Back Issue #84 Preview by TwoMorrows Publishing

SUPERGIRL IN THE BRONZE AGE!

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No.84 $8.95

Pre-Crisis Supergirl ■ Death of Supergirl ■ Rebirths of Supergirl ■ Superwoman ALAN BRENNERT interview ■ HELEN SLATER Supergirl movie & more super-stuff!

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Volume 1, Number 84 October 2015 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

PUBLISHER John Morrow TM

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks

COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER John Morrow SPECIAL THANKS Cary Bates Alan Brennert ByrneRobotics.com Glen Cadigan and The Legion Companion Shaun Clancy Gary Colabuono Fred Danvers DC Comics Jim Ford Chris Franklin Grand Comics Database Robert Greenberger Karl Heitmueller, Jr. Heritage Comics Auctions Paul Channing Keefe Rob Kelly James Heath Lantz

Elliot S. Maggin Andy Mangels Franck Martini Jerry Ordway George Pérez Ilya Salkind Anthony Snyder Roger Stern Jeannot Szwarc Steven Thompson Jim Tyler Orlando Watkins John Wells Marv Wolfman

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BACK SEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 FLASHBACK: Supergirl in Bronze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 The Maid of Might in the ’70s and ’80s PRINCE STREET NEWS: The Sartorial Story of the Sundry Supergirls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Oh, what to wear, what to wear? THE TOY BOX: Material (Super) Girl: Pre-Crisis Supergirl Merchandise . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Dust off some shelf space, ’cause you’re gonna want this stuff FLASHBACK: Who is Superwoman? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Elliot Maggin’s Miracle Monday heroine, Kristen Wells BACKSTAGE PASS: Adventure Runs in the Family: The Saga of the Supergirl Movie . . . .35 Hollywood’s Ilya Salkind and Jeannot Szwarc take us behind the scenes FLASHBACK: Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 The death of Supergirl: the end of a hero and of an era INTERVIEW: Alan Brennert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Up close and personal with the writer of a handful of unforgettable comics stories FLASHBACK: The Many Lives of Supergirl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 A look at the Post-Crisis Maid of Might BONUS INTERVIEW: Wonder Woman Contest Winner Orlando Watkins . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Remember the Bronze Age Wonder Woman contest? We do! BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 The latest from the BI Bunker

BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $67 Standard US, $85 Canada, $104 Surface International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Karl Heitmueller, Jr. and friends. Supergirl TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2015 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing, except Prince Street News, TM & © Karl Heitmueler, Jr. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING. Supergirl in the Bronze Age Issue

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In the background: Cover to The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #17 (Oct. 1981), featuring “The Many Lives of Supergirl.” Art by George Pérez and Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.

COVER ARTISTS Karl Heitmueller, Jr., with Stephen DeStefano Bob Fingerman Dean Haspiel Kristen McCabe Jon Morris Jackson Publick

John Wells

She lived among the Baby Boom generation, but she wasn’t one of them. Born years after the planet Krypton’s destruction, young, blonde Kara had grown up on a surviving fragment called Argo City and—when it became toxic—was shuttled to Earth for a surprise reunion with her adult cousin Superman in 1959’s Action Comics #252. Adopting the civilian alter ego of brown-wigged orphan Linda Lee, the freshly christened Supergirl went into training as the Man of Steel’s “secret weapon” in Action’s new backup series. Nothing ever really changed that much in Superman’s world, but his cousin—not beholden to maintaining a particular status quo—was a different story. Linda had boyfriends—local kid Dick Malverne, Atlantean merboy Jerro, and the Legion of Super-Heroes’ Brainiac 5—and left Midvale Orphanage when she was adopted by Fred and Edna Danvers. As Supergirl, she went public to worldwide acclaim. Linda found a best friend in the psychic Lena Thorul (who happened to be Lex Luthor’s sister). Supergirl was reunited with her Kryptonian parents Zor-El and Alura, who’d miraculously survived Argo City’s destruction via “the Survival Zone” and relocated to the shrunken Kryptonian city of Kandor (in part to avoid any discomfort for Mr. and Mrs. Danvers). Once Linda graduated from high school in 1964’s Action Comics #318 and headed to Stanhope College, though, the forward momentum ceased. Five years later, Linda was still in college and the only thing that had changed was the artwork. In a movement by art director Carmine Infantino to reflect the more dynamic look exemplified by Neal Adams, longtime Supergirl artist Jim Mooney was forced out and replaced by Kurt Schaffenberger effective with late 1967’s Action Comics #359. The change undeniably refreshed the series and may have caused wheels to begin turning in Superman editor Mort Weisinger’s mind.

KARA’S BIG ADVENTURE Since 1965, Supergirl had headlined an annual Giant issue of Action Comics consisting of old stories, and Weisinger wondered what the Maid of Might could do with her own monthly comic book. At some point, his eye fell on Adventure Comics, a title that had the unusual distinction of being one of DC’s—and the industry’s—bestselling comic books while simultaneously having the weakest sales of the company’s seven Superman-related titles. Although Adventure officially starred the Legion of Super-Heroes, it featured Superboy—and occasionally Supergirl—on every cover and Weisinger had come to believe that it was the Boy of Steel who was really selling the book. While it still outsold Adventure, the Superboy solo comic book was losing more readers per issue. “Mort’s conclusion was that the Legion of Super-Heroes was draining sales from Superboy,” former LSH writer Jim

What to Wear? In the early 1970s, writer/artist Mike Sekowsky whisked the Girl of Steel down a reader-recommended fashion runway that would even make Katy Keane dizzy! From Super DC Giant #S-24 (May–June 1971). TM & © DC Comics.

Supergirl in the Bronze Age Issue

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Shooter told Glen Cadigan in The Legion Companion (2003), “and that the property really wasn’t good enough to hold its own.” Weisinger’s solution was to move the Legion into the back of Action Comics (effective with issue #377) while making Supergirl the new star of Adventure Comics starting with issue #381 (on sale April 29, 1969). With the Girl of Steel in place, Shooter detailed, the editor believed “that the sales would hold […] and that Superboy’s sales would rise, since it was no longer being diluted.” The swap coincided almost exactly with the tenth anniversary of Supergirl’s debut and introduced the feature’s third long-term penciler in the form of Win Mortimer. The industry veteran had been the Legion’s regular artist at the time of the transition and Weisinger kept him on the book (generally inked by Jack Abel). The Mortimer/Abel team drew the inaugural Adventure tale—Supergirl’s first book-length story—while a returning Kurt Schaffenberger was on hand for the entirety of issue #382. After that, each artist got half an issue for a short story apiece. There was also new blood in the writer’s seat. After a decade of being primarily written by middle-aged men (most recently Leo Dorfman), Supergirl’s adventures were now coming from the typewriter of 21year-old Cary Bates. A contributor to Weisinger’s Superman books since the mid-1960s, Bates had written a few Supergirl solo stories before in Action #356, 358, and #366–368, but this was his first shot at a regular series. win mortimer His inaugural installment involved Supergirl and a gang of brainwashed female thieves who’d also been infiltrated by a tough-as-nails blonde … revealed on the last pages as the red-haired Batgirl. Despite being a relative newcomer, the latter had already met Supergirl twice in Bates-scripted issues of World’s Finest Comics (#169 and 176). Issue #382’s Schaffenberger-illustrated book-lengther was a callback to a memorable 1957 story from Adventure #240 in which Superboy met a Kryptonian Robot Teacher. In the 1969 sequel, the Robot Teacher was revealed to have a pre-programed chauvinistic streak that convinced him that a female could never use superpowers properly. Supergirl, of course, proved him wrong.

