Power Girl
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Power Girl (real name Kara Zor-L, also known as Karen Starr) is a DC Comics superhero, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 (January/February 1976).
Power Girl is the Earth-Two counterpart of Supergirl, and first cousin of the Earth-Two Superman. The infant Power Girl's parents enabled her to escape the destruction of Krypton. Although she left the planet at the same time that Superman did, her ship took much longer to reach Earth-Two.
Possessing superhuman strength and the ability to fly, she is a member of the Justice Society of America. Power Girl sports a bob of blond hair, wears a distinctive white, red and blue costume, and has an aggressive fighting style. Throughout her early appearances in All Star Comics, Power Girl was frequently at odds with Wildcat, who had a penchant for uttering sexist comments that she found offensive.
The 1985 maxi-series, Crisis on Infinite Earths, eliminated Earth-Two and rewrote Power Girl’s origin; she became a granddaughter of the Atlantean sorcerer Arion. However, comic book story events culminating in the 2006 crossover event, Infinite Crisis, restored her status as a refugee from the Krypton of the Earth-Two universe.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Journey from Krypton-Two
Kara's father Zor-L discovers that Krypton is about to explode, and places her in a spacecraft directed towards the Earth. Although this occurs at the same time that Kal-L's ship is launched, Kara's ship travels more slowly, and she arrives on Earth decades after her cousin has landed. Kara’s Symbioship is designed to keep her in stasis during the journey and provide her with life experiences and education in the form of a virtual reality. The Symbioship allows her to interact with virtual copies of her parents and fellow Kryptonians within her home city of Kandor. By the time she arrives on Earth Kara is in her early 20's (as referenced in JSA Classified, her age at arrival has been revised to about eighteen).
In Showcase #97, Kara was reclaimed by the Symbioship as it had obtained sentience. She was re-immersed within Kandorian society for a brief period of real time, although several years of virtual time elapsed wherein Kara married and had a child. She was soon freed with the assistance of newspaper reporter Andrew Vinson, at which point she proceeded to destroy the ship.
[edit] Debut of Power Girl
Unlike her counterpart Supergirl, Power Girl's existence is not revealed to the general public until much later, as her cousin Clark and his wife Lois Lane would provide her a family environment to assist her transition towards real life relationships. In her first recorded adventure, Kara assists Justice Society members Flash and Wildcat contain an artificially induced volcanic eruption in China. She then joins Robin and Star-Spangled Kid to form a Super Squad to assist the Justice Society in defeating Brainwave and Per Degaton. Later, she becomes a full member of the Society when Superman retires from active membership.
Having been raised by the Symbioship with artificial Kryptonian life experiences, Power Girl finds it difficult to fit into life on Earth. However, with the help of reporter Andrew Vinson, she adopts the secret identity of computer programmer Karen Starr. (She obtains her knowledge in this field from exposure to Wonder Woman's Purple Ray on Paradise Island.) On Earth-Two, Power Girl's closest friend is Helena Wayne (the Huntress), who is the daughter of the Earth-Two Batman and Catwoman.
[edit] Modern adventures
The 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths erased the existence of the Earth-Two Superman, and Power Girl's continuity was thus substantially disrupted.[1] Initially she believed herself to be Superman's cousin, as she had been before the reboot. However, her background was retconned; she was told that she was the descendant of the Atlantean sorcerer Arion, and was frozen in suspended animation for millennia until the present day.[2]
After the Justice Society disbands, Power Girl would join the Justice League. Later, while a member of Justice League Europe, she suffers a grievous injury at the hands of a mystical being. Superman must assist in her medical treatment, using his heat-vision to perform surgery on her otherwise-invulnerable tissues. Although she recovers, Power Girl is significantly weaker, as she lost her vision powers and could not fly for a time.
During the 1994 event, Zero Hour, Power Girl experiences a mystical pregnancy and gives birth to a son, Equinox, who aged rapidly. He disappeared, and has never been mentioned again.
Power Girl was one of Oracle’s first agents. Their short-lived partnership ended after a disastrous mission which resulted in a large loss of life. Power Girl believes that Oracle's poor leadership was responsible for the tragedy. Although she has worked with her again on a few occasions when needed, the relationship between the two is tense. (In Birds of Prey #35, Power Girl admitted that she is primarily to blame for the tension, but is unable to overcome the memories of the deaths.)
Power Girl was later portrayed as having a highly athletic but slender physique. In the limited series Kingdom Come, artist Alex Ross restored Power Girl's extremely busty shape, rendering her as heavily muscled (as if an ardent bodybuilder). This approach has been carried forward by most other artists. The character's appearance and costume have become somewhat controversial, as Power Girl's voluptuous figure has been made light of in several recent appearances.
