@@johnbockelie3899I mean, they created most of the female versions of the characters to be sure no one would anticipate them and get copyrights over those characters.
People laugh at Supergirl the movie for being incomprehensible mess and not being faitful to the comics. The actiual truth is: IT WAS COMIC ACCURATE ALL ALONG!!! because comic was incomprehensible mess.
So true. I love that movie but it did feel very Silver Age. In the producers/writers defense look what they to choose from. I'd say the movie was much better written lol.
@@ashleywright9223 And I just rewatched the Supergirl flying scene. It must be one of the top special effects scenes from the 80s. (And it has a puberty subtext.) I don't know how they did some of it. I should look into it. The bonkers WW 2 flying scene (which was influenced by it) isn't more convincing, and it doesn't work as well artistically. (It has a feminist subtext.) The Supergirl scene makes the old Superman movies look bad and low effort. (They are kind of bad.)
I am convinced that there is a Villain who is just kidnapping people close to Supergirl to get her attention and she just outright ignores it (because she is trying to get a date). And this explains why so many of her characters never return, I also imagine this villain being constantly annoyed about this.
So Supergirls romance with a magical horse had more thought and planning put into it than this series? Damn, there was some serious drug use in the 70s.
I truly can't believe the difference between 60s Supergirl and the 70s version. The 60s Supergirl was often strong, usually as smart as her experience would allow, and sometimes uproariously funny. As for her adventures, they were often gloriously zany and outlandish (fake ghosts, insect peoples, giant killer beasts from outer space, etc.). They totally destroyed what worked in her comics, and to this day have struggled to recover the formula.
The girl who tried shipping Superman with an old friend who was married while roasting Phantom Girl and also shipping him with someone from the past almost messing up the future, would have a terrible love life. Who would have thought? 🤣
Best line, “So why were you at the beach.” Clark has shown us that he tortures Lois on a daily and you wonder if he is not sitting on a cure for sickle cell or Cancer? OF COURSE HE IS!
As we see in all star Superman, that is a gift for humanity after he dies. For those wondering what the cure for cancer is, it’s a bunch of mini Kryptonians who fly inside people and beat the cancer to death
Yeah, her solo run costume, which consisted of a choker, a tunic, hot shorts and pixie slippers us so freakin' 70's, and it kinda works, and I stretch... Kinda. Thank God she's Kryptonian, because she can't feel the cold, so rock that look, because once the 80's hit, it's nothing but flair from there.
Though sadly, she was ruined for a long time by Crisis. Some of her recent series are good. New 52 Supergirl was cool, and I liked the series before it. I didn't like the Rebirth series.
@@chihiromononoke9381 I liked the pre-52 series after Sterling Gates took over. The New 52 series before she became a Red Lantern and the Rebirth series... but good Siobhan needs to come back, I really liked her and their dynamic.
It actually made a lot of sense because when Supergirl was introduced in the pre-Flashpoint continuity, it says here that she was trained by Amazons after she crash landed on Earth and met her cousin. So, it actually made a lot of sense.
I remember this run. I loved her costume, Superlad, and the VERY rare appearance of Nubia (other than her debut, she only appeared a total of twice before Crisis wiped her out of contnuity [for awhile)]; the other being an issue of Super-Friends.
I only remember that doll commercial from way back where Nubia ties up Maj. Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman foils her plans after she "ties up a few loose ends." I didn't know she made a few comic book appearances...
She eventually became a soap opera actress, either in Superman Family or the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (with disappointing art by the usually reliable Carmine Infantino and Bob Oksner).
@@billkelly3015 well I see actors walking around NYC being themselves and no one notices it but me and I'm like....are you for real people??? one time was during an award show and there were fans all around and one actor who didn't go to the awards show no one recognized him and he was a popular actor.he talked to me and my friend who were there to star gaze
Will you ever talk about how Darkseid was introduced in Superman's Friend Jimmy Olsen? It was apparently part of a 2 parter where Jimmy seemingly turns evil. *Haven't read the story*
@@wowisntitanamazinglyamazin9550 Jack Kirby was offered any title he wanted when he joined DC, but he didn't want to put anyone else out of a job, so he took Jimmy Olsen, as it didn't have a regular writer/artist and started his 4th world saga there.
@@Rei-Rei that's sweet of Kirby but I've never really been a fan of a lot of his cosmic beings (there are exceptions). I never knew Kirby made him so that's interesting to know
Suddenly I wish a for a modern re-make were some of the interesting bits are picked up and realised to their full potential, while leaving most of the rest behind
I never knew of this series. I started reading the 1982 run when I was a kid and her stories and priorities were very different. I really enjoyed them and was completely shocked and angry when she died. Thanks for telling us about this curiosity.
"Is Clark just sitting on all this medical help for the world? I have questions..." I've always had those questions and wondered why no writer has ever had the balls to, at the very least, come up with an explanation for why more advanced tech isn't used or developed to help people in the comic universes
Hate to say it, but I actually like Maid of Might and Dominoed Daredoll as nicknames. They aren't much stupider than Man of Steel, Caped Crusader, Emerald Archer, Crimson Comet, etc, and they're cooler camp-wise. (I've also heard Eggplant Avenger for Steph Brown, and I'm 98% sure it's a fan nickname but I'd love for it to be canonical).
