join him for the day.

It turns out that Mr. Leeds works at S.T.A.R. with Fred Danvers and they car pool. As the car pulls up, Ellie crashes out of the wall crying 'Make way world -- here comes Supergirl!' She is wearing a classic Silver Age Supergirl costume and flies off.

I love how Fred is so flabbergasted that he almost blows Linda's secret identity. And this lookalike plot is certainly a well-traveled Supergirl road as just about everybody was indistinguishable from Linda in the old Action stories - from Lesla to Lena to any number of starlets.

The Leeds are able to fill in some information. Ellie awoke, made a Supergirl costume at super-speed out of curtains in the house and took off.

Linda leaves to 'look for help' and switches to Supergirl herself, catching up to Ellie just as the young 'Supergirl' loses her ability to fly.

And then, oddly, Ellie says she is Supergirl and then recites chapter and verse of Supergirl's origin - the explosion of Krypton, Argo City surviving, the ground becoming Kryptonite, and Zor-El rocketing her away.

So ... is Ellie really Supergirl??

Amazingly, Kara has a theory explaining everything - the coma, Ellie's belief she is Supergirl, and her apparent loss of all powers. I have to admit, I didn't have any theories when I first read this story.

We'll get to the answer ... and my problem with it as a continuity geek ... in a second.

Because the origin story and Ellie's powers have been overheard by an industrial spy sent to observe the Leeds and rob the Midvale S.T.A.R.

Ah, the joys of fate in Bronze Age DC Comics. Of course Ellie's coma would end on the day that Supergirl was visiting and they would visit a site where an industrial spy can overhear their conversation. What if Linda visited the following day?

Well it turns out that Ellie fell into her coma on April 11th 7 years earlier, the exact day that Supergirl crash landed on Earth.

So ... April 11th, Supergirl  lands on Earth. And we all assume that Kara was around 15 years old when she crashed, meaning Kara is around 22 years old in this story.

Supergirl surmises that Ellie heard the crash and went to investigate, witnessing Supergirl telling her origin to Superman as she did in Action Comics #252.

And then the twist. Ellie also must have stumbled upon a piece of X-Kryptonite at the site and brought it home. Indeed, Supergirl discovers it in a box on Ellie's nightstand.

So to further the premise, Supergirl states that X-Kryptonite can give Earth beings super-powers as long as they remain near it (it is how Streaky got his powers, and only when he went near X-K did he get re-powered up). The recently empowered Ellie couldn't deal with the sudden surge and went into a coma. And with the X-K nearby she used yellow sun rays to nourish and grow. That's why the coma didn't effect her that way. It also explains why MDs couldn't put an IV in here ... she was invulnerable.

And it explains why Ellie lost her powers outside the home. She wasn't near the X-K any more.

The X-K weakens Supergirl until it is placed in lead.

Okay ... let's slow down ... because this is taking continuity a little off the rails.

X-Kryptonite isn't a natural isotope of Kryptonite. It was accidentally created by Supergirl when she did chemical experiments on Green K in Action Comics #261. So Ellie shouldn't have been able to find a slice at the crash site. And X-Kryptonite doesn't hurt Kryptonians the way Green K does. So nice try to link some Supergirl mythos into the story. But Harris got it all wrong.

And all this doesn't explain why Ellie thought she was Supergirl on awakening.

To welcome Ellie into her new awake life, Supergirl molds the lead around the X-Kryptonite into a S-shield pendant.

Nice panel by Mortimer. And a nice gesture by a Supergirl who wants to help people.

Of course, we need a throw down. The industrial spy ingests the X-K so he will always be near the X-K and goes on a super-powered heist of STAR labs.

He does know that eventually he'll defecate this and need to retrieve it ... right?

There is a brief skirmish where the villain tries to use his powers only to have them fail. And then suddenly even his flight depowers.

In a nice montage panel, we see that Supergirl was buying time, frustrating the man by countering his super-powered attacks with super-powered deflections of her own. And after a while, the man's stomach acid destroyed the X-K, completely depowering him.

It is interesting that Kryptonite is the only Kryptonian relic that isn't invulnerable. There have been plenty of stories where Kryptonite has been melted by acid, heat, or other chemicals. So pretty smart of Supergirl to realize that this was going to be a brief stint with powers by the crook.

With the X-Kryptonite destroyed and Ellie awake and 'normal', there is nothing left but to smooth out the rough edges. Supergirl gives Ellie another S-shield pendant as a gift. And Fred Danvers says that Linda will give Ellie a spot in her school to help her transition to her conscious life. Again, a nice touch from a Supergirl who wanted to do what was right for people.

And I love the last panel, a joyous Supergirl whose batteries are recharged from her brief visit home and an odd look into her own past.

So I will give Harris an A for effort in looking back at some Supergirl-specific historical details and trying to insert them into a new story. X-Kryptonite is a uniquely Supergirl piece of the Superman mythos. And the sight of a young blue-skirted Supergirl was a nice touch. Plus we learn Supergirl's crash date! But the details of the X-K are off and the Ellie story doesn't quite make sense. Why did she think she was Supergirl? Still ... A for effort.

I don't have any major problem with Win Mortimer's art. I actually like his faces.

Still nothing huge about this issue to make it crucial to a Supergirl fan. But the details are fun enough that I would label it of medium importance.

Overall grade: B