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Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, is out this week, so we’ve gathered up the 13th Dimension crew to bring you our first-ever SUPERGIRL WEEK! Click here for more high-flying features!

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A selection of Supergirl items throughout the decades, including a few bonus ones!

By CHRIS FRANKLIN

The Maid of Might is returning to the big screen in the second cinematic chapter of the new DCU film series. But I’m sure you were already aware of that… after all, it is SUPERGIRL WEEK here at 13th Dimension for a reason! While Kara Zor-El may never quite escape the shadow of her far more famous cousin, that doesn’t mean she isn’t known to the greater world outside the comic racks. DC has licensed the Girl of Steel for just about every item imaginable over the years, and it looks like that number will double with the marketing push for the new film.

But for now, let’s take a look at the Last Daughter of Argo City’s history through the lens of her various appearances on retail shelves over nearly 60 years. Many of these items come from the collection of my lovely wife Cindy (my own personal Super Gal), so thanks to her for sharing not only them, but her knowledge in crafting this article.

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Super Queens (aka Comic Heroines, Ideal, 1967). Supergirl was one of four female heroes chosen for Ideal’s sister line to their Captain Action series, the Super Queens, sometimes also called Comic Heroines. Along with Wonder Woman, Mera and the newly created Batgirl, you could argue these heroines made it into action figure form BEFORE their male counterparts! After all, Captain Action’s gimmick was that he was a separate hero who could become the top crimefighters at DC, Marvel, etc. with a costume accessory set (sold separately). The Super Queens WERE the characters and even included images of their secret identities on the beautiful box art by DC legend Murphy Anderson.

Photo from Captain Action: The Original Super-Hero Action Figure by Michael Eury (TwoMorrows)

The set didn’t really include Linda Lee Danvers’ specific clothes however, just a generic halter dress. But Supergirl was one of the nicest and most comic accurate of the line, with the proper blonde hair color, blue dress, and “S” shield logo (the same used on both the Superman and Superboy sets for Captain Action and his sidekick Action Boy). She even came with the same Krypto figure as Superman, presaging the current DCU films making Krypto HER dog and not her cousin’s.

Unfortunately, the Super Queens were a massive flop, with boys not wanting dolls, and apparently girls not wanting to mix super heroines in with their Barbies. Their limited window of production and low sales make them some of the holy grails of toy collecting, which is why Cindy purchased a nice custom repro using Ideal’s similar Misty doll, and real costume accessories and parts.

Super Queens Supergirl custom with repro box and some original parts

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Official World’s Greatest Super-Heroes (Mego, 1974). Supergirl rejoined fellow Super Queens Wonder Woman and Batgirl (along with Catwoman) when Mego added the “Super-Gals” to their hugely successful line of Official World’s Greatest Super-Heroes 8-inch figures in 1974. Mego based the figure’s appearance on her then-current ’70s look of blouse top and hot-pants shorts. The earliest versions of the Supergirl figure had all the elements screen-printed on a bodystocking, but Mego quickly issued figures with a more detailed costume made of different colored fabrics stitched together, like the one you see here.

What you don’t see here are the tiny (and easily lost) slippers the figure was issued with. They are hard to come by and make a loose complete Supergirl quite desirable. I opted to upgrade her suit to reproduction Wonder Woman boots, since Kara did ditch the slippers for her original footwear later in the 1970s. Supergirl was discontinued in 1976, making all versions of her uncommon, although she also appeared in Mego’s Bend N’ Flex line of wired, bendable figures.

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Supercase Record & Toy Case (1976). Supergirl is featured on the back of this “record & toy carry case” alongside her cousin and Wonder Woman. This Supergirl art, used on many pieces of merchandise in the ’70s always seemed like it was drawn by Dick Giordano to me. She is in good (and bad) company along with the Batman Family and some rogues on the front. She even gets her logo on the side, but I wish they’d gone with the ’70s logo she had on her brief solo series.

This particular case was designed to hold your 45 records, but there was also a larger version to house your albums. Perfect to store your Power Records… even if Kara never got her own, or even guest-starred in one!

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Pepsi Super Series Glass (Pepsi, 1976). I’ve written about these wonderful collector glasses before, but since Kara has one of the best, we must include it here! These were available at several restaurants that carried Pepsi fountain drinks. This glass is from the initial series, known by collectors as the “moon glass” run, for the large circle behind each character. Or maybe since this is a solar-powered Kryptonian, it should be called a “sun glass”? Either way, that classic pose of Supergirl in her ’70s hot-pants look really pops. And due to her primary colors, there are no odd printing choices like with some of the other characters. Unfortunately, she didn’t make the cut for the second series in 1978, or we’d feature that here as well!

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Super Friends Lunch Box (Aladdin Industries, 1976). Even though Supergirl NEVER appeared in any incarnation of the long-running Super Friends animated series, that didn’t stop her from having a prominent place on Aladdin’s beautiful lunch box first issued in 1976. Kara dominates the left side of the box, flanked by… Batman and Robin? Holy incongruity! Why not Superman, and maybe Krypto? Batmania was still a lingering thing, even a decade later.

This was still on shelves in 1980 when I went to kindergarten and therefore was my first school lunch box. It took me decades to realize, with the prominent placement of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Catwoman on the other side and Batgirl on the back, this was meant to be a GIRL’S lunchbox! I hope I’m not as narrow-minded today, but back then, if any of my male peers had gleaned on to this, I may have never made it to first grade!

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Super Jrs. Wallpaper (1979). The Super Jrs. was a marketing push created by DC to sell their heroes to a much younger market, predating the ’80s explosion of similar concepts like Muppet Babies, Flintstones Kids, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, etc. These toddler versions of the adult heroes were seen on a bevy of merchandise, but strangely their comics appearances were first published in foreign markets, with only one story making it to the US via The Best of DC (Blue Ribbon Digest) #58 (Dec. 1984). Young Supergirl didn’t appear in that issue, but she did occasionally make it onto merchandise, like this charming wallpaper, where she plays tennis with Wonder-Tot. Cindy and I bought a vintage roll of this off eBay in 2001 and used it to decorate our son’s nursery!

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Supergirl: An Activity Book (Grosset & Dunlap, 1984). There was very little merchandise made to tie into the original Supergirl film, starring Helen Slater and directed by Jeannot Szwarc, released in 1984. The Maid of Might wasn’t even slipped into Kenner’s Super Powers Collection of toys that launched that same year. Fans of the character and film had to mostly settle for children’s book tie-ins, like this coloring-and-activity book I picked up from my school’s Scholastic Book Fair that year.

Written and illustrated by prolific comic and coloring book artist Tony Tallarico, it features puzzles and activities centered around that film’s strange and convoluted plot: Supergirl chases Kryptonian MacGuffin to Earth, becomes infatuated with a hunky gardener, who is also the object of affection of a witch, who happens to possess the powerful MacGuffin. Chaos ensues. If you ever wanted to color Faye Dunaway, Peter O’Toole or Brenda Vaccaro, here’s your chance!