Marvel had some good ones, but DC did them better. Hawkman was the Feathered Fury and the Atom, the Tiny Titan. When their books were merged in the late 60s, the tagline was "The Titan and the Fury."
Agreed, Maid of Might is one of her only epithets that isn't a gender swapped Superman title. It deserves to be her primary title for this reason, IMHO. EDIT: Turns out Man of Might was one of Superman's epithets back in the day but it's fallen out of use in recent years. Probably for the best, Maid of Might sounds better, anyway.
"Sickle Cell Anemia never takes a break from killing black children" Oh my God, why isn't Marvel giving this writer a series _right now?!_ This is the sort of social commentary that has the subtlety modern Marvel is lacking.
The X-men have a monopoly within Marvel for genetic shenanigans. If they had two genetic conditions with racial themes to deal with it would dilute the existing one. Plus the implications of either, say Mr. Sinister causing it, or Beast curing it would sour the entire thing. It minimizes real human suffering and reduces an ongoing problem to a triviality in the name of showing the competence of a fictional being. It's just not worth it. This is why Superheros either deal with crime, a problem without solutions smaller than a complete societal overhaul most people aren't going to be onboard for; or any of a number of flavors of inhuman threats scaling up to the apocalypse, disasters nobody without superpowers can be expected to solve in a timeframe short enough to matter if ever. And not say, real issues with solutions we just don't have but are within the remit of established abilities of superbeings.
Yes, as I observed in the chat over the weekend, this series WAS a mess. I prefer the Sekowski "New Supergirl" revamp in ADVENTURE that preceded this solo series, but that was a bit of a mess too. A couple of additional observations: 1.) Linda became quite the beach bunny after her move to California. It seemed as if Saaf took any excuse to depict her in a bikini. The commenter below who likened Linda of this period to Sally Field's version of Gidget was spot on. 2.) Supergirl was actually cancelled as an ongoing title after issue 9 hit the stands. Supergirl #9 hit the stands on September 27, 1973, and the final issue, Supergirl #10, the one with Prez, hit the stands on June 27, 1974. They pulled the book out of cancellation just to burn off that Prez and Superlad story instead of saving them for SUPERMAN FAMILY.
I have this whole series. And when I was a kid, I LIVED for it. Now that I’m an adult, I’m like…. Waaaaiiiiit. Haha. Would you be able to do a video on the 70s/80s lesser known female titans? I’d love to hear your thoughts on Tula, Bumblebee, Lilith, Bat-Girl, Duela, and Kole. Especially Kole.
I actually liked her run in Superman Family where she moved to New York and became a Soap Opera Actress. She played the evil Margo Hatten on the Galaxy Broadcasting System's Soap Opera "Secret Hearts".
Love Bronze Age Supergirl, as I’ve literally just started to pick up old issues of Adventure & the solo Supergirl title from this period. It’s a trip & really appreciate having this vid pop up, it’s a fantastic overview of DC weirdness. 🤩
I guess there is rip in spacetime erasing all the men in super girls life because they only make very brief appearances and I'm starting to understand why lex luthor doesn't like kryptonians not sharing all their medical and scientific achievements by the way awesome video as always! 👍👍
This is a favorite Supergirl costume with the fringed shorts and the booties and her cape attached to her choker. She'd switch to red hot pants and mid-calf boots for her next series, The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl.
It was a masterstroke on Gaiman's part, in a single issue taking a gimmicky, short-lived 70s character and convincing the audience that he's one of the greatest comic characters of all time through sheer presentation and themes. Beautiful.
That particular book came out just before I started reading comics but I definitely remember that version of Supergirl's costume. It's one of the few things from that time that didn't age badly. It seems so many stories back then were either written by older guys trying to be cool and hip or younger guys who thought they were
I kind of wish there was an unpublished last issue, like with the Joker series, where it turned out that all these people had been going missing and she has to save them.
I just discovered you on you tube, Sasha, and am enjoying your articles/broadcasts. I was 11 in 1972 and had just started buying comics, focusing on Superman, Superboy, Batman World's Finest (pattern?), but I picked up the Supergirl series. It seemed a lot cooler at the time, but then, so did most of them. They were trying to catch up to the "relevancy" that Marvel had made its bones on in the 60's, and were definitely in transition. Still - I love my bronze age runs...The artwork was definitely an improvement over the silver age. Thanks for bringing back the Supergirl memories - for me she always beat out B-girl or Wonderwoman...Now do Daring Adventures of Supergirl (1982!)
Apparently the people handling the SUPERGIRL comic book series of the 1970s must have been the "inspiration" for the Helen Slater Supergirl movie, because the movie script was quickly slapped together with no regards to storyline continuity.
This Kara costume is my forever fave... I ran across the Medusa issue in my dad's collection as a kid, and it was my first exposure to the character. Hearing you run over the plot points... uh, they don't exactly hold up in retrospect. But seven year old me thought Supergirl with snake hair was THE COOLEST and was incredibly disappointed when I dug up another issue and discovered that this was not a reoccurring theme for her character.
You know what I love about the Silver Age? How every crazy thing that happened to the superheroes made headlines. "Supergirl Turns Into Medusa!" "Batman Becomes Bat-Baby!" "Wonder Woman Marries Frankenstein!" There's never a slow news day when every hour a superhero gets into some crazy but brief shenanigan.
