Back Issue Review: Adventure Comics #394

It has been a while since I reviewed a back issue from Supergirl's history here. Recently my mind has been thinking about Adventure Comics #394. 

When I was reviewing the Black Orchid stories here recently, I noted that in one story the Orchid implied she had been in prison in the past. Was it referencing this?  Why not take a closer look at this story?

Now I have to say that this is one crazy story. Written by Robert Kanigher, it takes one insane plot leap after another. This is a classic Silver Age story where an insane amount of things happen in a mere 13 pages. It even ends with a bit of a mystery! So settle in and be ready for a roller coaster as Supergirl tries to save the universe from a doomsday weapon from within an interstellar prison. 

The art is by Kurt Schaffenberger and it is just gorgeous. In this story, with all the wild turns, we get to see the breadth of Schaffenberger's skill, from action to angst to drama to campus silliness. Over the years, I have come to really love his artwork. This is a shining example.

On to the book. 

Back Issue Box: Adventure Comics #382

Hello everyone and welcome to the holiday season here at Supergirl Comic Box Commentary.

Today I thought I would review Adventure Comics #382. This was the second issue in the Supergirl run as head character in this book. 

As for the 'why' I am reviewing this issue, I consider it a gift. 

Recently on the Into The Weird podcast (https://twitter.com/IntoWeird) they did a Bizarro world episode, covering Bronze age DC weirdness as opposed to Marvel books. And one of the stories they covered was a Superboy story. When they discussed that book they wondered if other stories like it are out there and this one counts.

So as a nice holiday gift, I thought I would cover this here. Merry Christmas gents!

I won't mention it here, why spoil the surprise. You'll need to read on.

Back Issue Box: Superman Family #174

In Supergirl Episode 406, 'A Call to Arms', Supergirl fought a dragon.

Thanks to a comment on this site, I was reminded that this wasn't the first time Supergirl had fought a dragon. I was reminded that Supergirl fought a dragon in Superman Family #174. How could I not dip into the back issue box to review it!

Of course, that led me to review the other time Supergirl fought a dragon (sort of) in Adventure Comics #418.

So sit back and relax and get ready for me to review and try as best I can to makes some sense of the following story. Because it is one of the nuttiest stories I have ever read.

Superman Family #174 came out in late 1975.

In 1974, Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane was canceled at #137. Supergirl's solo title was also canceled in 1974 at #10. And Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen was renamed Superman Family with #164. Those three solo books were basically consolidated into the 'new title' Superman Family.

Readers were given one story for each of the three main players. One story would be new; the other two would be reprints. The new stories would rotate and readers would know who was the star of the new material by who dominated the cover.

And so Superman Family #174 had 'Eyes of the Serpent' starring Supergirl as the lead and fresh story.  It has a sweet cover drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger showing Supergirl using her cape to block a dragon's nostril fire.

Back Issue Review: Adventure Comics #285

You know we are living in good times when Monday night is 'Supergirl night'. The show has become that ingrained in the fandom.

And that is great ... except for the times that there isn't an episode being aired on Monday. There is no show tonight.

Realizing that there'll be something of a 'show hole' to fill, I thought I would look into the back issue box to see if I could come up with something relevant. And given that the Kara/Alex relationship is such a key component of the Supergirl show, I thought I would review Adventure Comics #385. It is a cover which dares to see if you "Can solve the secret of Supergirl's Big Sister!"

What?
A big sister? Read on, true believers!

Back Issue Review: Adventure Comics #391

This was one of those weird weeks were no comic that I review came out. That meant I suddenly had an opening in my schedule for a Friday review slot.

And given that Supergirl in non-comics media is dominating the discussion around the character, I thought I would go into the long boxes for an oldie but a goody.  In the Silver Age, there were plenty of stories where someone is making a Supergirl movie or show and somehow the real Supergirl gets involved.

We also have read a lot of interviews where Melissa Benoist talks about her wire work, how could I resist Adventure Comics #391 where Linda is doing stunts!

The cover is credited to the dream team of Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. Swanderson brings us a nice dynamic cover showing 'that actress playing Supergirl' falling to her death when the wire breaks. But, as this is Supergirl she'll be unharmed when she hits, thus exposing her secret identity.

Surprisingly, this scene actually happens (in a way) in the story.

"Linda Danvers, Super-Star" was written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Schaffenberger took over the Supergirl character after Jim Mooney left and really is one of the signature artists for the Silver Age Kara.

This opening page sets the stage for what we should expect. There is a Supergirl movie being made and somehow Linda Danvers has been cast to be the star. Thus, Supergirl is playing Supergirl in the movie.

