Action #305 : Supergirl Didn't Do It!

After missing last Friday (sorry), we continue with the tale from October, 1963's Action Comics.  We've learned the reason why "The Girl That Hated Supergirl!" does so -- she blames the arrival of Supergirl's rocket from the dying Argo City for the destruction of her father's observatory.  The conflagration killed her father and left her brother paralyzed.

Supergirl has been recounting her origin in Argo City and how at its destruction, she was sent Earthwards to join her grown-up cousin Superman.

Contra the CBS TV show and other more recent retellings, the Silver Age Supergirl arrived on Earth to be a junior partner for her cousin, the long-successful Superman.  While she learned Earth customs and mastered her powers, she remained in a Secret Identity as Linda Lee at the Midvale orphanage, and was later adopted by Fred and Edna Danvers.

Now, Supergirl is narrating to a resentful Karen Blair how her trip to Earth ended.  The last thing we saw was the take-off from Argo City.

As we can see, Supergirl's rocket came to Earth in a nice- controlled descent.  It was under positive control the whole way!

(Never mind that in Action #252, her actual arrival was depicted with a little more ... um. force!  It's still purple, but the landing is a little .. less .. directed.)

But no matter how Supergirl tells the tale, Karen refuses to believe her.  As a final irrefutable resort the Maid of Might takes Karen to Superman's Fortress of Solitude,  which as we know has a handy-dandy Time Viewer.

We establish the scene of May 18, 1959, with the last seconds before the disaster.  The black shape appears -- the beam of light -- destroying the lab -- dooming her father -- maiming her brother -- it wasn't Supergirl's rocket at all!

It was an Alien Space Bat.

(Note three separate links in this phrase, folks!)

Thereby we learn that Supergirl DID NOT perpetrate this evil.  This catharsis leads the way to a possible reconciliation, as we we'll see on Wednesday.

Its cartoonish aspects aside, we must admit that artist Jim Mooney does indeed do a fine job conveying the emotions of the characters in this tale, from Karen's anger and Supergirl's puzzlement in earlier pages, to Karen's surprise in the central panel here, and supergirl's commiseration in the last panel seen.

See you Wednesday.