Jeff IS the worst! Can confirm. What is it with guys named Jeff in the superhero world? The awful recurring character in the Spider-Woman animated series from the late 70s was also a Jeff!
Interesting...... I wonder if those letters to the editor about ESP vs PSI is why they decided to name the first villain she faced in the 80s series was named Psi?
I'm so glad that I own a copy of issue #3 as well as a medium to large sized print of the cover. It's so ridiculous that you could spend a good 7-8 minutes breaking it down.
During lockdown last year I read through all the Supergirl issues from Adventure Comics through her first solo series (thanks DC Universe/Infinite) and yeah, her stories were always poorly written, and usually inked by Colletta. I had loved these in the 60’s and 70’s (yeah, I’m old) but it was so obvious that these writers just couldn’t write stories about women that weren’t just cringe.
I'm currently binging Smallville (again)...you mentioned Jeff being "her guy" when she went by Linda. That made a connection when Kara had amnesia and was living in Detroit. The guy who tried to keep her there was named Jeff, and most people referred to him as "just some guy who is just there." Nice work, Al and Miles.
First time I've seen your channel. I vaguely remember "The Borrowed Brain" but didn't see the rest. Thank you for reading these so I didn't have to. I was a kid when the Silver Age started. I bought the Showcase issue with the first Green Lantern story (so I'm old). I liked the Supergirl era that Jim Mooney drew that had Streaky the Super Cat.
3:23 Basil Rathbone was the one who invented the "Elementary, My Dear Watson." saying in the Sherlock Holmes stores. That phrase doesn't appear in any of the Conan Doyle books and short stories.
How is your hair always so beautiful, what is your secret!? I also love your videos, keep up the good work. I look forward to these every time. I hope one day you'll cover comics from the Legion of Super-Heroes. Love you and keep being awesome
Never read any of Kara's solo series. Thanks for establishing that I didn't miss anything in this case. I seem to remember ANOTHER series with Mike Sekowsky doing cover art, don't know about the interiors. Maybe you can choke THAT down and give a report in future.
Sekowsky took over as writer, editor, and often artist - both in covers and interiors - on Kara's solo stories as lead in ADVENTURE COMICS with #397. After being replaced as editor by Joe Orlando, Sekowski left the book as regular writer and artist in the middle of #409. Art Saaf and Bob Oksner then picked up the art chores, with Sekowsky returning for a couple of issues late in the ADVENTURE run, with Tony DeZuniga finishing it off.
The slice-of-life aspect the series tried to be at times is honestly what interests me the most, I like super hero comics but sometimes I feel its just...too much. Sometimes I just wanna read about them as people that can relate to, doesnt have to be action all the time. Its why Spiderman works so well for me as it mixes both, or at least used to more.
Yeah, I get people loving the super intricate serialised story telling, but sometimes I could use some a street level one-off and some levity. Like, I just want some escapism, I don't need to be stressed out by how objectively terrible every superhero's life is.
The status quo is becoming a lost artform in the post-Breaking Bad/GoT media landscape. I see a lot of shows that setup a great setting and supporting cast throughout season 1 before the fast-paced plot, shocking swerves, and supporting cast permadeath rip everything away by the end of season 2 without slowing down to properly replace any of it. A familiar environment and supporting cast is what keeps viewers/readers invested after the big twist brings them in through word of mouth. It's why so much fanfic for larger-than-life series focus so much on the mundane, the grounded elements resonate more than we give them credit for. I don't think even Superman would've lasted this long without the Daily Planet, Smallville, and their respective characters for him to navigate.
Interesting that you pointed out President Prez in this. I didn't know that he first appeared in the '70s. In fact, I remember that character getting a retold origin twenty years later in a Vertigo comic. I definitely remember reading the Vertigo version in '94 or '95 in one of the very few Sandman books I got.
The reason the series was combined into giant books was the paper prices were causing the comic sizes to shrink. The way to get around this was to print bigger books with more than one character. Also the stories could be shorter, allowing over-worked artists to catch up on thier work.
@@CasuallyComics Nice. I really enjoy silver and bronze age Supergirl stories good ones and bad ones. collecting every pre-crisis appearance is a goal of mine.
I've never gone back and read the old Supergirl series, but from what you say the main theme is 'Don't get attached to too many of the supporting characters because you'll NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN.'
It reminds me of Gidget, if you've heard of that show. Sally Fields' first role I think, before the Flying Nun. I think the David character from 4 could have been a recurring villain
@@barq6994 Someone corrected me, it was "The Girl With Something Extra", and it maybe lasted less than half a season? I'm going on 40+ years old memories. I was a big Sally Field fan!!
15:43 "enemy in southeast Asia" lmao well excuse me! 😂 But then again, fair enough, there was the Vietnam war... 16:32 This demon is modelled after the statue of Buddha omg 😂😂😂 20:56 I... Have no words for Fong 🙂
Loved your thoughts on this 70s run for my fav superheroine Sasha. Glad you enjoyed Kara as a character, even if her stories were insane LOL That happens a lot with these classic Supergirl tales were the stories are meh, but Kara is likeable and always great to see her holding her own. For some really good stuff with Kara I recommend Sterling Gates run on Supergirl where he saved her post-Crisis return or the work he did with Adventures of Supergirl, a sort of tie-in comic to the Supergirl TV show. The great thing about that one is, you don't really need to know too much about the show to like it, as they cover things well, and it's a good series of stories with some fun Supergirl history nods. Keep up the great vids!