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Superman: The Animated Series (Kenner, 1998). Supergirl finally made it back into figure form in 1998 thanks to Kenner’s line based on Superman: The Animated Series. There Kara (voiced by Nichole Tom) was an orphan from Krypton’s sister planet of Argos, and found and brought to Earth by Superman, whom she deemed her “cousin.” Living with Clark’s parents on the Kent farm, Kara defied Clark’s orders and made her own custom Supergirl outfit, helping Jimmy Olsen foil a plot by Darkseid, in her two-part introduction “Little Girl Lost.”

The Kenner figure captures that “thrift store” look with white mid-drift S-symbol shirt, blue mini-skirt, red combat boots, and Gwen Stacy-like headband. Of course, she came with the obligatory 90s snap-on armor and missile-launching weapon, but that’s irrelevant. The design stuck around for about a decade and was even adopted by the concurrent comic version of Supergirl (the Linda Danvers/Matrix version).

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The Classic Silver Age Superboy and Supergirl (DC Direct, 2002). This lovely figure of a very young Kara Zor-El came packed with not only her pet, Streaky the Super Cat, but also Silver Age versions of Superboy and Krypto. As a bonus, DC Direct included a reversable welcome billboard sign for both Superboy’s Smallville, and Midvale. This was the town where Kara adopted the identity of Linda Lee, while staying at local orphanage, where her cousin Superman dropped her off upon meeting her. (It was a different time.)

This figure represents the character as created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino under editor Mort Weisinger, and the tales later rendered by the likes of Jim Mooney and Curt Swan. Sculptor Tim Bruckner captures an almost Norman Rockwell-like portrait for Kara, who really does look like the mid-century girl next door… who happens to come from light years away!

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Barbie as Supergirl (Mattel, 2003). Supergirl’s first figure may have been considered a knock-off of Barbie in 1967, but in 2003 she got to officially join the ranks of Mattel’s fabled and groundbreaking toy line. Based on her look from Superman: The Animated Series, Kara joined Wonder Woman and Batgirl in this “play line” release aimed at children, but obviously collectors took notice too. She also came packed with a tiny lunchbox keychain accessory. If only we’d gotten a true, 1:1 scale Supergirl lunchbox!

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Crisis on Infinite Earths (DC Direct, 2006). Of course, if DC Direct were going to make an action figure line based on DC’s 1985 maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, they HAD to include Supergirl, right? Kara Zor-El’s sacrifice to save her cousin from death at the hands of the Anti-Monitor in Issue #7 was shocking proof that DC meant business; they really were out to shake up the status quo and clean house.

That issue’s cover by George Perez, featuring an anguished Man of Steel holding the battered, lifeless body of his closest family is one of the most iconic images ever created for the medium. This figure lives up to that legacy with a beautiful sculpt capturing the Maid of Might in her ’80s regalia (complete with the now-dated headband) and a look of optimism befitting a hero willing to do what was right, no matter the cost.

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Barbie Collector Series (Mattel, 2008). After nearly 20 years, Kara Zor-El’s Supergirl returned to DC’s then-current ongoing continuity. Reintroduced by writer Jeph Loeb in Superman/Batman #8 (May, 2004), artist Michael Turner took the opportunity to update the Girl of Steel’s classic uniform, keeping the mid-drift top from the animated look, but adding yellow piping to the otherwise blue shirt and skirt. The design was quickly adopted by Supergirl in her later appearances on the animated Justice League Unlimited series. Mattel used this design for its collector-aimed Barbie Supergirl doll in 2008, to great effect. Supergirl looks hip, fearless and ready to take on the world… or universe.

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DC Comics Multiverse Supergirl TV Series (Mattel, 2016). It’s kind of amazing that Supergirl is getting a new film this year, since a version of her appeared in The Flash in 2023 (played by Sasha Calle) and she had a six-season TV series from 2015 to 2021! Melissa Benoist played Kara on the television series that aired first on CBS, then moved to the CW to officially become part of the “Arrowverse.” Benoist brought a sunny optimism to the role and really embodied the character both on her own show and the various crossovers with other DC-themed programs, notably The Flash. Mattel captured not only the updated costume, but Benoist’s can-do spirit in this 2016 figure.

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MORE

— The Complete SUPERGIRL WEEK Index of Columns and Features. Click here.

— SUPERGIRL: 13 Fave Fashions of the MAID OF MIGHT — RANKED. Click here.

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13th Dimension contributor CHRIS FRANKLIN is a graphic designer, illustrator, writer, and podcaster, who co-hosts and produces several shows on the Fire and Water Podcast Network, including Superman Movie Minute and JLUCast.

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Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, is out this week, so we’ve gathered up the 13th Dimension crew to bring you our first-ever SUPERGIRL WEEK! Click here for more high-flying features!

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By PETER BOSCH

With Bill Morrison and Jim Beard’s terrific fashion pieces on Monday, you might be wondering about Supergirl’s hairstyle — or rather her original alter ego Linda Lee’s.

Just prior to Supergirl getting adopted by the Danvers family, DC Comics in 1960 ran a write-in poll asking readers to pick a new ’do for pigtail-sporting Linda. Here’s the page from Action Comics #273, which came out in December…

…as well as the winning style from Action Comics #281, released in August 1961. Art for both by Jim Mooney.

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MORE

— The Complete SUPERGIRL WEEK Index of Columns and Features. Click here.

— SUPERGIRL: 13 Fave Fashions of the MAID OF MIGHT — RANKED. Click here.

— MORRISON MONDAYS: What a Paper Doll! SUPERGIRL’s Swingin’ ’70s Fashion Show. Click here.

This is the coolest real-estate listing of all time: Wayne Manor is up for sale! Really!

The Pasadena, California, mansion famously used as the exterior of Bruce Wayne’s ancestral home on the 1966 Batman TV series is on the market — and the asking price is a mere $32 million.

Dig the listing at stefandoomanis.com:

One of the most extraordinary residential offerings in Southern California, 380 S. San Rafael Avenue stands as arguably Pasadena’s premier estate, an irreplaceable Jacobean Tudor Revival masterpiece set on nearly 5 private, gated acres in the city’s most prestigious enclave.

Commissioned by the Bernard family and designed by the acclaimed architectural firm Morgan, Walls & Clements, the residence was completed in 1928 and represents an unparalleled combination of architectural significance, scale, privacy, and provenance. Hidden behind gates and enveloped by majestic oaks, manicured gardens, and rolling lawns, the approximately 18,665-square-foot manor commands breathtaking views across the Arroyo Seco, creating the rare feeling of an English country estate in the heart of Pasadena. Its iconic castellated tower, slate rooflines, leaded-glass windows, and exquisitely preserved period detailing showcase a level of craftsmanship and permanence that is virtually impossible to replicate today.

Steeped in cultural history, the estate is recognized worldwide as the exterior of Wayne Manor in the original Batman television series and has been featured in numerous acclaimed film and television productions. Yet beyond its celebrated pedigree, the property offers every modern luxury, including a resort-caliber pool, pickleball court, private theater, and exceptional indoor and outdoor spaces designed for both intimate family living and grand-scale entertaining. Originally showcased in Architectural Digest, this singular estate is more than a home; it is one of Pasadena’s defining landmarks and an exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire what many would consider the finest legacy property in the city.

