Symbol Pending - A Power Girl Blog

  From a distance, Power Girl's history seems to be consistent, but if you're an idiot who pokes at these things, you quickly notice the cracks where the pieces don't quite fit together. And that's before you get into the retcons that lead to her Atlantean origins post-Crisis. A good example of this is Pee Gee's own company. Let's start with how Kara started in computer software. After deciding that she needed to be more human, something she'll do several times, in Showcase #99, she learns computers from Paradise Island learning machines. She then joins Ultimate Computer Corporation (UCC,) adopting her identity of Karen Starr for the first time. Starrware Industries #1 When next we get Power Girl in a solo series, Power Girl #1 (June 1988), she's running her own company, in the exciting world of Spreadsheet design! After her own mini and a few appearances here and there, she flees from a board meeting to join the JLE, then the JSA for the next few years!...

 Luckily for my fragile sanity, the next two issues are brief on appearances. Justice League America #96 Rush to Judgment (February 1995) We have a single panel at Maxwell's funeral to remind ourselves that the baby is growing at an accelerated rate. The rest of the issue is a tedious fight, which I'm sure is important to whatever the main plot is going on right now. Justice League America #97 A Burning Coal (March 1995) We have a full page that throws the plot into the final turn of the plot. Not so little baby teleports himself somewhere, with Kara following behind to places unknown! And that's it, next issue we'll see what will happen!

  JANUARY 1995 20th DECEMBER 1994 JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #95 - WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE As penance for poor Ted, and I'm not saying I'm responsible, but the timing is suspicious, I return to the horror that is the 90s issues! Really, I could do this as an extended image, Kara only appears on a page and a bit, but the hair shirt that is completist me can't help but provide the whole torrid tale! We open on the weirdest full-page splash as an extrubient Bea (Fire) shoots green flames into the air, enjoying her date with  Albert Rothstein (Nuklon). The date goes through the whole issue, and it's just them flirting. All good soap opera stuff and generally my catnip. So, enough of the fun stuff and onto the A-plot! Things are off on the alien station that the League is now using, and Crimson Fox and Obsidian are currently investigating. Though they're distracted by Wonder Woman Diana is currently going through her biker short look! We were going through a whole replaci...

    MAY 2017 8th MARCH 2017 EARTH 2 - A POTTED SUMMARY When New 52 first started, I was one of those who bought everything, but I only kept two of them: Worlds' Finest and Earth 2. Let me remind you, I knew nothing about Power Girl or the characters of Earth-2. Obviously, I was predestined for all this! I dropped off around the time of Futures End so I missed a lot, and I mean a lot of Earth 2 lore!  So sensibly, we're starting at the very end of Earth 2! Much like the current Absolute universe, Earth 2 was born from interference from Darkseid, this time an invasion that killed the big three of that universe, driving them off. Into that void, new heroes, called Wonders here, step up as versions of the original Earth-2 heroes. Ironically, it's Earth 2 of Alan Scott (Green Lantern) that first made him gay (though, like another Lantern, Kyle, the story also fridges his love interest). In the end, they lose and Earth is destroyed, and what is left of humanity flees on space a...

  DECEMBER 2003 15th OCTOBER 2003 JSA, Volume 1 #53 BLINDED We start out with a recap of how consumed by vengeance Jill Carlyle purchased the cursed pistols that led to her becoming the new Crimson Avenger. We can tell it's a flashback because it's black and white! We then cut back to a wounded Power Girl and an apparently dead Wildcat. Luckily, he hacks back to consciousness, which costs him another of his apparent nine lives. Power Girl tries to talk Crimson Avenger down, but we get more of the vengeance stuff, and Power Girl gets shot again, whilst Ted was smart enough to dodge the last few shots. In a strange turn of events, whilst Crimson Avenger monologues, so we tell she's a bad guy, Wildcat helps a wounded Power Girl get away, and we get confirmation that Kara is heavier than she looks! I believe at this point it is traditional to make allusions to the weight of twin puppies, but I like to think I'm classier than that! For the curious, she's 5'7" (1...