For me, the craziest part of this page is that third tiny panel. The wardrobe woman is making Linda look like Supergirl for the part. That includes putting on a blond wig. That means, in the subsequent panels, Linda is a blond girl wearing a brunette wig, wearing a blond wig. Insanity.

The  story opens at Stanhope College where Linda is a student. In class, Professor Vizhago unveils his new computer which is programmed to measure aptitudes and predict the perfect profession for his students.

Linda Danvers and Eve Emerson both get actress as their probable occupation. While most students are happy and intrigued with their choices, Eve's boyfriend Vic Tane, the 'grooviest boy on campus', decides he will promote Eve's skills by belittling Linda's.

He calls Linda a mud turtle, destined to be an understudy.

This computer is so renowned that it attracts John Harris, a famous Hollywood director. He is making a Supergirl movie and looking for the next new starlet. Given the computer results, Harris wants Eve and Linda to try out.

Harris big test is to see which one can cry on command, a way to show they can convey any emotion asked for. The screen test is being shot in front of the student body and Vic, ever the charmer, says Linda has the emotional chops of a statue. Everyone laughs at Linda.

And, as this is the Silver Age, Linda could be brought to tears pretty quickly. Vic's callous comments make her cry. You can see that even Eve feels bad.

You would think that Linda might want to avoid playing Supergirl. Sounds like a recipe for disaster if you want to keep your secret identity.

Things get a little nutty once shooting starts. In the first stunt, Linda is suspended by wires to fly when the gear breaks. This doesn't seem to be the safest workplace environment. Linda was suspended over a moutain without any extra precautions. She plummets to what would be a sure death for a human.

But Linda is able to use her powers slyly such that it seems okay for her to have lived. She uses her cape to slow herself down, fakes a wind to billow herself up, and then hits a tree branch to soften the blow. Everyone feels she is supremely lucky.

I like that Linda uses her head here, thinking quickly and not giving anything away.

The plot thickens as several people have motives to try to off Linda.

Is it Vic, trying to get Eve the part?
Is it Harris, trying to resurrect his career after 3 flops in a row? Any publicity is good publicity?
Or is it Nicky, the man in the plaid jacket? He's the studio press agent and also would like the movie to succeed. And this sort of accident will put the movie into the news.

I love Schaffenberger's panel here, with Kara twirling her head trying to figure it all out!

The accident continues to plague the set, always with Linda in the middle.

In this scene, she is riding a giant balloon whale when it pops, throwing her into shark-infested waters. Again, I have to question the safety of this set. Why film in shark-infested waters? Seems like a disaster waiting to happen ... and indeed it does happen!

This time Linda uses her heat vision to scare the sharks away. If they attack her and she comes out of the water unharmed, there will be too many questions. She explains an undersea volcano scared them away. And, somehow, the crew believes that. Ahhh ... the Silver Age.

But the same people are still there, still with their motives.

And then another accident happens. A gun which is supposed to only have blanks is fired at Linda. Of course, it was actually loaded. This time, Supergirl snaps her fingers so loud they make a sonic boom, effecting the path of the bullet so it misses her. And people assume the loud noise was the bullet echoing.

Realizing she needs to leave the set so she can actively investigate as Supergirl, Linda runs off the set hysterical. I love that first panel! So wonderful.

Eve is more than eager to jump into the role. Maybe Vic is behind it?
Harris seems resolved to close the set. So I don't think it is him.
And Nicky continues to think that Harris is doing it for publicity.

But Eve isn't safe either. Chained with faux Kryptonite to temple columns (how Samson), Eve is ready to be a star. The columns begin to topple in pieces. And since she is chained, she cannot escape. She will be crushed by the boulders.

But the real Supergirl is on the job. She flies in the 'change the script' and bashes the pieces away.

Supergirl saves Supergirl!

In a weird panel, and really a panel I should have posted, Supergirl demands to sniff everybody's hands. Bizarre!

It turns out that Nicky has the scent of corrosive acid on his hands. He used it to weaken the pillars foundation. Presumably, he did the same to the wire.

And his motive? Harris married an actress that jilted Nicky. Enraged, he would frame Harris for murder. Luckily, Supergirl looked to the gossip columns to find a true motive.

With the set safe, you would think that Harris would hire Eve or Linda. Instead, Eve bows out saying Supergirl should play Supergirl. If Harris will donate a percentage of the proceeds to charity, Kara will do it.

And so, Supergirl does indeed end up playing Supergirl.

Okay, this is a silly story. But can't you see a future episode where Kara is asked to enter a Supergirl lookalike contest, or something as silly.