I didn't much like much about this series, but what I did like was that it showed that she could stand on her own and that she was independent. But I do love this character, and as most of her series have have had better writing.
Issue one was edited by Dorothy Woolfolk (one of the few women working in the industry at the time), but Robert Kanigher took over for issue two until the end of the run. Kanigher is famous for taking over writing duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston died, turning the title into a romance-themed comic, with Diana frequently swooning over Steve Trevor and shrieking in terror at the sight of a mouse. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that after the first issue, most of the plots revolve around boyfriend-of-the-month.
6:49 wait. She used her heat vision on the tank, making the whole bottle, city included hot as hell, and then blow it with her super lungs creating the most cataclysmatic typhoon ever possible? Did she just committed genocide to save her professor?
Hardcore dying is my new favorite saying,and are we sure this isn't an unofficial crossover Tony Martyn looks a lot like Tony Stark.A chinese man in a gorilla suit that old trope.
Take a shot every time you hear, "We never see them again."
Do you want to kill people with alcohol poisoning?
So funny, “what are we kidding, we never see him again!”
When Marvel created " She Hulk" it made no sense for a long time as well.
@@johnbockelie3899I mean, they created most of the female versions of the characters to be sure no one would anticipate them and get copyrights over those characters.
People laugh at Supergirl the movie for being incomprehensible mess and not being faitful to the comics.
The actiual truth is: IT WAS COMIC ACCURATE ALL ALONG!!! because comic was incomprehensible mess.
So true. I love that movie but it did feel very Silver Age. In the producers/writers defense look what they to choose from. I'd say the movie was much better written lol.
The flying scene is good and looks better than those in the Superman movies. It was ripped off for Wonder Woman 1984.
@@chihiromononoke9381 I was, am and always will be OBSESSED with the aerial ballet scene when she comes out of the lake ❤️
@@ashleywright9223 It's cool.
@@ashleywright9223 And I just rewatched the Supergirl flying scene. It must be one of the top special effects scenes from the 80s. (And it has a puberty subtext.) I don't know how they did some of it. I should look into it.
The bonkers WW 2 flying scene (which was influenced by it) isn't more convincing, and it doesn't work as well artistically. (It has a feminist subtext.)
The Supergirl scene makes the old Superman movies look bad and low effort. (They are kind of bad.)
"Foiled" by lack of metallic residue on the hands: I see what you did there, Sasha, and I hope you're proud.
I caught that, too. I chuckled.
The only thing I like better than a Sasha quote is a well placed pun.
😁👌
I am convinced that there is a Villain who is just kidnapping people close to Supergirl to get her attention and she just outright ignores it (because she is trying to get a date). And this explains why so many of her characters never return, I also imagine this villain being constantly annoyed about this.
So Supergirls romance with a magical horse had more thought and planning put into it than this series?
Damn, there was some serious drug use in the 70s.
Nah it was standard procedure for Cary Bates.
How come Kryptonian brain cells can work in a human body.?.
I truly can't believe the difference between 60s Supergirl and the 70s version. The 60s Supergirl was often strong, usually as smart as her experience would allow, and sometimes uproariously funny. As for her adventures, they were often gloriously zany and outlandish (fake ghosts, insect peoples, giant killer beasts from outer space, etc.). They totally destroyed what worked in her comics, and to this day have struggled to recover the formula.
@@johnbockelie3899 I imagine it comes from comic writers wanting something to happen; and finding a way for it to happen.
The girl who tried shipping Superman with an old friend who was married while roasting Phantom Girl and also shipping him with someone from the past almost messing up the future, would have a terrible love life. Who would have thought? 🤣
You can ask Zeb Wells.
Best line, “So why were you at the beach.” Clark has shown us that he tortures Lois on a daily and you wonder if he is not sitting on a cure for sickle cell or Cancer? OF COURSE HE IS!
Maybe he was at the beach because he thought Octopus cells would help find the cure.
The Fortress of Solitude probably has every cure (and every disease) you could imagine.
If he can make Lois look like she's a different race, then he can cure diseases.
@@maxhydekyle2425Clark probably has cured every disease but also quickly reinfected the people for laughs
As we see in all star Superman, that is a gift for humanity after he dies. For those wondering what the cure for cancer is, it’s a bunch of mini Kryptonians who fly inside people and beat the cancer to death
Should have name this video "Supergirl & her supporting cast...that we never see again". 😄😄😄
That describes every era of Supergirl, though.
Yeah, her solo run costume, which consisted of a choker, a tunic, hot shorts and pixie slippers us so freakin' 70's, and it kinda works, and I stretch... Kinda. Thank God she's Kryptonian, because she can't feel the cold, so rock that look, because once the 80's hit, it's nothing but flair from there.
I hate her '80's look with the headband and the red skirt with the...pointy hem (gotta be a better way to describe it!).
@@johnpjones182 I kinda like the 80s look. And Daring Adventures was a good book too.
70s Supergirl was awesome. I was upset by the Crisis cover where she is dead when I was a kid.
Though sadly, she was ruined for a long time by Crisis. Some of her recent series are good. New 52 Supergirl was cool, and I liked the series before it. I didn't like the Rebirth series.
