Power Girl Collecting Guide: The Complete Method

This file is inexpensive and poorly documented, which makes it one of the most favorable in this corpus for those who take the time to understand its structure.

This structure is contained in one sentence: the character was created in 1976,deprived of its origin in the mid-1980s by a decision that did not concern him, provided with a replacement origin, then reinstated twenty years later.

Numbering ambiguity: mandatory verification

This is the most important technical point of this file, and it concerns the most expensive number.

All Star Comics is a title from the 1940s, discontinued in the early 1950s. When the publisher relaunched it in 1976, he chose to continue the original numbering rather than starting from a number 1.

Consequence: an “All Star Comics #58” can designate, depending on the context, an issue from 1976 or an object of an entirely different nature and of an entirely different value.

Three reflexes are therefore systematically required:

Ask for the vintage. An ad that only gives the title and number is incomplete. This is not necessarily an attempt at deception — the sellers themselves are confused — but the ambiguity must be resolved before purchasing.

Check the printed cover price. It immediately locates the era, and it is the most reliable information available on a photo.

Be wary of bin classifications. A 1976 issue with old period numbering is poorly stored. It is sometimes found with the 1950s — which produces errors in both directions, and therefore opportunities.

Rewrite numbers: the source of the file

This is the central recommendation of this guide, and it does not appear in any other.

Power Girl's Origin Was Written three times: in 1978, at the end of the 1980s, then in the mid-2000s. Each version occupies precise, perfectly identifiable numbers.

None of them are valued. The reason is mechanical: the market identifies the first appearances, and an original rewrite is not one. The indexes cannot name this category, so they do not contain it.

But that’s where the whole point of this character lies. An individual whose biography has been rewritten three times in thirty years documents, single-handedly, the way in which a publisher manages his catalog - what he deletes, what he replaces, what he ends up restoring under pressure from readers.

These numbers are available at retail prices. This is the best content-price ratio of the entire file, by far.

Two fully complete sets

This file offers a possibility that few major figures allow: building collections truly complete.

The character only gained a continuing title to his name in 2009, thirty-three years after its creation. A second series followed in the 2010s, with a partner.

These two sets total a few dozen issues, all from periods of abundant supply. They can be assembled without difficulty, with just a few searches, for a very modest budget.

This corpus recommends this path to anyone starting out on this character. A closed collection – even without an expensive piece – provides something that an incomplete selection never provides: you can read it from start to finish.

Recognize a beautiful copy from 1976

The old part of this collection belongs to the mid-1970s, a period with characteristic defects that you need to know how to spot.

Le yellowing of edges is the first signal. It progresses through oxidation and cannot be corrected; a copy whose edges have browned will never become fresh again.

THE staples come next. The brown rust ring is not visible in a photo taken from the front - ask for a close-up view, or move on.

THE cut coupons constituent le défaut le plus coûteux et le moins mentionné. Les pages intérieures de cette période comportaient des bons à renvoyer, et beaucoup d'exemplaires ont été amputés. Ask for photos of the interior.

Le cutter offset finally, common at this time: a poorly cut copy plateaus in gradation regardless of its freshness otherwise.

On issues after 2009, none of these precautions are necessary: ​​the supply in excellent condition is abundant, and a disappointing copy can be replaced for almost nothing.

What you won't buy

Necessary honesty on this issue: it does not include no indirect key.

For most characters, the entourage provides interesting secondary first appearances—an adversary, a partner, a family member. Power Girl doesn't have one, and this is a direct consequence of her situation: her original world having been deleted, she never created her own gallery.

His entourage belongs to other franchises, with their own markets, generally much more expensive.

This simplifies the file as much as it limits it. There are no hidden leads in the supporting roles — everything is played on his own numbers.

Why this file is more favorable than it seems

A perspective, because this character suffers from a second-rate reputation which does not correspond to what the file really offers.

Three factors work in the collector's favor, and they add up.

