Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Supergirl is right around the corner, so now may be the best time to get into reading Supergirl comics. Many of the stories mentioned in this list will come from the previous two decades because Supergirl was a girl version of Superman for many years until DC Comics decided to kill her in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Spoiler: Crisis on Infinite Earths didn’t quite make this list, but I’d recommend reading it for reasons other than Supergirl lore.
Crisis on Infinite Earths occurred in the Eighties, and Supergirl’s death would stick longer than most comic book characters. And when Supergirl returned, comic book creators took her in different directions. Finally, Kara Zor-El would break free of her cousin’s shadow. We have some interesting stories to discuss. Which comic book stories made our Supergirl Starter Stories.
We’ll start things off with our only single issue on this list.
Single Issue
“The Supergirl from Krypton” (Action Comics #252; written by Robert Bernstein/art by Al Plastino; May 1959)
Fun fact: Action Comics #252 contained three stories. The first featured the iconic Superman villain, Metallo’s first appearance in “The Menace of Metallo.” And the third was Supergirl’s origin, “The Supergirl from Krypton.”
Honestly, I only included “The Supergirl from Krypton” because it’s Supergirl’s first appearance. I like to include a character’s origin whenever possible. Very little happens in “The Supergirl from Krypton” besides Superman and Supergirl meeting for the first time and a lengthy backstory of how Kara Zor-El ended up on Earth. But Supergirl’s origin is interesting.
Her Kryptonian hometown, Argo City, was blasted free of Krypton’s destruction in a bubble of compressed air, designed by Kara’s father Zor-El (who’s also Superman’s uncle). Zor-El created a force field around the city to maintain its atmosphere, but years later, a meteor shower penetrated the air bubble, and Zor-El saved his daughter by building her a spaceship, similar to Superman’s. He sends her to Earth because somehow the Kryptonians on Argo City know about Superman. Sure. Supes can’t take on Kara as his ward (and risk his secret identity), so he sends her to an orphanage. Nice move, Supes.
“The Supergirl from Krypton” doesn’t have a lot of space to explore the cousins’ relationship, but there’ll be plenty of time to do that in the coming years.
Storylines
“Many Happy Returns” (Supergirl #75-#80 written by Peter David/art by Ed Benes; 2003)
Peter David had an excellent run on Supergirl. You should check it out if you have the time, but I’m focusing on David’s storyline, “Many Happy Returns” because David primarily wrote about Linda Danvers, the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths’ Supergirl. This post focuses on Kara Zor-El, but Linda Danvers was a good character in her own right. Danvers is the reason Kara Zor-El in the Supergirl series had the surname Danvers.
Anyway, “Many Happy Returns” marks Kara Zor-El’s return to DC Comics continuity. A lot more happens in “Many Happy Returns,” we’re talking multiverse jumping and a romance between Earth-One’s Superman and Linda, leading to Linda needing to save Kara on her world. Long story short, Linda does something she can never come back from, renounces being a hero, and Kara Zor-El takes back the mantel of Supergirl.
“Supergirl: Girl of Steel” (Supergirl #0-10 and #12; written by Jeph Loeb, Greg Rucka, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Joe Kelly; art by Ron Adrian, Rob Lea, Ian Churchill, Andy Lanning, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Norm Rapmund; 2005-2007)
Jeph Loeb’s classic run on Supergirl helped define the character. While “The Supergirl from Krypton” spun a tale of a teenage Kryptonian living on an asteroid for years before getting launched into space to join her cousin, “Supergirl: Girl of Steel” presents the more familiar story of Supergirl leaving Krypton at the same time as her then infant cousin. Supergirl was tasked with protecting Kal-El on Earth, but her ship got lost and she spent decades in suspended animation. By the time Kara Zor-El reached Earth, her cousin no longer needed her. And now, she needed to find her way.
“Supergirl: Girl of Steel” is an iconic story at this point. You can see its influence on the Supergirl television show, and the upcoming Supergirl film will use another story (more on that in a bit) that builds on “Supergirl: Girl of Steel’s” structure. This is a must read.
“The Hunt for Reactron” (Action Comics #881-882, Supergirl #44-50, Supergirl Annual #1, and Superman: Secret Files 2009) written by Greg Rucka and Sterling Gates; art by Diego Olmos; 2009-2010)
“The Hunt for Reactron” may take place on New Earth, but it does an excellent job showcasing Reactron, one of Supergirl’s greatest foes. And you can’t go wrong with Greg Rucka’s storytelling. On New Earth, Kara Zor-El’s father and many more Kryptonians survived Krypton’s destruction. They establish a New Krypton, and Reactron, with the help of Superman villain Metallo, disturb the peace. Okay. I soft-balled that. Reactron kills Kara’s father.
Understandably, Kara flies off in a rage. What ensues is fellow Kryptonian Thara Ak-Var (Flamebird) preventing Kara from doing something she’ll regret. Is she successful? You’ll have to read “The Hunt for Reactron.”
