We’re just a few months away from the eagerly anticipated Supergirl movie soaring into theaters and giving the world a whole new version of Kara Zor-El. But while the movie is based on Tom King and Bilquis Evelyn’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, there are a lot of other great Supergirl stories in comics that are well worth a read before the heroine’s big screen moment.
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It’s no secret that Kara has a tragic backstory, but there is a lot of nuance and depth to Supergirl, something that’s been told over lots of stories since her debut in 1959. How she deals with her experiences, how that origin has been reimagined over time, and how it all impacts who she is as a hero are all really important reader experiences that make not only for great comics, but excellent context before heading to the movies. Here are five of the best.
5) “The Last Daughter of Krypton” (Supergirl #1-7)
Comics fans may be divided about DC’s New 52 generally, but the initiative did give readers one of the best Supergirl stories in comics. The opening arc for the heroine during the era, “The Last Daughter of Krypton” chronicles Supergirl’s arrival on Earth. It’s not the best reception and Superman intervenes to save her. She eventually explains who she is and her origin.
This is the story that continues to influence how Supergirl is generally approached in comics to this day, as she’s presented as being confused, angry, and to an extent even traumatized about what happened to her home world and to her family. It offers some depth to the character who had previously been portrayed as much brighter and almost cheerful which is admittedly at odds with the idea that she experienced such a catastrophic loss so young. There’d be no “Woman of Tomorrow” without this story.
4) “Red Daughter of Krypton” (Supergirl #26-33 and Red Lanterns #30-34)
“Red Daughter of Krypton” is a story that builds on the idea of a Kara who struggles with the trauma of having lost her entire world (literally). Also part of the New 52 initiative, the story sees a still-struggling Kara at her breaking point when Lobo shows up and pushes things right over the edge. She becomes so enraged and unleashes all her pent up anger and rage about, well, everything, and ends up getting a Red Lantern Ring.
There is a lot that happens in this story that simply makes it a great comic book story generally, but it’s also a rare case where we see Supergirl completely unleashed. There is no holding back, no tempering her rage. It ends up being a turning point for the character in many ways and when’s he does finally come back to herself and is able to get rid of the ring, she has a greater awareness of herself, her experiences and a way forward. It’s also just a great story to read for the Kara/Lobo dynamic — a great choice to pick up considering Lobo will be in the upcoming Superman movie.
3) “The Hunt for Reactron” (Action Comics #881 and Supergirl #45-46)
Supergirl doesn’t have a lot of villains that are pretty much exclusively hers. Most of the bad guys she takes on have some connection to Superman, which makes sense as she and her cousin are both Kryptonian and would have some villains in common. But Reactron is a rare exception and is Supergirl’s foe and that’s a big deal.
In the story, Supergirl along with Flamebird and Nightwing/Chris Kent are framed for the murder of Mon-El by a villain named Mirabai. However, Supergirl suspects that Reactron (who hates her the way Lex Luthor hates Superman) is actually behind it so she sets out to hunt him down and sort this out. The story has some twists people won’t see coming and gives readers the unexpected opportunity to see Kara deal with a threat that is all hers.
2) “Sins of the Circle” (Supergirl #27-33)
As you can guess, what happened to Krypton is a major and definitive part of who Kara is and it has influence over pretty much all of her life and most of her stories. That’s the case here, but it’s bigger than that. The story, from writer Marc Andreyko, sees Supergirl seeking the truth about Krypton’s destruction and, in doing so, gets caught in a civil war in the Vega system.
There is, admittedly, a lot to unpack in this story and it is a bit of a complicated read. However, it functions not only as a solid space adventure (which Supergirl stories really lend themselves well to, making this one a perfect read before the Supergirl movie) but also sees some huge character development for Kara as she deals with her anger and grief.
1) Supergirl: Being Super
It’s the nature of comics that characters end up with multiple origin stories. Between new creators, new eras in comics, reboots, and other mechanics, histories change and shift and Supergirl is probably a character who has had this happen more times than others. That said, one of the best origins for her ever is Mariko Tamaki’s Supergirl: Being Super.
The story lets the reader see Kara balancing normal teenage high school girl problems along with the horror and tragedy of what happened to Krypton. When an earthquake devastates her town of Midvale, Kara has to deal with her identity and her past. Add to this that she’s learning about her powers and you get a portrait of the heroine that is possibly the most balanced, most human, and most relatable that we’ve ever seen. It’s also just an absolutely beautifully done book and a must read for fans of the Maiden of Might.
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