                                                                        NOVEMBER 2003 10th SEPTEMBER 2003 JSA, Volume 1 #52 BRAND NEW DAY No, not that one, though it's a reset of sorts! As such, almost half the issue is a series of vignettes either ending old plots or setting up new ones. Though, don't worry, we have some juicy Power Girl / Wildcat action towards the end! We start with Jay (Flash) showing Jessie Chambers (formerly Jessie Quick) the recently rebuilt Brownstone, with what must be the most JSA thing as she's taken through the trophy room. (though sadly no Ma Hunkel). Jessie, having recently lost her connection to the Speed Force, is working as a Business Manager. Jay quickly bows out as Rick Tyler (Hourman) shows up with definite romantic chemistry between the two. Meanwhile, Hector Hall, current...

  The (Power) Girl and her (Wild) Cat, part 2 Previously on JSApril, Power Girl was a jerk to everyone but especially Wild Cat... Yesterday Begins Today, All-Star Comics #64 (Februray 1977) So the new thing that's changed is Power Girls costume, though her symbol it seems is still pending as she rejects it with all the tact we've seen before. Issue #64 was when DC editors finally notice that the Boob window has been getting bigger from issue to issue (but not as commonly mentioned the boobs themselves). Thankfully the very next panel Superman calls her out, telling her that she doesn't have to fight so hard. If it's sunk in we don't find out as we learn that history might be changed if they don't go back in time. And in some malicious compliance,e everyone changes out of costume, including something very risque for medieval times for Power Girl. But apart from some Wild Cat isn't in this issue, and only appears in the next issue to set up a future plot point...

The (Power) Girl and her (Wild) Cat, part 1 Happy JSApril to all who celebrate! As Power Girl is mostly associated with the JSA, after a brief flirtation with the JLA, this blog covers a vast portion of the JSA post 1975 (with a few gaps that I'll get to). So I thought I'd take this moment to talk about a very important issue, my favourite JSAer! After counting out the obvious candidates of Jay Garrick (Flash) , Alan Scott (Green Lantern), and Power Girl natch,  my favourite character might surprise you, being Ted Grant* (Wildcat)! Now this is from the 70s JSA, the first I really got to know, Yolanda Montez (Wildcat 3), Beth Chapel (Dr Mid-Nite) and Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl) are solid modern contenders and for the late 70s we obviously have Kara's bo Helena Waybe (Huntress).  I need to stop before this turns into what have DC ever done for us? Basically, I love all the JSA members! All-Star Super Squad, All-Star Comics #58 (February 1976) With Power Girl being a later ...

    JANUARY 2020 6th NOVEMBER 2019 HARLEY QUINN, Volume 3 #67 CRISIS KILLER (YEAR OF THE VILLAIN) Travel between Crisises as a metaphor for dealing with the loss of a family member, and how "reality" doesn't always match up to fantasy? Well that, apparently is Harley Quinn! Side-stepping the current event, Harley instead gets to finish Crisis on Infinite Earths early to earn a recreation of that classic JLA/JSA Thanksgiving cover. And to finish as we started all Power Girl gets is a non-speaking cameo, though this time there are actually two of them! Power Girl Hair Length - To Neck Line

      JANUARY 1981 9th OCTOBER 1980 WONDER WOMAN, Volume 1 #275 THINKING MAN'S CRIME We're in The Huntress backup strip that ran in Wonder Woman, including a running subplot we'll get to later! We start with a magnificent splash page where we quickly explain Earth-Two, Huntress's origins, and Power Girl being there and just show them both in action. Apparently, Gotham is having a bit of a crime spree, a good excuse to show a few pages of Huntress and Power Girl in action, along with some light banter about the situation. Though not too long as this is a backup and we only have eight pages to work with! The final reminder is that the current District Attorney, like many in Gotham, is having a crackdown on Superheroes. To complicate matters the DA, Harry Sims, has a mutual thing for Helena Wayne, not knowing that she's Huntress! She is more inclined to protect his crackdown on heroes, whilst Power Girl is less keen on the idea. It's actually nice that they explain...

