Power Girl Reading Guide: Where to Start

Power Girl, aka Kara Zor-L (or Karen Starr in civilian life), is one of the most endearing and most abused characters in the DC stable. Superman's cousin from Earth-Two, she appeared in the mid-1970s, survived several cosmic overhauls of the DC Universe, and eventually got the recognition and solo series she deserved. His editorial career almost perfectly follows the history of DC's great multiversal crises, which makes it an exciting common thread for understanding the publisher as a whole.

For a new reader, this longevity can be intimidating: between the successive origins, the changes in continuity and the teams that take turns, it's difficult to know which way to grasp the character. The good news is that Power Girl has an ideal entry point and a very identifiable solo “golden age”. This guide offers a reasoned journey, from the best starting point to the nuggets to reserve for later, relying solely on real and notorious runs, creators and sagas.

We will follow a double logic: first an order of discovery designed for the pleasure of reading, then chronological markers for collectors who want to go back to the sources. The goal is simple: that you know, by the end, exactly what to read first, what to read next, and what you can keep for further study.

Best entry point: “Power Trip” and the 2009 solo series

If you only had to read one thing to meet Power Girl, it would be “Power Trip”, the four-part arc published in JSA: Classified #1-4 (2005) . Written by Geoff Johns and beautifully put into images by Amanda Conner, this story finally takes seriously the question that had plagued the character for two decades: is Power Girl really Superman's Kryptonian cousin, or a magical creature, or something else? The Psycho-Pirate manipulates her memories to make her doubt, and the story uses them to reaffirm, with force and emotion, her ancestry from Earth-Two.

Once this base is installed, continue with the Power Girl solo series launched in 2009. The first twelve issues, written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and drawn by Amanda Conner, constitute the modern entrance door par excellence. We discover his civil identity there Karen Starr, boss of the technology company Starrware, her complicity with her friend Terra, and a gallery of tasty adversaries including the Ultra-Humanite and the flirty alien Vartox. The tone mixes classic superheroism, humor and everyday scenes: it is light, generous and perfectly readable without prior knowledge.

Origins: from All Star Comics to Showcase

Power Girl debuts in All Star Comics #58 (1976) , under the pen of Gerry Conway and the pencils Ric Estrada and Wally Wood, during the great relaunch of the Justice Society of America (JSA). She is presented as the adult version, more assertive and more combative, of the Supergirl of Earth-Two: same Kryptonian origin, but a strong-willed character who refuses to live in the shadow of her cousin. From the outset, she contrasts with the more self-effacing heroines of the time.

To delve deeper into its beginnings, curious readers will turn to Showcase #97-99 (1978), a three-part solo story written by Paul Levitz and drawn by Joe Staton. These issues dig into his personal history, his youth and his arrival on Earth, and lay the foundations of his mythology. This is valuable archival reading to understand the “original” Power Girl, before the big crises complicate everything.

• All Star Comics #58 (1976): First appearance, within the revived JSA.
• Showcase #97-99 (1978): first major solo focus on his origins.
• Infinity, Inc. (from 1984): the natural sequel, where she joins the new generation of heroes of Earth-Two.

The essential runs, in order

Following her origins, several team-up runs established her as a central figure in the DC Universe. The first milestone is Infinity, Inc. , launched in 1984 by Roy Thomas (including Jerry Ordway in the drawing), series which brings together the heirs of the JSA and gives Power Girl a leading role alongside a team of young superhumans.

Then comes the big period Justice League: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Power Girl joined the European branch of the League in the era Justice League International / Justice League Europe, marked by the half-heroic, half-comic tone of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis. This is where his strong character sparks within a colorful group.

The top, however, remains the series JSA launched in 1999 by Geoff Johns , David S. Goyer and James Robinson. Power Girl is a core member of the new Justice Society, and the mystery of her origins becomes one of the run's most enduring narrative threads. This period later culminates in the revival Justice Society of America (2007), still driven by Geoff Johns, where she takes on the role of team leader. Read in order — Infinity, Inc., then the Justice League era, then JSA — this trajectory shows a heroine who gradually gains in confidence and stature.

