Action Comics #279
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAction Comics #279 marks one of the most structurally important issues in Supergirl's Silver Age history: it is the issue in which Kara Zor-El is officially adopted by Fred and Edna Danvers, permanently upgrading her identity from the orphan 'Linda Lee' to 'Linda Lee Danvers' and shifting the emotional geography of every Supergirl story that followed. Simultaneously, the backup feature introduces Lesla-Lar — described by the DC Database as Supergirl's first real villain — a Kandorian scientist cunning enough to strip Supergirl of her powers, assume her identity, and forge an alliance with Lex Luthor, launching a multi-issue serialized arc that gave the Supergirl strip a sustained antagonist for the first time. The issue also captures a transitional moment in the character's visual identity, as Linda's braided pigtails — long a target of reader criticism — are replaced in-story by a new hairstyle, the result of a reader-vote campaign orchestrated by editor Mort Weisinger. Taken together, the adoption, the debut villain, and the new look make this a genuine pivot point in Supergirl's evolution from Superman's clandestine 'secret weapon' toward a heroine with her own household, her own nemesis, and her own public persona.
In "Supergirl's Secret Enemy!", Supergirl's sudden loss of powers leaves Linda Danvers vulnerable—just as Kandorian scientist Lesla-Lar exploits a transporter ray to swap places with her, stepping into the role of Earth's mightiest hero. Now posing as Supergirl, Lesla-Lar becomes Lex Luthor's hidden weapon, turning the hero's identity against her own world.
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The issue was edited by Mort Weisinger, the architect of the entire Silver Age Superman family of titles, and appeared with a cover date of August 1961 (on-sale June 29, 1961). The lead Superman story, 'The Super-Rivals!' — an imaginary tale scripted by Robert Bernstein (credit flagged as uncertain in the Grand Comics Database) and drawn by John Forte — served as the cover feature, with the more historically significant Supergirl backup, 'Supergirl's Secret Enemy!', scripted by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Jim Mooney. The Supergirl hairstyle change incorporated into this issue was itself the payoff of a reader-participation campaign Weisinger had run in Action Comics #273, in which roughly 20,000 readers voted on a new look for Linda Lee; the winning style, the 'campus cuddle-bun,' was announced in #278 and debuted narratively here. The cover was penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye, with lettering by Ira Schnapp.
Trivia · 8 facts
- FIRST APPEARANCE — Lesla-Lar: Kandorian scientist and Supergirl's first original villain debuts in 'Supergirl's Secret Enemy!'; she uses a transporter ray to swap places with a depowered Supergirl, brainwash her into believing she is Lesla-Lar, and then partners with Lex Luthor on Earth.
- FIRST APPEARANCE — Fred Danvers and Edna Danvers: Supergirl's adoptive parents appear for the first time in this issue, adopting Linda Lee from Midvale Orphanage and giving her the permanent civilian surname Danvers.
- KEY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT — Supergirl's adoption: Kara Zor-El transitions from orphan 'Linda Lee' to 'Linda Lee Danvers,' a defining shift in her Silver Age status quo that underpinned her stories for decades.
- KEY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT — Supergirl's hairstyle change: The braided pigtails that had drawn reader criticism since Action Comics #252 are replaced in this issue; editor Mort Weisinger had solicited roughly 20,000 reader votes on a new look beginning in #273, and the winning 'campus cuddle-bun' style is introduced here within the story.
- STORIES & CREATORS: Two main features — 'The Super-Rivals!' (script attributed to Robert Bernstein, art by John Forte), an imaginary tale in which Superman brings Hercules and Samson to the present day so Lois Lane and Lana Lang can find romantic happiness; and 'Supergirl's Secret Enemy!' (script by Jerry Siegel, art by Jim Mooney). Cover pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Stan Kaye. Edited by Mort Weisinger.
- IMAGINARY STORY / RETROACTIVE CONTINUITY: 'The Super-Rivals!' was published as an out-of-continuity imaginary story; it was later retroactively placed on Earth-Thirty-Two in Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium.
- REPRINTS: The Supergirl backup 'Supergirl's Secret Enemy!' was reprinted in Action Comics #360 (1968 80-Page Giant), The Supergirl Archives Vol. 2, Showcase Presents: Supergirl Vol. 1, Supergirl: The Silver Age Vol. 1, and Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1. The Superman lead story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Superman Vol. 3.
- SERIALIZED STORY: The Lesla-Lar arc introduced here continues directly into Action Comics #280, making this one of the earlier sustained multi-part serialized storylines in the Supergirl feature.
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↩ Reprints Gang Busters #50 (1956)
Reprinted in Action Comics #360 (1968), Superman in Action Comics #1 (1993), The Silver Age of Superman The Greatest Covers of Action Comics from the '50s to the '70s #[nn] (1995), Supergirl Archives #2 (2004), Showcase Presents: Superman #3 (2007), Showcase Presents: Supergirl #1 (2008), Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus #1 (2016), Supergirl: The Silver Age #1 (2017), DC Finest: Supergirl: The Girl of Steel #[nn] (2025)
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