Free DC Comic Character Profile : Supergirl

Supergirl Comics: Kara (1959-1985)

Supergirl is a character from the DC Comics universe.

While she isn’t the only Supergirl to have carried the name, Kara Zor-El is currently the only official Supergirl in the DC universe. She’s Superman’s cousin, who survived the destruction of their home planet Krypton when

The contemporary Supergirl’s origin is very similar to that of the first Supergirl, who was killed during the events of DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. (Kara, like Barry Allen, was one of the heroes who gave her life to save the multiverse from the Anti-Monitor.) His father’s brother’s daughter, Kara was launched into space after her cousin Kal-El in the hopes that she would look after him wherever he landed.

This didn’t work out so well, however – Kara’s spacecraft veered off-course and spent several years adrift before making it to Earth. Due to the amount of time she spent in suspended animation, while she was born before Superman, she’s physically younger than him by a fair distance, and not nearly as experienced.

Since her debut as a hero, though, Kara’s made quite the tour of the DC universe, having spent time with Batman’s Outsiders, as one of Darkseid’s Female Furies, on Themyscira training with the Amazons, and even in the 31st century with the Legion of Super-Heroes. She possesses powers comparable to Superman’s own, and her lack of restraint means that she may be even more dangerous than he is, although not nearly so focused or controlled.

Supergirl debuted in Action Comics #252 and starred in that magazine from 1959 to 1969. Supergirl's appearances began as back-up stories and then quickly expanded to half the issue, sharing the comic with Superman (only a few comics feature Supergirl on their cover). She moved out of Action and into Adventure Comics in 1969, taking over the lead from Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. In 1972 she got her first self-titled series, which lasted for 10 issues. At that point the Supergirl, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson series were all cancelled and merged into the new 100-page Superman Family comic (which continued its numbering from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olson). In 1982 Supergirl again got her own series, the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (shortened to Supergirl in issue 13). Supergirl also guest-starred in Superman comics: see the The Unofficial Pre-Crisis Supergirl Chronology. Supergirl's adventures came to an end in 1985 with her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.

* Action Comics (1959-1969)
* Adventure Comics (1969-1972)
* Supergirl (1972-1974)
* Superman Family (1974-1982)
* Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (1982-1984)
* Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985-1986)
* Post-Crisis (2002-)