[CharlieRock]

Going over some older DC comics I have here it looks like Supergirl went through three phases () and I never noticed until around last year and still didn't pay too much attention until now. The first one died in Infinite Crises in 1984. I remember that one but I thought she wasn't really dead so when the second proto-clone blobular Supergirl came around I thought it was her. Now there is a new Kryptonian Supergirl (again, Cal-el's cousin). In the interim Powergirl was revealed to be Cal-el's cousin, but I still didn't catch on when I was a kid because I simply thought Powergirl was Supergirl all grown up. (But now she is not).

[narfstar]

DC convoluted continuity is why I stopped getting even JLA or JSA from them. I do not know who is who anymore.

[boox909]

Going over some older DC comics I have here it looks like Supergirl went through three phases () and I never noticed until around last year and still didn't pay too much attention until now. The first one died in Infinite Crises in 1984. I remember that one but I thought she wasn't really dead so when the second proto-clone blobular Supergirl came around I thought it was her. Now there is a new Kryptonian Supergirl (again, Cal-el's cousin). In the interim Powergirl was revealed to be Cal-el's cousin, but I still didn't catch on when I was a kid because I simply thought Powergirl was Supergirl all grown up. (But now she is not).

I prefer pre-Crisis Earth-1 Supergirl. I've always liked Earth-2 Powergirl -- I remember when she was first introduced in All-Star Comics -- today's continuity in DC is a temporary thing -- it will change again during the next big Crisis-Infinite-Zombie-Multiverse crossover event. 

B.

[profh0011]

I read very few DCs in the 60's, but I did somehow get 3 random issues of ACTION COMICS, each with one half of a SUPERGIRL 2-parter in the back.  2 of these were "part 1", and the 3rd was a "part 2". To this day, I have still never read the other half of any of those stories!  But, at least, the "part 2" had such a detailed flashback, I feel as though I didn't miss anything.

The one I had the 2nd half of was "The Kryptonian Killer". What an EPIC! An entire planet of women-- EVIL women-- who brainwash Kara into obeying their orders. My nickname for the story is, "Supergirl Goes BAAAAAAAAAAD!!!" Over the course of the story, she steals, she kills Super-Horse (Krypto flees in terror!), she kills a Phantom Zone prisoner, and then, kills Superman AND commits suicide!! Hard to believe this has a good ending... but the ending WAS very serious and sombre for a 60's DC story.

None of the earlier stories in the 1st SUPERGIRL ARCHIVE book even came close to being that good!


At the time, I was in grammar school.  Most guys my age were interested in little league, or joining the Cub Scouts, or (as it was a Cathoic School) becoming an altar boy. My brother did all 3.  I was interested in girls. ONE in particular, a really cute girl with big eyes and bright blonde hair. By the 2nd grade, as girls tend to shoot up before boys do, she got several inches taller than me. I was crazy about her. In some ways, she was a dead ringer for Supergirl. Probably why I liked those back-up stories so much.




And yes, DC "Continuity" has become a joke ever since 1986. My best friend many years ago once said to me, "WHY should I care about current continuity if they'll change it again in another 5 years?"  I think that was before ZERO HOUR, and we were discussion LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. So he was proved right. I finally gave up when Mark Waid rebooted history again for what some fans came to call "Waid's World". These days, Paul Levitz is back writing the series again... and I CAN'T bring myself to care.  I have a long track record with Tv shows and things where, if I stop watching (or reading), it's almost impossible for me to get myself interested in something again.

[paw broon]

I've always been a DC fan over Marvel.  Probably because I started with them when American comics started to be distributed in the U.K. late 1959.  I had seen DC's  of course, as some lucky blokes were sent them by relations in Canada and U.S.A. Although, what I recall seeing were Plastic Man, Blackhawk as well as Superman and Batman titles.  So some of them were Quality Comics. As for Supergirl, I was never as keen on her (this is the original one I'm on about, not any of those Jenny - come - latelys) as I was on Batgirl (the Betty Kane one).  I remember the excitement among younger teen comic fans when Power Girl appeared.  It was the costume wot done it!   Don't really have a clue about what'sgoing on in DC universe what with all those changes.  And really, i don't have the time or inclination to try and work it out.  Therefore my favourite Supergirl has to be the original.  (Apart from the 2 British Supergirls, that is)

[profh0011]

Back when that awful movie BATMAN AND ROBIN came out, I tried explaining to several people that the (ahem) "Batgirl" in that film was really a composite (so typical of Hollywood) of 3 different characters-- Alfred's niece (there had been one), Barbara (the dark suit), and Betty Kane (THE ORIGIN!!!). Joel Schumacher seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with the 50's BATMAN comics, what many might consider the low point of the character's history.


There's 2 British Supergirls? Got details? Links? Anything?


I recall some years back someone pointed out that the Mort Weisinger SUPERGIRL was really a watered-down rip-off of MARY MARVEL. I can see that. (Fawcett had dropped out of the comics biz by that point, and had an agreement with DC not to ever publish CAPTAIN MARVEL or let anyone else do it, either. This did not stop some South American publisher from continuing with new stories, or, an English publisher from changing the name and costume to MARVELMAN.)



