Posted By Dan Greenfield on Oct 9, 2025 | 6 comments

13 COVERS: PAUL KUPPERBERG pays an ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE to the Kryptonian — and the Atlantean…

By PAUL KUPPERBERG

I kind of backed into writing Power Girl.

I felt a certain affinity for her from her first solo story in 1977’s Showcase #97 by Paul Levitz and Joe Staton. She was the Earth-Two version of Supergirl, a favorite character of mine since childhood, and she was part of a run of Showcase that I felt particularly attached to, her three-issue tryout coming as it did between a three-issue tryout of the New Doom Patrol, by Joe and me, and the Levitz-Staton-Kupperberg collaboration that was Showcase #100.

Supergirl was erased from continuity by Crisis on Infinite Earths in the ’80s, but Power Girl remained in the new, unified one-Earth DCU. In the old continuity, both were the cousins of their respective Supermen. In the new DCU, however, Superman was the absolutely, no kidding last surviving son of Krypton, leaving no room for relatives.

Cover by Mike Grell. Interior art by Ric Estrada, with inks by Wally Wood and Al Sirois.

Instead, Power Girl co-creator Gerry Conway — PG made her debut 50 years ago in All-Star Comics #58, which came out Oct. 9, 1975 — and editor Bob Greenberger devised a patch for her origin that had my name written all over it. Not only had I been the last writer of Supergirl, but Power Girl’s retconned history made her the granddaughter of my sword-and-sorcery creation, Arion, Lord of Atlantis.

Cover by Jerry Ordway

In her new origin, the sorcerer in his old age is forced to send the child ahead in time to safeguard her from his enemies. I was assigned to write the revised, post-Crisis story for artist Mary Wilshire in Secret Origins #11 (February 1987), and when it came time to work up a Power Girl miniseries in 1988 (with artist Rick Hoberg), I was tapped for that as well, which led to a series of several PG back-up stories in Justice League Quarterly in the early 1990s. And Kara was, of course, a featured player in my 2020 novel, JSA: Ragnarok.

Power Girl #1

I may have backed into writing her, but I’m glad I got to make Kara’s acquaintance and spend the time I did with her.

Here are 13 COVERS from the last 50 years (picked by Dan):

Joe Staton pencils, Joe Orlando inks

Kerry Gammill pencils, Dick Giordano inks

Amanda Conner pencils, Jimmy Palmiotti inks

Miguel Mercado

Conner

Laura Braga

Conner and Palmiotti

Staton pencils, Dick Giordano inks

Jason “ToyOtter” Geyer and Alex Saviuk

Gary Frank

Tula Lotay

Gammill and Giordano

Conner

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MORE

— PAUL KUPPERBERG: My 13 Favorite Things About KIRK ALYN’s SUPERMAN. Click here.

— PAUL KUPPERBERG: My 13 Favorite Things About THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN — RANKED. Click here.

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PAUL KUPPERBERG was a Silver Age fan who grew up to become a Bronze Age comic book creator, writer of Superman, the Doom Patrol, and Green Lantern, creator of Arion Lord of Atlantis, Checkmate, and Takion, and slayer of Aquababy, Archie, and Vigilante. He is the Harvey and Eisner Award nominated writer of Archie Comics’ Life with Archie, and his YA novel Kevin was nominated for a GLAAD media award and won a Scribe Award from the IAMTW. Check out his new memoir, Panel by Panel: My Comic Book Life. 

Website: https://www.paulkupperberg.net/

Shop: https://www.paulkupperberg.net/shop-1