Earth-31, formerly known as Earth-494, first showed up in Detective Comics Annual #7 from 1994. The DC Comics annuals from that year were all Elseworlds stories and this story is no different. The story tells a tale of a different sort of Batman, a Captain Leatherwing pirate captain of the Flying Fox. Neither the classic, nor current iterations of this universe have very many appearances but the theme is pretty easy to follow. This is of course the pirate universe.
Mary El is the rebellious niece of Admiral Gar-El who has escaped her cozy rich lifestyle to live the thrills of the pirate life as captain of the ship, Comet. Captain Steel-Skin, so called for her invincible skin, leads her crew of pirates pillaging the 7 seas. While Admiral Gar-El has shown up a couple times since showing up in The Multiversity Guidebook, mostly it is as a cameo. As such, Captain Steel-Skin unfortunately doesn’t actually exist in canon but I feel the idea of a pirate universe consisting of pirate versions of all our favorite DC characters has room to tell lots of stories.
As with all my Supergirl in the Multiverse posts, this is my own artwork. Captain Steel-Skin is shown flying above cresting waves pulling her ship Comet behind her. The ship has its sails aloft and a flag at the top showing the crest of the house of El. Captain Steel-Skin has her sword drawn pointing forward as she leads her ship. The top right features a motive of the El Crest with a number 31 on top of it.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #17 was written by Mark Waid, had art by Barry Kitson, Mick Gray, and Natahan Eyring, and was lettered by Phil Balsman. This book is cover dated June 2006 and was part of the 5th volume of Legion of Super-Heroes that started the year prior. Supergirl took over the title as co-star and would remain in the book, and the 31st century, until issue 36 of the title.
The story mostly centers around Supergirl as she has just arrived in the future and how the rest of the Legionnaires feel about her. On either side of the spectrum we have Invisible Kid infatuated with the Girl of Steel who even offers to give up his flight ring for her, and Light Lass who seems quite frustrated that a perky young blonde can just waltz into the Legion just because of the S on her chest. Throughout the story Kara seems perfectly capable as a Legionnaire, stopping a robotic threat to the city that had the Legion and the Science Police overwhelmed all in just 4 pages. Later on she encounters an earthquake and not only stops the disaster with a whistle, she also finds the source of the quake in a young man named Seiss who didn’t know he had created subsonic disruptions while having indigestion.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, however, as Cosmic Boy makes the point that with all the trauma Kara has just been through in what seems like such a short period of time to her, she thinks that her entire life right now is a dream. This, coupled with Light Lass’s general dislike for Supergirl, puts the Legion in a tricky position. Obviously the girl seems a touch unstable, but she is doing a lot of good so they finally decide to make her an honorary member of the Legion. Honorary because they are unable to provide a new flight ring for her seeing that Brainiac 5 is currently M.I.A. That is until Atom Girl shows up with a special gift for Supergirl from Brainiac 5 himself, a flight ring.
I’m not usually a fan of the Legion and generally get bored by the stories. This issue, and series, on the other hand was a lot of fun to read, and it definitely helps that Mark Waid is such a great writer. The story explores how Supergirl must be approaching so many crises in a row since leaving her home planet behind. This plot is expanded upon even more in later issues of the title wherein Supergirl does come to the realization that this isn’t a dream and she has to come to accept that. That’s not the case for this story though as Supergirl is given a world where she is a great hero, always has an easy solution to every problem, and gets anything she could wish for. There is also a scene, after he is saved by Supergirl, where Seiss is approached by the dominators in what is probably a set up for a future story but it’s not overly relevant to this issue specifically. There’s also a nice moment after the robot battle where Supergirl uses her heat vision on a piece of rubble to give to a nearby Science Police Officer as a souvenir. The issue really packs a bunch into such a small space and it really makes it feel worth the money spent on it.
I’d previously only read these Legion stories as collected editions since I got those first for my collection and I think they left out these title pages that I’ll show above. It’s a way to introduce potential new readers to the Legion characters in an interesting way that shows there’s just a handful of Legionnaires to focus on this time but there’s way more on the team. I do however think it’s a weird set of Legionnaires that are picked for the line up this issue mostly because of the exclusion of Light Lass and Invisible Kid who seemed to be rather relevant in the story especially over Saturn Girl who I think only has one line. So while I like it visually it may not be the best explanation of characters in this issue specifically.
Looking briefly at the ads I noticed this one for HeroClix which I never had as a kid and I don’t think I was aware of them until a bit more recently but I have heard of them and this ad made me want to look and see if there’s a Supergirl HeroClix. Looking into it (very briefly) it looks like HeroClix is not only still making new figures, but there’s also quite a few different Supergirls out there that I’ll have to keep an eye out for!
Thanks for reading! As always feel free to send in any comments, questions, suggestions, or corrections to my email daringnewblog@gmail.com. See you next time!
Earth-30 is the home of Red Son Superman. The story of Red Son has a simple premise, what if Kal-El landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas. The story was initially told across 3 prestige format issues under the Elseworlds imprint in 2003. The story opens and closes fairly well without much room for any sort of sequel, but because of the iconic nature and look of this universe’s Superman, he does show up quite frequently in stories dealing with the multiverse.