These stories are dated and ludicrous. I love them. I love Supergirl thinking quickly and saving people. I like her being a little emotionally vulnerable at this time in her life. And the art is so perfect for the story.

I don't think this is a key issue for Supergirl fans. But it is fun and more and more I am seeing these issues in $2 boxes at conventions. And this was a point in Supergirl's career where she was sort of turning a corner. Soon Mike Sekowsky will come on board and try to modernize her a bit. A second story in this issue, by Cary Bates and Win Mortimer, is a bit more sci-fi/political and less sugary than this one. If you are looking for a nice issue showing the change Supergirl was going through, this is a decent one.

Overall grade: B+

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.

Happy Halloween: Review Adventure Comics #396

Happy Halloween to all the ghouls and goblins out there.

I am, unfortunately, still carving my jack-o-lanterns so can't post them here in time for trick-or treat time. So instead I thought I would present a spooky Supergirl story from the Adventure Comics run in the early 70s.

There is some synergy here as I actually reviewed the first part of the story earlier this month when talking about the thought beasts of Krypton. If you want to refresh your memory, you can go here for the full review:
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-adventure-comics-395.html

In that story, Linda Danvers spends the night in a 'haunted mansion'. The haunting later turns out to be the Phantom Zone villains broadcasting evil telepathy through a amped-up television set. The house belonged to a missing  inventor Amos Ameswell. At the end of that first part, the Phantom Zone villains have been 'unplugged' when Supergirl destroyed the TV set. But then suddenly Ameswell seemed to magically appear!

Writer Bob Kanigher does an interesting job in this 2 parter mixing science fiction and horror elements. It makes for a bit of a muddled story but a fun one nonetheless. Artist Kurt Schaffenberger puts in his usual fantastic work, especially in the expressions Kara has in the story. 

But this is supposed to be a Halloween story! I think with a title like 'I am a witch!' it fits the bill, especially when we see on the opening splash page Supergirl surrounded by black cats and broken mirrors.

Supergirl seems perplexed by the sudden appearance of Ameswell especially when he starts to cackle about how she hasn't earned the reward for staying in the haunted house overnight.

Hoping to get some answers about where Ameswell has been for the last 12 years, Supergirl tries to grab him only to have him seemingly do some rapid fire shape changing - fire to smoke to python to lion to condor and back to human.

Supergirl seems unconvinced that his tricks are true magic. After all his 'haunted house' was also explained by the science of the transmitting television.

Ameswell means to convince Supergirl that there is some factual basis behind magic and superstitions. And so he brings her into his 'bad luck room', a place filled with objects meant to curse someone with ill fortune.

In some ways it's comical ... ooooh, a salt shaker, a mirror, and a black cat! But Supergirl takes it all with a ... ahem ... grain of salt. In fact, she seems to forget that there is a mystery behind Ameswell's disappearing/reappearing act. Instead she decides to have a conversation with him.

In the midst of the conversation, Ameswell shows he believes these items to be capable of affecting someone's luck. When he spills the salt, he tosses some over his shoulder.

Supergirl aims to show Ameswell that superstitions are nothing but nonsense. And so she walks around his bad luck room and does everything she can to give herself ... well ... bad luck.

For some reason I think the panel of Supergirl defiantly walking under a ladder is awesome. Maybe because it is so inane.

Unfortunately, it looks as though her disregard for superstitions might lead to tragedy.

When she stops to help a group of civic minded young men build a boys' center, she ends up destroying it.

And later when she tries to save some passengers on a runaway roller coaster, she ends up accidentally demolishing the ride.

And lastly, when she tries to save some pilots at an air show who are in danger, she only makes matters worse, sending them into a worse predicament.

It is clear that she has toyed with powers beyond her ken.

And, this being the Silver Age, she goes through a momentary crisis of self-doubt.

Supergirl figures that after afflicting herself with bad luck, and knowing that being a jinx with super-powers is a recipe for major disasters, she has no choice. She must banish herself to the Phantom Zone!

Ahh ... the Silver Age.

Meanwhile, from afar, Ameswell cackles in joy. He has seen Supergirl have a 'super-breakdown'. And he knows that with Supergirl out of the way he can use all his powers and inventions to terrorize future victims.

His greatest machine of all, a time machine he has used over those missing 12 years to travel through time and learn from the greatest dark magicians in history.

Hmmm, maybe he has some 'real' magic powers after all?

Before he can enjoy his victory for too long, Supergirl crashes into the house and destroys the time machine. (I guess Ameswell has to say 'irreplaceable' so as readers we know he won't simply rebuild things.)