Same As It Ever Was (top left) Supergirl usurped Adventure Comics from its previous caretakers, the Legion of Super-Heroes, beginning with issue #381 (June 1969; cover by Curt Swan and Neal Adams), but before long Superman family editor Mort Weisinger’s march toward retirement made the Maid of Might’s tales seem stale, as with (top right) this Luthor appearance in #387 (Dec. 1969; cover by Swan and Murphy Anderson). (bottom) Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com), original Swan/Anderson cover art to Adventure #396. TM & © DC Comics.

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“Waiting for us?” Lorelei asked. “Where?” “In Hell, baby—in Hell!!” And then Mike ran the car straight into a cliff. The story—Albano’s last on the series—also benefited from a strong art combination, one that melded the gritty penciling of Tony DeZuniga with the prettier finishes of Bob Oksner. The combo was back in issue #420 before Mike Sekowsky (inked by Oksner) made an unexpected return in Adventure #421 (July 1972). The issue opened with the rampage of a sword-wielding steve skeates woman in green who eventually rendered Supergirl comatose and challenged the heroine to a duel on the psychic plane. Nightflame, as the marauder was called, existed in a dying micro-world within the Girl of Steel’s brain and she hoped to take over her foe’s body before her home was gone. In the outside world, Linda’s boss Geoff was cradling Supergirl’s body in the San Francisco streets and focusing all his thoughts on her recovery. Those intense feelings gave the young woman the confidence to beat Nightflame and she awoke to find that Geoff had been her savior. Thanking him with a heartfelt kiss, she declared, “I can feel a closeness I’ve never felt toward any other man.” Penciled by Sekowsky from a Marv Wolfman plot, the story ultimately gained notoriety once Steve Skeates got involved. In short, Geoff’s intimate emotional communion with Supergirl had been a metaphor for the loss of her virginity. “By the time I got the finished art and was asked to add in the dialogue,” Skeates told Brian K. Morris in 2006 in BACK ISSUE #17, “things were already pretty much sexed up. I could see, at that point, no recourse but to go where Mike had gone to further emphasize the sexuality. […] I played up Sekowsky’s sexual themes to the point where the explosion on the bottom of page 15 became a way-too-obvious veritable orgasm.” If there were any hopes of further developments in the Geoff–Supergirl relationship, Adventure Comics #424 effectively quashed them. In another strong DeZuniga/ Oksner-illustrated outing, Linda was hot on the trail of a major San Francisco crime boss with the help of a confidential informant. The situation blew up when a jealous Nasty leaked the mole’s name to the mob and got him killed. Inevitably, Supergirl brought down the killers and exposed their elimination of witnesses in the “frozen graveyard” of space, but the anger she felt toward Nasty wasn’t going An Oksner Peek away. Storming into the K-SFTV offices, Linda angrily tendered her resignation (top) While it’s unlikely that anyone objected to Bob and stormed out. Primarily plotted by Joe Orlando, the story was one that scripter Steve Skeates Oksner’s playful, darling rendition of Supergirl when described as his favorite Supergirl tale. Linda’s stormy exit from the TV station was these covers were published, the sly artist’s provocative “something,” Skeates remarked in BACK ISSUE #78, “she should have done at least a handful of issues earlier. Finally standing up for herself had (more that I realized it imagery has since raised some eyebrows and chuckles was gonna) just made her an even better character, one I would have definitely enjoyed writing for.” among fandom. (bottom) Linda Danvers’ tantrum on Adventure #424’s conclusion was motivated less by a desire for character the last page of Adventure #424 (Oct. 1972) provides development than editorial fiat. Supergirl was being spun off into her own comic book at last, and new editor Dorothy Woolfolk preferred the heroine as a spunky a send-off to supporting characters Geoff and Nasty— college student. Consequently, Linda acted on a previous unexpressed “secret and sets up her titular spin-off magazine! By Steve ambition” and enrolled in theatrical school at Vandyre University just outside San Francisco. In effect, the series had flipped back to the 1964–1970 Stanhope years, Skeates, Tony DeZuniga, and Bob Oksner. with new boyfriends for Linda each issue and no real supporting cast other than an TM & © DC Comics. ethnically diverse pair of girls who made incidental appearances. 8 • BACK ISSUE • Supergirl in the Bronze Age Issue

Supergirl in Transition Writer Paul Kupperberg was in control of Supergirl’s destiny in 1982 when (top left) Superman Family was canceled with #222. This led to (top middle) Superman #376, which featured (top right) a preview of the Maid of Might’s new series: (bottom) The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl! TM & © DC Comics.

getting into the melodramatic line, the way, say, Clark Kent being a reporter or Barry Allen a police forensics expert did. But I did know enough about general TV production to fake it till I could do a little research on soaps in an effort to bring a little more realism to the work franchise. But, truth to tell, at the time I had to leave the series, I was still trying a find a pitch for a new occupation for her that would better serve the needs of the series.” That task fell to his successor, Paul Kupperberg. Already scripting Superman Family’s Jimmy Olsen strip, he was, the writer declared in BACK ISSUE #17, “the right guy in the right place at the right time. […] Superman Family was kind of second tier as far as the Superman franchise went, and I was trying to move up in the rotation in those days.” Kupperberg opened with a clever set piece that required Linda to be interviewed by talk show host Donny Hughes (a.k.a. Phil Donahue) while Supergirl stopped a mad bomber (SF #217). Higherprofile threats like the moon goddess Hecate (SF #218) and the Master Jailer (SF #219–221) followed, but Kupperberg was about to be offered the chance to take the series in a new direction.