The big sagas and crossovers to know

The editorial destiny of Power Girl is inseparable from the great crises of DC.Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985) , of Marv Wolfman and George Perez, merges the multiverse and eliminates Earth-Two: deprived of her anchor point, Power Girl finds herself with a suddenly untenable origin, which triggers years of contradictory retcons (in particular, she is invented an Atlantean ancestry linked to the sorcerer Arion). Understanding this saga means understanding why the character floated so much.

The crossover Zero Hour (1994) adds a new layer to this fog of continuity, before Infinite Crisis (2005–2006) , of Geoff Johns and Phil Jimenez, finally offers it a capital place. In this saga, Power Girl is at the heart of the plot: she reunites with the Superman of Earth-Two, Kal-L, and her status as a survivor of a vanished universe takes on considerable emotional weight. This is the moment where “Power Trip” and Infinite Crisis respond to each other to close, together, the question of his identity.

• Crisis on Infinite Earths: the breaking point which blurs its origins.
• Zero Hour: new jolt of continuity.
• Infinite Crisis: the saga that puts her back at the center and seals her true nature.

The Modern Era: Worlds' Finest, Earth 2 and the Revival

With the editorial overhaul in the early 2010s, Power Girl experienced a new lease of life. In the series Earth 2 (2012), written by James Robinson, the Kara Zor-L of this parallel Earth finds itself stranded on the main Earth. This thread continues in Worlds' Finest (2012-2015), scripted by Paul Levitz and drawn in particular by George Perez , Kevin Maguire and Jae Lee, where she forms a memorable duo with the Huntress (Helena Wayne). Two exiles from a lost world seeking to return home: the pitch is simple and effective, and the partnership between the two heroines is what makes the series so special.

More recently, Power Girl has enjoyed a real revival with a new solo series launching in 2023, written by Leah Williams and drawn by Marguerite Sauvage. This run reinvents the character by adding psychic abilities and exploring his inner life, his need for anchoring and his links with the superheroic family. It is a modern gateway, with bright graphics, for readers who prefer to start with a contemporary publication rather than with the archives.

Nuggets to save for later

Once the big runs have been digested, several secondary stories are worth the detour. The most pleasing is undoubtedly the team-up with Harley Quinn: after a first crossover in the series Harley Quinn of Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, the duo returns in the mini-series Harley Quinn and Power Girl (2015), co-written by Palmiotti, Conner and Justin Gray. An amnesiac Power Girl, convinced by Harley to be her teammate, embarks on a completely crazy space adventure: it's funny, irreverent and perfect for a breather between two more serious sagas.

Two other curiosities are worth knowing, more for the culture than for the consistent quality. The first is the famous post-Crisis period where it is attributed a Atlantean origin and a magical pregnancy with improbable ramifications: a textbook case of the continuity abuses of the 1990s, to be read with the eye of an amused historian. The second touches on his iconic costume - the white jumpsuit with the opening on the bust - whose design is often associated with Wally Wood and is part of the character's folklore. These elements are not entry points, but they enrich the understanding of what Power Girl represents in the history of the medium.

Where and how to read: editions, collections and recommended route

To read Power Girl in good conditions, choose the thematic collections which bring together a complete run rather than isolated numbers. The arcs cited here — “Power Trip,” the 2009 solo series, Worlds' Finest, the 2023 run — exist in bound volumes that provide continuous, comfortable reading. For older periods (All Star Comics, Showcase, Infinity, Inc.), turn to the integral and omnibus which compile the classic stories: it is the most practical way to access the origins without hunting for out-of-print fascicles.

Here is a recommended reading order to get started, from most accessible to most comprehensive:

1. “Power Trip” (JSA: Classified #1-4): the best entrance door, autonomous.
2. Power Girl (2009 series), early volumes by Palmiotti, Gray and Conner: the solo golden age.
3. Infinite Crisis: to understand its central role in the DC universe.
4. JSA (from 1999) by Johns, Goyer and Robinson: his big team run.
5. Worlds' Finest (2012) and the 2023 series by Williams and Sauvage: to explore the modern era.
6. All Star Comics #58 and Showcase #97-99: to be reserved to go back to the sources.

One last piece of advice: don’t try to reconcile all the continuities. Power Girl has crossed multiple universes and multiple versions of herself; this is precisely what makes it rich. Start with the pleasure of reading, let the successive origins unfold as you discover, and you will obtain the complete portrait of a heroine as stubborn as she is endearing.

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