 JANUARY 1978 20th OCTOBER 1977 THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPERVILLAINS #12 THE PLUNDER PLAN Because All-Star was bi-monthly (e.g., every other month), only one comic came out in January in the 1970s with Power Girl in it, and it's a disappointing cameo! The Wizard having decided that the Injustice Society fails because they have a loser mindset (very grindset bro of him) jumped to Earth-1 to join the aforementioned Secret Society of Supervillains. He even gets a natty new uniform to boot!

WHAT ARE YOU MADE OF? Justice League America #94 Published:  18th October 1994 Cover Date:  December 1994 Penciler:  Chuck Wojtkiewicz Inker:  Bob Dvorak Colorist:  Gene D'Angelo Letterers:  Clem Robins Editors:  Brian Augustyn / Ruben Diaz Introduction Post Infinite Crisis everything that happens here, along with the whole baby fiasco. Arion at this point knows that Power Girl isn't Atlantian, has always she wasn't, but still acts as though she was for whatever the whole baby plot was about Plot Sypnosis Talking off, we start with Arion explaining about Atlantis, the high-magic past that seems to have been attacked by someone or something with high-tech power armour! Here he reinforces that she was sent to the present to protect humanity, a rare mention of her Atlantian origins, but it also tied into the baby! They carefully sidestep the ideas that the baby was put there by Arion, instead suggesting that it's some kind o...

What's better for this spooky month than to deal with a little body horror! Time to deal with that storyline, the one where a blonde powerhouse of a hero becomes pregnant with a mystery baby. As this is a Power Girl blog it's not Avengers #200, but from a complicated series of events, that started in Justice League Europe #51. Unlike the before mentioned Marvel Comics, it's not a one-and-done, but a series of events that kinda/sorta starts in the last issue of JLE #51. The Ice Breaks Justice League Europe #50 (May 1993) Technically this isn't anything to do with mystery baby but it quite obviously shows what was originally planned. It's a massive event comic with the JLE and JLA, with a brief appearance of the JSA, where a villain called Sonar has captured and brainwashed a vast number of the JLE and his attack has caused Hal Jordan to lose his memory. In a fight with Sonar Power Girl tricks the villain into dropping a building on them relying on Hal to provide a pr...

  RETURNING JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE #39 Published: 28th April  1992 Cover Date: June  1992 Cover Artists:   Ron Randall Penciler:  Ron Randall Inker:   Romeo Tanghal Colourist:   Gene D'Angelo Letterer:   Willie Schubert Editors:   Brian Augustyn Introduction Around this time I was at university, college for my American friends, I shared a house with someone who dressed a little like Deconstructo white biy dreads and holey black CUD jumper. It has nothing to do with the story or the character, (as I recall he was more a Brian from Spaced ) but at least I get a nice memory from this comic! Plot Synopsis Oh no Power Girl is dead, as a weird sexy corpse because of the '90s. Flash goes after the villain to almost falls to his death, catching onto one of the hands of Big Ben. Before the villain faded away into a Union Jack flag because symbolism! We also get a page of him babbling on about classical art, as instead of regular pictures he'll give Lon...

  DISSOLVING DECONSTRUCTO JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE #38 Published: 31ST  March 1992 Cover Date:  May   1992 Cover Artists:   Ron Randall / Randy Elliott Penciler:  Ron Randall Inker:   Randy Elliott Colourist:   Gene D'Angelo Letterer:   Willie Schubert Editors:   Brian Augustyn Introduction The hardest types of comics to talk about aren't the bad ones, they at least have something to complain about, it's the ones that are meh. And that's not an excuse for the rather sparse posting recently, though it probably didn't help, but this issue is twenty-odd pages of a single plot point. Plot Synopsis We open straight from the last issue with our heroes saying that they must take down the villain, whilst Batman wants to watch and learn about his powers. Pee Gee is again the impulsive hothead more ready to punch things than to think about how to deal with problems. Then we're back to the question of who will be the leader, with Power Girl pitch...