Supergirl Collections for Spring/Summer 2016

DC Comics is reprinting an impressive amount of Supergirl back material this year to capitalize on the CBS series. This is a fantastic time to be a comics fan looking to catch up on Supergirl’s classic runs. Some of these collections would have seemed like a pipe dream just a few years ago.

Here is the full list of solicited collections through July 2016.

Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1

Hardcover
List price $75 USD (discounted online)
On sale June 14, 2016

Collecting the Girl of Steel’s adventures from ACTION COMICS #252-307! As Superman’s secret weapon, Supergirl must adjust to life in the Midvale Orphange. The stories alternate between tales about friends and school, Supergirl’s efforts to master her new powers, and time-travel jaunts into the far future and distant past.

Here’s a collection I never imagined would exist. A deluxe omnibus collection reprinting the material previously published in the two Supergirl Archives plus another 20 stories previously only available in the black & white Showcase Supergirl Vol. 2. I dearly hope that “Vol. 1” in the title means a second omnibus is planned if sales are favourable.

Most online retailers are selling this for 35-45% off.

Daring Adventures of Supergirl Vol. 1

Trade paperback
On sale July 19, 2016 | Available at Amazon
List price $19.99 USD, $23.99 CAD

The new chapter in the life and times of the Girl of Steel is here in Daring Adventures of Supergirl Vol. 1! Shot in a rocket from the same planet as her heroic cousin, Kara Zor-El crash landed on Earth with powers far beyond those around her. Now known as Linda Danvers in her civilian life, she fights for justice as Supergirl!

These adventures collected from the 1980s helped create the now legendary Supergirl mythology, now made famous by the hit CBS series of the same name! Collects The Daring Adventures of Supergirl #1-12.

I’m pretty stoked to see this series collected in print for the first time. DC Comics recently released the entire 23-issue series digitally on Comixology, meaning the restoration work for the second volume is already done. Yay!

Supergirl (1996) Book One

Trade paperback
On sale May 31, 2016 | Available at Amazon
List price $19.99 USD

In this 1990s reimagining of the Girl of Steel, Lex Luthor’s familiar synthetic creation “Matrix”—who mimics Superman’s powers—merges with human girl Linda Danvers to create a new Supergirl! So why does everyone believe she’s dead? And what is the secret behind Linda Danvers’ evil past? Collects issues #1-9, SUPERGIRL PLUS #1, SUPERGIRL ANNUAL #1, and a story from SHOWCASE ’96 #8.

Happy to see this reprint of the loooong out-of-print collection of the first storyarc from the 1996 Supergirl series. Does this mean DC is serious about finally publishing trades of the rest of the series? Only time (and sales) will tell.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade (New Edition)

Trade paperback
On sale May 10, 2016 | Available at Amazon
List price $12.99 USD, $15.99 CAD

Meet Linda Lee! She’s the newest kid on the block—and the planet, too! Find out how an ordinary girl from Krypton became the most extraordinary girl on Earth. And if you think life is tough as a hero, try being in the eighth grade!

Super-strength, the ability to fly and extra-speedy reflexes should make a girl’s life easier, but they only seem to complicate things for Supergirl. Life gets a lot crazier, though, when a new enemy named Belinda Zee shows up. And with girls like Belinda around, facing down super-villains doesn’t seem so bad.

A much-welcomed reprint of the out-of-print limited series. This continues to be the #1 recommendation I see for kid-friendly superhero comics.  Catch up on this series set in Kara’s first year of high school and find out who “Belinda the bully” is, as name-checked in this week’s Adventures of Supergirl.

Supergirl (2005) Vol. 1: The Girl of Steel

Trade paperback
On sale Feb 2, 2016 | Available at Amazon
List price $16.99 USD

Collects Supergirl (2005 series) #0-10, #12, previously collected in Supergirl: Power and Supergirl: Candor. #11 is excluded because it takes place after #12 in-story (that’s how badly delayed the first year of the series was).

The first dozen issues of the reviled Jeph Loeb & Michael Turner and Joe Kelly & Ian Churchill run. There is not enough bleach in the universe to scrub these issues from my brain. Ugh.


Also of interest are two Superman collections that include some notable Matrix Supergirl appearances from the early post-Crisis era.

Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) Vol. 9

Trade paperback
On sale May 3, 2016 | Available at Amazon
Collects Superman #19-22 and Adventures of Superman #441-444

In these tales from Superman #19-22, Superman Annual #2 and Adventures of Superman #441-444, the mysterious Supergirl meets Superman for the first time! Plus, the Man of Steel faces Mr. Mxyzptlk, runs into the Doom Patrol and battles Metallo! And Lex Luthor is tricked into releasing criminals from the Phantom Zone — and it’s up to Superman to clean up his mess. Plus the triumphant return of Guardian & the Newsboy Legion in a story that will impact Superman and the City of Metropolis for years to come!

This completes the end of John Byrne’s run on post-Crisis Superman and includes the 3-issue “Supergirl Saga” in which Superman meets Supergirl (later Matrix) on a parallel earth and has a significant run-in with General Zod.

Superman: Panic in the Sky (New Edition)

Trade paperback
On sale June 14, 2016 | Available at Amazon
List price $19.99 USD, $23.99 CAD

Brainiac returns to invade the earth with his ultimate weapon, Warworld, a planet-sized satellite built for destruction. With the help of super-powered friends like Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern and many more, Superman must lead the attack on Brainiac and protect Earth!

Reprint of a classic 1992 trade paperback. Features Matrix Supergirl throughout. This is one of the better crossover stories from the era and probably the best representation of this Supergirl you can find.