Death in a Dark Dimension!
DC Comics Presents #56
Cover Date: April 1983
Released: 6th January 1983
Well, this is a cover image that will take a very different meaning in a few years for a different Kara. As seems to be a pattern now Power Girl does it first before the rest of the Super Family!
Talking of being a Presents we open with Superman dealing with a show of plasma over Metropolis, as it’s his team-up book he gets the splash page in a slightly goofy-looking pose. Catching the plasma balls in his indestructible cloak he shoots up into space to dispose of the dangerous material, all the while being watched by evil-looking eyes…
Meanwhile, Power Girl is dealing with a mysterious wormhole sucking energy generated from the Metropolis Power Plant. Showing some smarts she figures it all out and quickly stops the generator from providing the energy being sucked into the hole. Whilst being watched by those mysterious eyes again…
We get a repeat of this with Supes fighting mysterious moving asteroids in space, whilst Power Girl is forced to the ground by a force field and has to catch a light plane that is also affected by the barrier. Here we learn that apparently, Kara is a fan of baseball, though it could be a quip before both herself and Clark are zapped away to a mysterious dimension…
We then cut to said mysterious dimension and the planet Blimaar that’s been almost constantly at war for millennia. Though we arrive just when the immortal Maaldor defeats the final boss to end the war for apparently good. Even though he’s immortal, something he reminds us of constantly, he’s pretty bored with peace, this is apparently after only a few minutes of inaction so he’s apparently not a patient man. Thankfully for him, and the plot, at this point Clark and Kara pop out of the wormhole that snatched them away. They seem particularly chill about the whole thing, probably because by now they’re pretty experienced in cross-dimensional travel.
We get a quick back and forward where Maaldor reminds us that a) He’s immortal b) He’s bored already. Power Girl here doesn’t take any crap from him at all, quickly calling him out on the crap that he’s saying even getting zapped for her trouble. The two Kryptonians point out that they could easily nope out of this entire situation before Maaldor threatens to basically massacre all the civilizations in this dimension, so they reluctantly agree to play the immortal Maaldor’s games.
Maaldor, the immortal, then transports them to an arena, dressing them in some pretty natty Gladitorial armour which they quickly ditch. They’re then forced to fight against some natty aliens monsters that burst from the ground, the Kryptonians put on a good showing and get some neat banter between themselves. Finally, the immortal Maaldor decide they’ve proved themselves and jumps into the arena to fight them himself.
Kara is the one that starts fighting him, giving him powers but an ineffective punch. Which is apparently enough for him to just zap her dead! When then get a page or so where Supes and Maaldor, the immortal, fight each other as it looks like we’re going down a rather unfortunate trope of women in comics. Luckily when Superman is down and immortal Maaldor is about to stab him Power Girl just barrels into him and with renewed vigour just rails on him, though Supes is allowed to give the knockdown blow.
Then in an out of the blue Deus ex machine those spooky eyes, apparently this dimensions Dark God, just zaps Maaldor, immortal, painfully squishing him down to power the creation of a new dimension or something. Seamingly shaken Clark seals off this new dimension before the comic closes on Maaldor potential to return because I don’t know if it’s been mentioned but he’s immortal you know!
Like with the Huntress stories the fact that we only have two heroes means our Power Girl gets more opportunities to shine, and apart from that fake-out death she’s her feisty self but also showing some smarts and compassion. A little hidden gem I enjoyed most from the character than the pretty straightforward plot.
⋅ Writers: Paul Kupperberg ⋅ Pencilers: Curt Swan ⋅ Inkers: Dave Hunt ⋅
⋅ Colourists: Gene D’Angelo ⋅ Letterers: Ben Oda ⋅ Editors: Julius Schwartz ⋅
⋅ Writers: Paul Kupperberg ⋅ Pencilers: Curt Swan ⋅ Inkers: Dave Hunt ⋅
⋅ Colourists: Gene D’Angelo ⋅ Letterers: Ben Oda ⋅ Editors: Julius Schwartz ⋅