Recommended Reading

What stories of hers would you recommend me Ive never read one of her comics but I saw her in Public Enemies and thought she might be a cool character to read about.

My favorite PG stories are in Justice League Europe. (Titled "Justice League International" (Vol. 2) from #51 onward.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_League_Europe

@powergirlfan: Thanks would you also recommend showcase #97-99?

^ Yes but it's a more "old-school" style of comics. Reading her early comics are a good way to catch up on background and origins.

Power Trip is pretty much essential reading for the character.

I'd mention her solo series, at least first several issues. Get a sense of her on her own.

@mraugen: @saren: will have to check them out

That was the actual name of the Johns mini in the opening arc of JSA Classified, wasn't it? I'd say the first step for a new reader of the character should be the trade paperback Power Girl, which contains a selection of the most important PG stories to that date, including Power Trip, her first appearance, more of her All-Star Comics days, and her Atlantis origin story.

Other stuff includes her 1986 mini, which isn't all that important to know for the character's sake, the JLE issues, which ARE important for that purpose, Worlds' Finest, (note where the apostrophe is, there's another far longer running series out there where it's in the normal place that doesn't concern her), and the World's End issues of World's finest--which ffeature her fight with Darkseid at the end of that story, as well as some issues of Justice League International: Generation Lost which features her first time wearing the "S" shield, albiet in a black costume and in a future that turns out to never happen, but it does set the stage for the Supergirl turned Power Girl wearing the "S" costume we have currently.

And I'd add that her solo series, all 27 issues of it, is available in four trades. And I'd point out that the tone changes radically from the Palmiotti/Connors first half of her series to the Winick second half, from mostly not serious to mostly serious. A theme with this character throughout her tenure---she does more intense serious work, and more comedic stuff, the latter of which first appears in JLE. There's also her Warlord arc, which you'll have to find in the back issue bin...I think it starts somewhere around the #116 mark, but someone else here will know for sure, no doubt. And...a big part of her story is told in JSA, most of which is also available in trades, (the Johns series).

Kingdom Come also has some brief appearances of an alternate future Power Girl named in the series Power Woman. But you'd waste your time and money getting that just for her. It does sort of figure into later stories, but it just isn't that important. Then there are numerous sundry Elseworlds type stuff, like the horrid "Created Equal" mini, and of course she at least IN most of the major DC wide arcs. Finally, the Supergirl: Candor trade collects a lot of SG stories, as well as some Power Girl stuff, and an interesting if not followed up on arc of the SG series with both characters that had an interesting possible story arc for PG that IMO should have played out in her own series, but never did.

Power Trip is the Johns mini plus the first 12 issues of her series, so it's basically everything from Amanda Conner. I'd advise anyone trying to get into the character to NOT read anything related to her Atlantis origin, because the whole thing is such a terrible, pointless mess that ultimately meant nothing and would probably turn people away from the character more than anything else. For the 2000's era Power Girl, Johns' stuff really suffices; between Power Trip, Infinite Crisis and the three Thy Kingdom Come trades, you've pretty much covered most of her backstory.

Odd, the trades of the Conner/Palmiotti/Gray part of her series has other names. It's also unusual to carry over a name from a miniseries to other, unrelated material in a later monthly...???

I would read the Atlantis origin story, because it will undoubtably pop up for anyone who reads the character's adventures from a large part of her history. And, technically Public Enemies is based on an arc that happens in the gray area between that part of her history and her reboot as Kryptonian again. Also, if you get the trade Power Girl, it's included anyway, so there's no reason not to read it. Infinite Crisis to my mind is largely irrelevant to the character, who really does nothing in the series save cry, meet her cousin and Lois again, get captured, be a prisoner, get rescued, cry some more, and let the Martian Manhunter stop her from saving her cousin, (and yeah, as his death was written, she certainly could have saved him). It was from her perspective, a pretty horrible showing, written competely out of the character that had been established for her through most of the rest of her existence. And I'd also say that for the Thy Kingdom Come trades, (not to be confused with Kingdom Come). They also featured crying, whiny helpless Power Girl, (not to mention stupid, nearly homicidal PG)---another Johns penned story that totally misunderstands the character who is in fact the opposite of those qualities.

The Conner/Palmiotti trades are standalone trades related to her own series; the Power Trip trade was created to be essential reading for the character because Conner's Power Girl became so popular among fans.

It will pop up for anyone who reads the character's adventures from a large part of her history that was completely discarded and will never be relevant again. It is entirely unnecessary and new readers should not waste their time with it unless they have covered her Kryptonian origin and feel masochistic enough to wade into perhaps the most jumbled continuity ever devised for any character outside of Kang the Conqueror. Public Enemies does not even mention her Atlantis origin as far as I can remember. You could start reading it assuming PG is just Clark's cousin and have no reason to doubt that when you finish. Your idea of relevance seems to hinge on power levels and feats and whatever, which, while well and good if that's what someone wants, has nothing to do with her origin or backstory. Infinite Crisis and Thy Kingdom Come might not have the best feats, but they explain nearly the entirety of her rebooted Kryptonian origin, so how they are not supposed to be relevant to the character is beyond me. Character-wise, the Palmiotti/Gray stuff is better, which is why I mentioned the Power Trip trade, but they're not going to delve into her origin much.

@sarenWe seem to be reading different trades.. AFAIK, there is only one Johns and others trade for PG, and that HAS the actual origin story for PG, both of them in fact, the Atlantean and both of the Krypton version. True, they're not extensive stories like other character have had, but they get the gist across that PG is from Krypton 2, is Superman's cousin, and for a new reader that should dispell any doubt at to who she is, together with the intros that tell when the various origins come, so IMO any average reader shouldn't be confused by reading the dreaded Atlantean thing. So, really, there's no reason to go into IC, a series that really only has PG in as a minor character, and adds nothing much to the origin story. Ditto TKC, especially as a new reader might well be confused by the Power Girls presented in those two stories, enough to question whether he or she is reading an entirely different character.

And no, by opinion of the character isn't effected by feats or power levels. However stories for this type of character don't tend to go well if she does nothing, or plays the victim. It leaves the reader wonder why the character everyone in the story proclaims to have godlike power just like Superman doesn't actually DO anything. Consistent characterization is most important to me, and while PG has mostly had certain traits, there are notable exceptions in these two stories.

As for the Palmiotti/Gray stuff, that's a matter of taste. I prefer the susequent run in the series. I know other like Palmiotti and Gray, however. My advice to the new reader is to look at the trades A New Beginning, and Bomb Squad for a look at the first six issues of Palmiotti and Gray, and the first six of Winick. The whole Palmiotti/Gray run isn't needed to understand what happens in the Winick run, the first six issues should more than suffice. Then if you like one of those runs, buy the other trade in it.

The Altanean issue is important for one simple reason, JLE/JLI classic issues. There's where a lot of stuff PG's fans know have their origin, like the cat...

No, the Public Enemies DVD has no mention of PG's origin, but it IS alluded too, albiet rather ellipically in the Superman/Batman issues it's based on. Enough to perhaps confuse a new reader who might have gotten the DVD, and then read the comics it was based on.

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