Of course, millionaire Bruce Wayne plays pickleball!

Anyway, here are the details, in case you ever wanted to know how a wealthy hero’s alter ego lives — or are in the market:

Lot Size: 4.84 acres
Type: Single-Family Home
Year Built: 1928
Views: Mountains, City, City Lights, Bridge

Bedrooms: 7

Full Bathrooms: 3
3/4 Bathrooms: 4
Half Bathrooms: 4

Fireplace: Living Room
Fireplace: Family Room
Fireplace: Game Room

Central Air Conditioning

In-Ground Pool

Flooring: Hardwood, Marble

Stories: 3

Living Area: 18,655 sq. ft.

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If you want to see inside the mansion, click here for a big gallery of photos. Now, of course, they aren’t telling you everything about Stately Wayne Manor. Here are 13 things NOT in the listing:

— Gigantic cavern under the property, with four access ways: a secret passage from the study (suitable for one adult and one teenager, simultaneously); a service elevator; a subterranean blue grotto; a tunnel with camouflaged entrance/egress through a nearby mountainside.

— Secret passage from study, located behind sliding bookcase, leads to two firefighter-style poles, one wider than the other, for adult and teenager, respectively.

— A bronze bust of William Shakespeare.

— Poles equipped with large cushions at bottom to soften landing. Cushions also fitted with steam-based propulsion system that carries passengers back up to the study.

— Self-sustaining atomic generator, located at far end of gigantic cavern.

— Atomic generator has had only one fatality, but that was due to the carelessness of a poor, deluded girl.

— Two dedicated landlines direct to the office of the police commissioner. One handset located in study, one in gigantic cavern. Both are red, blink and make beeping sounds when receiving calls. (Handsets only light up when making calls.)

— Parking for one in gigantic cavern, though there is also room (somewhere) for a motorcycle, with sidecar.

— Comprehensive, state-of-the-art scientific laboratory situated within gigantic cavern.

— Full complement of computers, electronic sensors and geographic charting equipment, including a giant, lighted lucite map of city.

Architect Michael Allred

— A large collection of bizarre items, such as a life-size-but-inert mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, a giant penny, a super-size playing card, and other “trophies.” Section located adjacent to gigantic cavern’s fourth wall.

— Rich vein of rare element nilanium, the hardest metal in the world, runs through gigantic cavern.

— Also on sale by owner is an adjacent parcel listed for $48,000. Inexplicably, the parcel is not represented by this agent but by an unsavory intermediary named Manny the Mesopotamian.

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MORE

— 13 QUICK THOUGHTS on the Glorious SECRETS OF THE BATCAVE — 1968. Click here.

— The TOP 13 BATCAVE PLAYSETS Ever – RANKED. Click here.

This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott and I are selecting comics that came out the week of June 24, 1952.

Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of June 17, 1983. Click here to check it out.

(Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days, so these are the issues that went on sale between June 21 and June 27.)

Eisenhower’s first campaign speech, in Abilene, Kansas, on June 4. Amazing how late in the cycle campaigns really began back then.

So, let’s set the scene: Harry Truman had decided not to run for re-election, so the 1952 presidential race provided open lanes to both Democrats and Republicans. In those days, the primaries mattered but the conventions mattered even more, so with just weeks away from either gathering — both were set for Chicago — neither party had a presumptive nominee.

For the Democrats, Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, best known at the time for his crusade against organized crime, won most of the primaries but was strongly disliked by the party machine, which cast about for a different candidate. Among the alternatives were diplomat W. Averell Harriman; Sen. Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota; and Vice President Alben Barkley.

None of them, or any other hopefuls, passed muster, so attention focused on Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson, who instead wanted to run for re-election. But Stevenson didn’t close the door, either, and a movement was growing to get him to run.

The Republicans, meanwhile, had been out of the White House since 1932, but rather than unite behind a single standard bearer, the GOP was as divided as the Democratic Party, and perhaps even more bitterly. With the convention scheduled to begin July 7, there were two candidates with roughly even support: Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio, who was the son of former President William Howard Taft, and war hero Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who on June 3 retired as the supreme commander of NATO, and resumed his duties as president of Columbia University.

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IN OTHER NEWS

— The Korean War entered its third year, with no end in sight. The two sides were essentially at a stalemate and morale was low among US Army troops.

— Speaking of the Korean War, this would have made a good episode of MASH: On June 23, the financially ailing Toledo Mud Hens moved to West Virginia and became the Charleston Senators — right in the middle of the season. Just imagine Klinger’s heartbreak at the news! (The Mud Hens were replaced by the Toledo Sox from 1953 to 1955; the current iteration of the team began play in 1965.)

— On June 26, the Defiance Campaign, spearheaded by the African National Congress and other organizations, was launched in South Africa against the racist apartheid government. Largely non-violent protests and acts of civil disobedience were held in major cities. Black volunteers burned their pass books, for example, and others went into places deemed “whites only.” Police arrested protesters and the government called the campaign anarchist and communist. Things would get far worse.

— Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl was published in English this month for the first time.

Tracy and Hepburn’s Pat and Mike was the top-grossing movie in the U.S., but would soon be supplanted by the swashbuckler Scaramouche, starring Stewart Granger. Opening this week was Walt Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood. Skirts Ahoy! starring Esther Williams was a hit, and classics The African Queen, Singin’ in the Rain and The Greatest Show on Earth were still box-office draws, too.

Radio was continuing to lose ground to TV, but the most popular shows included the anthology series Lux Radio Theatre; Amos ’n’ Andy; Jack Benny; Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy; and Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts.

I Love Lucy had just completed its first season and was a big hit, finishing the lowest it ever would in the ratings — at No. 3 for 1951-52. Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts was No. 1 for the season, with Uncle Miltie’s Texaco Star Theater at No. 2.

Al Martino, a 25-year-old crooner who won on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, had a No. 1 hit with Here in My Heart. (Two decades later, he became best known as Johnny Fontane, the Frank Sinatra analogue in The Godfather.) Jane Froman’s album With a Song in My Heart was enormously popular, holding the top spot for about six months.

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Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension

Frontline Combat #9, EC. The Civil War issue! Featuring the talents of Harvey Kurtzman (natch), John Severin, Jack Davis, Will Elder, Marie Severin, Wally Wood, and Ben Oda. Damn.

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The Phantom Stranger #1, DC. The debut of one of DC’s most-enduring minor heroes, created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. (That’s an Infantino/Sy Barry cover.) The Stranger is one of those characters who I completely forget about until he shows up, and I’m usually glad he does. Which is fitting when you think about it.

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The Lone Ranger #50, Dell. The Lone Ranger running away?! Yer as yellow as yer gloves! That’s not MY Lone Ranger.

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Four Color #415, Dell. My Mom used to mention Rootie Kazootie, which was a kids’ TV show. She was 13 when the program began in 1950, and 16 when it ended in 1954, so I’m not sure if she liked it or just liked saying “Rootie Kazootie.” But it was very popular, so I’m sure she knew the gist.

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Crime SuspenStories #13, EC. Then again, it’s amazing she didn’t become a juvenile delinquent given the proliferation of trash like this. I mean, she was already smoking!

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Four Color #413, Dell. Just in time for the movie’s premiere!

