Power Girl: Difference between revisions

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Karen Starr, the name she adopted, proved a hit with readers. She received solo stories in ''"Showcase''" #97-99 (February-April, 1978). DC was considering launching a Power Girl series. But in 1978, the DC Implosion struck, with the cancellation of over 24 ongoing titles. There was no room for new titles. Karen did however become a founding member of [[Infinity Inc]]. Regularly appearing in the 12 first issues of said series, and occassionally turning up in subsequent ones.

 

 

 

After issue #12 the original creative team left the series, replaced by [[Judd Winick]] and Sami Basri, and the series shifted both its [[Art Shift|visual]] and writing style. The new arc focused less on Power Girl's personal life, instead revolving around her heroic activities and how they ''affected'' her personal life, and also dealt with the reappearance of Maxwell Lord. The story is heavily tied into the ''[[Brightest Day]]'' event, though not published under the ''Brightest Day'' banner, and has interweaving plotlines with ''Justice League: Generation Lost''. [[Ruined FOREVER|There was initial fan opposition to the change in creative control when it was announced]], but reactions to the series itself can not yet be judged.

* [[Chest Insignia]]: A notable ''lack'' of one, she has what is termed a "boob window." Because of her [[Continuity Snarl|long and complicated history]] there have been numerous explanations as to why, exactly, she has this window. The current story behind it is kind of sad - she could not think of a symbol, so she left it blank and never filled it and is actually undergoing a minor identity crisis as she tries to figure out where she fits in the world. Though not all reasons have been as poignant, they are all intentional and rational. Previously, one of her explanations was that the window gave a clear indication of who and what she was: Strong, feminine and yes, big-breasted. If people were overly preoccupied or distracted by the last part that was their problem, not hers, [[Big Breasts, Big Deal|she would not be bound by what they thought of her.]]

* [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome]]: After the author/artist switch to Judd Winick and Sami Basri, Terra, who had been Power Girl's sidekick/partner/sister throughout the early issues, is neither seen nor mentioned.

* [[Cloning Blues]]: Power Girl discovers that fighting an exact duplicate of herself is not very fun. On the plus side, apparently Krypto is ''[[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|so damn heroic]]'' that [[Heroic Dog|even his evil clone comes to Kara's aide]].

* [[Clothing Damage]]: She suffers from this a suspiciously large amount. Her costume is often portrayed as being hardly more resilient than Empowered's. She never lets it slow her down though.

* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: Once Power Girl is pushed past her limit and stops holding back she takes Ultra-Humanite, who a few pages earlier had been bragging about destroying all of civilization, and beats him down in six panels. Four of those panels are PG ''slamming his head against the wall''.

* [[Cut Lex Luthor a Check]]: [[Deconstructed]]. Power Girl (In her role as Karen Starr, head of Starrware) holds the patents to several miraculous technologies and heads what seems to be a well-running corporation. However, now that they have engineered these miraculous technologies they need to develop them into some form of marketable product, deal with worried overseeing government agencies and also contend with the almost insurmountable issues of normal office paperwork. Starrware might be on the cutting edge of human technology, and its stock prices will probably go through the roof once it goes public, but right now it needs to find some way to actually gain revenue from its assets. Power Girl herself is struggling to make ends meet until the profits start to come in, and lampshades this when fighting the Blue Snowman, who had developed the technology to create weather and was using this technology to steal jewels not worth half of what her equipment was worth.

* [[Destination Defenestration]]: Satanna really should learn the art of small-talk and cuddling

* [[Dishing Out Dirt]]: Atlee, the new Terra, and Power Girl's new best friend. [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|They go see movies together.]]

* [[Dressed in Layers]]: Though Power Girl herself is always prepared for trouble, Terra has not quite grasped the concept that she always needs to wear her costume underneath her clothing just in case. As such, she is completely unprepared when a monster rises up when she and PG are out watching a movie and she ends up going into battle [[Underwear of Power|dressed only in adorable lady-bug underwear]].

* [[Cute Kitten]]: [http://jacquelineofalltrades.tumblr.com/photo/1280/4294961977/1/tumblr_lj1rx3Wvti1qbmslx Stinky].

* [[Eviler Than Thou]]: Satanna goes to [[Captain Marvel|Dr. Sivanna]] to get a weapon to revenge herself on Power Girl and gives him what he wanted as payment. Afterwards he attempts some minor small-talk and she, [[Card-Carrying Villain|because she and he are villains]], does not feel it is necessary to disguise the fact that she felt this was a heartily disgusting event which she did solely as part of a business exchange. He agrees with her, then points out that since they are bad guys he no longer cares about her desires since she gave him what he wanted, and [[Destination Defenestration|throws her out the window]].

* [[Evil Laugh]]: Apparently, characters differentiate between your [[Mad Scientist|Mad Scientists]] and scientists who happen to be mad by the presence or absence of a good "Moo-Ha-Ha!"