A DARING NEW DIRECTION By 1982, anthology comic books with multiple short features had lost their appeal to a significant number of superhero fans and Superman Family was paying the price in sales. Commercially speaking, Supergirl was the only strip in the book with the legs to stand on its own, so the decision was made to cancel the Dollar Comic and replace it with a solo comic with the unwieldy title of The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (to distinguish it from the 1972–1973 book), whose logo was designed by Todd Klein. Hence, Superman Family #222’s “Stop My Life—I Want to Get 18 • BACK ISSUE • Supergirl in the Bronze Age Issue

Chris Franklin

Pose and Play Supergirl and her DC fabulous femmes, from the 1974 Mego catalogue. Supergirl TM & © DC Comics.

The Maid of Might may have made quite an impression on comic readers when she debuted in Action Comics #252, but it took her awhile to catch on outside of those pulpy pages. Supergirl would have to wait until issue #285 before Superman revealed her existence to the world, and it would take even longer for the real world to notice the Last Daughter of Krypton.

THE IDEAL GIRL Her famous cousin returned to TV in 1966 via The New Adventures of Superman animated series produced by Filmation. Surprisingly, Kara never appeared on that show, and therefore had no outside media exposure during the Silver Age. She did manage to appear in Topps’ rather strange Comic Book Foldees cards and a set of Superman temporary tattoos produced that same year. While she missed out on the DC Comics figure sets produced by Ideal Toys and Multiple Toy Makers at this time, there was a Superman and Supergirl Push Button Puppet set produced by Kohner in that fabled year when superhero merchandise flooded the shelves in the wake of the meteoric rise of the Batman television show. Although the box features a beautiful portrait of the young Girl of Steel, the puppet itself leaves much to be desired, with huge, ropey bare arms, and a very blank expression on her face. The following year, the fad had begun to die down, but that didn’t stop toy manufacturer Ideal, fresh from the initial success with their male superhero action figure, Captain Action. The good Captain could be outfitted with the costumes and accessories of comics’ and TV’s most popular heroes. Ideal utilized those licenses, and their existing Tammy fashion doll molds, to create the Super Queens. Also known as Comic Heroines, this line included Wonder Woman, the only female superhero to survive from

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the Golden Age in her own title; Batgirl, the Silver Age version then currently seen on the above-mentioned Batman TV series; Mera, wife of Aquaman and frequent co-star on The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (the Filmation Superman series’ new vehicle); and Supergirl. The Girl of Steel came in a mostly accurate outfit, and with traditional blonde hair, unlike Wonder Woman and Batgirl, whose tresses varied from their comic portrayals. Rather than her cat Streaky, Supergirl came packed with Krypto the Superdog. Frugal Ideal just threw in a Krypto identical to the one seen in the Captain Action Superman uniform set. Although the gorgeous Murphy Anderson box art depicted an image of “Linda Lee Danvers, College Coed,” only a generic halter dress was included for changes into civilian clothes. (Brunette wig not included.) While the Super Queens are considered by many as a sister line to Captain Action, it is interesting to note that the female dolls were of the characters themselves, not an “actor” doll portraying the superheroes. Despite this, they didn’t catch on with boys, or even girls, and the line flopped. The series was discontinued, and costume parts were discarded as girls absorbed the basic dolls into average Barbie fashion doll play. Boxed examples are holy grails amongst superhero toy collectors in general, and Captain Action completists in particular. The late ’60s and early ’70s were an extremely dry period for any superhero merchandise. The mania of 1966–1967 had burned bright, but apparently burned out the general public, or at least fickle toy manufacturers. There was little chance for a struggling young ingénue like Supergirl to make a splash with kids outside of comics— but that was about to change.

FROM ARGO TO MEGO In 1972, the Mego Toy Corporation introduced its World’s Greatest Super Heroes action-figure line. Initially consisting of four 8-inch representations of DC’s most widely known male heroes—Superman, Batman, Robin, and Aquaman—Mego soon expanded the line with Marvel heroes, villains, and female characters. In 1974, Mego released a subset branded as Official World’s Greatest Super-Gals, which included Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Catwoman, and Supergirl. Even Catwoman had become a media star thanks to the Batman television series, which was still in heavy syndication by this point. Supergirl had yet to crack the airwaves. Mego had pioneered the practice of using one body style across multiple action-figure lines and continued its cost-saving practices by using one face sculpt for all four females. Different paint applications and rooted synthetic hair provided the distinct features of each character. Supergirl featured piercing blue eyes and a blonde flip hairstyle, creating a convincing parallel of her comic counterpart. By the time Mego introduced their figure, Kara had abandoned her very ’50s one-piece dress for a variety of “far-out” uniforms, some designed by comic readers. She eventually settled on a version consisting of a blue v-neck blouse with puffy sleeves and small “S” symbol over her left breast, red hot pants, red ballet slippers with straps, and a red cape with choker. This is the costume Mego immortalized in action-figure form, minus the slipper straps. The first releases of the Super-Gals vary from the majority of the figures produced over the course of the line. Early figures of all four, including Supergirl, feature screen-printed costumes, with few accessories. For instance, Supergirl’s “S” insignia, belt, shorts, and slippers are all printed on a one-piece outfit. Later releases feature removable belt and slippers, a sticker to simulate the “S” shield, as well as individual fabric pieces stitched together to make her blouse, shorts, and leggings. All versions feature a removable nylon cape, although there are some cape variations made out of a stiffer and far more durable vinyl. The very small plastic slippers have haunted Mego collectors for years, as they are easily lost, due to their tiny size and ill fit over the bodysuit. Mego produced the Supergirl figure for several years, packaging her in a variety of ways. The original box featured Bob Oksner’s full-body portrait of Kara from the corner icon of contemporary Adventure Comics and Supergirl issues. Later Mego packaging featured portraits of Supergirl on the front of the package, alongside heavy hitters like her cousin Superman, Batman, Robin, and Shazam! (Captain Marvel). These characters were regularly seen on TV, thanks to the various versions of the Super Friends animated series, the live-action Shazam! show, and reruns. Except for Supergirl, that is. It’s interesting that Mego chose to add her to these media darlings. These Supergirl portraits included a reuse of the Bob Oksner art and two different headshots, at least one of which was lifted from the art of Dick Giordano. By the time the last two card variations were released, Mego had discontinued production of the Supergirl figure, but like other canceled characters, she continued to appear on the cards, perhaps to move existing stock. One of the rarer figures in the fabled World’s Greatest Superhero line is the “peace belt” Supergirl released by Mego’s French distributor, Pin Pin Toys. This figure substitutes the standard Supergirl belt for one with a peace-symbol belt buckle, culled from Mego’s defunct Dinah-Mite fashion doll line. A unique variation of the Mego Supergirl comes from manufacturer Lil Ledy in Mexico. While based on the Mego designs, due to Mexican laws, the Lil Ledy figures use parts unique to Mexican production. Their Supergirl, or “Supernina,”

’70s Supergirl Stuff

figure features tall boots instead of tiny slippers. Supergirl as drawn by Neal Adams makes an appearance on the outside of Mego’s vinyl and cardboard Hall of Justice playset for the 8-inch WGSH figures. While Mego offered many of their comic characters in a variety of formats, Supergirl only received one other figure from the company. She joined the other Super-Gals in the Bend ’n Flex line around the same time as their 8-inch figures were introduced. These were simple wireframed bendies, and were only in production for a short amount of time. Supergirl was never offered in Mego’s later 12-inch or 3 3/4-inch lines, unfortunately. Of the Super-Gals, only Wonder Woman, by then a TV star, received that honor. A replica of the Mego 8-inch Supergirl was released late in 2014 by Figures Toy Company. Supergirl in the Bronze Age Issue

A grab-bag of Supergirl items from the 1970s. Mego images courtesy of the Mego Museum. Supergirl TM & © DC Comics.