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Love Diary #30, Orbit. Aren’t romance-comic photo covers creepy?

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Weird Tales of the Future #3, Key/Aragon. Basil Wolverton, being disgusting as usual.

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Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension

Batman #72, DC. One of the very few versions of Batman that lacks pants.

Dan adds: Everyone talks about the late-’50s/early-’60s wacky era of Batman, but DC was doing it well before then. And I love them for it.

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Pat Sullivan’s Felix the Cat #32, Toby. One of the very few versions of Felix the Cat that has pants.

Dan adds: I loved Felix the Cat when I was a kid. Used to watch him on Channel 11 all the time.

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Adventure Comics #179, DC. Stilt-Man before there was Stilt-Man.

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Strange Tales #10, Atlas. To be fair, it’s really more of a hidden face. You can totally see his head, it’s right there.

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MORE

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale the Week of June 17 — in 1983! Click here.

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale the Week of June 10 — in 1964! Click here.

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Comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.

—

Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, is out this week, so we’ve gathered up the 13th Dimension crew to bring you our first-ever SUPERGIRL WEEK! Click here for more high-flying features!

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Supergirl is one character Des Taylor has drawn many, many times. So if we’re to do a gallery of 13 of his pinups, now’s the moment!

Behold THE MANY MOODS OF SUPERGIRL:

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Want more SUPERGIRL WEEK? Click here!

Want more DESPOP TUESDAYS? Come back next week!

Want a commission? Buy prints? Buy Des’ comics? Check out his Despop Art website!

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MORE

— Paint the Town Red With JESSICA RABBIT. Click here.

— DES TAYLOR’s Take on GEORGE PEREZ’s STARFIRE Absolutely Dazzles. Click here.

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DES TAYLOR is the man behind creator-owned comic properties Scarlett Couture, The Vesha Valentine Story, The Trouble With Katie Rogers and a new property in the works The Blue Lotus Strikes. His client list includes DC Comics, La Perla, FHM, Cosmopolitan, Universal Music, ITV Studios America and many more. When he’s not working on his own properties or churning out commissions, Des spends his spare time… working some more, hating Arsenal and raising his two baby daughters, Scarlett and Leia-May.

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UPDATED 6/23/26: Logan’s Run came out 50 years ago, on June 23, 1976! Perfect time to reprint this piece from 2023. Also check out Rob Kelly’s REEL RETRO CINEMA column on the flick! Dig it. — Dan

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By WALT GROGAN

One of my favorite mid-1970s sci-fi flicks is Logan’s Run. Starring Michael York as the pompous Logan 5, Jenny Agutter as the plucky Jessica 6, Richard Jordan as the deranged Francis 7, and Farrah Fawcett-Majors in a cameo role as Holly 13, Logan’s Run is the epitome of a pre-Star Wars science fiction flick in look and feel and one of the last ones before what’s now called A New Hope was released in 1977.

Logan’s Run was very popular at the time. It even spawned a short-lived TV series. So I don’t think it’s quite fair to compare it to Star Wars other than to point out you should put yourself in a mid-70s mindset for special effects when viewing this somewhat-campy classic.

Logan’s Run, in a nutshell, takes place in a future, apparently utopian society where the needs and pleasures of its citizens are taken care of — with a catch: People cannot live beyond 30 and on “Last Day,” they must partake in a ritual called “Renewal,” where they are supposedly reborn. Logan is a “sandman,” a member of an elite police force whose goal is to eliminate runners, those who try to escape and avoid Renewal. That is, until Logan himself is turned into a runner to find Sanctuary — believed to be a haven for those who have bolted the domed city.

Logan’s Run, based loosely on the 1967 novel by authors William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, was released June 23, 1976, and Marvel Comics released a 5-issue adaptation starting in October of that year, by writer David Anthony Kraft and artists George Pérez and Klaus Janson.

To celebrate Logan’s Run’s anniversary and Pérez’s artistic inventiveness, here are 13 screen captures from the movie paired with pages from the comic, showing how the penciller chose to adapt certain scenes.

SPOILERS FOR A 47-YEAR-OLD MOVIE BELOW:

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For the opening splash page, Pérez takes a shot from later in the movie where Logan and Jessica are on the run and gives it his dynamic edge in this abstract shot.

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The movie boasts an impressive miniature set of Logan’s city.

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One of the highlights of the movie is the “Renewal” ritual and here Pérez uses a bird’s eye view of the floating Last-Dayers.

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After Logan dispatches a runner, he is debriefed by a computer, presumably artificial intelligence. Pérez does an exceptional job with a mostly expositional scene.

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The AI resets the color-coded “life clock” on Logan’s palm, turning him into the age of a runner so that he can infiltrate the underground and locate Sanctuary.

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Pérez turns this static scene dynamic by having Logan race into the gym to confer with his fellow sandman, Francis.

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This is one of my favorite closing Pérez splashes. George reframes Francis’ killing of a runner and gives it more gravitas.

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Here Pérez turns a dolly shot in the New You office, where citizens go to get healed or change their appearance, and turns it into an abstract splash page.

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One of the big villains of Logan’s Run is Roscoe Lee Browne’s Box. Box was not one of my favorite designs in the movie but George makes him more menacing.

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Here, again, George takes a relatively static shot and gives it life by turning the camera and drawing a more dynamic pose.

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The maniacal Francis catches up with Logan and Jessica! Here, George turns the scene into an impressive triptych.

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Pérez turns the camera around and switches from a worm’s-eye view to a bird’s-eye view in this nicely-rendered splash page.

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George finishes up the adaptation with a series of shots focusing on Peter Ustinov’s Old Man and Logan and Jessica.

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Logan’s Run is one of my favorite movies and I loved that George Pérez drew the Marvel Comics adaptation. This story is certainly rife with possibilities for a remake either as a major motion picture or as a limited or ongoing series. C’mon Hollywood! Do it!

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MORE

— REEL RETRO CINEMA: LOGAN’S RUN: 50 YEARS of Post-Apocalyptic Hedonism. Click here.

— Check out THE FILM AND WATER PODCAST episode on LOGAN’S RUN. Click here.

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A 10-year-old Walt Grogan fell in love with the Big Red Cheese thanks to essays written by Dick Lupoff and Don Thompson in the paperback edition of All in Color for a Dime, released in 1970 and bought for him by his father off a paperback spinner rack in a liquor store on the South Side of Chicago. Walt runs The Marvel Family Web Facebook page devoted to all incarnations of the Fawcett/DC Captain Marvel and blogs about Captain Marvel at shazamshistorama.com.

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UPDATED 6/23/26: It’s the 50th anniversary of Logan’s Run — still one of the grooviest sci-fi films ever. (It opened June 23, 1976.) This piece first ran in 2017 — perfect time to reprint it. Also check out Walt Grogan’s 13 WAYS GEORGE PEREZ Brought More Magic to LOGAN’S RUN. Dig it! — Dan

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By ROB KELLY

It’s the year 2274, and life is perfect: No one has to work. You don’t have to do anything, really, except enjoy yourself all day, every day. All your basic needs — food, shelter, entertainment, companionship — are met. There’s only one catch: Life ends when you’re 30.

