Daring New Adventures of Supergirl—Volume 1

Comic Info

Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #5

Reprints Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1-12 (November 1982-October 1983).  Linda Danvers is starting a new life in Chicago and taking her alter-ego Supergirl with her.  Enrolling at Lakeshore University, Linda is finding new friends and new problems as Supergirl.  When a mysterious group called the Council realizes Supergirl could be a threat to their operations, Supergirl discovers she could be in the fight of her life…and even Doom Patrol can’t help her!

Written by Paul Kupperberg, Daring New Adventures of Supergirl—Volume 1 is a DC Comics superhero collection.  Featuring art by Carmine Infantino, the collection also has issues featured in Doom Patrol:  The Bronze Age Omnibus.  The collection does not include the Lois Lane back-up stories.

Supergirl was always a fun character.  She had Superman’s abilities but unlike Superman, she was generally more light-hearted and less “truth, justice, and the American way”.  This series features Supergirl setting out on her own and it succeeds in some aspects but fails in others.

Daring New Adventures of Supergirl is a good example of how far ahead most Marvel Comics were at the time.  The series tries to create a rounded Linda Danvers with a rich supporting cast, but it never quite feels like the “Marvel Way” as it appears to be attempting.  The villains are rather lackluster and Linda’s new friends aren’t all that interesting.  The choice to have the Council (and the even lamer villain group called the Gang) be some of Supergirl’s first villains was a mistake…it felt like some classic villains should have propped up the comic first and then Supergirl could work on making her own rogue gallery.

Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #11

What does work is Supergirl.  I still like the character, and I can’t help liking the character despite the mundane plots.  Sadly, I’m more interested in Linda Danvers and her college than most of the superhero going-ons of the comic and feel that a more modern take would have been to have Linda’s superhero life as the secondary story (maybe a Buffy the Vampire Slayer style).  This of course wouldn’t have “flown” in 1982, but the idea could have improved this title.

Daring New Adventures of Supergirl—Volume 1 is pretty much fluff but fun and readable fluff.  The character carries the title and the efforts of Kupperberg to expand her world are rather limp and uninspired.  The Doom Patrol appearance is fun for fans of those characters, but it is also the really undeveloped team that many readers might not be as familiar with.  If you like Supergirl or looking for a title for younger readers, the comic reads like a classic comic like you might remember…but as a result, it is pretty one dimensional.  Daring New Adventures of Supergirl—Volume 1 is concluded with Daring New Adventures of Supergirl—Volume 2.