SUPERMAN FAMILY 222 (1982)
by Paul Kupperberg & Win Mortimer
The last issue of “Superman Family”. While the series had been running “only” for 8 years, since issue #164, it was also continuing the numbering of “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen”… so in a sense the series had been running since 1954, or 28 years.
So it’s a little sad there is no acknowledgment of the milestone on the cover.
The story is going to focus on Supergirl having a hard time keeping a double life.
I used to think that Kryptonians needing sleep from a psychological standpoint even if their bodies don’t require any rest was a post-Crisis thing, but this isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this pre-Crisis.
Geez, Supergirl, if only someone predicted in issue #208 that being actress would be a TERRIBLE secret identity!
It’s almost like being an actress is a full job that requires long hours and a tight schedule.
If your job is such a burden that you need to SET THE PLACE ON FIRE, maybe it’s not the right job for you.
Unlike her cousin during the Silver Age, Supergirl DOES acknowledge that she’s being angry at the wrong targets…
…but honestly I’m not sympathizing with her this time. It’s not the fault of her colleagues that she’s basically treating her job like a hobby, and they don’t know she’s saving lives!
Not that I’m siding with the producer who is only interesting in her having a nice butt, mind you, but other than that she’s brought the situation on herself.
The last nail in the coffin for this particular job is that she doesn’t seem to be able to reconcile it with her superhero duties. AT ALL.
So, a little fanservice later…
(why is she sleeping with her wig?)
…and a montage of New York BADLY needing a superhero…
…she realizes moving away from the university setting was a bad decision to her character.
So yeah, next we’re going to have a look at the second Supergirl series… where she’s going to change her job and move to another city, AGAIN.
Well I suppose that if you’ve grown up on an alien planet and have already moved to another world, changing cities is not that big of a deal.
And that’s it for Superman Family! The only acknowledgment is at the very bottom of the letters page.
Historical significance: 1/10
Yet another career change for Supergirl, but it’s not like her stay in New York was all that important anyway.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
So does Supergirl always keep an ear on everything that happens in New York, or…
Does it stand the test of time? 8/10
It’s quite rushed: you can tell the ending of the Supergirl serial wasn’t planned with a lot of time to think things through. And while Supergirl doesn’t HAVE to realize she’s the main source of her own problems, it would’ve made the story much more enjoyable.
So I can kind of understand Superman thinking of himself as “Clark Kent.” He left Krypton as a baby and spent most of his life on Earth. But why would Supergirl EVER think of herself as “Linda Danvers” rather than as Kara Zor-El? She was born and spent at least 14 years on a Kryptonian city before having to flee to earth! Kryptonese would be her first language! In fact, by the time she died in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, she had still spent more time on Argo City than on Earth. I’d have loved to seen that reflected in some way, but none of her writers seem to have thought of it.