Supergirl debuted in Action Comics #252 (see scans) and starred in that magazine from 1959 to 1969. Supergirl's appearances began as back-up stories and then quickly expanded to half the issue, sharing the comic with Superman (only a few comics feature Supergirl on their cover). She moved out of Action and into Adventure Comics in 1969, taking over the lead from Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. In 1972 she got her first self-titled series, which lasted for 10 issues. At that point the Supergirl, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson series were all cancelled and merged into the new 100-page Superman Family comic (which continued its numbering from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olson). In 1982 Supergirl again got her own series, the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (shortened to Supergirl in issue 13). Supergirl also guest-starred in the various Superman comics throughout the years: see the The Unofficial Pre-Crisis Supergirl Chronology. Supergirl's adventures came to an end in 1985 with her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.
The comic files for download on this page are in CBR format. They can be viewed directly with a reader like CDisplay (Windows), FFview (Mac), Comical (all), or renamed to .RAR and extracted normally. CDisplay can automatically resize the images to fit your screen and even adjust the color balance (Configuration).
The Cover Gallery includes only covers featuring Supergirl. See the Comics Database for all covers and issue details.
If you've ever been curious about the debut issue of Supergirl in 1959, here are all eight pages from issue 252 of Action Comics. The Action Comics issues were split between Superman and Supergirl; each story was usually between 12 and 14 pages. This first story has just time enough to introduce Supergirl/Kara and have her explain her origins before Superman summarily dumps her in a down-at-the-heels orphanage, with instructions to keep her offworld origins and amazing powers a secret. What an overbearing patriarch Superman is! Nevertheless, Kara plans to watch over her new hometown as its "guardian angel".
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Download unreprinted issues: #286-305 (141 MB) | #306-323 (138 MB) | #324-342 (137 MB) | #343-359 (129 MB) | #360-376 (149 MB). Supergirl also appeared in a number of Lois Lane comics during this period: Download issues (45.1 MB)
DC Comics has published two hardcover Archive Editions reprinting the earliest Action Comics stories featuring Supergirl. Archive editions are very good quality but pricey, and only two have been published so far for Supergirl. Considering that the first two volumes together cover only 1959-62, it could be a long time before the rest of the 60's and the 70's are collected in this format, and there is no word on whether a third volume will ever be published. I prefer the 60's/early 70's stories in Adventure Comics myself, so I do hope those will be collected in colour.
SUPERGIRL ARCHIVES VOL. 1
Amazon.com
The Girl of Steel stars in her first-ever Archive collection, reprinting the Supergirl stories from ACTION COMICS #252-268 (1959-1960). Also included is the "first Supergirl" story from SUPERMAN #123 — a prototype version of Supergirl that the Man of Steel encountered eight months prior to the introduction of Kara Zora-El. Includes the original Silver Age issue covers. 7x10, hardcover, dustjacket, full color throughout. Published November 1, 2001. ISBN 1563897377. List price $49.95 USD OR $32.95 USD on Amazon and other online retailers. View scans of Supergirl's debut in Action Comics #252.
SUPERGIRL ARCHIVES VOL. 2
Amazon.com
Reprints the Supergirl stories from ACTION COMICS #269-285 (1960-1962). Stories include the adoption and world debut of Supergirl, her first romance, her first encounter with the Legion of Super-Heroes, a run-in with the Superman Emergency Squad, an adventure revolving around red Kryptonite, and appearances by Streaky the Super Cat. Includes the original Silver Age issue covers. 252 pages, 7x10 inches, hardcover, dustjacket, full color throughout. Published March 1, 2004. ISBN 1401200001. List price $49.95 USD OR $32.95 USD on Amazon and other online retailers.
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERGIRL VOL. 1
Amazon.com
Showcase Presents is a line of jumbo black & white paperbacks published by DC Comics that reprints early DC comics from the Silver Age. They provide a great many stories (over 500 pages) at a very low price, but at the cost of not being in colour. The first Supergirl Showcase volume contains nearly as many stories as the two Supergirl Archives combined, plus Supergirl's guest appearances in other Superman Family books during that period.
