How closely do you want/need the tone of superhero TV shows to mirror “real life” and why?

As far as mirroring what is going on in society, I don't really see a problem with that....comics have been doing that for decades....probably some of the most political pieces of literature today are comics.

But, as far a a girl who can fly, kick arse, and whatever else they need her to do.....be fantastic, go big or go home.

I DO HOWEVER, think the writing needs to be consistent however, and in how all of this relates to the Supergirl series, as far a Kara's powers, the writing has been all over the place.

IMHO, the writers should have sat down and said....ok, this is what can really hurt Kara, this is what she can overcome, this is what will put her out of the game for awhile, this is what humans can do, this is what Kryptonians can do, this is what other aliens can do to Kara....and then try and stay as consistent as possible.

Case in point.....Supergirl vs. Superman Kara doesn't even have a bloody nose, YET, according to Superman he was at full power.

Supergirl vs. Reign Kara is beaten to a bloody pulp....

Where did they go wrong? Astra, Non and Superman should have brought blood if Reign is going to be able to do to her what she did....

Humans however should hit Kara and it bounce off like they just hit a brick wall, and yet we know this has not happened either....humans have put Kara on the floor.

UNLESS at some point, we find out that actually Reign is a Kryptonian on crack.....then what has happened can pass as reality in this fantastical world of Supergirl. I tend to....in my own head.....go with the answer that Reign is a Kryptonian on crack.

So, in closing......with the fantastical there has to be some reality in consistency.

In the comics, Reign is a bio-engineered weapon. Stronger than Kryptonians, and unable to be defeated by them. However, she doesn't have the Kryptonian power set (no heat vision or x-ray vision)

For the show, they've gone as far as saying Reign was created, as opposed to born. But they haven't really explored what that means, yet. Her powers may mirror those of a normal Kryptonian, but based on her being engineered and not "born", per say, I think it's reasonable to say that, in terms of sheer physical strength and the intensity of her powers, she may be superior to normal Kryptonians such as Supergirl and Superman. Perhaps vastly so.

This post may belong in the "Reign" thread. But in the comics, only another Worldkiller could kill another Worldkiller, and Reign was just one of multiple. Each Worldkiller's power set was different. They've clearly gone a different route with the show. Reign may be the only Worldkiller. We shall see!

"For me I do need the characters to be grounded in reality. By that I mean in order for me to really enjoy a show the characters need to emotionally react in ways that are understandable to me. I have no problem suspending my disbelief to allow that an alien from the planet Krypton lives on Earth and has fantastic superpowers as long as she has an understandable emotional reaction to a given situation. Even if the situation itself is totally unrealistic as long the characters have what to me is an understandable emotional reaction to that situation I can forgive the occasional plot hole or fridge logic issues."

Yes, I agree. And that's what I like most about this show (and have been striving to duplicate in my own Supergirl fan fiction stories).

"I DO HOWEVER, think the writing needs to be consistent however, and in how all of this relates to the Supergirl series, as far a Kara's powers, the writing has been all over the place.

IMHO, the writers should have sat down and said....ok, this is what can really hurt Kara, this is what she can overcome, this is what will put her out of the game for awhile, this is what humans can do, this is what Kryptonians can do, this is what other aliens can do to Kara....and then try and stay as consistent as possible."

Totally agree - I noticed this sort of inconsistency way back in Season 1. In the Toyman episode ("Childish Things" ), Kara couldn't even fly out of a vat of quicksand without freezing it first. (In the old TV westerns, one cowboy was always able to pull another out of quicksand with just a lasso!) Then in the season finale, she was able to fly Fort Rozz (which had to weigh at least 10 tons) into space all by herself.

When I started writing my own Supergirl fan fiction (around that time), I made sure not to repeat this tendency, but to keep Kara's power level (and weaknesses) as consistent as possible.

"Not too closely, Supergirl to me is pure fantasy and a part of that is my personal preference for a lighter tone (1 of the reasons I enjoyed Season 1 so much) that I feel matches my ideal version of the character. "

Which for me is the Silver and Bronze Age Supergirl...

"I look for escapism with a show like this and the moments I enjoy the absolute most are watching Supergirl being Super which are all fantasy and not based in reality."

Exactly - that's the way I feel about it, too!