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Superwoman is not Kara Zor-El. She is also not Luma Lynai, the Superwoman of planet Staryl, nor is she the Superwoman of Earth-Three and member of the Crime Syndicate. No, this Superwoman is also not Lois Lane, her sister Lucy Lane, nor is she from a parallel world, nor is she a magical creation. This Superwoman is a time traveler. This is the story of Kristin Wells, created by writer Elliot S. Maggin.

THERE’S A NEW GIRL IN TOWN

Jim Ford

Kristin Wells was an intense, liberated woman who believed that the Equal Rights Amendment should be ratified immediately. She deplored the exploitation of women in contemporary magazines, though she chose to redo her hair every month in the fashion of the model on the cover of Cosmopolitan. Kristin was nothing if she was not “with it.” She loved disco dancing, Sonny and Cher, and was into astrology. Kristin possessed a knowledge of the Second World War that amazed even Lois Lane, whose father was a colonel in the Army. In turn she could not be bothered with politics. Kristin was fascinated by the chest hair Steve Lombard exposed from behind his unbuttoned shirt. It was as though she had never seen such a thing. She was a typist fast enough on her Olympia portable typewriter to support herself by transcribing both Lois Lane’s true-crime novel and the anonymous autobiography of Lena Thorul, a telepath whom, at Lois’ suggestion, was writing her own book, A Burden of Prophecy. Kristin Wells was above all else “outrageously foxy,” with a freckle at the tip of her nose that Clark Kent was sure drove Jimmy Olsen crazy. She rented a small but fashionable second-floor studio apartment on the Upper West Side of Metropolis. It was, Kristin supposed, “très chic.” Dozens of spider plants, wandering jews, and ferns of all sorts hung from the ceiling while philodendron, caladia, and fecund coleus jammed every other space in the room, nearly concealing a poster proclaiming “Shower with a Friend.” It was this lone apartment that C. W. Saturn, the agent of the Underworld, chose to preserve while the remainder of the building crumbled around it. He destroyed the building solely to attract the attention of Superman. C. W. Saturn chose to possess the body of Kristin Wells because she quite simply did not belong in that world. Kristin was new in town. Not as new as some, who crowded into every available hotel room during a time of unprecedented chaos for a glimpse at the very first Miracle Monday: time travelers, all. Kristin was herself a time traveler from the year 2857, a graduate student in history at Columbia University whose fellowship project was also to learn the events that transpired on the third Monday in May. No one knew why, on this particular Monday, that the people of the world felt immeasurable joy at simply being alive. They only knew that somehow Superman was responsible, and so the day became holy. It was Kristin’s genius that led her to travelling backwards several months before the actual day in May to ingratiate herself into Superman’s circle of friends,

Meet Kristen Wells Superman introduces Superwoman. Cover to 1982’s DC Comics Presents Annual #2 by Gil Kane. TM & © DC Comics.

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Andy Mangels

Global Guardian The British poster for the 1984 Supergirl movie. Collectors, take note that a variety of poster variations exist from different countries, many with painted art (see another on page 43). © 1984 DC Comics and Cantharus Productions N.V.

the rights, if I recall, to use any character that appeared in a Superman comic book! For example—and this is, of course, the big bomb—we could’ve used Batman in a Superman film! We had those rights.” The Salkinds produced the feature films Superman in 1978 and Superman II in 1980. Both were critical and financial successes, and they established relatively unknown actor Christopher Reeve as Superman for a new generation. When Alexander passed on using Batman in Superman III, Ilya came up with the idea of incorporating Supergirl into the film mythos. A November 7, 1980 and March 27, 1981 treatment by Ilya—labeled Superman III—is essentially a Supergirl film guest-starring the Man of Steel. The odd concoction drops Lois Lane, reintroduces Lana Lang, and finds that Supergirl was raised on an Earthlike planet SECRET ORIGINS OF THE FILM by Brainiac to be his bride. Superman and Supergirl Film producer Ilya (pronounced ILL-yuh) Salkind had ilya salkind have a romance (they’re not related in the treatment), convinced his father, Alexander Salkind, to purchase Superman comes under the control of Brainiac, the film rights to the Superman franchise in 1973 from Mr. Mxyzptlk causes problems, Superman leaves National Periodical Publications (DC Comics). When the deal was Earth and ages preternaturally, and at the end … hints are that finalized in 1974, the Salkinds were free to develop film projects based on Superman and Supergirl may marry! any concept in the various Superman titles. In a 2015 interview with BACK “So that script Warners didn’t like,” Ilya laughs. “It was wild and ISSUE, Ilya laughs when he tells me of a grave mistake he felt he and his Warners didn’t go for it… And at that point, okay, we went for a different father made: “With hindsight, an enormous mistake was made and I can script, which, frankly, it’s difficult to judge.” The script for Superman III say partially by me, but I think my father was more responsible. We had

“You will believe a girl can fly!” It could have been the tagline for the 1984 Supergirl theatrical film, and perhaps should have been. After all, “From the producers of the Superman movies” and “Her First Great Adventure” didn’t turn out to be quite as enticing as Tri-Star Pictures hoped. Supergirl had many of the same ingredients as the hit Superman franchise: an attractive unknown in the lead, a big-name actor as the scenery-chewing villain, and many of the same production personnel who had so convincingly made Christopher Reeve seem superpowered in this pre-CGI era. So, why wasn’t Supergirl a hit in theatres? And why is it remembered so fondly today by many fans, including the creators of the new CBS series? Success or failure, now you can get a look into the secrets of Supergirl…

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A “Physical” Role Four shots from Helen Slater’s December 1982 screen test, including (top left) Slater as Linda Lee, with director Jeannot Szwarc, and (others) Helen in the makeshift Supergirl costume with the infamous headband. © 1984 DC Comics and Tri-Star Pictures.

