DC Comics Presents #86 (1985)
by Paul Kupperberg & Rick Hoberg
cover by Eduardo Barreto
This is the very last Supergirl appearance before Crisis On Infinite Earths.
Or rather, during Crisis. Because after we catch up with Superman spotting a couple of black holes…
…we have Supergirl answering a call from Batgirl…
…we have exactly the same scene from the beginning of Crisis #4.
What you DON’T see in Crisis is that, immediately after, Supergirl is recruited by Superman for a mission. Notice he gives her a couple of Telepathic Plugs ™ that are standard issue for the Legion, but there’s no footnote for it. Did he keep his own plugs from his time as Superboy?
The writers knew well what the fate of Supergirl was going to be (more on that later), so there’s subtle hints here and there. Nothing that could spoil it for people reading at the time.
But who could possibly pulling multiple black holes out of nowhere?
Thanks to Supergirl #15, we know it’s a Nazi who got powers by studying really really hard: Blackstarr.
I still can’t get over the fact that was the way she got cosmic powers.
Now that she’s not being drawn by 80s Carmine Infantino, we can finally see WTF she does.
The theme about Supergirl being ready to selflessly sacrifice herself is a little on the nose considering what’s coming.
Supergirl is convinced that Blackstarr is behind Crisis (oh you sweet child), and that is apparently enough for a team-up!
Except when Blackstarr tells her that Superman is the reason behind Crisis, he’s… not very cooperative.
Ouch. When your only relative trusts the INSANE NAZI SCIENTIST over you, that’s when you really reach the bottom.
The greatest hero in the universe, ladies and gentlemen.
Blackstarr would’ve trapped Superman into a black hole if Supergirl didn’t push him into… whatever the heck THIS is.
Once they return to the universe, however, they discover it’s shrinking.
And so the two Kryptonians fly to the opposite sides of the universe… (!!!!)
…while Blackstarr expands the entire universe!!!
Which, and I know I’m beating a dead horse, but once again I must repeat that she can do this because she studied really, REALLY hard.
And that’s the last we ever see of Blackstarr. We don’t know if she actually succeeds in reversing the universal shrinkage, but it’s not going to matter after Crisis.
Like I said, the writers did know what Supergirl’s role was going to be.
In fact, as Robert Greenberger (Associate Editor at the time) says in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition“:
Supergirl’s fate had been determined well enough in advance of CRISIS to ensure that she received maximum exposure before the summer of 1985.
Historical significance: 3/10
For absolute completionists only, but as the last Supergirl story before Crisis it does have a bit of relevance.
Silver Age-ness: 4/10
Casually throwing around black holes and expanding the universe. But there is a sense of futility to the whole thing that really lowers the score.
Does it stand the test of time? 4/10
The only good scene is the one between Supergirl and Batgirl, but I’m not considering it for the score since it’s clearly recycled from Crisis. Other than that… Blackstarr is not all that interesting and acts inconsistently, Superman is uncharacteristically brash (though I can give him a pass since he has a lot on his plate during Crisis), and overall… the story doesn’t accomplish anything, either on the plot or in the characterization.