With any story - whether it's a supehero TV show or a fantasy/sci-fi film - the audience must have "empathy" towards the hero(ine). How is she/he like us? How can I connect his/her troubles to my life? (death of a loved one, family, relationship problems, career issues, etc.). Supergirl has done a very effective job of balancing the lighter and more serious tones, especially when it comes to Kara and her story (and really, who is more likable than Kara? Thank you Melissa Benoist)

That being said, just don't like season three. The darker tone turns me off. In particular, throughout season one and two, so many people on comic/movie-type websites/forums (though not Supergirl.TV) routinely criticized "Supergirl" for being too light in tone, juvenile, immature, etc. etc. And now many of those critics have now done an about face.They're praising the show for being more "real," more "adult" and "sophisticated." And what changed their minds? Reign savagely beating Kara/Supergirl. I don't need to see our heroine beaten, bruised and bloodied to suddenly see the show as "relevant." I thought Cadmus and Lena Luthor hit the perfect villainous tone in season two; and the worst Lena did was to take Kara's blood. To be fair, I enjoyed season 6 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which was equally dark (like Kara, Buffy was brutally defeated by the villain; and struggled to regain her confidence in subsequent episodes), but balanced it all with humor and heart.

With any story - whether it's a supehero TV show or a fantasy/sci-fi film - the audience must have "empathy" towards the hero(ine). How is she/he like us? How can I connect his/her troubles to my life? (death of a loved one, family, relationship problems, career issues, etc.). Supergirl has done a very effective job of balancing the lighter and more serious tones, especially when it comes to Kara and her story (and really, who is more likable than Kara? Thank you Melissa Benoist)

That being said, just don't like season three. The darker tone turns me off. In particular, throughout season one and two, so many people on comic/movie-type websites/forums (though not Supergirl.TV) routinely criticized "Supergirl" for being too light in tone, juvenile, immature, etc. etc. And now many of those critics have now done an about face.They're praising the show for being more "real," more "adult" and "sophisticated." And what changed their minds? Reign savagely beating Kara/Supergirl. I don't need to see our heroine beaten, bruised and bloodied to suddenly see the show as "relevant." I thought Cadmus and Lena Luthor hit the perfect villainous tone in season two; and the worst Lena did was to take Kara's blood. To be fair, I enjoyed season 6 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which was equally dark (like Kara, Buffy was brutally defeated by the villain; and struggled to regain her confidence in subsequent episodes), but balanced it all with humor and heart.

Do you read the Supergirl comics, because Reign did that exact thing to Kara in the comics.

As far as "Buffy" I have to totally disagree. The first few years of Buffy were fun, but the last 5 were very dark, extremely dark in fact. I did not see any kind of balance in those last few years of "Buffy".

Supergirl has pulled from various iterations throughout these past few years, and it is now pulling heavily from the New 52....

With any story - whether it's a supehero TV show or a fantasy/sci-fi film - the audience must have "empathy" towards the hero(ine). How is she/he like us? How can I connect his/her troubles to my life? (death of a loved one, family, relationship problems, career issues, etc.). Supergirl has done a very effective job of balancing the lighter and more serious tones, especially when it comes to Kara and her story (and really, who is more likable than Kara? Thank you Melissa Benoist)

That being said, just don't like season three. The darker tone turns me off. In particular, throughout season one and two, so many people on comic/movie-type websites/forums (though not Supergirl.TV) routinely criticized "Supergirl" for being too light in tone, juvenile, immature, etc. etc. And now many of those critics have now done an about face.They're praising the show for being more "real," more "adult" and "sophisticated." And what changed their minds? Reign savagely beating Kara/Supergirl. I don't need to see our heroine beaten, bruised and bloodied to suddenly see the show as "relevant." I thought Cadmus and Lena Luthor hit the perfect villainous tone in season two; and the worst Lena did was to take Kara's blood. To be fair, I enjoyed season 6 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which was equally dark (like Kara, Buffy was brutally defeated by the villain; and struggled to regain her confidence in subsequent episodes), but balanced it all with humor and heart.

Do you read the Supergirl comics, because Reign did that exact thing to Kara in the comics.

As far as "Buffy" I have to totally disagree. The first few years of Buffy were fun, but the last 5 were very dark, extremely dark in fact. I did not see any kind of balance in those last few years of "Buffy".

Supergirl has pulled from various iterations throughout these past few years, and it is now pulling heavily from the New 52....

