Supergirl v2 #14 (1983)
by Paul Kupperberg & Carmine Infantino
cover by Gil Kane
Blackstarr is actually a very serious villain, but it’s hard not to find her a little silly when her name is “Blackstarr”.
She’s one of the few things worse than a Nazi. She’s a Nazi with superpowers.
She’s using her phenomenal cosmic powers to do… something to Supergirl. Other than clearly giving her a wedgie, that is.
Hilariously, Supergirl isn’t interested in the slightest in her backstory.
Still, Blackstarr is quite the powerhouse.
She teleports away, and Supergirl continues to show little interest in her story.
Blackstarr is not as silly as the Tiny Supergirl Clones, but it’s still jarring to have the storyline intersect with the subplot about neo-Nazis.
But the two plots converge when Supergirl’s elderly friend realizes that Blackstarr is actually her daughter, who was presumed dead during the Holocaust.
Still, this is a 1983 story so the years don’t exactly add up.
(we will later learn Blackstarr can look however she wants)
I should probably mention that Supergirl’s relationship with the conductor has been going on for several issues. He’s still incredibly boring, but hey, as long as she’s happy.
Did I mention the mood whiplash of this entire saga?
This understandably gets Supergirl very angry at Blackstarr, who we learn owes her superpowers to studying really really hard.
THAT’S NOT HOW GRAVITY WORKS!!!
Who taught you science, Supergirl!? The Top?
Little known fact: the forces of nature are weak against being kicked in the face.
And we end with the cliffhanger of Blackstarr recognizing her mother.
Supergirl v2 #14 (1984)
by Paul Kupperberg & Carmine Infantino
Okay, “Blackstarr” is already a stupid name. You don’t have to double down with “Starrfall”.
Blackstarr does recognize her mother, who she thought died in Auschwitz.
At least Supergirl is honest enough to recognize she really sucks at the whole secret identity thing.
Blackstarr disappears again, and Supergirl tries to save her secret identity while talking about the holocaust with the old woman.
There’s an interesting parallel with the loss of Krypton; I think avoiding to go into the details was a big choice… it would’ve been too much to really push the comparison between a real life tragedy and the loss of a fictional place.
Probably the most unrealistic thing about this series is that Supergirl’s professor has not been fired. There’s being messy and there’s THIS absurdity:
We continue the extreme mood whiplash with Blackstarr giving her her origin story, about being adopted by a Nazi and blaming her mother.
Okay, that explains why she’s a Nazi. But she wasn’t kidding about gaining superpower by studying!
Supergirl is able to find Blackstarr, and the two begin an extended fight… SOMEWHERE.
If we are to believe the captions, Blackstarr might just be the most powerful villain Supergirl has ever faced.
In fact, Blackstarr is SO powerful that the gravity she generates creates several black holes (!!!!) that eventually destroy her.
Apparently the fight took place “at the center of the Universe”. Since this is pre-Crisis, wasn’t that supposed to be the location of Oa, the headquarters of the Guardians Of The Universe?
And so we end with Supergirl visiting Blackstarr’s mother to… uh.
I actually have no idea what this finale is supposed to mean.
Blackstarr is presumed dead in this story, but she will return once more… in the very last Supergirl story that is set before Crisis Of Infinite Earths.
Historical significance: 2/10
Blackstarr does have the tiniest bit of significance for being the last villain Supergirl fights before the Anti-Monitor.
Silver Age-ness: 5/10
A mixed back. The origin of Blackstarr’s powers is gloriously Silver Age… but everything else is WAY too serious, so it balances out.
Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
This is way, WAY better than previous issues. Blackstarr is a genuinely interesting and threatening villain, more complex than you would think “Nazi with powers because she studied really hard”. The heavy subject matter is treated seriously, and Infantino does come up with some crazy visuals during the final big fight.
That being said… the ending is very weak, and and even if the fight is interesting the artwork is still overall atrocious.