A first appearance with triple demand. The 1976 issue is sought after for the character, for the signing of Wally Wood in the credits, and for the relaunch of a historic team. An issue supported by three independent demands performs significantly better in the dips than an issue that has only one — when interest in the character wanes, the other two continue to carry.

An authentic rarity in the old segment. Unlike most of the files in this campaign, the expensive part of this one is due to real rarity and not simple notoriety. A title relaunched after twenty-five years of interruption receives a cautious circulation, and is aimed at a narrow readership.

An intact potential for adaptation. The character was never brought to the screen in a central role. This corpus has observed elsewhere that it is the centrality, not the simple presence, which moves the odds - nothing has yet been consummated on this side.

Faced with this, there is only one weakness, but it is real: the total absence of indirect keys. The file does not diversify.

Should we graduate?

The answer is clear and differs according to only two segments, which simplifies the arbitrage.

All Star Comics #58 (1976): Yes, without reservation. This is the only number in the file where the gradation is systematically justified, and for three reasons which reinforce each other. It authenticates — numbering ambiguity makes identification tricky. It detects restorations, common on Bronze Age keys. And it makes the copy comparable to recent sales, which is essential for a rarely traded issue.

Showcase #97 (1978): depending on condition. A clearly above-average copy justifies it; a good example does not justify it, the cost of grading often exceeds the gain in value.

Everything else: no. Rewrite issues, solo series, modern stories belong to periods of abundant supply. The gradation adds nothing, except on a truly exceptional example.

This corpus applies a general rule that this file illustrates well: gradation is justified when it raises a doubt— on authenticity, on restoration, or on exceptional condition. It cannot be justified as a habit.

Three strategies depending on the budget

Tight budget — the complete solo series. The run of 2009 and that of the 2010s, in full. A few dozen issues, a paltry budget, and a truly finished collection that contains the character as he is written today.

Interim budget — add rewrites. Showcase (1978) for the original origin, then the late 1980s issues for the replacement origin, then the reinstatement ones. You then hold the real material of the file, for almost nothing.

Comfortable budget — the origin. All Star Comics #58 (1976), with mandatory verification of the year, interior pages and staples. This is the only purchase in this file where the expertise is justified.

Organize a collection without a central series

A practical problem that this file poses more than the others:nothing serves as a backbone.

With a character with a long series, the collection organizes itself - we follow a numbering, we identify the holes, we complete. Here, the numbers come from five different titles over forty years, with no continuity of numbering.

This guide recommends classification by status era rather than by title. Four entries are enough:

1976-1985, valid origin. All Star Comics, Showcase, and team appearances from the period. The character has a world, a family, a coherence.

1985-end of the 1980s, emptiness. The world has disappeared, the new origin is not yet written. Short and curious segment: the character exists without explanation.

Late 1980s-mid 2000s, the origin of substitution. The replacement version, which remained in force for around fifteen years.

Mid 2000s to today, the origin restored. The return to the initial version, then the solo series.

This classification presents an advantage that this corpus considers decisive for this specific issue: it makes visible the very subject of the character. A collection arranged by title tells nothing; Ranked by status, it tells exactly what makes Power Girl interesting.

It also makes it easier to identify missing items, by making holes appear like holes.periods rather than as isolated numbers - much more operational information when hunting in a bin or in a group.

Summary: the minimum list

• Power Girl #1 and later(2009) — the recommended starting point, the character at his best.
• Showcase #97(1978) — the initial origin, the one which will be deleted and then reestablished.
• Rewrite numbers(late 1980s) — unvalued, and yet the heart of the matter.
• Recovery numbers(mid-2000s) — the parenthesis closes.
• The 2010s series— to be completed in full.
• All Star Comics #58(1976) — first appearance. ⚠️ Check the year.

Around sixty numbers, only one of which is really expensive.

As always, condition and gradation determine value; relying on actual recent sales is strongly recommended before each purchase.

To learn more, see ourtier list of key issues, ourbest bowsand thecharacter universe.