To be honest, I actually hated season six of Buffy because it was so dark. I wanted the show to retain that fun "Scooby gang" vibe from earlier seasons. However, I watched season 6 again, around ten years later. I watched the season start to finish in about two days (Netflix). I could intellectually and emotionally appreciate what the show was trying to do with Buffy's arc this time around; and some of the humor stood out, because I had seen the episodes before. So it might be the same for Supergirl S3. Watch it again in a few years - when I'm not upset with the dark tonal shift - and enjoy it for what it's trying to accomplish. And "no," don't read the Supergirl comics. Just enjoy the TV show.

"The place of women in the world, acceptance of other cultures and races, giving to others to your own detriment, are all issues that seem to me to be inextricably wired into the story of this Supergirl (not read the comics I am afraid)."

Yes, those have been major themes in the Supergirl comics over the years as well (and also Wonder Woman comics).

"Do you read the Supergirl comics, because Reign did that exact thing to Kara in the comics.....
Supergirl has pulled from various iterations throughout these past few years, and it is now pulling heavily from the New 52.... "

I agree - but some of us DC Comics readers never liked the New 52 version of Supergirl. To me, she just wasn't a likable character. The first two seasons of the TV show seemed to me to pull most heavily from the "Daring New Adventures of Supergirl" series of the early 80s, which I liked very much! (It's still available on Comixology.com )

"The place of women in the world, acceptance of other cultures and races, giving to others to your own detriment, are all issues that seem to me to be inextricably wired into the story of this Supergirl (not read the comics I am afraid)."

Yes, those have been major themes in the Supergirl comics over the years as well (and also Wonder Woman comics).

"Do you read the Supergirl comics, because Reign did that exact thing to Kara in the comics.....
Supergirl has pulled from various iterations throughout these past few years, and it is now pulling heavily from the New 52.... "

I agree - but some of us DC Comics readers never liked the New 52 version of Supergirl. To me, she just wasn't a likable character. The first two seasons of the TV show seemed to me to pull most heavily from the "Daring New Adventures of Supergirl" series of the early 80s, which I liked very much! (It's still available on Comixology.com )

That doesn't mean they shouldn't pull from the New 52....I didn't like all of the arcs, but there are many that I really enjoy. I think women of the 21st century, especially those that are 20 somethings and teens can relate far more with the New 52 Supergirl. That is the audience they are really wanting to grow, so I can see why we are seeing more from that era.

Unfortunately Stewart, you and I are not the target audience...

To be fair, I enjoyed season 6 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which was equally dark (like Kara, Buffy was brutally defeated by the villain; and struggled to regain her confidence in subsequent episodes)

Do tell more from what you can recall, Did the brutal defeat take SMG out of an entire episode or nearly an entire episode?, how many episodes did it take to get back to her normal self?, did she not fight during the time it took to regain her confidence or was she fighting but tending to lose?. Reason I'm asking these questions is that Supergirl's darker tone this season might lend itself to more realism than fantasy for Kara's recovery time whereby she may spend most of Episode 10 in the coma and may not be allowed by J'onn or Alex to take back to the skies till Episode 12 or 13, true that's a possible worst case scenario and I definitely hope that's not the case and she's back in action by the end of Episode 10. I've felt there's been less Supergirl action this season so I don't fancy a few episodes of waiting for her to recover.


Kelly " I think women of the 21st century, especially those that are 20 somethings and teens can relate far more with the New 52 Supergirl. That is the audience they are really wanting to grow, so I can see why we are seeing more from that era."

I imagine then the darker tone will stay around for the rest of Season 3 but how do you see it in future seasons?. I'm wanting Supergirl Season 4 to have a lighter,fun tone (similar to what The Flash returned to this season after a darker Season 3 of their show) with a happy and contented Kara/Supergirl but do you feel the target audience (which includes your students) wouldn't enjoy that as much and maybe the darker tone sticks around for future seasons?.


Jtardy "Kiwi, I am afraid that real fantasy is what and English rugby supporter experiences when contemplating defeating the All Blacks!"

And long may that fantasy continue for you . Here's a memory you would rather forget but is great for an All Blacks fan (Jonah Lomu steamrolls England defence - RWC 1995).

