Supergirl v2 #13

Supergirl v2 #13 (1983)
by Paul Kupperberg & Carmine Infantino
cover by Ed Hannigan & Dick Giordano

Supergirl gets her very last costume change. It’s missing the headband that will come up shortly, but other than that it’s the look she will keep until Crisis.

Superman is not a fan.

There’s still the problem of dealing with Supergirl’s tiny clones from last issue.

And in the most brutal case of mood whiplash I’ve seen in a while, we transition from THAT to a subplot about Supergirl’s civilian supporting cast: dealing with neo-nazis.

It’s not a bad subplot, but it’s jarring to see it between the tiny clones and a flashback informing us that Supergirl’s latest costume was designed by her adoptive mother.

Which is kind of weird considering the first time Supergirl interacts with her human parents while wearing her new costume includes a scene of her flashing her father.

That’s kind of a design flaw of the skirt. Although I have to imagine the citizens of Chicago don’t mind that much. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Supergirl investigates the Nazi activities in the area, and we’re slowly introduced to the villain of the storyline: Blackstarr. She might look like your run-of-the-mill Hate Monger wannabe, but her story will go places you wouldn’t expect.

Good thing this is something that only happens in goofy superhero comics, right? Right?

This causes a riot so uncontrollable that even Supergirl’s underwear can’t fix things.

And that’s where we’re going to stop for now, because Blackstarr is going to be ABSOLUTELY BONKERS.


Historical significance: 1/10
Supergirl’s costume change. Weird that it’s an iconic look for her, despite barely lasting two years.

Silver Age-ness: 0/10
Blackstarr is going to increase the rating quite a bit, but she’s barely in this one.

Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
This is probably the first decent issue of the series I’ve come across. Nothing spectacular, but I’ll take what I can get. The artwork is still atrocious, though.