was much more comical in nature, co-starring comedian Richard Pryor. Although no one argues that the film didn’t please critics or audiences as much as the first films, Ilya bristles at the idea that Superman III was a total failure. “This I want to correct a bit because it did actual rental of $60 million which, today, give me a movie that’ll make $60 million and I’ll be very happy! It wasn’t at all a disaster.” But Ilya didn’t want to give up on the idea of incorporating Supergirl into the film mythos, so he decided to produce a standalone film with the Girl of Steel. In the fall of 1982, “David Odell wrote, in my opinion, a very good script,” Ilya says. “It was a bigger script. It had more stuff and it even had a cameo with Superman himself.” In it, while fighting a magical monster created by the witch Selena, Superman is jeannot injured and must leave Earth to go to the Planet of the Healers. Eventually, Supergirl saves him. “It was a bigger film in scope,” says Ilya. Odell certainly knew bigger, having recently written The Dark Crystal (1982), and he incorporated thematic elements from Snow White and The Wizard of Oz into the tone of his Supergirl story. The Salkinds reportedly attempted to get Richard Lester or Robert Wise to direct Supergirl, before another option came to their attention: French filmmaker Jeannot

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Szwarc (pronounced Zhah-no SVARK). He was a Parisianborn film buff, who says that he always wanted to direct: “It was very difficult. People discouraged me. I never went to film school. I was completely self-taught. I just saw 300 movies a year when I was young so that kind of was my education.” Making his way to Hollywood post-1963, Szwarc eventually wrote for television before finally getting the job of directing a few episodes of Ironside and It Takes a Thief, as well as 20 episodes of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. “Eventually I said, ‘This is all I wanna do,’ which was kind of risky. But it worked and that was it.” Szwarc moved into film, eventually delivering a hit with Jaws 2 (1978), which gave him some studio leverage to helm a passion project of his: Somewhere in Time (1980), a timeszwarc travel love story that starred Superman’s Christopher Reeve. “I knew [Superman: The Movie director] Dick Donner very well from our New York Kojak days, so I asked him about Chris and he told me he’s very intelligent and I told him, I said, ‘You know, I have a feeling that he really would like to do something where he could show himself as an actor.’ And he said, ‘You’re absolutely right!’ And then Stephen Deutsch, the producer, and I went to Chris and he loved the material and he

Franck Martini

Maybe it’s because of its iconic cover, maybe it’s because of its emotional impact, but one cannot forget Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (Oct. 1985)–a.k.a. the Death of Supergirl. Let’s flash back on this key moment of the Bronze Age with the involved writer and artists. To use a quote allegedly pronounced by Joseph Stalin: “When one man dies, it’s a tragedy, but when a million people die, it’s a statistic.” This is exactly what’s at the heart of this story. During Crisis on Infinite Earths (COIE), millions of people pass away or vanish. But when we picture the crossover in our mind’s eye, what we are likely to see are some of these moments: red skies, planets interlocking, the Flash running himself into oblivion, and Superman crying as he lifts the body of his deceased cousin, Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl. As Marv Wolfman explained in the trade paperback introduction of COIE, the project was a long time in the making. Initiated in 1981, it was delayed until 1985 for DC Comics’ 50th anniversary. That means the involved creators, editor, and publisher had a long time to envision the pros and cons or what were the objectives and the expected outcome of the maxiseries. Worlds would live and worlds would die, just like the ads announced. Worlds, for sure—but heroes, too, and among the body count were two key characters of the Silver Age: Supergirl and the Flash.

CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLD Dick Giordano, DC Comics’ executive editor at the time, recalled how Supergirl was chosen in his 2003 TwoMorrows Publishing biography Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time: “To give Crisis resonance, somebody had to die. The principal target, suggested by Wolfman, was Supergirl. I brought that in to Paul [Levitz] and Jenette [Kahn] […] they turned white.” To understand their concern, one has to remember that a Supergirl movie was about to be released at the time. Yet the character was far from being successful, as her title had been canceled a few months before the film’s opening. The movie did not perform well at the box office, which fully opened the door to the character’s disappearance. And possibly this could have reduced, at least initially, the impact of the event as George Pérez said in George Pérez on His Work and Career (Rosen Publishing, 2007): “All the publicity went to Supergirl’s death […] because there was a movie coming out with Supergirl. So here we are killing a character who’s just had a movie come out. I think if the movie succeeded, she still might have been alive...” …a sentiment shared by Jerry Ordway, who inked COIE starting with #4 and was co-inker with Dick Giordano of issue #7: “I had read many of the 1970s Supergirl stories drawn by the great Bob Oksner. As a character, I liked her fine, but she was not a fan-favorite by any stretch. Also, we all knew that if the Supergirl movie had been a success, her death would have not been on the table for consideration. Personally, I am not a big proponent of killing off characters, because I think every character has potential. It’s all about the approach, really.” Dick Giordano seemed to be pushing for her death as he explained to his biographer, Michael Eury, in a

The Death of Supergirl House ad for 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. TM & © DC Comics.

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The Ultimate Sacrifice (this page and opposite) We dare you to remain dry-eyed after reading this powerful sequence.

why Supergirl had to die.” But as Wolfman tells BACK not-so-politically correct way: “Let’s be realistic. Supergirl is Superman with boobs. She has no reason for being ISSUE today, his point of view on the character was quite here.” He gave further explanation in BACK ISSUE #34 different from Giordano’s. There was much more to (May 2009): “Supergirl was created initially to take advantage her than a feminine Superman: “I had read Supergirl’s of the high Superman sales and not much thought was appearances since her very first one back in the ’50s. put into her creation. She was created essentially as a I also wrote several Supergirl stories back in the very female Superman. With time, writers and artists improved late ’60s or early ’70s in Adventure Comics. I saw her as Portrait by Michael Netzer. powerful as Superman, but more upon her execution, but she never did troubled, as Superman was sent really add anything to the Superman from Krypton as a baby and had mythos—at least for me.” no memories of his home In the COIE trade paperback world, while Supergirl was a introduction (1998), Marv teen and watched her family Wolfman provided a very die. That she stayed optimistic simple driver: make Superman despite that made her an even unique again. “Before Crisis, it more interesting hero to me.” seemed that half of Krypton survived Inker Jerry Ordway recalls being its explosion. We had Superman, “in the loop” early: “I had heard Supergirl, Krypto, the Phantom Zone about Supergirl dying beforehand, yes, criminals, the Bottle City of Kandor, and though I was not involved in the story many others. Our goal was to make at all beyond inking. I was aware that Superman unique, […] the unique dick giordano it was a big thing for DC to allow survivor of Krypton. That, sadly, was Marv and George to actually kill a part of the Superman mythos. A big thing for me was that it was meant to be a permanent thing, and she would not be brought back, to cheapen the death story. Same with the Flash—that it was to be permanent. That made that story more important.” COIE was to be important—to matter—because Wolfman and Pérez’s goal was also to have a book with more long-lasting impact than [Marvel Super Heroes] Secret Wars—the maxiseries published the year before by Marvel—as Pérez explained in TwoMorrows’ Modern Masters vol. 2: “Secret Wars, to us, seemed to have no real purpose other than getting all these characters together—it was basically a slugfest.” Perhaps the most surprising element in this story is how the final decision was made by DC president Jenette Kahn. Dick Giordano gave her a handwritten note (below) with tick boxes to decide the character’s fate, a funny reminder of how things could be done back then. Today this would be the subject of editorial summits and countless emails…