Power Girl is a key member of the Justice Society, which she joined when it was re-formed in the late 1990s. During an adventure with the JSA, she meets Arion who reveals her Atlantean heritage to be a lie he concocted at the behest of Power Girl's "mother".
[edit] Infinite Crisis
[edit] JSA Classified: Power Trip
Power Girl is shocked to learn from Arion that her Atlantean origin is a lie.[3] Her foster mother, Lois Lane Kent of Earth-Two, concocted the story for Power Girl's own protection.
The Psycho-Pirate shows Kara multiple origins in an effort to drive her insane. He reveals that the Kryptonian origin is her true origin: Power Girl is not only a survivor of Krypton, she is the only other person from Earth-Two to have survived the Crisis on Infinite Earths (aside from Psycho-Pirate himself). How she survived and retained her pre-Crisis origin is unclear, since other Earth-Two figures, such as the Huntress and Robin, did not. Power Girl's survival is possibly connected to the fact that Kal-L, the surviving relative from her Earth-Two existence remained alive in the Alexander Luthor-created "paradise" dimension until the 2006 series Infinite Crisis.[4]
[edit] The Other Survivors
In the pages of Infinite Crisis, Kal-L himself returns to the post-Crisis DC Universe after breaking down the walls of the paradise dimension[5] in which he, Lois Lane Kent, Alexander Luthor, Jr., and Superboy-Prime had been living since the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths.[6] Appalled by the rapidly-deteriorating state of affairs on the contemporary Earth, their goal is to replace the post-Crisis planet with a recreated Earth-Two. Kal-L’s first order of business is to track down Power Girl and explain the events of the original Crisis to her. He also reiterates her pre-Crisis history as his cousin. A touch from the ailing Lois inexplicably restores Power Girl's memories of Earth-Two.[7]
Soon after this revelation, Power Girl is confronted by Superboy-Prime, who renders her unconscious.[8] She is attached to a ”tuning fork,” a device controlled by Alex Luthor whose purpose is to bring back the multiple Earths. Alex Luthor and Psycho Pirate coerce Black Adam (who is also attached to the machine) into saying "SHAZAM!," and use the now-raw magical energy to power the tower.[9] After the reappearance of Earth-Two, everyone associated with that Earth is transported onto it. (However, Power Girl remains on Earth-One because of her proximity to the tower.)
After being brought to Earth-Two by Kal-L, Lois Lane Kent collapses and dies. A violent confrontation between the two Supermen ensues, at the end of which Kal-L comes to the realization that Earth-Two had not been a perfect world, since "a perfect earth doesn't need a Superman."[10]
Power Girl is freed by Wonder Girl and Kon-El, and joins them in fighting Superboy-Prime and Alex Luthor. During a savage battle on Mogo, Superboy-Prime beats Kal-L to death and is later subdued by Kal-El. Power Girl is brought to Mogo by the Green Lantern Corps just in time to bid a tearful farewell to her dying cousin.[11]
[edit] One Year Later
Power Girl remains a core member of the Justice Society.[12]
In a "One Year Later" storyline in Supergirl, Kara takes up the mantle of Nightwing in an attempt to free the natives of Kandor. Ultraman, masquerading as Kal-El and working in concert with the Saturn Queen, has taken control of the bottle city. Kara Zor-El is the city's Flamebird; she prevents Ultraman's forces from executing the captured Power Girl.[13] Power Girl leaves Kandor after Saturn Woman reveals to Supergirl information about Supergirl's past and purpose.
The current JSA series concluded with issue #87 and has been relaunched with Power Girl as the chairwoman of the JSA as of issue #4.
While selecting candidates for the new Justice League of America, Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman agree to invite Power Girl.[14] She is also invited to rejoin Oracle's Birds of Prey, but refuses, stating that she would do so only "when Hell freezes over".[15]
[edit] Powers and abilities
Power Girl exhibits all of the classic Kryptonian powers of Superman: super-strength, flight, super-speed, invulnerability, X-ray vision, heat vision, and super-hearing.
After sustaining severe injuries during her JLE days, Power Girl retained only a degree of super-strength, super-speed and enhanced durability. However, she later recovered her ability to fly, and her panoply of superpowers have gradually restored.
In Infinite Crisis #6 her powers are exactly the same as Kal-L's. When Power Girl and Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) fought briefly, it was revealed that they are evenly matched. (Supergirl has strength comparable to that of her cousin Kal-El (Superman), as tested by Batman.) Power Girl has displayed an occasional weakness to kryptonite; Infinite Crisis #3 revealed that the Kryptonite available in the mainstream DCU does not affect Kryptonians from other universes, such as Power Girl, Kal-L, or Superboy-Prime.
[edit] Costume design
Power Girl is consistently depicted as a well-endowed, buxom woman. Her costume has varied significantly over the years. During her time with Justice League Europe/America it transitioned to a capeless yellow and white bodysuit, followed by a blue and white costume with a short mini-cape, headband, with a diamond shaped opening on her chest.