Most often when needing to create a Supergirl for this series, I come up with a backstory for how a Supergirl may exist into the universe. I considered the possibility of a Zor-L also existing, and also trying to save the future the same way Jor-L does at the end of Red Son #3. There was also a Red Daughter in the Supergirl show that came into existence via some black Kryptonite. I do think however the best example of a Supergirl landing in the Soviet Union already exists in the pages of Bombshells. Seeing as we already looked at the Bombshells Supergirl a few weeks ago, I decided instead to take the iconic look of Red Son Superman and apply it to the Girl of Steel, and we’re left with Kara Starikov, Red Daughter.
As with all my Supergirl in the Multiverse posts, this is my own artwork. An homage to Supergirl (vol. 2) #13, we see Red Daughter, hands on her hips and standing in front of the flag of the Soviet Union. The background is striped in shades of red reminiscent of propaganda posters. The top right features a motif of Red Daughter’s symbol with a 30 in it.
This time out I’m taking a look at the Supergirl pages of questions from The Official Superman Quiz Book by Bruce Nash. This book was published by Warner Books in 1978 to tie into Superman the Movie released the same year. The cover boasts “Illustrated with Authentic Superman Comic Book Cartoons” and as such we see throughout the book dozens of illustrations that seem to be pulled from comic stories and covers that are sometimes edited slightly.
The opening to Supergirl’s quiz section (Pages 84-87) for instance feature this illustration taken from the cover of Action Comics 285 from February 1962. The artwork seems to be edited slightly to account for the break in the page. Supergirl and her cousin seem to be larger and take up more of the page and the buildings lining the street are pushed farther to the left and right. Superman, in the original, has his hand on Supergirl’s elbow and has such been redrawn so the pair can exist separately on either page. Otherwise the artwork seems relatively unchaged.
For this post I’m going to show the questions, give my answers to the questions, and then at the end after we go through all the questions I’ll shew the answers shown in the back of the book. I’ve only looked briefly at this book beforehand so I’ll be approaching the questions blind. Feel free to play along with me!
What is Supergirl’s birth-given name? Which is of course, Kara Zor-El.
Why was this name chosen for the Kryptonian Lass? Zor-El is the name of her father, however I’m not sure if the book is asking for more specifics than this seeing as many Kryptonian females get their last name’s from their fathers.
What were the names of her real parents? As mentioned a moment ago, Zor-El is Kara’s father and her mother is named Alura.
In what city was she born? Argo City. At the time this book was written, Kara was born years after the destruction of Krypton while Argo was floating in space.
How did Supergirl”s home city survive the destruction of the planet Krypton? Thanks to the scientific mind of Zor-El, Argo was placed under a protective dome that carried some of Krypton’s atmosphere with it.
How did the city continue to survive after its ground turned into a deadly for of anti-kryptonite? Lead sheeting was layered over the city’s ground to protect from the radiation.
What later happened to finally doom the twice-rescued city? The city was hit with a meteor shower that damaged the lead and caused the radiation to once again threaten the Argoians.
How did Supergirl escape her city’s tragic fate and make the journey to Earth? Zor-El fashioned a rocket much like his brother did years before to save Kal-El. Zor-El and family also used a super-telescope to see that Kal-El had grown up on Earth and become Superman.
How did Supergir’s parents manage to save themselves before their city perished? Zor-El used an experimental device to save himself and his wife in a pocket dimension called the Survival Zone.
Where are her parents now living? Assuming this means her Kryptonian parents, they now reside in Kandor after leaving the Survival Zone. Her foster parents, the Danvers, are living in Midvale.
How old was Supergirl when she arrived on Earth? 15.
Who first discovered Supergirl when she arrived on Earth? Superman, however it could be argued that Ellie Leeds may have witnessed the crash first.
What secret identity did Supergirl adopt? Linda Lee, and later Linda Danvers after being adopted.
Why did Superman initially choose to keep Supergirl’s existence on Earth a secret? He wanted to make sure she had her powers under controll before revealing her to the world, he wanted to have her as a secret weapon in case one of his enemies ever got the upper hand on him, and he wanted to make sure Supergirl could keep the secret identity of Superman safe.
True or False: Superman made Supergirl’s costume? False, it was made on Argo based on Superman’s as seen through the aforementioned super telescope.
In what orphanage did Supergirl live under her assumed identity after arriving on Earth? Midvale Orphanage
Who was the headmistress at the orphanage? This question is the first one that I’m not sure of the answer to. Supergirl’s stories in Action Comics are some of the stories that I’m not as familiar with.
What was the hairstyle of the first wig Supergirl used to conceal her natural blonde locks? Pigtails, which Fred Danvers would say are too childish for her after adopting the young girl.
Where did Supergirl keep her alter-ego’s robot hidden? In a hollow tree outside the orphanage.
Who was the first earthling to discover Supergirl’s existence? Again I would cite Ellie Leeds, the girl who slipped into a coma after seeing Kara’s rocket crash, however her story wouldn’t be told until 2 years after this story was published. So maybe the question refers to Dick Wilson (later Dick Malverne) who captured a picture of the girl of steel in her secret weapon era.