@@chihiromononoke9381 I liked the pre-52 series after Sterling Gates took over. The New 52 series before she became a Red Lantern and the Rebirth series... but good Siobhan needs to come back, I really liked her and their dynamic.
Supergirl needs a date? This looks like a job for...LOIS LANE!
Or Jimmy Olsen...
Or Superman.
Or Comet the Super-horse
@@Vegadra ew no! That's her cousin!
@@arpitpatel2781 😄
Sasha: "I can't do 9 (on my fingers), it hurts".
Me: Just fold your thumb , Sasha. lol
Lol no that's the easy way out!
Step one: clone Supergirl
Step two: produce male clone
Step three: ...blackmail Supergirl maybe with her dark secret...???
Step four: SCIENCE!
if you have sex with your clone is it sex or mastarbation?
@@River-pg1uk good question
20:11 "to become an Amazon! And my adopted daughter!" Supergirl to readers "Whaaa?!"
It actually made a lot of sense because when Supergirl was introduced in the pre-Flashpoint continuity, it says here that she was trained by Amazons after she crash landed on Earth and met her cousin. So, it actually made a lot of sense.
@@joshuaingobo1559 That doesn't make her exaggerated expression in that panel any less hilarious, though! 😁
I remember this run. I loved her costume, Superlad, and the VERY rare appearance of Nubia (other than her debut, she only appeared a total of twice before Crisis wiped her out of contnuity [for awhile)]; the other being an issue of Super-Friends.
I only remember that doll commercial from way back where Nubia ties up Maj. Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman foils her plans after she "ties up a few loose ends." I didn't know she made a few comic book appearances...
She’s get a degree in drama? Omg this explain a lot now.
@@dadeleemurphy85 LMAO. Well said.
@@dadeleemurphy85 I only watched it when I did because I wanted to see the Legion characters
She eventually became a soap opera actress, either in Superman Family or the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (with disappointing art by the usually reliable Carmine Infantino and Bob Oksner).
@@johnpjones182 It was Superman Family. In DNAS, she went back to school again, and amazingly nobody recognized her from the soap.
@@billkelly3015 well I see actors walking around NYC being themselves and no one notices it but me and I'm like....are you for real people??? one time was during an award show and there were fans all around and one actor who didn't go to the awards show no one recognized him and he was a popular actor.he talked to me and my friend who were there to star gaze
Will you ever talk about how Darkseid was introduced in Superman's Friend Jimmy Olsen? It was apparently part of a 2 parter where Jimmy seemingly turns evil. *Haven't read the story*
This is a part of why I just can't take Darkseid seriously
@@wowisntitanamazinglyamazin9550 Jack Kirby was offered any title he wanted when he joined DC, but he didn't want to put anyone else out of a job, so he took Jimmy Olsen, as it didn't have a regular writer/artist and started his 4th world saga there.
I've been reading through that exact storyline lately, and it's actually pretty great! I recommend checking it out!
@@Rei-Rei that's sweet of Kirby but I've never really been a fan of a lot of his cosmic beings (there are exceptions). I never knew Kirby made him so that's interesting to know
"We never see [him/her] again" ... Sasha makes you smile at the shade :)
This channel needs way more subs and viewers. Sasha is so good.
Right? I didn't even know she had her own channel now until today.
Suddenly I wish a for a modern re-make were some of the interesting bits are picked up and realised to their full potential, while leaving most of the rest behind
The fan letter about psy is awesome. Maybe they will explain who Wanda Five is someday.
10:35 Linda: "Thanks. I am a little thirsty."
Were truer words ever spoken?
I never knew of this series. I started reading the 1982 run when I was a kid and her stories and priorities were very different. I really enjoyed them and was completely shocked and angry when she died. Thanks for telling us about this curiosity.
"Is Clark just sitting on all this medical help for the world? I have questions..." I've always had those questions and wondered why no writer has ever had the balls to, at the very least, come up with an explanation for why more advanced tech isn't used or developed to help people in the comic universes
I have a degree in drama and had to fulfill a biology requirement.
This series could be summed up in three words: Supergirl's potential wasted
Hate to say it, but I actually like Maid of Might and Dominoed Daredoll as nicknames. They aren't much stupider than Man of Steel, Caped Crusader, Emerald Archer, Crimson Comet, etc, and they're cooler camp-wise. (I've also heard Eggplant Avenger for Steph Brown, and I'm 98% sure it's a fan nickname but I'd love for it to be canonical).
Marvel had some good ones, but DC did them better. Hawkman was the Feathered Fury and the Atom, the Tiny Titan. When their books were merged in the late 60s, the tagline was "The Titan and the Fury."
Agreed, Maid of Might is one of her only epithets that isn't a gender swapped Superman title. It deserves to be her primary title for this reason, IMHO.
EDIT: Turns out Man of Might was one of Superman's epithets back in the day but it's fallen out of use in recent years. Probably for the best, Maid of Might sounds better, anyway.
The "Iron Maiden" would be a nice epithet and call back to Superman while being original
@@hyperion3145 If they tried to use that nickname nowadays they'd probably be sued by the band.
"Sickle Cell Anemia never takes a break from killing black children" Oh my God, why isn't Marvel giving this writer a series _right now?!_ This is the sort of social commentary that has the subtlety modern Marvel is lacking.