But even then, it’s not so bad. Life doesn’t really end, exactly. Once the crystal embedded in your palm starts to blink red, you’re ready for “Last Day,” which means it’s time for “Renewal” — a process in which you and other fellow citizens are subjected to a public ceremony that vaporizes your old body, and you’re reborn.

At least, that’s the official story.

Logan 5 (Michael York) is a Sandman, a member of a police unit that tracks down “Runners” — people who don’t want to be reborn and try and escape. After he and his fellow Sandman Francis 7 (Richard Jordan) hunt down one such runner, Logan finds a small, mysterious ankh among the man’s possessions. Later that night, after he meets the ravishing Jessica 6 (Jenny Agutter), who wears the same symbol. He investigates, and the massive computer system that runs everything tells him that the ankh is a symbol of “Sanctuary,” a mythical place to which Runners escape—1,056 of them so far. Logan is instructed to go undercover as a Runner to find Sanctuary — and destroy it.

Directed by Michael Anderson (who also helmed Doc Savage: Man of Bronze, a film we’ve previously covered on REEL RETRO CINEMA), and based on a 1967 book by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, Logan’s Run stands pretty much as the last example of Old Hollywood’s attempts at making adult sci-fi epics before George Lucas changed the world with Star Wars just a year later. It’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of the late-60’s hippie movement and the incipient Me Generation, taken to extreme, apocalyptic lengths.

Richard Jordan as Francis 7 and Michael York as Logan 5.

Everything seems great to the people who live in the collection of geodesic domes that make up the sealed city. They are told from birth that the outside world has been ravaged by some sort of (presumably nuclear) annihilation, and is completely uninhabitable. The tiny group of Runners are quickly forgotten and dismissed, as if it’s absurd that anyone wouldn’t want this completely groovy lifestyle. If you want food, it’s available. If you want plastic surgery to change your appearance, it’s available (with the help of ’70s icon Farrah Fawcett, no less). If you want a sex partner for the night, all you have to do is tell the city’s computer system, and a wide variety of people—men and women—are sent to you to pick from.

Jenny Agutter as Jessica 6.

Of course, Logan discovers fairly quickly that there is a dark side to all this freedom. As they make their run in earnest, he and Jessica pass through a group of people who are forced to exist like savages, cloaked in darkness and fearing for their lives. As the Sandmen arrive to tear the place apart, Logan and Jessica find their way to an underground ice cave, run by a giant robot named Box (voiced by Roscoe Lee Browne). Box explains that it is there to round up food from the outside world to feed the city’s inhabitants — and some of that food comes from the dead bodies of Runners (“I’ll have the Soylent Green combo plate, thank you”)!

But that’s not all—while trying to escape from true believer Francis 7, Logan and Jessica make it to the outside world, which, while abandoned and demolished, is also verdant and beautiful. Living in solitude is the Old Man (the great Peter Ustinov), who resides with dozens of cats in what was once the U.S. Capitol rotunda. Far from being inhospitable, there is a world outside, free from the tyrannical control of the city computers.

Logan’s Run has a lot on its mind, and fits quite well in the late ’60s/early ’70s genre of dystopian sci-fi epics that preceded it, like Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green and Silent Running. Its special effects and attempts at world building aren’t nearly as convincing as what we saw in those films, however. The robot Box is stiff and pretty cheesy, and it’s amazing to think that the much more believable droids of Star Wars were being designed at the same time. The difference is stark. And once our heroes make their way out of the city, Logan’s Run essentially becomes a POTA film, minus the apes on horseback.

That said, the film still has much to recommend. York is a good choice for the role of Logan, someone who imagines himself a tough guy but, like everyone else who lives under the computer’s control, is essentially a pet, whose every action is under tight control. Jenny Agutter is the stuff dreams are made of, a stunning beauty who can also handle herself in a tight spot. Peter Ustinov has a lot of fun as the Old Man, whose very appearance (“Do those lines in your face hurt?”) is baffling to the always beautiful, always young citizens of the city.

The opening sequence, called Carousel, where people get “renewed,” is effectively staged — with the subjects in their robes and masks, and spectators cheering as they watch them get immolated. The whole thing feels like something out a horror film, not a PG-rated sci-fi blockbuster. (Also surprising? The amount of gratuitous nudity. Thanks 1970s!).

Another thing Logan’s Run has in common with the Planet of the Apes series was its attempts to reach beyond the initial film. Even though the movie was a big hit, MGM didn’t develop a sequel (despite there being sequel novels), choosing instead to launch a TV series the following year starring Gregory Harrison. Like the POTA TV series, it quickly settled for a formula where Logan and Jessica had to keep running, having new adventures and meeting guest stars along the way. It only lasted 14 episodes.

While equally unsuccessful financially, Marvel Comics’ 1977 Logan’s Run comic-book series had a lot more going for it, creatively. The first issue is by the dynamite team of Gerry Conway, George Perez and Klaus Janson, who bring a classic Marvel sense of style to the proceedings. Perez’s seemingly endless visual imagination is on full display and, not hampered by budget, he creates a rich, detailed sci-fi world for the characters to inhabit.

All the basic details from the movie are present in the series’ first five issues (David Kraft took over the scripting chores with Issue #2), but everything is just so much more exciting. Box, who on film looked like a tin-foil-wrapped refrigerator on wheels, is as fearsome as Ultron when drawn by Perez and Janson.

Writer John Warner took the film’s premise and, uh, ran with it as of Issue #6, which was the first to feature original stories. As you might expect, an entire civilization learning that their life is a lie isn’t met with warm feelings, and in the opening few pages we see that things have descended into chaos. Perez had left the book as well, replaced by Tom Sutton, who does a fine job on the art, aided by ringer Terry Austin on inks.

Things lean very heavily on action in the Mighty Marvel Manner in Issues #6 and #7, but it would have interesting to see what, if anything, could have been made of this world in comic-book form. Alas, it was not to be, as Logan’s Run was cancelled with Issue #7. Marvel was publishing a frenzy of licensed properties at the time (Planet of the Apes, Star Wars (of course), Godzilla, Man from Atlantis, Shogun Warriors, Battlestar Galactica, Tarzan, John Carter: Warlord of Mars) and while Logan’s Run is no classic, Marvel putting such heavy hitters as Conway, Perez, and Janson on it meant they thought it had real potential.

Strangely, that seemed to be it for Logan’s Run as a property. There have been occasional stabs at a remake, but nothing has ever come to fruition. With a world as gadget- and computer-driven as ours, you’d think a story about people giving up their freedom in exchange for safety and the endless pursuit of pleasure would be able to find a few takers in Hollywood. But I guess until we get Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in Logan’s Run 2020, we’ll have to settle for the movie and the comic.

Which really isn’t too bad, even if (like me) you’re over 30.

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MORE

— 13 WAYS GEORGE PEREZ Brought More Magic to LOGAN’S RUN. Click here.

— Check out THE FILM AND WATER PODCAST episode on LOGAN’S RUN. Click here.

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ROB KELLY is a podcaster, writer, illustrator, and film commentator. You can find his work at robkellycreative.com.

You can read more of Rob’s REEL RETRO CINEMA columns here.