I believe Barry is now in jail, so not sure how upbeat he is at the moment....lol

As far as my students? It's not so much about it being "dark" that they like....they like the "edge" of it more this season. They do sometimes do the eye roll at the "happy go lucky" Kara, because they don't believe in reality anyone can be that happy all the time.....and some have said it begins to make her look one dimensional, and silly. Whereas this season, and even the last 10 episodes of last season they said that Kara was using her head more, and still naive, not stupid/naive.....smart/naive.

"They do sometimes do the eye roll at the "happy go lucky" Kara, because they don't believe in reality anyone can be that happy all the time...."

And of course, this brings us right back to the original question that was asked: how closely do you want the show to mirror real life? Apparently, your students want more "reality" in Supergirl than some of us "old-timers" do. But of course, I grew up with "happy go lucky" Kara of the 60s and 70s comics, so it's what I expect she'll be like. Perhaps your students are growing up with more "realistic" superhero and science fiction shows (and comics), so that's what they expect to see.
Like Kiwi said, for me the answer to the original question is - "not too closely"

"..though if the villain is HUGE in the comics, they need to be on the screen as well....don't have to look the same, but they need to bring the same amount of hurt. THAT has nothing to do with camp."

Yes, I agree! Mr. Mxyzptlk is a good example (though he didn't really bring "hurt"

When I first started writing Supergirl fan fiction stores of my own, one of the first comments I received was that my stories offered very few dangers to Kara - and that I needed some more powerful villains. So, realizing that the commenters were right, I subsequently started coming up with more powerful "bad guys" (synthetic kryptonite, anyone?), and lowering Kara's "vulnerability threshold" a bit, too. That way, my readers could start seeing Supergirl in some real peril in one scene in each story, as they apparently wanted to.

"Supergirl has done a very effective job of balancing the lighter and more serious tones, especially when it comes to Kara and her story (and really, who is more likable than Kara? Thank you Melissa Benoist)"

Yes, I agree! As far as I'm concerned, Kara is (and was in the original comics ) the most likable of all superheroes .(Though Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman now comes close.). That's the main reason why I watch the TV show. read Supergirl comics, and write Supergirl fan fiction stories!


"I never really saw Mxy as a villain....he always reminded me of "The Great Gazoo" on the Flintstones."

Me, neither - and even though Mxy is listed in the "villain" section of this website, the admins expressed misgivings about doing so.....

Here's a good example of Mxy in action:

As a child, I watched WW and enjoyed it for the fact that it was the first time I was able to see a female superhero on prime-time television. But, even as a child I can recall thinking that it was a very superficial, low-stakes show. However, that campy, cheerful, light atmosphere prevalent in WW was a commonality across many of the shows up until the early to mid 80's because that was how society, and entertainment as a by-product, wanted life to be depicted. So, people from those generations were used to reading it/seeing it and televison shows, at that time, had success because of it.

But, I don't think we should expect that superheroes and comics that were written 40-50 years ago should have the same characteristics and the same tone today. From what I understand, the print comics/superheroes have changed over time to reflect the time period. Most likely, this change was made with the purpose of exposing new, younger audiences to the characters with the hope that interest in the characters would continue to grow. That is the goal for superhero fans- to keep the genre thriving with each new generation. To do that, they have to compete with what is on television, in the movies and in print during that generation. And, for today's society, that means superheroes that are more real, have more depth and are a bit more dark. The WW in the theaters just a few months ago is a perfect example of that change. Gal Gadot's WW was written and produced as a reflection of the current times and as a result, millions viewed it and WW has never been more popular because of it.

My opinion, take it or leave it, is that if we want the Supergirl legacy to compete and continue, we have to change our thinking from "our Supergirl was" because "this Supergirl" has to be for today's generation.

Well said....

" I tried watching the Adam West Batman last summer and I just could not get into it. I know the point is it was so campy that at times it was making fun of its self but it just wasn't for me. The Lynda Carter Wonder Woman show I could get into, it was still campy but much less, at least you understood Diana as a character and what motivated her. "

No, even as a teenager, I wasn't really a fan of the Adam West Batman show. I thought it was just silly, "too goofy", and "more for the little kids". I liked the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman show OK, but wasn't a big fan of the character in those days, so I didn't watch it that often. (See below for further explanation of this...)

"My opinion, take it or leave it, is that if we want the Supergirl legacy to compete and continue, we have to change our thinking from "our Supergirl was" because "this Supergirl" has to be for today's generation."