* [[Homage Shot]]: At one point when Atlee and Power Girl are at the movies, the main cast of [[The Big Bang Theory]] are seen, most notably Howard, who then proceeds to hit on her. And strike out. HARD.

* [[How Do I Shot Web?]]: Power Girl actually discusses this trope when fighting her evil clone. She reasons that, even if "Divine" has all the same powers as her that does not mean she knows how to ''use'' those powers, since she has only been "alive" for ten minutes and has never worked with thse abilities before.

** When Terra was {{spoiler|[[Grand Theft Me|taken over by the Ultra-Humanite]]}} and fighting Power Girl she kept taunting PG with regards to this trope.

{{quote| '''Terra{{spoiler|[[Grand Theft Me|Ultra-Humanite]]}}:''' "Let's have one of those totally cliched [[Let's You and Him Fight|hero-slash-friend fights]]. You get to say things like 'I know you're stronger than this', or 'You can fight it'...oh, and 'This isn't you!'"}}

{{quote| '''Vartox''': "Bask in the seduction musk distilled from tears of the ghost poets of dimension seven...to prove his manly prowess, Vartox has arranged for a demonstration of masculinity."}}

* [[Leotard of Power]]

{{quote| '''Terra{{spoiler|[[Grand Theft Me|Ultra-Humanite]]}}:''' "Let's have one of those [[Lampshade Hanging|totally cliched hero-slash-friend fights]]. You get to say things like [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|'I know you're stronger than this', or 'You can fight it'...oh, and 'This isn't you!']]"}}

* [[Lingerie Scene]]: Vartox decides to dress appropriately for his dinner with Power Girl. The results are...[[Nightmare Fuel|not quite right for a formal dinner]], but Power Girl can not help but peek through her fingers just a little.

* [[Reality Warper]]: Who turns out to be a young girl who reads a lot of fantasy.

* [[Reed Richards Is Useless]]: Averted with Karen Starr and Starrware, who have managed to create some really cool technology, sometimes by reverse engineering alien tech. This includes [[Nanotechnology|nanotech]] that can create a [[Cool Car|1966 Pontiac GTO]] from what appears to be a pile of rubber, scrap metal and rope. With a vanity plate already installed ("Starr"). Say what you will, Power Girl has ''style''.

* [[Secret Identity]]: Karen Starr. At the beginning of her solo series PG even says that she ''misses'' having one.

* [[The Seventies]]: The planet Valeron might actually be an alien world perpetually stuck in the era of disco.

* [[Shopping Montage]]: With Atlee to get furniture for her new apartment. Also Cinnamon Buns.

* [[Shout-Out]]:

* [[Show Some Leg]]: Who do you get when you want to distract Toyman?

* [[Sidekick]]: Terra generally fills this role, though she does complain about always being put on crowd control.

* [[Slip Into Something More Comfortable]]: Vartox decides to attire himself properly for his dinner with Power Girl. She instructs him, rather firmly, to put more clothes on. '''''Now'''''.

* [[Statuesque Stunner]]: She is every bit as tall as [[Wonder Woman]].

* [[Strange Minds Think Alike]]: When [[Zatanna]] is in the presence of a man who can copy her powers, she realizes that just beating him in a [[Wizard Duel]] will not solve the problem, she needs to physically leave his presence to keep him from getting her powers permanently.

* [[Squick]]: Power Girl's in-universe reaction to learning that the Ultra-Humanite had sex with his girlfriend...in gorilla form.

* [[Stripperiffic]]: Despite the notoriety of her costume, it is actually rather tame by modern standards (it more or less looks like a swimsuit), and the lack of protection is somewhat justified considering she is bulletproof.

{{quote| '''Power Girl:''' "No! No, you ''didn't''!! You ''cloned Krypto''?!?! What kind of sick @#$#$--this is ''Superman's dog''. For crying out loud! Is ''nothing'' sacred!?"}}

** After Power Girl, Superman and Zatanna are [[Baleful Polymorph|turned in rock-people]] she looks down at her new rock-body and comments that "this is wrong on many, '''''many''''' levels."

* [[Vertical Kidnapping]]: Turned [[Up to Eleven]] when Ultra-Humanite does this to ''Manhattan''.

* [[Weaksauce Weakness]]: The aforementioned "diet soda" allergy to explain her attitude in the Giffen/DeMatteis ''Justice League Europe'' issues after they left the series, and her vulnerability to "raw, natural, unprocessed materials".

* [[Who Writes This Crap?]]: She does not say the actual line, but Power Girl simply can not believe the story of Vartox and the infertility bomb that requires him to [[Mars Needs Women|find a mate to save his planet]]. Power Girl is stifling laughter by the time he gets to the part about the "pregno-ray".

* [[The Worf Effect]]: lampshaded in her own series "why, oh why do I keep getting my ass kicked?!"

[[Category:Power Girl]]

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