For ten years, Supergirl had been Superman's secret. Introduced in Action Comics #252 in 1959, Kara Zor-El spent a full decade as a backup feature — a remarkable character kept deliberately in her cousin's shadow, her existence known only to him. That changes here.
Adventure Comics #381, cover-dated June 1969, marks the moment DC finally said: she's ready. The banner on the cover announces it directly — "After 10 Years, Supergirl Gets Her Own Magazine! This is Her First Booklength Novel!" — and the issue delivers, with Kara facing off against a hypnotist-run crime ring while Batgirl appears to assist. Cary Bates's script moves with the confident energy of a writer who knows his protagonist can carry a title. The cover, with pencils by Curt Swan and inks by Neal Adams, is one of the more dynamic images to come out of DC's late-Silver/early-Bronze transitional moment — Adams's atmospheric inking lifts Swan's clean design into something with genuine menace.
The CBCS slab notes the artistic lineage correctly: Swan's cover pencils, Adams's inks, Win Mortimer and Jack Abel on interior art. This is a book made by craftsmen at the top of their medium.
This copy grades CBCS 9.4 (Near Mint) with Off-White/White pages — exceptional preservation for a 57-year-old newsprint book. As Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow approaches its June 26, 2026 release, this is the milestone issue collectors will be seeking: the first time she starred in her own story, in nearly unread condition.
For ten years, Supergirl had been Superman's secret. Introduced in Action Comics #252 in 1959, Kara Zor-El spent a full decade as a backup feature — a remarkable character kept deliberately in her cousin's shadow, her existence known only to him. That changes here.
Adventure Comics #381, cover-dated June 1969, marks the moment DC finally said: she's ready. The banner on the cover announces it directly — "After 10 Years, Supergirl Gets Her Own Magazine! This is Her First Booklength Novel!" — and the issue delivers, with Kara facing off against a hypnotist-run crime ring while Batgirl appears to assist. Cary Bates's script moves with the confident energy of a writer who knows his protagonist can carry a title. The cover, with pencils by Curt Swan and inks by Neal Adams, is one of the more dynamic images to come out of DC's late-Silver/early-Bronze transitional moment — Adams's atmospheric inking lifts Swan's clean design into something with genuine menace.
The CBCS slab notes the artistic lineage correctly: Swan's cover pencils, Adams's inks, Win Mortimer and Jack Abel on interior art. This is a book made by craftsmen at the top of their medium.
This copy grades CBCS 9.4 (Near Mint) with Off-White/White pages — exceptional preservation for a 57-year-old newsprint book. As Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow approaches its June 26, 2026 release, this is the milestone issue collectors will be seeking: the first time she starred in her own story, in nearly unread condition.