Reprints stories from ACTION COMICS #252-281, SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #40, 44, 46, 51 and 52, ADVENTURE COMICS #278, SUPERBOY #80, SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE 314, and SUPERMAN #123, 139, 140 and 144. 528 pages. $16.99 USD. Published November 28, 2007.
Written by Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel, Robert Bernstein and others with art by Al Plastino, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Dick Sprang, Kurt Schaffenberger, Wayne Boring and others.
Supergirl was the headliner for Adventure Comics #381-424 (June 1969-Oct 1972), but she also guest-starred in a number of issues prior to that. Covers and downloads are available for all. See the Comics Database for all covers and issue details.
Download these issues: Guest Starring: #278-376 (85.0 MB) | #381-396 (93.5 MB) | #397-411 (89.7 MB) | #412-424 (91.2 MB)
Download these issues (63.6 MB)
See the Comics Database for all covers and issue details. Superman Family ran from April 1974-Sept 1982 and primarily focused on Supergirl, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olson. The first issue continued the number from Jimmy Olson. Other featured characters included
The series was bimonthly for issues #164-#206; it went monthly in 1981 with issue #207. The early years (issues #164-181) featured one new story starring one character and the remainder of the issue contained reprints from Silver Age adventures of the other characters. Supergirl would appear in a new story every three issues during this period. Starting in #182, the book began featuring all new content and the page count was reduced to 68 pages of actual story (whether it said "80 pages" or "68 pages" on the cover). The series was cancelled in 1982 to make room for Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, which featured a Lois Lane back-up series.
The complete Superman Family set comes to 1.66 GB. You can skip the issues containing reprints of Supergirl stories or download them all. These are the full issues. Download: #164-170 (SG reprints, 234 MB) | #172-181 (SG reprints, 199 MB) | #165-183 (new SG stories only, 247 MB) | #184-190 (262 MB) | #191-198 (247 MB) | #199-207 (263 MB) | #208-222 (250 MB)
Download these issues: #01-07 (101 MB) | #08-14 (88.6 MB) | #15-23 (90.6 MB)
Download Supergirl's guest appearances over the years in The Brave and The Bold, Justice League of America, and Super-Team Family (63.6 MB)
Amazon.com: Trade Paperback
Amazon.com: Absolute Edition
In 1985, DC Comics ran a 12-issue crossover storyarc called Crisis on Infinite Earths which was designed to reduce the increasingly complicated DC superhero multiverse, which featured multiple versions of the same characters on Earth-1, Earth-2, etc. into a single, streamlined universe with one, revised timeline [see History for more detail]. The Crisis was a critical turning point in all of DC's books, and is particularly important to Supergirl's history as it was the event in which she died. Available in softcover trade paperback and in a hardcover Absolute Edition with ancillary materials (see DC book page for details). This is one book DC continues to keep in print, as it reinvented the entire DC Universe, for better or worse. Supergirl appears in issues 4-7.
LEGENDS OF THE DCU: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (February 1999) This story takes place between Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 and #5, or rather during issues #3-5. Features pre-Crisis Supergirl and Supergirl of Earth-D.
Kara returned for a six-issue storyarc at the end of the 1996-2003 Supergirl series with Linda Danvers. In this story Kara's rocket is diverted from its journey to the Earth of the Silver Age and crash lands on the modern day Supergirl's world. Therefore this story is not strictly speaking part of the original Supergirl's continuity, but represents a nice alternative view of how her life might have turned out (that is, if DC hadn't decided to cancel the series midway through the arc, necessitating a rewrite of the ending).
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| #75/Dec '02 | #76/Jan '03 | #77/Feb '03 | #78/Mar '03 | #79/Apr '03 | #80/May '03 |
SUPERGIRL: Many Happy Returns - trade paperback collecting issues #75-80.
Solo is an anthology series that was published bimonthly from 2004 to 2006 for a total of 12 issues. Each issue spotlights the work of a different artist, contains 48 pages plus covers, and is ad-free.