In the late 1990s Power Girl's original costume design was restored somewhat: red cape, blue gloves and boots, and a white bodysuit sporting the distinctive cleavage window on her chest (its variable size determined by the artist depicting her). She also wore a headband (as did Supergirl prior to her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths.) In a guest appearance in Green Lantern, Kara is seen in her large wardrobe closet with every costume design she has ever worn in DC continuity, deciding which costume to wear for that mission.
In Justice League Europe #37, Power Girl adopted a blue and white costume that featured a hole at her chest, and was asked by Crimson Fox about the "front window." Power Girl replied that the costume "shows what I am: female, healthy, and strong. If men want to degrade themselves by staring and drooling and tripping over themselves, that's their problem, I'm not going to apologize for it."
Power Girl's original costume from All-Star Comics #58 returned when Geoff Johns had her rejoin the JSA.
As an example of how the character is sometimes deployed, in Superman/Batman #4 (written by Jeph Loeb) Power Girl is given the responsibility of distracting Toyman while Batman and Superman battle Captain Marvel and Hawkman. Batman notes: "He is ... a 13-year old boy. Find a way to distract him." Noticing that the others are looking at her, Power Girl responds, "What's everyone looking at me for? How am I supposed to distract ... oh."
In JSA: Classified #2 (written by Geoff Johns), Power Girl tells Superman why her costume has an opening at her chest, explaining, "People always ask me why I have this hole right here. They think I’m just showing off… or just being lewd. But the first time I made this costume, I wanted to have a symbol, like you. I just… I couldn’t think of anything. I thought eventually, I’d figure it out. And close the hole. But I haven’t."
[edit] Appearances in other media
- In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Killed By Death", Buffy says that as a child, she fantasized about being Power Girl.
- In the Justice League Unlimited animated series, scientists from Project Cadmus create Galatea, an evil clone of the program's Supergirl for nefarious purposes. Although the clone resembles Power Girl and wears a similar costume, her personality is significantly different.
- Power Girl appears as a member of the Justice League in issues 8 and 16 of the comic book adaptation of Justice League Unlimited despite Galatea appearing in the Justice League Unlimited TV show. The continuity of the comic book adaptation occasionally differs from that of the TV show.
- Chris R. Notarile's Blinky Productions have produced two Power Girl fan films, starring Tawnya Manion: Power Girl: The Classifieds and I'm Power Girl, Dammit!
[edit] Trivia
- The first use of the name Power Girl was a story in Superman #125. In this story, Lois Lane has a dream where she is a superhero named Power Girl who is constantly coming to the aid of a bumbling Clark Kent who she imagines as a superhero named Power Man.
- Power Girl's Atlantean origin is similar to that of Power-Boy, a one-shot character from Superboy #52 (October 1956). Power-Boy is an Atlantean from 15,000 years in the past. When Atlantis was sinking beneath the ocean, Power-Boy's parents placed him in a rocket as an infant that launched him into space. Power-Boy spent the next 15,000 years in suspended animation before landing on the asteroid Juno, where he was found and adopted Pa Vorne who named him Zarl. Because Juno has less gravity than the Earth, as a human, Power Boy has relative super powers.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #11
- ^ Secret Origins #11
- ^ JSA #50
- ^ JSA: Classified #1-4
- ^ Infinite Crisis #1, 2006
- ^ Infinite Crisis Secret Files & Origins 2006
- ^ Infinite Crisis #2, JSA #82 (2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #3, 2006
- ^ Infinite Crisis #4, 2006
- ^ Infinite Crisis #5, 2006
- ^ Infinite Crisis #7, 2006
- ^ JSA #85, 2006
- ^ Supergirl #8, 2006
- ^ JLA #1, 2006
- ^ Birds of Prey #100, January 2007
[edit] External links
- Power Girl Online
- Pre-Crisis biography about Power Girl
- Alan Kistler's Profile of Power Girl — A comic book historian traces the various changes to her origin story.
- A Brief History of Power Girl written in 2006 for Infinite Crisis
- The Complete Power Girl Chronology (through JSA #38)
- Power Girl - Huntress' Best Friend — Basic content and pictorial references
- Power Struggle, the Rise and fall and Rise Again of DC's Power Girl — Movie PoopShoot Article
- Interviews from Alter Ego Vol. 3 #14 with Paul Levitz, Gerry Conway, and Ric Estrada about the 1970s All Star Comics revival.
- THE EXPERIMENT PART TWO: STILL "POWER GIRL" AFTER ALL THESE YEARS ~ Joseph Illidge — Column by former Birds of Prey editor Joseph Illidge.
- AMANDA CONNER: TALKING POWER GIRL — Interview with JSA Classified artist Amanda Conner.
- Power Girl's secret origin on dccomics.com
