Action Comics 252 (May 1959) introduced two enduring characters to the Superman mythos — one a foe and the other a friend (in fact, a cousin).
The first was Metallo, Superman’s kryptonite-powered cyborg enemy. And the second was Supergirl.
“Supergirl arrived on Earth in this story, her origin tale,” noted comics historian Michael E. Grost. “It is structured partly as a mystery: Supergirl arrives astonishingly full-blown, complete with costume and a command of English, and Superman asks some very logical questions on how this can be, questions that get equally logical answers.”
Yes, Superman had met various “supergirls” before, but this one was clearly intended to stick around. And outside DC Comics, you’d had Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel’s sister. Introduced in 1942, she was an obvious inspiration for Supergirl.
“The primary function served by women was to resist the romantic advances of the superhero’s alter ego, pine for the superhero, scheme to get close to him, screw things up, get captured by the bad guy and await rescue by the hero,” wrote Bradford W. Wright in Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Your Culture in America. “The exceptions were Hawkgirl (who, despite the implied subordination in her name, served as a fairly equal partner to her husband, Hawkman), Wonder Woman, and Superman’s teenage cousin Supergirl. The Supergirl character, in particular, seemed to be a concerted effort to appeal to young girls; her stories were whimsical adventures that also featured Streaky the Supercat and Comet the Superhorse.”
“Superman is also much older than Supergirl. She can represent new ideas, imagination, and he can represent established reality,” Grost observed.
A refugee from Argo City, Supergirl would spend a protracted period as an orphan, Linda Lee, before finally being adopted by the Danvers.
Oddly enough, Salem Village, the place where the witchcraft hysteria happened, was located five miles from Salem, Massachusetts. It’s gone, and in its place is a town called “Danvers” — a name still associated with certain super-powered women.
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