Supergirl #1

This September 1996 launch of Peter David's Supergirl series opens with a cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith that says everything about this version of the character: a young woman in a green flannel shirt parts her jacket to reveal the bold red-and-yellow "S" shield beneath, equal parts ordinary teenager and full-fledged hero. Tucked under her arm is a purple skateboard decorated with an unsettling grinning face, a small but telling detail that grounds her firmly in mid-90s youth culture while the Superman emblem on her chest signals something far larger at work.