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UPDATED 6/23/26: Batman ’89 was released 37 years ago! Perfect time to re-present this piece from 2019’s BATMAN ’89 WEEK. Dig it. — Dan

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It’s BATMAN ’89 WEEK! Tim Burton’s groundbreaking Batman was released June 23, 1989. All this week, we’re publishing a series of retrospectives and celebrations spotlighting various aspects of a movie that was less a film and more a pop-culture phenomenon. Click here for the complete index of features.

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For this kickoff piece to BATMAN ’89 WEEK, we’ve invited Mark S. Reinhart, the author of The Batman Filmography, to tell you 13 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT BATMAN ’89:

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By MARK S. REINHART

1. Batman ’89 is the Reason the Character is Now Viewed as a Serious Action Hero. It is hard to explain to anyone who was born after 1989 just what it was like to be a serious Batman fan in the years between the cancellation of the Batman TV show and the release of the ’89 film. But understanding the general public’s perception of Batman during those years illuminates just how important the motion picture turned out to be in the history of the character. So listen up, all of you Batman fans in your 20s—this is what Batman fandom was like during the 1970s and 1980s:

During those years, it was almost impossible even to tell someone you were a serious Batman fan — unless that person was a hardcore comic book fan, that is. To everyone else, the words “serious” and “Batman” could not really even be placed next to each other in the same sentence. Batman was nothing more than Adam West in the campy TV show and movie, a silly character for kids, a craze that had died out a long time ago. Most people simply had no idea that Batman had originated in the comics as a dark avenger, as a man with a haunted past relentlessly fighting for justice.

Batman in Times Square? This was a big deal in 1989.

Batman’s return to his dark roots was well under way with works like Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, first published in 1986—and of course, there had been dozens of classic serious Batman comic stories published during the 1970s and 1980s. But very few people other than comic book fans were aware of these works.

The phenomenal success of Batman in the summer of 1989 changed all that, introducing millions of people around the world to “our” Batman – marking the first time such a massive audience appreciated the character in the way Bob Kane and Bill Finger had intended him to be viewed when they created him in 1939.

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2. No Michael Uslan, No Movie. One man in particular was responsible for bringing about this incredible shift in the way the general public perceived Batman, and his life story seemed to indicate that he had literally been born to do this job. Michael Uslan had become an avid comic book fan in the late 1950s when he was a young boy growing up in New Jersey, and he ended up being particularly drawn to Batman. He was a teenager when the Batman TV show premiered in 1966, and while he was thrilled to see his hero featured in a (relatively) big-budget television show, he was bitterly disappointed that the show played the Caped Crusader for laughs.

By the time Uslan was a law student at Indiana University in the early 1970s, he was actively working to get people to appreciate comic books as a serious art form. He developed a fully accredited college class on the history of comic books for the university’s “experimental curriculum” program. Shortly after Uslan began teaching his class, it received an avalanche of attention from major news media outlets—at the time, the idea of a major university recognizing comic books as a legitimate academic subject was so novel that it warranted nationwide headlines.

This attention led to both Marvel Comics and DC Comics contacting Uslan—both companies wanted to establish a relationship with this young man who was championing their work. DC ended up offering Uslan a job, which he happily accepted. His tenure at DC was a dream come true for him—he even got the chance to co-write several Batman stories for Detective Comics in 1976.

But Uslan’s Batman dreams were far from over. In 1979, after working for United Artists’ legal department for awhile, he decided to take on the task of producing a new live-action Batman big screen work. The revitalization of the character in 1970s comic stories and the blockbuster success of the 1978 Warner Brothers motion picture Superman led Uslan to feel that the time was right to embark on such a project. He envisioned this Batman film as being far more serious in tone than the 1960s TV show—it would be inspired by the work of great Batman creators such as Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers.

But it would end up taking Uslan a decade of hard work to realize his goal of making such a film. He encountered a whirlwind of rejections coming from different studios, producers and directors during his 10-year quest, but he held firm in his belief that he would be able to make the world see Batman in the same way that all of us serious fans did. Uslan’s vision and tenacity is the sole reason the ’89 Batman exists—and because of that fact, he deserves a place in Batman history that is on the same level as all of the great Batman creators I just mentioned.

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3. Englehart and Rogers’ Detective Comics Run Formed the Basis of the Film. In the early 1980s, Uslan’s Batman team hired Tom Mankiewicz, creative consultant for Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), to write a Batman screenplay. Titled The Batman, Mankiewicz’s script was loosely based on the Batman comic stories by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers that were originally published in Detective Comics in 1977-78. The script featured the Englehart characters Silver St. Cloud and Rupert Thorne, as well as familiar characters such as Robin, the Joker and the Penguin. The screenplay resembled the 1978 Superman in that it was epic in tone, and chronologically followed Bruce Wayne’s life from the time of his parents’ murder through his metamorphosis into a master costumed crimefighter.

Even at this early stage of planning the film, Jack Nicholson’s name was mentioned as the major candidate for the role of the Joker. Uslan in particular thought that Nicholson’s volatile style of acting made him perfect for the part. But it would be a long time before Uslan’s Batman movie project would be developed to the point where it actually needed actors. No one was impressed enough with Mankiewicz’s script to begin work on committing it to film, so the project languished in pre-production limbo for several years.

Rogers’ classic print

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4. Casting Michael Keaton Wasn’t the Only Casting Controversy. Warner Bros. eventually hired Tim Burton to direct and the film finally got off the ground. Burton in turn chose Michael Keaton to play Batman. Keaton had played the grotesque, obnoxious ghost Betelgeuse in Burton’s 1988 film Beetlejuice, and the manic energy of that performance led Warner Bros. and Burton to think that he might be able to bring the same kind of intensity to the Dark Knight.

Of course, it is very well documented how serious Batman fans felt about that casting decision when it was first announced. Warner was inundated with letters written by fans arguing that a 5-foot-10 comic actor with a medium to slight build was simply not right for the role.

But amusingly, the hiring of Keaton was not the only casting controversy that Warner faced at this time. Adam West publicly complained that he was not considered for the role of Batman in the new film—consequently, some fans of the 1960s Batman communicated their dismay to the studio because they felt West was being slighted. Of course, West’s history of playing Batman was completely counter to the kind of Batman that this new film was hoping to depict, so Warner dismissed the complaints of both the actor and his supporters with barely a second thought.

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5. Sean Young Was the First Choice to Play Vicki Vale. Warner’s casting of Vicki Vale also proved problematic. Sean Young was hired to play the part, but she broke her arm while horseback riding right before the film was due to start shooting—so she was replaced by Kim Basinger. (To add insult to injury, the only reason Young was riding a horse in the first place was to rehearse for a Batman scene that required her to be on horseback—and the scene was eventually cut from the script. So she broke her arm and lost the part all for nothing!)

Young went on to campaign very hard for the Catwoman part in 1992’s Batman Returns — even dressing in a Catwoman-like costume and going to the Warner lot in an attempt to meet with Burton. She brought her own video crew with her to film this “storming the gates” audition—however, the whole plan backfired when Burton was unavailable (or perhaps simply unwilling) to give her an audience.