Lmfao.
The X-men have a monopoly within Marvel for genetic shenanigans. If they had two genetic conditions with racial themes to deal with it would dilute the existing one.
Plus the implications of either, say Mr. Sinister causing it, or Beast curing it would sour the entire thing. It minimizes real human suffering and reduces an ongoing problem to a triviality in the name of showing the competence of a fictional being. It's just not worth it.
This is why Superheros either deal with crime, a problem without solutions smaller than a complete societal overhaul most people aren't going to be onboard for; or any of a number of flavors of inhuman threats scaling up to the apocalypse, disasters nobody without superpowers can be expected to solve in a timeframe short enough to matter if ever. And not say, real issues with solutions we just don't have but are within the remit of established abilities of superbeings.
Yes, as I observed in the chat over the weekend, this series WAS a mess. I prefer the Sekowski "New Supergirl" revamp in ADVENTURE that preceded this solo series, but that was a bit of a mess too.
A couple of additional observations:
1.) Linda became quite the beach bunny after her move to California. It seemed as if Saaf took any excuse to depict her in a bikini. The commenter below who likened Linda of this period to Sally Field's version of Gidget was spot on.
2.) Supergirl was actually cancelled as an ongoing title after issue 9 hit the stands. Supergirl #9 hit the stands on September 27, 1973, and the final issue, Supergirl #10, the one with Prez, hit the stands on June 27, 1974. They pulled the book out of cancellation just to burn off that Prez and Superlad story instead of saving them for SUPERMAN FAMILY.
I mean I want to think about all the dropped characters and Kara's questionable taste in men but I can't get over those hotpants.
I can't get over how thicc she is
I'm going to start adopting your sassy comebacks and dialogue when I read comics. Much more entertaining than my boring reading voice that I use.
I have this whole series. And when I was a kid, I LIVED for it. Now that I’m an adult, I’m like…. Waaaaiiiiit. Haha.
Would you be able to do a video on the 70s/80s lesser known female titans? I’d love to hear your thoughts on Tula, Bumblebee, Lilith, Bat-Girl, Duela, and Kole. Especially Kole.
I actually liked her run in Superman Family where she moved to New York and became a Soap Opera Actress. She played the evil Margo Hatten on the Galaxy Broadcasting System's Soap Opera "Secret Hearts".
They should revisit this in a "Crisis," or "convergence."
Love Bronze Age Supergirl, as I’ve literally just started to pick up old issues of Adventure & the solo Supergirl title from this period. It’s a trip & really appreciate having this vid pop up, it’s a fantastic overview of DC weirdness. 🤩
Supergirl in the 70's. The covers were so beautiful.
I guess there is rip in spacetime erasing all the men in super girls life because they only make very brief appearances and I'm starting to understand why lex luthor doesn't like kryptonians not sharing all their medical and scientific achievements by the way awesome video as always! 👍👍
This is a favorite Supergirl costume with the fringed shorts and the booties and her cape attached to her choker. She'd switch to red hot pants and mid-calf boots for her next series, The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl.
Never knew Prez had history before Gaiman uses him in Sandman
It was a masterstroke on Gaiman's part, in a single issue taking a gimmicky, short-lived 70s character and convincing the audience that he's one of the greatest comic characters of all time through sheer presentation and themes. Beautiful.
Supergirl gets sexier as we leave the Silver Age behind, but the plot lines are way less fun.
We definitely need to talk about Squadron Supreme,Invincible,Gen 13, Wild C.A.T.S and Savage Dragon!
Why? Those are all great, but why?
So you’re telling me Kandor had Mario style mushrooms that made you grow and nobody ate them to become normal size?
15:57 🎵Then I saw his face/Now I'm a believer🎵
That particular book came out just before I started reading comics but I definitely remember that version of Supergirl's costume. It's one of the few things from that time that didn't age badly. It seems so many stories back then were either written by older guys trying to be cool and hip or younger guys who thought they were
Your commentary is really funny lol
"Oh no! Nubia is dying of shark poisoning..." with a straight face. Legendary.
All these people we "never see again"........ Was this series a secret setup for an unused "Supergirl: Serial Killer" plot?
I kind of wish there was an unpublished last issue, like with the Joker series, where it turned out that all these people had been going missing and she has to save them.
That'd would've been awesome
It was her stalker! * le gasp *
He was getting rid of random people who crossed her path so she would love him!
I like it. 👍
That was almost canon: If this channel is on a Supergirl kick, then maybe we'll get a Satan Girl video!
Love your hair it's so pretty
I just discovered you on you tube, Sasha, and am enjoying your articles/broadcasts. I was 11 in 1972 and had just started buying comics, focusing on Superman, Superboy, Batman World's Finest (pattern?), but I picked up the Supergirl series. It seemed a lot cooler at the time, but then, so did most of them. They were trying to catch up to the "relevancy" that Marvel had made its bones on in the 60's, and were definitely in transition. Still - I love my bronze age runs...The artwork was definitely an improvement over the silver age. Thanks for bringing back the Supergirl memories - for me she always beat out B-girl or Wonderwoman...Now do Daring Adventures of Supergirl (1982!)
I guess you can say Supergirl first solo run was a bit super confusing
Apparently the people handling the SUPERGIRL comic book series of the 1970s must have been the "inspiration" for the Helen Slater Supergirl movie, because the movie script was quickly slapped together with no regards to storyline continuity.
