Power Girl: Difference between revisions
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The final pages of ''Infinite Crisis'' #1 reveal that [[Kal-L]] (the [[Superman]] of [[Earth-Two]]), his wife [[Lois Lane]], the [[Earth Prime]] [[Superboy]], and [[Alexander Luthor]], the son of [[Earth |
The final pages of ''Infinite Crisis'' #1 reveal that [[Kal-L]] (the [[Superman]] of [[Earth-Two]]), his wife [[Lois Lane]], the [[Earth Prime]] [[Superboy]], and [[Alexander Luthor]], the son of [[Earth-Three]]'s [[Lex Luthor]], have been observing events on the Earth of the contemporary DC Universe from the dimensional limbo that they entered after the merging of the parallel Earths in ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]''. Appalled by the rapidly-deteriorating state of affairs on the contemporary Earth, they decide to emerge from their self-imposed exile to lend their aid. One of the deciding factors seems to be when one of the others (not conclusively identified) whispers to Kal-L that they "can even save ''her''. I'm ''certain'' of it." Furthermore, cover art for the second issue of ''Infinite Crisis'' has been released depicting Power Girl standing in front of the four exiles. It now seems very likely that Power Girl's Earth-2 origins are about to be restored, in part or in totality. |
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==Powers== |
==Powers== |
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Revision as of 15:51, 16 October 2005
| Power Girl | |
|---|---|
| File:Infinitecrisis2.jpg Power Girl Jim Lee, artist | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | All-Star Comics #58 (January/February 1976) |
| Created by | Wally Wood |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Kara (Kara Zor-L pre-Crisis) |
| Team affiliations | Justice Society of America, Justice League Europe, Infinity, Inc. |
| Notable aliases | Karen Starr |
| Abilities | Flight, super-strength, invulnerability, and sometimes X-ray vision, heat vision and super-hearing |
Power Girl (real name Kara, a.k.a. Karen Starr; formerly Kara Zor-L in a previous continuity) is a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. She is best known as a member of the Justice Society of America, and has also been a member of the Justice League and Infinity Inc. Power Girl first appeared in All-Star Comics #58 in 1976, and was created by Wally Wood.
Power Girl was originally conceived as being voluptuous, with a bob of blonde hair and a form-fitting white costume. According to various rumors and anecdotes, artist Wally Wood intended to draw her chest larger in each issue until the editors noticed, though Wood left the title after All-Star Comics #65, and his successor Joe Staton was more restrained.
On the other hand, Power Girl was written as a feminist, often resenting the attitude of men (both older and younger) towards her. Power Girl also exhibits a very aggressive fighting style.
Publication history
As originally created, Power Girl was Kara Zor-L, the cousin of the Superman of the parallel world of Earth-Two (and thus, she was her Earth's counterpart of Supergirl). When the Earth-Two universe's Krypton was about to explode, Kara's father Zor-L launched her as an infant to Earth in a ship at the same time that Kal-L's ship was launched; however, Kara's ship took a much longer journey, resulting in her arriving on Earth in the 1970s, decades after her cousin. Unlike Kal-L's ship, Zor-L constructed her ship (or "Symbioship", as it was called) to hold Kara in stasis through the longer journey, as well as provide her through the ship's artificial intelligence with the life experiences and education of a Kryptonian. By the time she landed on Earth, Kara had aged into her early 20's. (Post-Crisis, as referenced in JSA Classified, her intial age has been revised to about eighteen.)
Having been raised by the Symbioship with artificial Kryptonian life experiences, Power Girl had trouble fitting into life on Earth, but eventually adopted the secret identity of computer programmer Karen Starr. At some point, her identity was revealed to the public.
The 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths retroactively erased the existence of the Earth-Two Superman, and Power Girl's continuity was thus substantially disrupted. Her background was retconned so that she became the descendant of the Atlantean sorcerer Arion, frozen in suspended animation for millennia until the present day.
In the late 1980s, Power Girl joined the Justice League (the Justice Society having been disbanded in the interim), and, while a member of Justice League Europe, was badly injured by a mystical being. She would have died if Superman had not personally assisted in her medical treatment, using his heat-vision to enable surgery to be performed on her otherwise-invulnerable tissues. Although she survived, she was significantly weaker and lost all of her vision powers, and could not fly for a time.
Later, she mystically became pregnant and gave birth to a son (Equinox) during the Zero Hour crisis. Her son was subsequently artificially aged, became a supervillain, and died.