She ended up prowling the lot in her costume, making everyone she encountered there, including Michael Keaton, rather uncomfortable. Obviously, Young didn’t get the part and Michelle Pfeiffer did—but Young did appear on The Joan Rivers Show to share the story.

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6. Bob Kane Claimed that Vicki Vale Was Based on Marilyn Monroe. Speaking of Vicki Vale, the character was originally created in the late 1940s, but not for Batman comics stories—rather, she was created by the writers of the 1949 movie serial Batman and Robin. (Vicki was basically a retread of Superman’s girlfriend Lois Lane.)

Bob Kane stated in his autobiography Batman and Me that he first learned about the character when he visited the Columbia Studios lot in 1948, as Batman and Robin was going into production, so he decided to introduce her into the comics. Kane also stated in Batman and Me that the comic book Vicki’s appearance was based on Marilyn Monroe. Kane claimed to have met the actress and spent some time with her both in 1943, when he visited Hollywood during the production of the first Batman serial, and in 1948, during his Batman and Robin visit.

Batman #49, by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Lew Sayre Schwartz. (Inks by Charles Paris.)

It is worth pointing out, however, that Kane’s autobiography is filled with many colorful anecdotes that seem quite far removed from actual truth—so his claim to have rubbed elbows with Marilyn Monroe should probably not be taken too seriously – especially since the timeline of her career doesn’t really line up with this version of events.

Incidentally, Batman and Robin’s Vicki Vale looked nothing at all like Monroe—the part was played by a dark-haired actress named Jane Adams.

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7. Batman’s First Preview Featured an Iconic Shot That’s Not in the Movie. Warners’ nervousness over the Keaton casting led the studio to release a rough trailer the winter before the movie came out so that the public could see that this was indeed going to be a serious Batman film. And this preview truly captured the film as a work in progress—it contained no musical score, so it came off more like a rough cut to be shown to studio execs rather than a preview for general audiences.

The trailer closed with an iconic close-up shot of Batman, his cowl covered in deep shadow, white steam billowing behind him. I’m guessing that this shot came from the film’s scenes at Axis Chemicals—but intriguingly, it ended up never appearing in the film itself. At the time, a still photo of the shot was used for publicity purposes—but I’ve always wished that the shot would have been actually used in the movie.

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8. A Batman Scene Was Cut at the Last Minute. The original cut of the movie featured a scene showing Batman moving a little girl out of harm’s way while fighting the Joker’s goons, and the little girl asking him, “Is it Halloween?” This scene must have been cut from the film at the last possible moment—photos of it were even included in the first Batman trading card set that was released at the time of the film’s premiere. Even though the scene ended up out of the movie, it can still be viewed by anyone who is interested in getting a look at it, because it is included in the documentary Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight, which can be found on deluxe editions of the Batman DVD and Blu-ray releases.

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9. Jack Nicholson Wasn’t Wearing White Makeup During His First Joker Scene. Early in the film, Jack Napier is horribly injured during the gun battle at Axis Chemicals and makes his way to a seedy Gotham surgeon to repair his face. The surgeon can only do so much and when Napier sees his disfigurement, his mind becomes completely unhinged. He laughs maniacally as he makes his way out of the surgeon’s office.

But as Jack walks up the steps and out the door of the office, you can see his face illuminated by a ceiling light—and it’s not chalk white. The filmmakers obviously thought that Nicholson’s face would not be well-lit enough for audiences to see, so the actor was not asked to wear his full makeup.

In full makeup, natch

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10. Danny Elfman’s Theme is Remarkably Similar to the Opening Music for the 1943 Serial. Danny Elfman’s marvelous musical score was essential in establishing Batman’s overall atmosphere. His dark, sweeping orchestral compositions are a perfect complement to the film’s images of Batman’s mysterious figure and Gotham City’s foreboding architecture. You only need to hear the distinctive first few notes of Elfman’s theme at the opening of the film to know how far removed this movie is from the lighthearted world of the 1960s Batman.

But as a musician, I can’t resist pointing out that those first notes are suspiciously similar to Lee Zahler’s opening orchestral music of the 1943 serial Batman.

The music in the 1943 opening starts with the notes “D-E-F-B.” Elfman’s theme is in a different key but it opens with notes that are almost the exact same intervals— “C-D-D#-G#.” In fact, if you moved the G# note in Elfman’s piece up a half step to an A, they would be exactly the same! This is either a remarkable coincidence, or Mr. Elfman is guilty of a tiny bit of very clever musical thievery.

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11. Kim Basinger Kept Losing Her Shoes So She Wouldn’t Be Taller Than Keaton. To put it bluntly, many of the criticisms that Batman fans leveled at Michael Keaton when he was first given the part were right on target. At 5-foot-10 and of slightish build, he’s simply too small to be completely convincing. Because of Keaton’s limited physical stature, many of his scenes are underwhelming.

In fact, Kim Basinger (5-foot-7) had to take off her heeled shoes in the film no less than three times so that she wouldn’t appear taller than our hero.

The first time the shoes go are when Bruce is going to kiss her during their date at Wayne Manor. Next, she throws them out of the Batmobile when she and Batman are preparing to run through the streets of Gotham to avoid the Joker’s goons. Finally, they fall off her feet when she is ascending the Gotham Cathedral staircase with the Joker. These “Vicki loses her shoes” scenes in Batman add nothing in terms of plot, character development, etc.—they are there simply because Keaton is too short for his role.

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12. One of the Film’s Climactic Lines Makes No Sense – Because of Last-Minute Changes. Batman’s plot suffers a fairly major breakdown at the end of the film when Batman confronts the Joker atop Gotham Cathedral. In the scene, Batman says to the Joker “you killed my parents,” and the Joker responds by saying “I was a kid when I killed your parents.” But in the film, Batman has never revealed he is actually Bruce Wayne to the Joker—so the Joker has no way of knowing who Batman’s parents were, or when he would have killed them. (After all, the film has led us to believe that Jack/Joker has killed scores of people over the years.) Consequently, this line at the climactic moment of the film makes no sense whatsoever.

This narrative mistake happened because in the early versions of Batman’s script, the Joker was supposed to discover that Batman was Bruce Wayne during the final scenes of the film. However, this element of the story was dropped by the time filming began. Somehow, the Joker’s line about being a kid when he killed Batman’s parents made it all the way into the final cut of the film, even when it no longer matched up with the film’s story.

I know that it has been 30 years since Batman was first released, but I would still like to see this mistake somehow corrected!

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13. Robin Was Supposed to Appear in the Movie. Sam Hamm’s initial script drafts featured Robin/Dick Grayson but the Boy Wonder was eventually winnowed out. Still, Robin was able to make his way onto deluxe editions of the Batman DVD and Blu-ray releases. Those editions included a short program called Batman: The Complete Robin Storyboard Sequence, which visualized Robin’s part in one of Hamm’s early versions of the screenplay. (Click here for more on that, from co-screenwriter Sam Hamm himself.)

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MORE

— The Complete BATMAN ’89 WEEK Index. Click here.

— 13 THINGS to Love About MICHAEL KEATON’s BATMAN — RANKED. Click here.

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MARK S. REINHART is the author of The Batman Filmography.

