For all the praise Superman’s parents got for foreseeing the destruction of Krypton and saving their son, there sure was quite a few other survivors; from Krypto to Brainiac to General Zod to the Evil Three to all the citizens of Kandor to... Wait… What happened to “The Last Son of Krypton” title?

In the sea of survivors, one particular Kryptonian has stood out as a fan favorite, Superman’s cousin… No, not Kara Zor-El. The other, other cousin, Kara Zor-L. There is a distinct difference. Although Power Girl’s character biography has undergone multiple variations, it’s currently settled on her being the Supergirl equivalent of Earth-2.

Here we examine the current market for some of Power Girl’s key comic books and other popular ones.

 

ALL STAR COMICS #58 (1976)

When natural disasters caused by Brainwave threaten various cities around the world, the Justice Society of America swoops in to save the day. To their surprise, a strange superhero also flies in to help. This is revealed to be Power Girl in her first appearance.

The sales for All Star Comics #58, graded in a cross-section of CGC 9.6 and 8.5 (the top 21.1% and 71.8%) are shown below.

In mid-2016, All Star Comics #58 spiked in value based on news/rumors that Power Girl was being considered to appear in the Flash TV series. The book experienced almost a +50% in sales prices overnight. Unfortunately, this Power Girl appearance never materialized. Unable to sustain the new high prices, All Star Comics #58 has been on a decline over the last 3 years. Lower highs and lower lows. While this negative trend is bad news, the book’s value has actually returned to value levels similar to that prior to the TV rumors.

When we look to the lower end of 8.5, the book’s sales prices held steady through the TV rumors. It didn’t spike up, but rather grew slow and steady. It would appear that most of the speculation took place at the higher end, while the lower end of 8.5 revealed the true demand.

Going back to the sales at the higher end, we can observe that in the last few months a large volume of sales have occurred in the $400-$500 range, the levels prior to the spike. If these price levels hold, it could mean a price support and a return to a flat or even positive trend.

 

SHOWCASE #97 (1978)

In this key issue, Power Girl reveals her origins. During Krypton’s demise, Power Girl’s parents also sent her, like Kal-L, off to Earth. Below is sales for the book in CGC 9.8 and 9.6 (the top 22.4% and 56.9% of the census); 9.8 is in blue, 9.6 is in orange.

For both grades, Showcase #97’s sales prices have been in slow decline. This book did not benefit from the same TV rumors that All Star Comics #58 did in mid-2016. While the book’s story is key in learning about Power Girl’s past, it does not appear to offer a good potential for financial investment.

 

POWER GIRL #27 (2011)

With striking cover art by Warren Louw, this issue has become popular amongst collectors both in volume of sales and high sales prices. The following chart is sales for the book in CGC 9.8 and 9.6 (the top 33.6% and 61.3% of the census, respectively. 9.8 is shown in blue, 9.6 in orange.

Overall sales prices have been flat for the last three and a half years. Although Power Girl #27 is not recommended for a long-term hold, its volatile price range offers an interesting opportunity for a quick flip. On a side note, it is interesting that a 9.8 grade of Power Girl #27 can command prices similar to that of a 9.6 graded Power Girl’s first appearance, All Star Comics #58.

 

JSA: CLASSIFIED #1 (ADAM HUGHES VARIANT)

Another modern Power Girl book to gain value is Adam Hughes variant of JSA: Classified #1. Although it’s not a story key, the large volume of sales and relatively high sales prices warranted examination. Below is sales for the book, graded in CGC 9.8 (a majority 63.5% of the top of the census).

Interestingly, the book is the only one mentioned so far (other than All Star Comics #58) to have benefited from the mid-2016 TV rumors. The sales prices almost doubled during the spike. It is a bit of a curious mystery why the market chose this JSA: Classified #1, but not Showcase #97 or Power Girl #27. In the last two years, sales prices for the book appear to have consolidated around the $100 level.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

  • All Star Comics #58 – HOLD. If the $400 price level holds over the next few months, possible upgrade to ADD.
  • Showcase #97 - SELL
  • Power Girl #27 – Suitable for a FLIP. For CGC 9.8: ADD close to $300, SELL above $400.
  • JSA: Classified #1 (Adam Hughes Variant) – REDUCE

 

 

“I know. I'm fighting Dinosaurs. Fighting dinosaurs alongside Superman. On many levels, this could be considered very cool.” – Power Girl