3:46 I was just about to mention Basil Karlo 😊
After discussing the Zatana issue on the live stream this was EXACTLY the content I NEEDED lol :)
This Kara costume is my forever fave... I ran across the Medusa issue in my dad's collection as a kid, and it was my first exposure to the character. Hearing you run over the plot points... uh, they don't exactly hold up in retrospect. But seven year old me thought Supergirl with snake hair was THE COOLEST and was incredibly disappointed when I dug up another issue and discovered that this was not a reoccurring theme for her character.
I don't wonder what happened to Wanda Five. I wonder what happened to Wandas One through Four.
This...this made me laugh lol
...And we never saw that kitten again either.
The kitten is secretly streakys mom or dad
You know what I love about the Silver Age? How every crazy thing that happened to the superheroes made headlines. "Supergirl Turns Into Medusa!" "Batman Becomes Bat-Baby!" "Wonder Woman Marries Frankenstein!" There's never a slow news day when every hour a superhero gets into some crazy but brief shenanigan.
14:36 Comics getting the word out that some "gangs" do good and are not as bad as the government says. Some groups of people that organize.
Man, Kara really knows how to pick 'em, doesn't she?
Yup 🤣
There's a lot to process in this video, but I think "What a mess!" sums it up nicely.
It would have made more sense if Kara was the one studying Criminology instead of her classmate. Oh, 70s! Lol
These videos are keep8ng me sane during furlough! Thanks Sasha! You're the real hero.
Jeff IS the worst! Can confirm. What is it with guys named Jeff in the superhero world? The awful recurring character in the Spider-Woman animated series from the late 70s was also a Jeff!
Lol that Jeff was awful, he was always questioning Jessica and I was like but you work for her!!!
@@CasuallyComics It feels like Top10 Nerd reunion!
Interesting...... I wonder if those letters to the editor about ESP vs PSI is why they decided to name the first villain she faced in the 80s series was named Psi?
I'm so glad that I own a copy of issue #3 as well as a medium to large sized print of the cover. It's so ridiculous that you could spend a good 7-8 minutes breaking it down.
During lockdown last year I read through all the Supergirl issues from Adventure Comics through her first solo series (thanks DC Universe/Infinite) and yeah, her stories were always poorly written, and usually inked by Colletta. I had loved these in the 60’s and 70’s (yeah, I’m old) but it was so obvious that these writers just couldn’t write stories about women that weren’t just cringe.
I cannot express in words just how much this review made me laugh and smile. Your impressions are like sprinkles on a cupcake (that has extra icing).
I'm currently binging Smallville (again)...you mentioned Jeff being "her guy" when she went by Linda. That made a connection when Kara had amnesia and was living in Detroit. The guy who tried to keep her there was named Jeff, and most people referred to him as "just some guy who is just there."
Nice work, Al and Miles.
Atleast it was not: "Does Supergirl find a date? I don't know we never see her again."
First time I've seen your channel. I vaguely remember "The Borrowed Brain" but didn't see the rest. Thank you for reading these so I didn't have to. I was a kid when the Silver Age started. I bought the Showcase issue with the first Green Lantern story (so I'm old). I liked the Supergirl era that Jim Mooney drew that had Streaky the Super Cat.
3:23 Basil Rathbone was the one who invented the "Elementary, My Dear Watson." saying in the Sherlock Holmes stores. That phrase doesn't appear in any of the Conan Doyle books and short stories.
Now I want a retrospective about Prez
Yes, seriously would love that.
How is your hair always so beautiful, what is your secret!? I also love your videos, keep up the good work. I look forward to these every time. I hope one day you'll cover comics from the Legion of Super-Heroes. Love you and keep being awesome
Your presentation is as enthralling as ever my dear
I was so stoned when this came out I caught it 10 mins after and just kept falling asleep and waking up at different parts
Never read any of Kara's solo series. Thanks for establishing that I didn't miss anything in this case. I seem to remember ANOTHER series with Mike Sekowsky doing cover art, don't know about the interiors. Maybe you can choke THAT down and give a report in future.
Sekowsky took over as writer, editor, and often artist - both in covers and interiors - on Kara's solo stories as lead in ADVENTURE COMICS with #397. After being replaced as editor by Joe Orlando, Sekowski left the book as regular writer and artist in the middle of #409. Art Saaf and Bob Oksner then picked up the art chores, with Sekowsky returning for a couple of issues late in the ADVENTURE run, with Tony DeZuniga finishing it off.
THAT'S "DOMINOED DAREDOLL" (BUT THAT'S BATGIRL, ISN'T IT).
Albert Brooks also portrayed Hank Scorpio in The Simpsons episode "You Only Move Twice". Now THERE'S a worthy supervillain!
Love your Ajax impression.
The slice-of-life aspect the series tried to be at times is honestly what interests me the most, I like super hero comics but sometimes I feel its just...too much. Sometimes I just wanna read about them as people that can relate to, doesnt have to be action all the time. Its why Spiderman works so well for me as it mixes both, or at least used to more.
Yeah, I get people loving the super intricate serialised story telling, but sometimes I could use some a street level one-off and some levity. Like, I just want some escapism, I don't need to be stressed out by how objectively terrible every superhero's life is.