From this image it seems that Kara Zor-El could have escaped her fate had Jenette Kahn seen things differently. 46 • BACK ISSUE • Supergirl in the Bronze Age Issue

It’s October 1981, and a young comics fan rides his bike to a nearby 7-11 to pick up some comics. On sale is the newest issue of one of his favorite series, DC’s The Brave and the Bold. Even with a limited amount to spend, B&B was almost always a blind buy, no matter the guest-star, especially when Jim Aparo was drawing. This particular issue—Batman and the Earth-Two Robin, menaced by Prof. Hugo Strange—looked especially like a winner, so it was grabbed off the spinner rack with no further thought. A short time later, this young comics fan is lying on the floor of his parents’ basement, ready to dive in to that afternoon’s purchase. The cover to The Brave and the Bold is opened, and for the next half hour or so, the kid is whisked away to the magical concept known as Earth-Two, following along breathlessly as the Darknight Detective is forced to form an uneasy bond with that world’s Robin, the No-Longer-Boy Wonder, to stop the aforementioned Hugo Strange from exacting a plot of murderous revenge. The story, brought vividly to life by Jim Aparo, is powerful, exciting, full of everything a superhero comics fan could want: compelling moments of characterization interpolated with brilliantly executed action scenes, ending on a note of mystery. No doubt, this issue of Brave and the Bold is a complete winner, worth every penny of the 60-cent cover price. The kid flips back to the credits page (something he usually only glanced at, if at all) to look at what writer is responsible for this masterpiece. “Alan Brennert,” he reads to himself. “I wonder who that is? I’ve gotta find what other comics he writes.” Of course, at that tender age, that young comics fan—me, of course—had no conception that people who wrote comics did anything else, so I spent the next few years on a fruitless search for the elusive series where I could read this Alan Brennert guy’s work on a regular basis. Every so often I would stumble over a comic-book story he wrote—“To Kill A Legend” from Detective Comics #500, or “The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne” from The Brave and the Bold #197—and each time I would be transported back to that basement, reliving that sense of excitement and wonder, completely confident I was about to be told one hell of a story. It wasn’t until I got a little older that I realized that Alan Brennert was writer and producer for television (winning an Emmy for his work on L.A. Law), and author (winning a Nebula for the short story “Ma Qui”), who only dabbled in comics, essentially only when he felt like it. I eventually tracked down his complete comicography, consisting of only 13 comics over 13 years. I was stunned at how consistent it was—not a single bad story in the bunch. To put it in more concrete, mathematical terms, if Alan Brennert was a baseball player, he’d be a player who only got to bat 13 times, but in those 13 at bats, he hit five home runs, two triples, two doubles, and four singles, never getting out once. A player with an average like that would have a bronze statue at Cooperstown. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, over the last decade I have gotten to know Alan and tell him how much his comic-book work meant to me. A little while ago, it occurred to me that Alan had never really been interviewed in depth about his comics work, and I wanted to change that—both he and the work deserved the look back. So in July 2014, I asked Alan to appear on my show, The Fire and Water Podcast, and he graciously agreed. As we discussed, Alan’s career as a comics writer seems to have a period at the end of it, but I prefer to think of it as an ellipsis… – Rob Kelly

conducted by

Rob Kelly

Gone But Not Forgotten The concluding—and controversial (among Superman creative personnel)—page to the Alan Brennert/Dick Giordano Deadman tale from Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2. TM & © DC Comics.a

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“Based on a story by…” Brennert’s first comic credits: the Osira two-parter scripted by Martin Pasko in Wonder Woman #231 (top) and 232 (May and June 1977). Cover art by Michael Nasser (Netzer) and Vince Colletta. TM & © DC Comics.

ROB KELLY: At the time that you first wrote your first comics, which were— you plotted those two issues of Wonder Woman, #231 and 232 (May and June 1977)—and then Martin Pasko wrote the script. What were you doing at the time and how did you get into comics that first time? ALAN BRENNERT: Well, I have to go back and explain that I’ve actually been reading comic books since I was six years old. I talk about this in my novel, Palisades Park. There was a stationary/candy store called Pitkoff’s in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, where I lived, and my friend Miriam Salten—she and I were the best readers in our first grade class—we used to go to Pitkoff’s, which was owned by her grandfather. She was in charge of opening up the comic books for the week. We would buy the new comics, then go over to her house and read them together. I vividly remember the two of us reading “The Death of Superman,” the classic Jerry Siegel “imaginary” story, and we were just in absolute tears as we read it. Still my favorite comics story of all time. Later, I wound up getting into comics fandom through Marty Pasko; he and I were among the many “letterhacks” who wrote in to Julie Schwartz’s letters columns; I happened to mention his name in a letter to Justice League, and he contacted me. It turned out we were both living in New Jersey, in towns that were roughly adjacent to one another, Haledon and Clifton. He sent me this letter and asked, “Hey, how’d you like to get together with another enthusiastic fan and do a fanzine?” So we published a fanzine together, called Fantazine, which ran for four issues from 1970–1971, and soon I was off to college in California and Marty went to college at Northwestern outside Chicago. But by 1976, Marty had come back to New York and was working as a professional comic-book writer. I was a professional science-fiction writer; I had published a number of stories in SF magazines and anthologies and was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1975. I was making a living—sort of—off my fiction, and also from working part-time at Richard Kyle’s comics/science-fiction bookstore in Long Beach. But even so, I was a starving student and I could always use money. Marty knew that and offered me the opportunity to plot a comic book for him, for which I’d get paid a hell of a lot more than I was getting paid from the SF stories I was selling. [both laugh] So I plotted what was originally going to be a Superman story but wound up getting repurposed into a Wonder Woman story when Marty took over writing that book. It happened to fall in the period after the Wonder Woman TV show (set in World War II) debuted, and DC had switched the comic-book continuity to that of the Earth-Two Wonder Woman—allowing me to insert the Justice Society of America, [Rob laughs] a group I’d loved ever since they were reintroduced in the Silver Age (but more about that later). Anyway, it was essentially a very kind gesture on Marty’s part to get me a little bit of extra money. Flash forward: A few years later I broke into television writing, and one of my earliest pitch meetings was at Star Trek Phase II, an abortive attempt to relaunch Star Trek as a weekly syndicated series. KELLY: Right. BRENNERT: I came close to selling them a story I called “Eclipse of Reason”—involving the Medusans from the original series episode “Is There in Truth No Beauty?”— when the whole project fell apart and morphed into Star Trek: The Motion Picture. But I still had this story outline, and around 1980 or ’81, Marty was working on Marvel’s Star Trek comic and needed a plot for his next issue, so I was able to return the favor. I said, “Hey, I’ve got this. What do you think?” And he liked it and used it. KELLY: Now it makes sense! BRENNERT: And that’s how we wound up collaborating. (We also collaborated on a Fantasy Island episode a couple of years later, but that’s another story.) KELLY: I always wondered how you ended up doing [Marvel’s] Star Trek #12 (Mar. 1981). It just seemed random… why that issue of Star Trek? BRENNERT: And it’s been reprinted in a really shoddy trade paperback recently, too. KELLY: Really? Oh, geez. BRENNERT: Yes. IDW came out with a reprint of all the Marvel Star Treks, and none of us who wrote or drew those issues got any payment for it. And to add insult to injury, Marvel’s plates most have been, like, horribly deteriorated, because it was the worst reproduction that you’ve ever seen in a comic-book trade paperback. KELLY: It’s a good story. I reread it not that long ago and it reads like a classic episode of Star Trek. I definitely feel like I could have watched that in 1968 with all the actors. It has that feel to it. Supergirl in the Bronze Age Issue