“Bizarro-Girl” (Supergirl #53-#57) written by Sterling Gates; art by Bernard Chang; 2010)
We go from one villain-defining story to another. Leading up to 2010, Bizarro had existed for decades. Bizarrogirl made her debut in this story, and she does so with a bang. Unlike Bizarro who’s the opposite of Superman, Bizarrogirl functions like a mirror for Kara Zor-El. Leading into this story, New Krypton falls and several Kryptonians (like Flamebird) die with it. Supergirl is in mourning.
Bizarro sends Bizarrogirl to Earth to cause trouble. While Bizarrogirl is away, Bizarro World gets attacked by giant bug-like creatures spawned by “Godship.” The insectoids overrun Bizarro World, and Bizarrogirl’s people believe she abandoned them. She blames herself for Bizarro World’s downfall just as Supergirl blames herself for New Krypton’s demise. I love how Bizarrogirl asks Supergirl if self-punishment ever ends, and Kara tells her it might not, but it’s what you do afterwards that counts. Supergirl takes her own advice, and the two start healing. “Bizarro-Girl” is a great read.
“Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton” (Supergirl #1-7; written by Michael Green; art by Mike Johnson and Mahmud Asrar; 2011-2012)
The New 52 brought changes to the DC Comics Universe. This version of Supergirl has just landed on Earth. She believes she’s dreaming. She must be on Krypton (instead of Earth) and encounters Superman. Confused, Kara Zor-El attacks the man calling himself Superman. She had babysat her infant cousin Kal-El three days ago. But this is indeed a grown Kal-El. He explains to her that the Earth’s yellow sun gives them superpowers like Kryptonian Worldkillers. What’s a Worldkiller? We find out when we meet Reign for the first time.
Reign explains that Worldkillers, like her, were the result of Kryptonian scientific experiments. They were genetically altered to be killing machines. And just like Kryptonians, Reign isn’t the only Worldkiller who survived Kryton’s destruction. Kara must take on four Worldkillers alone. The Worldkillers want nothing more than to kill innocent lives. Kara manages to save the humanity and drive off the Worldkillers…for now.
“Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton” introduces yet another great Supergirl villain, Reign. She made such an impression that she was featured in a season of Supergirl. Not bad for a new villain. “Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton” shows Kara Zor-El as truly alone. It sows the seeds for our next entry as well.
“Red Daughter of Kryton” (Supergirl: #26-#33; Green Lantern #28; Red Lanterns #28-34; written by Various; art by Various; February 2014-October 2014)
Surprise. Worldkillers return in “Red Daughter of Krypton.” But before we get there, Supergirl fights off Cyborg Superman and H’el in space. H’el is another great Supergirl villain. We don’t get too much of his backstory here, but in short, he tempts Kara Zor-El with turning Earth into a New Krypton. While this pitch wouldn’t do much for Superman, Supergirl has more of an attachment to Krypton. Regardless, after Supergirl finishes this fight she returns home to find Lobo antagonizing her. All this leads to a red lantern ring finding its way to Kara. Red Lanterns feed off anger, and in “Red Daughter of Krypton,” we see Kara Zor-El give into her rage.
Even though most Red Lanterns, like Atrocitus, who does make an appearance, can be viewed as villains. We do see heroes take on a red lantern ring. Here’s looking at you, Guy Gardner. In the end, Supergirl manages her rage. She retains the moniker of a superhero. But “Red Daughter of Krypton” reveals a new side of Supergirl that writers will explore.
“Supergirl: Being Super” (Supergirl: Being Super #1-4; written by Mariko Tamaki; art by Joelle Jones; 2017)
We get another origin story of sorts with “Supergirl: Being Super.” In this one, Kara Zor-El becomes Kara Danvers. This is an obvious nod to the Supergirl television show in the middle of its run on the CW. “Supergirl: Being Super” remixes details of the original Supergirl origin. She lives in Midvale, which is where Superman dropped her into an orphanage. But she also discovers her powers, similar to Kal-El. The Supergirl in “Supergirl: Being Super” drops the Supergirl as Superman protector for a moment and explores what it would be like if Supergirl were a novice.
“Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1-8; written by Tom King/art by Bilquis Evely; August 2021-April 2022)
“Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” was the first comic I knew would make this list. If you were to search against this title, you’ll find the Supergirl 2026 movie as a top result. Simply put, “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” is the basis for the upcoming DCU Supergirl film. Yay!
Written by Tom King (who had just finished an iconic run on Batman), “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” returns Kara Zor-El to Superman’s would-be protector. Only a grown Superman doesn’t need a babysitter. So, she’s on a foreign planet (Earth) with no purpose and gives in to her baser instincts. This is a lost Kara Zor-El. The ending of the DCU’s Superman (2025) does a great job of setting up her character. Kara gets wasted. She’s aimless. She struggles to find purpose, but eventually, she finds herself. The award-winning “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” received widespread acclaim. I can’t wait to see how the DCU interprets this story.
Those are the Supergirl stories that made our list. Are there any Supergirl stories you would add to this list? Let us know in the comments, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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