After recently catching up on the Supergirl TV show I thought it might be fun to go back and check out the original source material. Oh boy this is painful stuff to read. Covering the first two years of the Girl of Steel’s stories it is a reflection of the misogynistic gender role expectations of the time that makes for an uncomfortable read today. Also Superman just comes across as a butt-head of the highest caliber. After meeting his long lost cousin and hearing her traumatic tale of survival he dumps her in a orphanage and basically tells her to stay out of the way so she won’t devalue his reputation. As a result we get repetitive stories that revolve around Supergirl trying to avoid being adopted (which apparently was a very casual process), helping people out while staying hidden (in which she spends a lot of time blowing dust in peoples eyes, digging tunnels, or melting stuff with her x-ray vision), going places she doesn’t have to hide (other times & planets), and generally trying to win the approval of a man who doesn’t want to recognize her existence (and the few times he does it’s via the use of the creepiest wink possible). Having said all that, one thing that does shine through is Supergirl’s central character of a cheerful disposition and a drive to help people in trouble - something that Melissa Benoist captures so well in the aforementioned TV show. ( )