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Crisis on Infinite Earths may have been the end of Kara Zor-El as readers and fans originally knew her, but Supergirl’s adventures were just beginning as a new DC Universe was emerging from the ashes of Marv Wolfman and George Pérez’s classic. This article will examine the life and times of Supergirl in post-Crisis DC Comics in and out of the four-color panels. DC Comics’ characters went through some major shake-ups after Crisis on Infinite Earths. The main three heroes—Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman—and their “families” seemed to be the most affected by the creation of the new post-Crisis universe. This is especially true of Supergirl, who had gone through some significant transformations throughout the mid-1980s and beyond.

NEW GIRL IN TOWN

James Heath

The 1986 reboot of Superman brought about great changes in the character, supporting cast, and titles. One of the biggest rules set up by DC was that Superman must be the sole survivor from Krypton in the post-Crisis DC Universe. However, John Byrne, who was working on the Man of Steel’s titles alongside Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, and Dick Giordano, felt something needed to be done with Supergirl. According to his website FAQs, Byrne didn’t think DC should let the copyright on the Supergirl name slip away. Thus, he went to work on a new storyline for the Maid of Might. However, this Supergirl would not be Kal-El’s cousin from Krypton. Beginning with a cameo in Superman #16 (Apr. 1988) and continuing in scenes in #19 and 20 and Adventures of Superman #441 and 442, an unknown woman in a costume similar to that of the Last Son of Lantz Krypton appears in Antarctica. She has no memory of who she is Photo by Corey Bond. beyond the fact that she is Supergirl. She needs to escape a laboratory to complete her mission. After using her superhuman strength on the doctors studying her, the mysterious Maid of Might flies to Smallville, a place familiar to her, yet different. Supergirl knows only one thing for sure: She must find Superman. It should be noted that there had been some confusion about this new Supergirl. Some panels showed her as a blonde, while others had her with red hair. John Byrne stated that it was a coloring error. However, Byrne would eventually use that mistake to his advantage when he revealed the new Supergirl could change shape. She had taken the form of redjohn byrne head Lana Lang. In fact, she was Lana Lang. “But Lana Lang was never Supergirl,” you say, and in a sense, you’re right. To understand this new Supergirl’s origins, one must go back a bit in John Byrne’s stories. Clark Kent never became Superboy before growing into Superman in post-Crisis continuity. This would cause problems in the Legion of Super-Heroes book, as the team often shared adventures with the Boy of Steel. Enter the Time Trapper. He had created a “Pocket Universe” where the Legion could travel to the past. This dimension was much like the pre-Crisis comics, except the other DC superheroes did not exist. Superboy was this world’s only protector until he died defending it from the Time Trapper’s nefarious schemes. [Editor’s note: See BACK ISSUE #68 for the Time Trapper’s history.] Superboy’s demise left the Pocket Universe without a Superman. That dimension’s Lex Luthor is desperate to help somehow. He finds the Boy of Steel’s secret laboratory and is duped into freeing three villains—General Zod, Zaora, and Quex-Ul—from the Kryptonian prison called the Phantom Zone. The result of the trio’s trickery is the near-

She’s Back…! …sorta. Matrix/Supergirl punches her way into post-Crisis continuity in John Byrne’s Superman vol. 2 #21 (Sept. 1988). TM & © DC Comics.

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Lana, is that you? The Man of Steel meets the Maid of Might in this panel from John Byrne’s Superman #21. TM & © DC Comics.

genocide of all life on the Pocket Earth. Only a handful of rebels led by Lex Luthor remain. His fellow soldiers need an edge. Lex creates a new Supergirl from shape-changing protomatter using Lana Lang, a familiar face to Superman, as a genetic pattern. She is sent to the post-Crisis DC Universe to enlist the aid of its Last Son of Krypton, who arrives to find the Pocket Earth decimated. Zod eventually exterminates many of Luthor’s rebels, leaving only Luthor (who later dies), a severely injured Supergirl (who has reverted to a protomatter state), and Superman. The Man of Steel is forced to carry out Lex’s last desperate plan to save both the Pocket and post-Crisis Universes. Taking debris from Superboy’s demolished lab and using Gold Kryptonite, Superman creates a prison to hold the powerless Phantom Zone villains. He traps the three villains and commits an act that goes against his very beliefs: He uses Green Kryptonite to kill Zod, Zaora, and Quex-Ul. They had threatened to slaughter everyone on Superman’s Earth, leaving the Caped Wonder no other choice. However, Kal-El is haunted by his taking three lives as he brings the recuperating Supergirl back with him to his dimension.