Yes, that's what Kelly said, too. And I realize that I'm not a part of the target demographic for today's superhero shows. And of course, what appeals to Millennials will differ in some respects from what appeals to me. But as long as the show keeps the essential character of Kara the same, I'm fine with it. But if they attempt to drastically change her personality, then maybe not....

Meanwhile, I'll be striving to keep the original Supergirl of the 60s and 70s alive and still kicking in my fan fiction stories - for those who (like myself) still enjoy and remember the classic DC comics of the Silver and Bronze Ages. I believe there's still room out there for the old version, too

"The WW in the theaters just a few months ago is a perfect example of that change. Gal Gadot's WW was written and produced as a reflection of the current times and as a result, millions viewed it and WW has never been more popular because of it."

I have to admit that I didn't see the Wonder Woman movie that way at all. To me, it was the first time I had ever really liked Wonder Woman! Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman has much the same sort of endearing personality as Kara. I found her to be very much a likable character, and therefore I enjoyed the movie a great deal. Back in the 60s and 70s, I wasn't much of a Wonder Woman fan because she seemed to be too one-dimensional to me, sort of a female equivalent of Superman - who many regarded as "the big blue Boy Scout" then. (As a teenager, I also found the references to the Greek gods and goddesses to be corny, rather than clever.) On the other hand, I did find Supergirl, Green Lantern, and the Flash to be interesting and likable characters, and they were always my favorites among the DC superheroes.

"The problem I had as a kid reading comic books, the few that I did read were usually friends of mine, while they were reading them. I never found a female superhero that I could relate to...."

"WW was nice but, they didn't even let her throw a punch or do anything that might have broken a fingernail - just used that lasso and the problem was solved. Loved Bionic Woman, too!"

Hmmm... This may be too far off-topic.... but did you read "A Wrinkle In Time" when you were growing up? I read it when it was first released (and was acclaimed for winning the Newberry award). I was very much a fan of "young readers" (now called YA) science fiction then, and "A Wrinkle In Time" immediately became one of my favorites. I loved Margaret "Meg" Murray, the book's heroine, and found her to be every bit as likable and interesting a character as Supergirl and the Flash. In fact, I borrowed the book's "tesseract" device for one of my own recent stories - and acknowledged that debt at the end. (Hey. if Meg Murray can "tesser" through space and time, then why not Kara Zor-El?) And I'm very much looking forward to the Disney movie version of "A Wrinkle In Time" to be released early next year! (They have some big Hollywood names in the cast, too...)

"The problem I had as a kid reading comic books, the few that I did read were usually friends of mine, while they were reading them. I never found a female superhero that I could relate to...."

"WW was nice but, they didn't even let her throw a punch or do anything that might have broken a fingernail - just used that lasso and the problem was solved. Loved Bionic Woman, too!"

Hmmm... This may be too far off-topic.... but did you read "A Wrinkle In Time" when you were growing up? I read it when it was first released (and was acclaimed for winning the Newberry award). I was very much a fan of "young readers" (now called YA) science fiction then, and "A Wrinkle In Time" immediately became one of my favorites. I loved Margaret "Meg" Murray, the book's heroine, and found her to be every bit as likable and interesting a character as Supergirl and the Flash. In fact, I borrowed the book's "tesseract" device for one of my own recent stories - and acknowledged that debt at the end. (Hey. if Meg Murray can "tesser" through space and time, then why not Kara Zor-El?) And I'm very much looking forward to the Disney movie version of "A Wrinkle In Time" to be released early next year! (They have some big Hollywood names in the cast, too...)

No, I was more into Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, pretty much any Black Beauty book, and then later into my teens, Bess Streeter Aldrich, I honestly read very few comics after about the age of 10. I watched many of the cartoons growing up for sure, but that was about it. Hearing of a Fantastic Four movie coming out in 2005 got me back into comics, but then those movies were horrible. Especially the 3rd one. It was so weird following the 2015 SDCC and getting info back to the SHH.....and looking at the Supergirl cast and thinking......OMG, THAT IS A PERFECT Fantastic Four cast...and absolutely crying at the actual Fantastic Four cast for the 3rd movie....LOL, Then when Melissa got Supergirl, that brought me back to those comics so I purchased Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 2, began reading that......then moved to the New 52 and found those to be more enjoyable for me. But, I've really enjoyed the most recent iterations the best.....I've really enjoyed the Rebirth comics....

Setting aside the soap opera aspect of Mon-el and Kara, I have a different question regarding that relationship, which is:

If Mon-el was to stay now and be in a long-term relationship with Kara, what do they do with him?