Maybe now is the time for him to break out that black magic he used??

I guess he doesn't really have magic powers after all.

It turns out that Supergirl's jinxiness came from science ... an anti-mass destruct element Ameswell invented and spilled on Supergirl. Thus anything she touched she would destroy. (Of course, that doesn't explain the lack of control of her super-breath in the airplane rescue.)

Looking herself over after the accidents, Supergirl noticed the elements and deduced that Ameswell set her up. So she washed it from her hands and returned to bring Ameswell to justice.

While the earlier part of this story was wonderfully silly, the end sort of falls short. Why would Ameswell, a great scientist, use his inventions to learn magic to terrorize people. Aren't there easier ways to use a time machine and anti-mass destruct elements to do that? And did he actually learn magic anyways? Why did he have the bad luck room set up ... just in case a super-hero showed up so he could try to convince them they had bad luck? And why did he return just at this moment?

I guess I'll just have to roll with it.

Still, I do love that montage showing Supergirl standing with her arms crossed, daring to let a black cat walk in front of her.

So a sort of silly, magical, superstitious tale for Halloween.

Don't eat too much candy!

Overall grade: B

Review: Adventure Comics #395

When I posted a Silver Age map of Krypton last week, blog friend Mart Gray (of the great Too Dangerous For A Girl comic blog) professed a love for the Scarlet Jungle and the Thought Beasts that live there. With that in mind, I thought I would go back and review Adventure Comics #395 which features a thought beast.

These Adventure issues are interesting as for a while they seem to walk a fine line between the more sugary and wacky Silver Age issues and more 'serious' stories. In fact, this issue, like many early in this Adventure run, have 2 stories, one featuring more 'classic' Supergirl stories and another with a newer creative team and a more modern sensibility. Just a few issues after this, Mike Sekowsky comes on board and Supergirl starts donning mod clothes and moves to San Francisco.

But for now, we still have some Silver Age looniness and this issue has that in spades.

'The Heroine in the Haunted House' was written by Bob Kanigher and drawn by Jim Mooney successor Kurt Schaffenberger. Kanigher might be best known for his war comics but he also wrote a chunk of Supergirl stories both here in Adventure as well as the short-lived Supergirl solo title in the 70's. Schaffenberger became the go-to artist for Supergirl once Mooney left.

I love this opening panel as it almost embodies the zany nature of the Silver Age. This isn't an action picture. Instead Supergirl is irritated and bored, sitting in front of the television. And while she complains about not being attacked by ghosts, an evil looking Jor-El and a thought beast are slowly phasing into the room. Great stuff.

The story starts with Linda and some college friends driving around town. Linda is lost in thought, trying to figure out a compelling story she can write for Stahhope University's newspaper The Stanhope Sentinel.

Serendipity is the law of the land. They drive by the haunted house of inventor Amos Ameswell. And better yet, there is a challenge involved. If someone can stay overnight without going insane, the Ameswell estate will pay them one thousand dollars. Ameswell disappeared 10yrs earlier. Is it his ghost which haunts the place?

Now seriously, who could turn down that offer? Especially if you are a Kryptonian. Sounds groovy.

The crew take the tour of the house to get a lay of the land. It initially seems like a carnival haunted house with a vampire robot butler, a spooky portrait of Ameswell ... complete with Death costume and luminous paint, and a special TV set.

But nothing seems to be too frightening ... at least at this point.

Things get a bit more interesting when horror film ham actor Vincent Sale (get it ... Vincent Price) tries the challenge.

Amazingly, when he leaves the house the next day, his hair has turned white and he is reduced to a cowering jellyfish. Even Linda has to wonder if something is truly haunting in this house.

I love the 'Vincent Price' cameo. If the king of horror films is frightened, what is in this house.

Linda decides to take the challenge to do some further investigating. And, in the early hours of the evening, the night is supremely boring. Knitting and reading can't keep her awake.

Even some television can't keep her eyes open and that is despite her super-powers. Hmmmm ....

Shortly thereafter, the ghost of Jor-El appears in the room, cackling and trying to scare Linda. He knows she is Supergirl. And his sole purpose is to drive Linda insane.

Of course, at first, Linda thinks this is a hoax or hologram of some sort.

But it is odd that the ghost to haunt Linda is Jor-El and not someone else.

I wanted to show this half page for a couple of reasons.

One, there is something fantastic about the line 'Jor-El's disappearing, slipping right through my fingers, like mocking moonlight'. I think I could die a happy man if I ever come up with a phrase like 'mocking moonlight'.

