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Supergirl Mondays is a weekly celebration of the Girl of Steel, who has graced the pages of DC Comics in a variety of forms for more than five decades.
This feature’s primary focus is to take an issue-by-issue look back at Supergirl’s adventures in the post-Crisis universe. From an artificial being on a mission to save her home world, to an Earth-born angel on a mission to save her soul, each Monday, before the airing of “Supergirl” on CBS, reflect on the earliest days of the incredible and winding journey of a frequently divisive, sometimes confusing, but always entertaining era for the Maid of Might.
With “The Supergirl Saga” concluded, the new Supergirl falls away from the comics page for a few months before moving on to the next chapter of her story. To that end, we use this brief pause to look for an interlude of our own, beginning this week with a look at two minor Supergirl-related “appearances” of note.
Issue: WHO’S WHO UPDATE ’88 #4
Cover date: November 1988
Cover price: $1.25 ($1.75 Can./60p U.K.)
Cover by Ty Templeton
Story: Appendix entry
Mark Waid, editor
Robert Greenberger, consulting editor, contributing writer
Peter Sanderson, researcher, contributing writer
Productionaires, production
“The Supergirl Saga” comes to an end just in time for the titular character to get an entry in the appendix of the final issue of the second Who’s Who Update series. Wedged between appendix entries for Slipknot and the Thinker, a pair of Firestorm villains so lame (#sorryshag) they merited mention here only after being used as cannon fodder in SUICIDE SQUAD, Supergirl’s entry gives a succinct overview of the origin information presented in “The Supergirl Saga.”
Like with most WHO’S WHO entries, it provides no new information or any hints about what lies ahead for the character, but does serve well to document her existence at this time in DC Comics history for posterity.
Issue: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #446
Cover date: November 1988
Cover price: 75 cents ($1 Can./50p U.K.)
Cover by Jerry Ordway
Story: “First Steps”
Writer/penciller: Jerry Ordway
Inker: Dennis Janke
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Letterer: Albert DeGuzman
Assistant editor: Renée Witterstaetter
Editor: Mike Carlin
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Supergirl’s sole appearance in the three months after the end of “The Supergirl Saga” is this one. A one-panel (splash page) appearance amid a dream sequence as Superman is haunted by the deaths of the Phantom Zone criminals. While at first glance hardly worth a mention, I think this “appearance” is important if for no other reason than it shows she is still forefront on the minds of Superman and the creators now steering the books in the wake of John Byrne’s departure, particularly Jerry Ordway, who along with Roger Sterm, will be the primary guiding hand for the character for the next year.
Next time on Supergirl Monday: Fans react to “The Supergirl Saga”!
