Published Dec 2005 by DC
Michael Turner Cover
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Ian Churchill & Norm Rapmund
32 pg, Full Color

Supergirl knows that someone other than Batman has been spying on her - and now it's time to find out who! But when her investigation leads to the Outsiders, there's no stopping the Girl of Steel! Plus, is romance blossoming for Kara Zor-El?

The history of Supergirl (real name Kara Zor-El) may actually be one of the most complicated histories in the history of DC.  She’s gone through so many weird iterations and origin changes that I can’t begin to explain (or understand) it.  But in 2004, they reset her origin in Superman/Batman #8, once again making her Superman’s cousin that was trapped in her spaceship’s suspended animation for decades.  Hence why she immediately has her Kryptonian powers (that Superman developed throughout puberty) and she’s the same age as when she got evacuated from Krypton (still sixteen years-old despite Superman having aged thirty-five years or so).

And if you get a chance, definitely read her introduction arc in Superman/Batman.  It’s so good they made an animated movie about it.  Lots of cool fights.  Batman threatening Darkseid.  An evil Supergirl. Unfortunately for Kara, that whole evil persona thing didn’t really get solved until Supergirl #3-5, written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Ian Churchill.

Baby steps, though.  First, she decides to have a chat with Lex Luthor.  If you’re not caught up on comics, this is not your grandpa’s Luthor.  No longer the zany mad scientist with a bitter grudge, Luthor has evolved brilliantly in the past few decades into an extremely capable, powerful psychopath with a bitter grudge.

Megalomania aside, don’t mess with Luthor.  He’s Superman’s arch-nemesis for a reason.  That and one more trick up his sleeve.  Did you know black kryptonite creates a second Supergirl that’s all foul and no sunshine?

Lex Luthor had acquired an upgraded version of his battlesuit from Darkseid. Forged in the Fire Pits of Apokolips, this particular armor was weaponized with multi-colored Kryptonite energy projectors housed within its gauntlets. Luthor knew that by using a Black Kryptonite energy ray, he could possibly corrupt Supergirl, bending her will to his own.

Luthor and Supergirl fought against each other in Monument Valley, Utah. He exposed Supergirl to the Black Kryptonite ray, but rather than corrupting her as he had expected, the ray actually generated a second, darker Supergirl.

This evil Supergirl possessed all of the normal Supergirl's memories and powers. As it turned out however, Supergirl's own memories were warped due to prolonged Kryptonite poisoning, and as such, her doppelgänger suffered from the same inaccurate, maladjusted memories. She believed that Supergirl's father, Zor-El, had sent her to Earth on a secret mission to kill her cousin, Superman. The evil Supergirl, completely embracing her Kryptonian heritage, sought to fulfill this psychic programming and was not inhibited by her counterpart's strong moral psyche.

With a single punch, the fight changes setting to the Justice League Watchtower on the moon.  She hits hard.  You don’t get to see the JLA fight, sadly (buy the book for that), but just know that evil Supergirl takes down Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, Black Canary, and Martian Manhunter by herself.  It’s impressive.  Finally, the real Supergirl recovers and joins the fight.

Evil Supergirl still going strong and the JLA about to take a second beating, Kara brings to fight to the one person that she knows can defeat her evil twin.  With evil Kara now outnumbered four-to-one, each of her opponents absolutely capable of defeating her, she switches her strategy.  To sneakiness.

And witness one of the coolest Superman moments in comics.  You may bash Superman for his blatant morality, clumsy secret identity, and underwear outside the pants, but you can never bash him for his strength.  The most powerful being on the planet.  Nothing better than Superman putting someone in his or her place.  Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Supergirls agree to be magically bound by Wonder Woman and take their 50/50 chance of replacing the other one.

The winner?  Duh, you already know the answer, but it’s much more fun to have it decided in a dramatic, totally necessary explosion.  Feel good stuff.  Plus, just like all good teenager stories, she even recites the life lesson she learned on today’s episode.

Supergirl is an American superhero television series developed by Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg that aired on CBS and later The CW that ran from October 26, 2015, to November 9, 2021. It is based on the DC Comics character Supergirl, created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino with Melissa Benoist in the title role. Supergirl is a costumed superheroine who is Superman's cousin and one of the last surviving Kryptonians from the planet Krypton. The series is the third series set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with the other television series of the franchise.