And yes, I liked POWER GIRL.  Especially when Wally Wood drew her.

[paw broon]

I was joking a bit when I mentioned British Supergirl(s).  Doesn't change the fact that there are 3, none of which are particularly memorable.
Here's one:- http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/supergrl.htm
This one was originally from a Dutch comic, reprinted in the U.K.:- http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/supergirlsandra.htm
I'm sure there was a third but I'll have to have a dig through a box of old British storypapers to find it.  I'll see what turns up.  None of these is a patch on "Catch the Cat" and some other British costumed/masked heroines.  There were quite a few as there were many girls weeklies at one time.
You might also be interested in the French Superboy who is no relation to the American one.
Info here:- http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/superboy.htm
The British publisher was L. Miller and sons of Hackney, London who produced lots of comics and it's well documented elsewhere what happened when Marvelman was created.  Captain Marvel comics were also relased in Spain, in a landscape format (like so many Spanish comics of the period) and in B & W with colour covers.
There are a few examples of other countries publishers releasing versions of Americancharacters when the original runs ceased.  So, not only Captain Marvel but also Catman, who was a big seller in Australia.  Costume changed and Kitten beame Kit. Both Superman and Blue beetle were printed in France in the '40's and were probably unlicensed.  Batman was also done in Spain and Italy.
OOPS!, I should have said Mexico for this one:- http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=52511

[profh0011]

Fascinating stuff!  I love running across different characters with the same names. In a lot of cases, a character may have only appeared in fanzines, then many years later, a different character with the same name from one of the big publishers.  It bugs me that in some cases, I find the fanzine characters MORE interesting, but if their creators ever wanted to do anything with them, they'd probably run into legal hassles over the names.


Several years back I published a comic starring my hero Stormboy, who I'd originally created way back in 1966.  A bit later, I was glad I never bothered doing a Google search on the name, as I could not believe how many different places and instances the name or word had turned up. It might have given me secopnd thoughts. This included not one but TWO different characters, both used by Mort Weisinger, a month apart from each other! (Neither ever turned up again... except in "DC ARCHIVE" reprints.)

[paw broon]

"I love running across different characters with the same names." - profh0011
Yes. so do I and the more obscure, the better.  I checked my cardfile for Stormboy and only found the one ref. for Adventure Comics #371.  Could you let me have details of the others, please.  There is also a Stormboy comic from Zodiac Comics.
Here are some other Cats, british ones, that is:-
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/catchcat.htm
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/catgirl2.htm
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/catgirl.htm
and one of my all time favourite heroes, Billy the Cat:-
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/b/billycat.htm
There is also a British pulp from the early 1900's with the title The Iron Man.  Can't find an online ref. and the only example I've seen is my pals copy.  This is a guy in a mask, dressed in a suit of chain mail , weilding a pistol who battles gangsters.  He doesn't have a heart problem.

[profh0011]

ADVENTURES COMICS #301 (Oct'62) -- "The Secret Origin Of Bouncing Boy" -- this featured a "Storm Boy" (2 words) who was rejected because his power over weather was mechanical. (I've got the ARCHIVE book, good thing, he's not mentioned at the GCD.)

SUPERBOY #101 (Dec'62) -- "The Valhalla Of The Super-Heroes" --this featured a "Stormboy" (1 word) who was part of a group of heroes on another planet in the future. It was reprinted in ADVENTURE #371 (Aug'68) with changes under the new titled "When Superboy Walked Out Of The Legion"


I also found a children's book titled STORM BOY (2 words) based on North-West Native American legends.


I thought it was kinda funny that that was being sold at Amazon.com at the same time as my comic, which, although it looked like a late-60's superhero book, was X-RATED! (I also got quite a kick out of several people's comments that my book "would work even without the sex". I kind of did it as a joke, but when I keep laughing, I figure I must be onto something good.)


"There is also a Stormboy comic from Zodiac Comics."

Yep, that's me!


Henry

[paw broon]

Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Danke, Dank u wel and Ta lots, Henry.
That seriously updates my cards. I'm looking at vol 1 of the Archives now and although I'd read the story way back and a few times over the years,  Stormboy completely slipped my mind.  Now I'll have to re-read all those early stories to check on the other applicants.  Great excuse for a wallow, though.  I think I have Superboy 101.
Not having read Stormboy, can't comment but I see it's described as x-rated.  There's a mart in Glasgow in a few weeks so surely some of my pals who are dealers, or just knowledgable fans, will be able to shed more light on it.  A while ago, I did a tiny bit of research for Paul Gravett and one of the things I turned up for him was a gay superhero from Wowiekazowie, called The Gay Blade.  Once again, I have the mag. but finding it is a different matter.  Apart from anything else, it's quite a well done superhero.  Go look it up.
By the way, the 3rd.Supergirl was Susie Solomons, a schoolgirl who was described as "a cripple" (this was pre-political correctness) who used a crutch but was secretly bionic and worked for the security service.  This one didn't have a costume either.