Daring New Adventures of Supergirl 1

You want to know the original history of the girl of steel then start here..supergirl came to earth as a teen and originally Superman’s secret weapon, now the girl of steel has her own rich history and evolution that must be explored and appreciated for what it is and that’s her history. Start here to see the beginning of what the girl of steel will become.

This TPB collects the first 12 issues of The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, originally released in 1982. Featuring fantastic artwork by the incomparable Carmine Infantino and Bob Oskner, and some interesting writing by Paul Kupperberg, these stories introduce a new direction in Kara/Linda Lee/Supergirl's life, something she desperately needed. Kupperberg decided to differentiate SuperGIRL from SuperMAN by taking her out of television (just like her cousin Clark Kent) and placing her back in a college setting in Chicago, where she decides to major in psychology. As she explains to her new friend Joan Raymond, "I suppose I've always been interested in how the human mind functions..." which makes perfect sense, considering the criminals she's fought in her career! Paul Kupperberg introduces a diverse cast, from the stereotypical Jewish landlady Ida Berkowitz to the African-American couple Cheryl Delarye and Daryll Simmons, from her absent-minded Psychology adviser Dr. Barry Metzner to her doofus neighbor Johnny O, all of whom end up kidnapped, in danger, or otherwise not so discreetly placed in the middle of the action the moment Supergirl enters their lives. Kupperberg works hard to give Kara a real personality, and succeeds- Kara comes across as funny and witty with a positive point of view, as she observes to herself early on; "Sure I was different from the other kids, but in my case, different wasn't bad--it was special." She even takes a train from NYC to Chicago, even though she could have flown herself, in order to be as 'normal' as possible. As she adjusts to life in Chicago, Kara gets a visit from her adoptive parents, fights new baddies like Psi, Decay, Matrix-Prime, and the Gang, and teams up with the New Doom Patrol to fight Reactron, which leads to one heck of a final confrontation with The Council. She also, despite being doused with a serious case of radiation poison, manages to go out on a date with cutie Phil Decker during all this. I would have given this TPB 5 stars, except that a special sneak preview of this new direction, which had Supergirl explaining the reasons for her move to Superman in Superman #376, wasn't included, and it should have been. This TPB says Vol. 1, and I really hope it sells well enough to warrant a second volume, which would conclude the run by Kupperberfg and Infantino, and showcase Supergirl's new costume, headband, and hairstyle and feature guest appearances by Superman, Ambush Bug, and battles with Blackstarr and the Parasite.

Curious as to who likes this character better...females because it's an empowered woman- or male readers because of the art? I don't have the answer but it's a very enduring and endearing character regardless even if a lot of writers haven't used the character to best effect and some of the stories over the years have been repetitive as a result or she's been relegated to a supporting role. Curious as to which segment of the audience has made her last this long and break into the mainstream in 2016 with a tv show.

I have been reading supergirl when I was young i in joy reading every day its fun to have

A little background is in order to understand the context in which these stories were written. Supergirl had been part of an anthology book titled "Superman Family", correct, you heard that right, along with sharing the spotlight with Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Clark Kent and others. The Chris Reeve Superman movies had been popular at this point and the makers of the Super movies announced a Supergirl movie as well. In order to cash in on the buzz, DC Comics produced a Supergirl comic written by Paul Kupperberg and illustrated by Carmine Infantino. By this point in his career, Infantino was past his prime, but never the less producing exciting layouts although his figures tended to be a bit bulky as well as sharp and angular looking. Veteran artist Bob Oksner was brought in as an inker to soften up the figures. Together they did an admirable job (although I didn't appreciate them at the time) giving the book a unique look and feel.The stories are typical 80's fare with mutants, monsters, scorcerers, etc., pretty standard stories with stereotypical supporting characters. Occasionally, some of the stories stood out and Supergirl and alter ego Linda, received nice character personalities making her stand separately from her more famous cousin. In context of the 80's, Supergirl is on par with the average pre Crisis Superman books. Entertaining, but nothing exceptional. During this time DC was producing New Teen Titans, Swamp Thing, Camelot 3000 as well as the underrated Blackhawk by Evanier and Spiegle. (Shame on DC for not reprinting those gems).As far as the presentation of both volumes 1 and 2, there are a few stories that SHOULD have been included and weren't. There was a preview story that ran as a backup in the Superman 376 book which set up Kara's current status quote by the same creative team as the ongoing. Additionally, a parallel story involving Superman which ran that same month, depicting how he escaped a similar death trap than Supergirl would have created the contrast the books were trying to create. Finally, DC Comics Presents starring Superman, Supergirl and Blackstar should have been included as well as the Supergirl movie adaptation with nice art by Gray Morrow. This would have closed out the pre Crisis Supergirl as she died shortly thereafter. The production quality on these 2 books are pretty poor, with DC opting to go with poor quality paper. All in all, a nice trip down memory lane, for those who remember that time period and a curiosity for modern followers of the current excellent TV show.

I Love 'SUPERGIRL'.

Good book. As a collector of Supergirl comics of old, its great to see many of these issued bound in a collection and makes reading them easier. Thanks and appreciate it.

There are much better stories in the Supergirl of the Silver Age.

Nice artwork and fun to read. Good for nostalgic 80s comic fans

Excelente.

I liked the stories as they took me back to my schooldays when I first started reading DC.

I love this book, not because I was a fan in any way of Supergirl. Rather, I am a fan of Carmine Infantino who is at his best here, you get the bonus of him being inked by the great Bob Oskner , a neglected artist of great talents, who also had a good run on Supergirl in the late sixties. if you have an "educated eye" toward drawing style, you notice that Oksner could not help himself and redraw a few faces and figures in there. It is obvious that DC is putting out this book to "ride" the Supergirl Tv show but I am quite happy that we get this reprint which is a wonderful forgotten gem of the 80s. ( which Dc would reprint the Oskner Supergirl run form Adventure comics but I won't hold my breath for that one. The only drawback her is that now amazon keeps sending me notice about any Supergirl product. SIGH!

The daring new adventures of Super girl by Paul Kupperberg, Volume 1 is an enjoyable read. Super girl a.k.a Kara Zor El has moved to Chicago under the name of Linda Danvers. She enrolls as a student at the local college and, makes some new friends along the way.However trouble is brewing as a secret organisation, known as the council are stirring up trouble but, first, Super girl must do battle with two villains called PSI and, the other known as Decay. Will the maid of might succeed?. Sorry, no spoilers.The writing overall is pretty good and, the artwork in the panels by Carmine Infantino are very nicely drawn. Can't wait to read volume 2.