Who adopted Supergirl? Mr. And Mrs. Fred Danvers, Edna’s name wouldn’t be revealed until a few issues later.
In what city did Supergirl and her foster-parents live? Midvale
What is the occupation of Supergirl’s foster-father? Again my lack of knowledge of Supergirl’s Action Comics stories is coming up, but I think he is either an engineer or a police officer, I know post-crisis Fred Danvers is a police officer.
At what college did Supergirl obtain her undergraduate degree? Stanhope College
What was the name of her blonde roommate? Unsure on this one I guess we’ll learn together soon!
How did Supergirl secretly enter and exit the college campus without being seen? I would imagine she had a secret tunnel much like Superboy had when he lived in Smallville.
Who was the steady boyfriend of Supergirl’s alter ego while she was attending college? Dick Malverne possibly?
What college did he attend? I’m stumped once again
Who was the President of the United States at the time Supergirl’s presence on Earth was finally revealed to the world? John F. Kennedy. His wife, Jackie, even makes a remark of the girl of steel’s beauty!
Who is Supergirl’s best friend? I would say Streaky the Super-Cat
Who is Supergirl’s teen-aged merboy admirer in the undersea city of Atlantis? Jerro!
Which member of the Legion of Super-Heroes is crazy about Supergirl? Brainiac 5.
Where does Supergirl now work? Seeing as this book came out in 1978, I think the girl of steel was living in California and working for a television station with Nasty Luthor but I can’t remember the name of it.
Which one of Supergirl’s criminal foes is a duplicate of the Girl of Steel that was created by red kryptonite? Satan Girl, who you can read more about here.
What villainess tricked Supergirl into drinking a serum that periodically cancels out her super-powers? I can’t remember exactly but I’m willing to guess it was Nasty Luthor.
You can check out the image for the full list of answers but I’ll discuss some of the answers I got wrong or didn’t know. Looks like question 2 did have a more specific answer to the original question of Kara’s name as she was born under the constellation of the same name. Questions 3-16 were all answered correctly and it looks like Miss Hart is the name of the orphanage’s headmistress. For question 23 I was right when guessing engineer, although I did cheat a little by giving 2 answers. Supergirl’s blonde roommate, from question 25, is apparently Jan Butler. I guess I’ll have to make an effort to read the rest of Supergirl’s stories in Action Comics. For question 26, looks like she has a secret chimney not a secret tunnel. As shown in the answer to question 28, looks like Dick went to State Tech. I guess if I had to give a human as an answer to Supergirl’s best friend, Lena Thorul is a good choice, however I would think of her more as Linda’s best friend seeing as she doesn’t know Linda and Supergirl are the same.
Looks like I got my timing correct on the answer to question 33, Linda was living in California (San Francisco specifically) and working at a tv station (KSF-TV specifically). Unfortunately we can’t go out on a high note since I got the last question wrong. It wasn’t a serum from Nasty but from Starfire but probably not any Starfire you might be thinking of. This Starfire isn’t Tamaranean or any other kind of alien warrior, she is just a human crime lord with one eye and 5 comic appearances during Supergirl’s run in Adventure Comics.
I hope you enjoyed this fun test of my Supergirl knowledge! Let me know if you tried along with me and if you knew any of the questions that stumped me. Feel free to write in at daringnewblog@gmail.com
Earth-29, or Bizarro World or Htrae, is the home to bizarro versions of the Earth-0 residents. Bizarro world has not always been a separate universe and is instead usually depicted as a planet in the same universe as Earth-0 but far away in the depths of space. Bizarros are a fairly well known concept and the idea of an imperfect clone of Superman (and other heroes) is pretty easy to duplicate. As such, these Bizarro imitations of Superman have shown up in all kinds of non comic media in shows like Superboy, Smallville, and more recently Superman and Lois.
Bizarrogirl herself started appearing as early as Superman (Vol. 1) #140 and has since go on to appear in many forms. She showed up periodically in Peter David’s Supergirl run and was a feature character in the story written by Sterling Gates, Bizarrogirl. As well as her comic appearances, Bizarro Supergirl has shown up in outside comics media as well in shows like Supergirl and DC Superhero Girls. She has also shown up in comics out of main continuity in stories like Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, and Tiny Titans. For my drawing this week I’ve chosen to base it on her appearance in the aforementioned Bizarrogirl story by Sterling Gates (I have recently posted a synopsis and breakdown of this story that you can read here).
As with all my Supergirl in the Multiverse posts, this is my own artwork. This drawing depicts Bizarrogirl facing away from the viewer with her hands on her hips and her cape billowing behind and above her. Her right boot is missing. Bizarrogirl is standing on an asteroid taking up most of the right side of the page. The background is a space scene that has a few other asteroids floating around and Htrae prominently shown. Htrae’s blue sun can be seen barely rising behind the planet. A motif of Bizarrogirl’s symbol with a 29 on it is in the top right corner.
The Daring New Blog of Supergirl 