YMMV / The Unknown Supergirl

• Growing the Beard: Supergirl's stories since her first appearance (The Supergirl From Krypton (1959)) had been self-contained tales where Kara helped orphaned kids or secretly stopped run-of-the-mill criminals. The Unknown Supergirl was her first long story, introduced her first nemesis, altered completely the status quo, and marked the shift to longer storylines where the Girl of Steel fought super-villains.
• Harsher in Hindsight "The Hall of Sleepers", where Kandorians placed voluntary subjects in suspended animation could seem amusingly corny in 1961, but what did happen to those people when Kandor crumbled down in Superman Vol. 1 #338: Let My People Grow!?
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Kara is hired to play Supergirl in a movie, twenty-three years before her Supergirl (1984) live-action movie.
• Older Than They Think: Superman's fans who watched the Grand Finale of Supergirl (2015) Season 2 protested when Superman stated that Supergirl was more powerful than him, but in this 1961 story written by Superman's creator, he states she is his equal, and he would not care if she was his better.
• Padding: At the end of issue #282, Lesla-Lar is arrested and Supergirl's depowering troubles disappear together with her, but she still has to deal with Red Kryptonite-related complications during the next two issues.
• Signature Scene: The cover of Action Comics #285◊, where Metropolis has organized a parade in honor of Supergirl, is occasionally paid tribute several decades later.
• Unintentional Period Piece: In addition to the hairstyles, clothing, technology (including the very clunky television sets and dial phones) and vague references to the Cold War (including Nikita Khrushchev making a one-panel appearance), John F. Kennedy being the incumbent President dates the story to the early '60s.
• Values Resonance: In this 1961 story, Superman is not ashamed to say that his female, younger cousin is as powerful as him; and he is embarrassed about it not at all. It must be pointed out this story was written by Jerry Siegel himself.

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