In the mini-series Kingdom Come, artist Alex Ross restored Power Girl's extremely busty shape, but also rendered her as heavily muscled, as if an ardent bodybuilder, an approach which has been carried forward by some other artists since. The character has become somewhat controversial, as a number of recent comic book appearances have tended to make light of her voluptuous figure.
When the Justice Society re-formed in the late 1990s, Power Girl joined as a key member. In the early 2000s, her backstory as a descendant of Arion has been called into question, but the new, revised truth has not yet been revealed.
In the summer of 2005, Geoff Johns launched the series JSA: Classified, and the opening arc promises to resolve the question he reopened, giving her a third, and supposedly definitive, origin.
Template:Spoilers As recently published, Supergirl #1 revealed that, for reasons as yet fully explained, physical contact and close proximity to Supergirl causes Power Girl to lose control of her abilities. It is suggested that the effect is similar to what might occur if two copies of the same object try to occupy the same point in space. The implications of this for both Supergirl and Power Girl have yet to be fully explored. Power Girl, meanwhile, is having trouble accepting the fact that she is no longer Superman's only cousin on Earth ... if she even is his cousin.
In the JSA: Classified series, both the Atlantean and Kryptonian origins have been disproved. At the end of issue #2, it is revealed that a large portion of the blame for Power Girl's multiple origins can be laid at the feet of the newly-revitalized Psycho-Pirate, who is attempting to drive Power Girl insane. Issue #3 concludes with the Psycho Pirate strapping Power Girl into her "Symbioship" and hinting that her origin relates back to the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Issue #4 of JSA: Classified will finally reveal Power Girl's true origin, and the revelation will reportedly completely redefine the character, as well as serve as a prelude and tie-in to the storyline Infinite Crisis. Because of these revelations, some people believe that she is in reality the Pre-Crisis Supergirl, or has somehow retained her pre-Crisis origin as Kara Zor-L.
Template:Spoilers The final pages of Infinite Crisis #1 reveal that Kal-L (the Superman of Earth-Two), his wife Lois Lane, the Earth Prime Superboy, and Alexander Luthor, the son of Earth-Three's Lex Luthor, have been observing events on the Earth of the contemporary DC Universe from the dimensional limbo that they entered after the merging of the parallel Earths in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Appalled by the rapidly-deteriorating state of affairs on the contemporary Earth, they decide to emerge from their self-imposed exile to lend their aid. One of the deciding factors seems to be when one of the others (not conclusively identified) whispers to Kal-L that they "can even save her. I'm certain of it." Furthermore, cover art for the second issue of Infinite Crisis has been released depicting Power Girl standing in front of the four exiles. It now seems very likely that Power Girl's Earth-2 origins are about to be restored, in part or in totality.
Powers
Power Girl originally had powers similar to those of the original Superman: super-strength, flight, invulnerability, X-ray vision, heat vision, and super-hearing. However, after sustaining severe injuries early in her JLE days, she was left significantly weaker, could not fly and lost all of her vision powers and enhanced senses. She eventually recovered her ability to fly, and remains a powerhouse nonetheless.
In the late 1990s, as a result of the controversial Genesis miniseries, she was briefly portrayed as having a vulnerability to "raw, unprocessed, natural materials", such that she could not be injured by homicidal androids until one struck her with a broken tree branch. Peter David, who wrote the issue in which that happened, has explained this as having been editorially mandated; the vulnerability to natural materials has since been abandoned.
As of 2005, she has also been shown using her heat and X-ray vision once again, as well as her super-hearing, even though tests indicate her eyes are completely normal. Her control over these powers appears limited and they are expected to be explained as her new origin is clarified. She also has an occasional weakness to kryptonite, which has not been explained.
Other media
Power Girl, not famous enough in her own right to overcome the inevitable handicap of being too similar to Supergirl, has been overlooked when it comes to movie/television adaptations.
The closest Power Girl has come to a television appearance was in several episodes of the 2000s Justice League Unlimited animated series, in which scientists from Cadmus created Galatea, a clone of Supergirl, for nefarious purposes. Grown into a slightly more mature physical state, and wearing a form-fitting white costume, the clone resembles Power Girl.
External Links
- Power Girl Online
- Pre-Crisis biography about Power Girl
- Alan Kistler's profile on Power Girl - A retrospective by comic book historian Alan Kistler tracing Power Girl's entire history and the reason for the changes in his origin over time.