And, now that Jor-El has spilled the beans about Linda's secret identity, she sheds the campus cuddle bun and acts openly as Supergirl. In these panels you can really see that Schaffenberger draws a much more curvy and womanly Supergirl than Mooney. She was growing as a character in more ways than one.

Flying in and out of the room reveals no cameras or hologram projectors.

At last we get the thought-beast from Krypton's Scarlet Jungle. The Silver Age thought beasts would literally show what was on their minds on the screen on their heads. Here it shows Supergirl an image of it cornering Zor-El and Alura.

Despite knowing that her parents are in Kandor, the scene unnerves Supergirl. She becomes unhinged, crying and lashing out.

Then the thought beast changes its mind and instead shows a vision of it eating Supergirl. The fight is on. Again, this seems to affect Supergirl's mind more than expected. She blasts the device with full strength heat vision. Remarkably, the beast seems to melt away under the barrage, as if it wasn't real.

A ghost Jor-El? A phantom thought beast attacking her parents? Trying to eat her? All in a house outside of Stanhope. It seems to be too much for Supergirl's mind to deal with.

Indeed, she snaps. It is a wonderful page of her acting about as crazily as I have seen her.

Confident that she has been broken, the real villains behind the attacks appear. The Phantom Zone villains have been using their combined telepathic powers to make these visions, driving all who have slept in the house insane. They knew it would lure Supergirl into their clutches.

Look at Supergirl saying she ate all the chocolate and dancing like a madwoman.

But as Supergirl fans we should know that this is a ruse. She's too smart to go buggy so quickly.

She turns off the unique television set and suddenly the Phantom Zone villains disappear.

Amazingly, the story takes a twist ... a bigger twist than the fact that Phantom Zone villains are behind it all.

The missing Ameswell shows up and asks how Supergirl figured out that the television was behind it all.

And, this being the Silver Age, she obliges. The first clue is a bit of a stretch. She wonders how Jor-El's ghost could know about her when he was dead when she was born. That's the clue?? So she buys that it is Jor-El's ghost but his knowledge makes no sense? Maybe ghosts can observe and learn.

Anyways, if Supergirl's logic makes sense then this couldn't be Jor-El but instead Phantom Zone villain and Jor-El lookalike Roz-Em. And that must mean the Phantom Zone criminals are behind this. Since he appeared after the TV was turned on the TV must be the conduit. Indeed, the UHF receiver sent waves out to the Zone which allowed the criminals to be visible but not tangible. And their combined telepathy brought the thought beast to life.

Well .... I guess that a conclusion about a ghost's ability to view and learn might lead me to figure all this out. But, I probably just need to roll with this one.

Supergirl ends the threat by smashing the television. But Ameswell isn't done. He attacks Supergirl.

The story concludes next issue ... one I might cover for Halloween.

So that was a lot of story for half an issue with a couple of twists and turns. I love that the Zone criminals wanted revenge for the prior times Supergirl stymied them when they teamed up with Lesla Lar and Zora. And I can't get enough of the scene where Supergirl has 'cracked'. Too fantastic.

Of course, this villain was also pretty steeped in Kryptonian continuity with not only the Phantom Zone criminals but Roz-Em, a Nim-El mention, and the thought beast from the scarlet jungle which prompted this review to begin with.

These adventure issues are usually available at cons for $12-15. I think this issue would rank as low importance in a Supergirl collection but worth it to see the growing pains the character was going through in the late 60's and early 70's. But for me these issues are gold.

I mean, how often does Supergirl tell Phantom Zone villains that she ate all the chocolate bars.

Overall grade: B+

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I could not find any specific Supergirl/Thanksgiving moments in a brief perusal of my collection although one must exist. So instead I treat you to this cover from Adventure Comics #394 drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. In this near incomprehensible story, Kara gets thrown in jail by an intergalactic tyrant after she attempts to dismantle his dangerous 'Zenith Weapon'.

In the story the prisoners beg for a meal to be served and are forced to fight over some scraps. Reminds me of some Thanksgiving tables I have sat at. Please, no food riots on turkey day. Hee hee.

In the end, the other prisoners turn out to be super-heroines from other planets and they all team up to end the threat. You have to give thanks for the Silver Age.

On a different note, I just want to give thanks to everyone who visits this blog and comments. I started this blog on a complete whim, a way to get some ideas I had about Supergirl out of my head and into text form. I never expected that there would be others out there that not only had the same passion for the character that I have but have also found the blog and like it! This blog has really been a perfect creative outlet for me and reading other fan's thoughts about the character is wonderful. It really has been a great thing for me.

Thanks to all! Hope you all have a great holiday!