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Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, is out this week, so we’ve gathered up the 13th Dimension crew to bring you our first-ever SUPERGIRL WEEK! Click here for more high-flying features!

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By BILL MORRISON

In 1970, DC Comics’ editors felt that Supergirl was badly in need of a costume update, so rather than rely on their middle-aged artists to come up with a hip new look, they invited their young readers to send in ideas for a modern super-suit for the Maid of Might.

The response was overwhelming, and editors decided on a hybrid costume based on sketches by two of their readers, Louise Ann Kelly and Jean Bray. This outfit, featuring a miniskirt, modern gold belt, and thigh-high red boots, made its debut in an Adventure Comics #398 back-up feature pencilled by Mike Sekowsky.

But other fan designs were just too good to leave languishing in a flat file, and subsequent issues saw Kara Zor-El’s wardrobe expand with a rotating array of groovy new threads. Why, there were easily enough far-out fashions to fill a book of paper dolls — say, now there’s an idea!

Here’s my pitch for a Supergirl paper dolls book, and if DC doesn’t bite, I’m taking the idea to Marvel for a book of Janet Van Dyne’s way-out Wasp costumes! (By the way, our pal Jim Beard ranks the TOP 13 SUPERGIRL OUTFITS over here!)

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Want more SUPERGIRL WEEK? Click here!

Want more MORRISON MONDAYS? Come back next week! Want a commission? See below!

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MORE

— WHO DREW ROGER RABBIT: Me, I’m Happy to Say. Click here.

— THE MANY MOODS OF DONALD — Just in Time for DONALD DUCK DAY. Click here.

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Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, is out this week, so we’ve gathered up the 13th Dimension crew to bring you our first-ever SUPERGIRL WEEK! Click here for more high-flying features!

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By JIM BEARD

As comic-book fans, we tend to get collectively all high-and-mighty when it comes to change. Why can’t things just stay the same — like costumes, for instance?

Well, when it comes to the Supergirl’s situation, after sixty-seven years, a Maid of Might just wants to have fuh-un and a costume change might be just the ticket.

Mike Sekowsky pencils, Dick Giordano inks

Look at it this way: Not being quite as iconic a character as her admittedly more well-known and practically deified cousin, Supergirl can get away with it—and so she has, many times over. In fact, she’s had enough sartorial switch-ups that we’re able to offer a run-down of 13 favorite costumes from among her own choices over the decades.

Pull up a chunk of kryptonite and settle in, Streaky. Things may get a little weird here and there—we’re looking at you, 1970s—but you’ve got a Supergirl on your shoulder as we look through the closet of one of the greatest heroines of all time.

(Plus, check out our pal Bill Morrison, whose MORRISON MONDAYS column this week features Supergirl paper dolls. Perfect timing!)

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13. Pirate Boots (Adventure Comics #415, 1972). Part of Kara’s early ’70s push to try out several new costumes suggested by readers, this kooky ensemble only lasted for a single issue, but it has super-spunk and sass, and that’s all it needed to land on this list.

Bob Oksner

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12. Super-Swimsuit (Adventure Comics #409, 1971). It’s been called weird, it’s been called structurally and gravitationally impossible; just make sure you call it for dinner, because this one’s a hip flip on the super-switch and I’m diggin’ it.

Giordano

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11. A Suit to Pant For (Adventure Comics #412, 1971). Funny how it took Kara (or her readers) 12 years after her debut to realize what she needed was a pair of pants. Oh, well; it took even longer for Melissa Benoist’s dressers to figure it out, too.

Oksner

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10. Coming in First (Superman #123, 1958). She was the first, a “Super-Girl” to test the waters with readers, and she set off the chain reaction that not only led to Kara Zor-El, but also set the stage for a look that would eventually become the Supergirl standard years later, high-heeled boots and all.

Curt Swan pencils, Stan Kaye inks

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9. Rebirth (Supergirl: Rebirth #1, 2016). Clean, smart, simple, perfect for a super-debutante ball. Supergirl came full circle with this one, channeling the Melissa Benoist TV series, which of course had channeled the comics, etc.

Adam Hughes variant

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8. The Little Screen (Supergirl, 2015). Speaking of Melissa Benoist, you have to admit she looked damn good in the role, rockin’ the “S” with her thigh-highs, dark nylons, and thumb-loops. The show lasted for an admirable six seasons, complete with a costume change of its own at one point.

Benoist

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7. Enter… the Matrix (Superman #16, 1988). After the barnacles were stripped away from the Super-saga, a Supergirl was suddenly deemed necessary again, and that “Super-Girl” style from 30 years earlier found new life, albeit with a little Eighties pizzazz.

John Byrne pencils, Karl Kesel inks

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6. Attitude Adjustment (Supergirl, 2026). C’mon, you knew this was going to come up, and rightly so. Millie Alcock’s Supergirl is the reason this list exists today, and we have to give the nod to her costume—something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…

Alcock

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5. Let’s Get Physical (The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #13, 1983). OK, now this list is getting real. The shoulder pads, the headband (which strangely didn’t debut here), the boot accents; this was a Supergirl costume to die for… oops, too soon?

Ed Hannigan pencils, Dick Giordano inks

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4. Hand in Glove (Adventure Comics#398, 1970). Roll with me on this one. It actually lasts for nine whole issues, chain-belt and all, so there’s got to be something about the look that made it last that long. The gloves were a bold choice, at least, right?

Mike Sekowsky pencils, poss. Mike Peppe inks

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3. Slater Surprises (Supergirl, 1984). I think, I hope, we can all agree on one thing here: Helen Slater, like Christopher Reeve before her, was pretty much a literal translation of the character from comic to silver screen. And she looks so damn good in that costume. The movie might have tanked, but Helen was perfection. Gotta give credit where credit is due.

Slater

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2. The OG (Action Comics #252, 1959). There’s just no way I can place this lower, the original Kara costume, the one that started it all. It loses a point for too much blue (the red skirt was a godsend when it finally appeared), but it must be acknowledged as the touchstone, the super-design for a super girl.

Swan pencils, Al Plastino inks

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1. Hot Pants! (Adventure Comics #410, 1971). In the middle of all the early-’70s costume change-up chaos, a little outfit debuted that would become the Supergirl style for a generation of Mego action figure fans. The choker, the hotpants, the V-neck, the off-center shield, the poofy sleeves, the delicate moccasins… maybe it’s dated now, probably even sexist, but for many of us, this is Supergirl. And it lasted for many years (though boots replaced the moccasins, natch).

Adventure Comics #411. Bob Oksner art.

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MORE

— The Complete SUPERGIRL WEEK Index of Columns and Features. Click here.

— MORRISON MONDAYS: What a Paper Doll! SUPERGIRL’s Swingin’ ’70s Fashion Show. Click here.

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When JIM BEARD’s not editing and publishing through his two houses, Flinch Books and Becky Books, he’s pounding out adventure fiction with both original and licensed characters. In fact, he’s put words in the mouths of Luke Skywalker, Superman, Fox Mulder, Carl Kolchak, Peter Venkman and the Green Hornet… and lived to tell about it. Check out one of his best: The Old Origin Changeth!, available here.