Mon-el is basically a mini-Supermanl in his powers. The show has introduced Superman and they have J'onn right there in the same city, at the same place of work as Supergirl. Whenever there is any type of major incident, viewers already ask where the two of them are at to help Supergirl. So, what does the show do with Mon-El? Does he become yet another underutilized superhero that creates future plot holes? Do they let him use his powers and the show becomes an ensemble superhero show? (no vote from me on that) Or do they completely ignore his powers and his role becomes Kara's love-interest, much in the same way that James was in Season 1?

Mon-el is an okay character and I especially like Woods as an actor but, I think the producers have to look more long-term and how a character with his attributes can fit into an already large cast. Mon-El was Kara's first love but, first love doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be last love. Let the girl live her life a little bit as Supergirl/Kara and if indeed Mon-El is the right guy for her, bring him back when the show is closer to the final season to finish it off. That's what I would like to see anyway.

While I like the idea of Kara having other relationships and bringing Mon-El back later unfortunately there are real world issues that would make that extremely difficult. If Mon-El goes back to the 31st century at the end of the season and Chris Wood isn't signed as a regular for next season then he will be free to look for other work and I think it's likely he would do just that. Chris has a career to think about so he can't be expected to sit around waiting plus he has to earning a living. Chris is a talented actor and would would be able to get other work. The CW could possibly sign him to a one year contract on another show but that has it's own problems and is at best a one year solution. Basically if Mon-El leaves at the end of this season the assumption has to be that the character won't be back in a later season.

Upfront, the event where among other things the network releases synopsis of all it's shows was 5/18/2017 for this season. When the season three synopsis was released we were able to figure out something was up when Florina Lima wasn't on it because only leads and regulars are traditionally on a shows official synopsis. The interesting thing is with this season ending on 6/18/2018 we will have five or more episodes left when the season four synopsis is released so we will likely know which characters are returning well before the finale.

While I like the idea of Kara having other relationships and bringing Mon-El back later unfortunately there are real world issues that would make that extremely difficult. If Mon-El goes back to the 31st century at the end of the season and Chris Wood isn't signed as a regular for next season then he will be free to look for other work and I think it's likely he would do just that. Chris has a career to think about so he can't be expected to sit around waiting plus he has to earning a living. Chris is a talented actor and would would be able to get other work. The CW could possibly sign him to a one year contract on another show but that has it's own problems and is at best a one year solution. Basically if Mon-El leaves at the end of this season the assumption has to be that the character won't be back in a later season.

Upfront, the event where among other things the network releases synopsis of all it's shows was 5/18/2017 for this season. When the season three synopsis was released we were able to figure out something was up when Florina Lima wasn't on it because only leads and regulars are traditionally on a shows official synopsis. The interesting thing is with this season ending on 6/18/2018 we will have five or more episodes left when the season four synopsis is released so we will likely know which characters are returning well before the finale.

Yeah, it's hard to tell what they have in store for next season, they probably don't even know yet. I look at the original five, Mel, Chyler, David, Jeremy, and Mechad, as the only permanent regulars. Everyone else is on a year by year basis, depending on the story line so, if Chris can find a more permanent long-term gig, than that would probably be more beneficial for him. Then, if he could even come back and shoot an episode or two at the very end of the series, if they want to go that route, then perhaps he could fit it in. But, I was thinking that I remember someone saying that in the comics, Mon-El and Supergirl don't end up together.

To bring it back onto the topic of this thread, if we look at the show mirroring real life and relating to the characters, it would be more realistic that Kara experiences a healthy first break-up now than to expect that her first love will be her last and that they live happily ever after. In real life, we would see her getting through it, growing and becoming stronger because of it and eventually moving on.

"Then when Melissa got Supergirl, that brought me back to those comics so I purchased Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 2, began reading that......then moved to the New 52 and found those to be more enjoyable for me. But, I've really enjoyed the most recent iterations the best.....I've really enjoyed the Rebirth comics...."

Did you read "The Adventures of Supergirl" comics series by Sterling Gates - the one that paralleled the TV show (in the summer after Season 1)? That is by far my favorite of the recent Supergirl comics. I loved Gates' take on the contemporary Supergirl. Too bad he isn't writing for the TV show now!

Yes, I read "The Adventures of Supergirl"...