THE MATRIX HAS YOU After “The Supergirl Saga,” John Byrne left the Superman titles and Roger Stern took over writing chores on Superman and Action Comics, the latter of which became a weekly anthology book. Jerry Ordway was doing double duty writing and penciling Adventures of Superman. Stern, according to Byrne, had come up with the “Matrix” angle and progressed Supergirl’s story from where Byrne had left off. Stern, however, tells BACK ISSUE that Byrne had already established the origin of this new Supergirl. “Jerry Ordway and I just built upon the foundations that John set up. I don’t remember which of us first had the Kents refer to her as ‘Mae’ [for Matrix]; it was probably Jerry.” Matrix is in scenes throughout Superman and Adventures of Superman, Martha and Jonathan Kent teaching her the ways of this new world. Yet it’s a bit of a challenge because her child-like enthusiasm often caused more chaos for her new family. One such case occurred while Superman had exiled himself in space. Clark Kent had written some incriminating articles on Intergang and had the Kents mail two pieces a week to the Daily Planet. Most people think Clark was murdered in his Metropolis apartment by the criminal organization. As Matrix becomes obsessed with becoming like Clark to the point of taking his likeness, Jonathan tells a phoning reporter that his son is actually staying at the Kent Farm. Metropolis Police Special Crimes Unit Captain Maggie Sawyer offers to escort Clark back to Metropolis. However, Mae has beaten the law to the punch. She’s already there “as” Clark with all his belongings. He/she is mugged, is in a barroom brawl, and eats a lot of Big Belly Burgers while making friends with Jimmy Olsen, who finds “Clark” wandering the streets alive and well. Olsen and Kent’s colleagues believe that Clark’s strange behavior is caused by amnesia. Booster Gold creator Dan Jurgens became part of the Superman family’s creative teams as Matrix learns of Clark Kent’s life while the Man of Steel faced his personal demons and various aliens in space. He began his run with a guest stint in a Superman #29 and Adventures of Superman #452 tale called “Word Bringer.” Jurgens would become the writer and artist for the books’ most important 1989–1999 Superman stories, including the highly publicized and hugely popular “The Death of Superman.” Upon Superman’s return to Earth, there were some dan jurgens changes going on both in the comics and behind the scenes. Action Comics returned to monthly status with issue #643. George Peréz, who wrote and inked portions of Action Comics Annual #2, was on board Action for scripts and breakdowns (Roger Stern became Action’s co-writer with #644). Action Comics #643 (July 1989), named “Superman on Earth” after an episode of the 1952–1958 television series The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves, saw Kal-El return to his adopted planet. However, Superman’s homecoming was not an easy or quiet one as Adventures of Superman #457 and this and the next issue of Action would reveal.

68 • BACK ISSUE • Supergirl in the Bronze Age Issue

conducted December 28, 2013 by

Shaun Clancy

transcribed by Steven Thompson

SHAUN CLANCY: I write for a comic-book magazine callled BACK ISSUE, a n d w h a t w e d o i s s p e c i a l i z e i n s t o r i e s a b o u t t h e c o m i c b o o k s f ro m the 1970s and ’80s. You’re listed in one of the comics as the g r a n d - p r i z e w i n n e r o f t h e Wo n d e r Wo m a n c o n t e s t o f 1 9 7 9 , w h i c h w a s s u p p o s e d t o h a v e b e e n a n a l l - e x p e n s e s - p a i d Wo n d e r Wo m a n weekend in New York for two including an afternoon at DC’s offices. Arre you that same person? I am that same person. ORLANDO WATKINS: T p how the CLANCY: Cool! So do you remember anything about that trip, contest happened, what you did to win, anything like that? WATKINS: I think the original prize was to appear in an episode off the Wonder Woman television show.. CLANCY: Oh, that’ at’’s right. That’’s the reason you first wrrote in? WATKINS: You had to write a story—a storyline, really—about what s de you wanted Wonder Woman to do, how you envisioned an episo IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PREVIEW, of Wo onder Woman. But, of course, by the time they announced the CLICK THE LINK TO ORDER THIS winners—the silly thing’s canceled! [both laugh] ISSUE IN PRINT OR DIGITAL FORMAT! CLANCY: Did they inform you ahead of tim me that you were in the running, or did they just announce out of the clear blue that you had won? WATKINS: They just announced out of the clear blue that I had won on. CLANCY: How did they notify you? WATKINS: By phone, actually. I remember very clearly earlyy, I was at ho omee. I’d come home from school—I was a freshman in high school and they just called my house. CLANCY: And do you remember at DC who made the call? WATKINS: No. CLANCY: What did they tell you on that phone call? WATKINS: They just told me that I’d won the Wonder Woman n con contestt and that I’d won an all-expenses-paid trip to New York and a tour of DC Comics. CLANCY: How many people werre able to accompany you? WATKINS: It was originally only supposed to be two, but they made arrangements for my entire family to go—my mother, my father,, my BACK ISSUE #84 little sisterr, and myself. “Supergirl in the Bronze Age!” Her 1970s and 1980s adventures, including her death Crisis on Infinitees Earths many rebirths. CLANCY: Did you take a lot of picturres orinany pictur of and theherevent? Plus: an ALAN BRENNERT interview, behind the scenes of the Sum, isbSuperwoman?, ut I do haand WATKINS: You know, I’d havpergirl e tomovie chestarring ck wHELEN ith mSLATER, y moWho vea with a letter r. Ski Show. With PAUL KUPPERthe original letter. They followed look atup the DC Superheroes Water BERG, omELLIOT an wMAGGIN, as oneMARV of tWOLFMAN, CLANCY: So, was Wonder W he comiplus cs ayjam oucover were recreation of ADVENTURE COMICS #397! following at the time, or you werre following the TV series? Which was pages) $8.95 it? How did you hear about the contest?(84 FULL-COLOR (Digital Edition) $3.95 WATKINS: It was the comic book. There was an actual ad for it in the http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1210 Wonder Woman comic book. I had a buddy of mine who used to work ork at a little store in the neighborhood and he used to have a ton of co omicc books. He’s the one that kind of actually got me into ’em. I was not really into Wonder onde Woman, but he had ’em so I read some of his. I was more into Superman, Batman, like that. CLANCY: Was this the only contest you participated in? WATKINS: Yeah, it was, and it actually sort of convinced me to w write more. And I did. Journalism was my majorr, but I never followed that th t career path. It helped to convince me that journalism was gonna be myy major. I could write. When I had got to New York, they sat me down and told me that my entire story frame was about stealing oil from the Alaskan pipeline ne and introduced the Wonder Woman snowmobile that I put into o the story, but that their writers were pretty much working on the ssamee pent thing, writing the same thing. We went to the artists’ area and spent o me some time there listening to the Wonder Woman artist explain to that I had won because the story I sent in was almost identical to someome thing they were also working on. CLANCY: [laughs hss] Did you ever see that storyline in print?

You’rre a Wonderr, Orlando Watkins! atkin The announcement of the Wonder Woman om contest winners, from a DC house ad. TM & © DC Comics.

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