That was an aspect of the stories as described by Sasha that I quite liked up to a point, but they were just way too disconnected from each other.
The status quo is becoming a lost artform in the post-Breaking Bad/GoT media landscape. I see a lot of shows that setup a great setting and supporting cast throughout season 1 before the fast-paced plot, shocking swerves, and supporting cast permadeath rip everything away by the end of season 2 without slowing down to properly replace any of it.
A familiar environment and supporting cast is what keeps viewers/readers invested after the big twist brings them in through word of mouth. It's why so much fanfic for larger-than-life series focus so much on the mundane, the grounded elements resonate more than we give them credit for.
I don't think even Superman would've lasted this long without the Daily Planet, Smallville, and their respective characters for him to navigate.
Interesting that you pointed out President Prez in this. I didn't know that he first appeared in the '70s. In fact, I remember that character getting a retold origin twenty years later in a Vertigo comic. I definitely remember reading the Vertigo version in '94 or '95 in one of the very few Sandman books I got.
I kind of think Prez was inspired by the '68 movie "Wild in the Streets", about a rock star elected President.
@@johnpjones182 That sounds like something else I'd like to watch sometime.
💘LOVE the hair in this episode.
The reason the series was combined into giant books was the paper prices were causing the comic sizes to shrink. The way to get around this was to print bigger books with more than one character. Also the stories could be shorter, allowing over-worked artists to catch up on thier work.
Every story here is "New duchebag boyfriend" and "We never see them again"
These stories, characters and dialogue show how out of touch the writers were with the real world outside. Thank you Sasha!
Worth noting that while this is her "first solo series," she had taken over Adventure Comics. for a good chunk of time before that
Yes she had and we're going to look at that too.
@@CasuallyComics Nice. I really enjoy silver and bronze age Supergirl stories good ones and bad ones. collecting every pre-crisis appearance is a goal of mine.
True, but it was the first book with the Supergirl title.
Honestly, the best thing about reading old comics is the letters page.
I've never gone back and read the old Supergirl series, but from what you say the main theme is 'Don't get attached to too many of the supporting characters because you'll NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN.'
Love your, "I have questions and miles may vary". Lol😂
It reminds me of Gidget, if you've heard of that show. Sally Fields' first role I think, before the Flying Nun. I think the David character from 4 could have been a recurring villain
Speaking of Sally Fields, in the 70's she had a short run sitcom called "The Girl With ESP", with John Davison!! It all comes together!!
@@scottboswell6406 I never heard of that show. Was it a bad show or what? Why was it short lived?
@@scottboswell6406 The Girl with Something Extra
@@KaBoomStock Thanks, you're right!
@@barq6994 Someone corrected me, it was "The Girl With Something Extra", and it maybe lasted less than half a season? I'm going on 40+ years old memories. I was a big Sally Field fan!!
15:43 "enemy in southeast Asia" lmao well excuse me! 😂 But then again, fair enough, there was the Vietnam war...
16:32 This demon is modelled after the statue of Buddha omg 😂😂😂
20:56 I... Have no words for Fong 🙂
I'm so happy to know about this series! Which is good. Since I may never hear from it again 😂😂
Supergirl has great costumes.
( for the most part, looking at you New 52 costume)
I made the mistake of looking *shudders*
She went thru a phase in the early '70's where she wore a different outfit in every issue (Adventure Comics), sometimes created by readers!
Minus the knee windows and bad cape it’s okay... and now I need to flog myself for saying anything new 52 was okay
Loved your thoughts on this 70s run for my fav superheroine Sasha. Glad you enjoyed Kara as a character, even if her stories were insane LOL That happens a lot with these classic Supergirl tales were the stories are meh, but Kara is likeable and always great to see her holding her own. For some really good stuff with Kara I recommend Sterling Gates run on Supergirl where he saved her post-Crisis return or the work he did with Adventures of Supergirl, a sort of tie-in comic to the Supergirl TV show. The great thing about that one is, you don't really need to know too much about the show to like it, as they cover things well, and it's a good series of stories with some fun Supergirl history nods. Keep up the great vids!
I didn't much like much about this series, but what I did like was that it showed that she could stand on her own and that she was independent. But I do love this character, and as most of her series have have had better writing.
That gun that Superlad shot himself with is...er....uh yeah.
I see what you did with the wig there, Sasha. Nice themage. 🙂♥️
Great recap. I always loved Adventure Comics in all its incarnations.
Issue one was edited by Dorothy Woolfolk (one of the few women working in the industry at the time), but Robert Kanigher took over for issue two until the end of the run. Kanigher is famous for taking over writing duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston died, turning the title into a romance-themed comic, with Diana frequently swooning over Steve Trevor and shrieking in terror at the sight of a mouse. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that after the first issue, most of the plots revolve around boyfriend-of-the-month.
6:49 wait.
She used her heat vision on the tank, making the whole bottle, city included hot as hell, and then blow it with her super lungs creating the most cataclysmatic typhoon ever possible?
Did she just committed genocide to save her professor?
Hardcore dying is my new favorite saying,and are we sure this isn't an unofficial crossover Tony Martyn looks a lot like Tony Stark.A chinese man in a gorilla suit that old trope.
5:04 oh Sasha.....in the US, like half our undergrad degree courses are "general education" credits that are mostly useless