Warning: spoilers for Action Comics #1052!Though Supergirl's latest redesign is absolutely her most gorgeous look yet, the otherworldly gown actually reveals a darker side to her character. Power Girl calls out Supergirl's self-styled perfectionist tendencies, which are represented (if beautifully) in a shimmering blue ball gown.
Supergirl's runway-ready costume appears in Action Comics #1052 as part of the "Head Like a Whole" story by Leah Williams, Marguerite Sauvage, and Becca Carey. The story has been following Power Girl and her business partner, the former Teen Titan Omen, as they establish a new quasi-psychic therapeutic practice for other superheroes. In this installment, Supergirl is their newest client - and Power Girl gets a glimpse of Kara's psyche.
When Power Girl psychically enters Supergirl's mindscape, Supergirl completely transforms her usual S-shield costume into a shimmering, hyper-futuristic jumpsuit-slash-ballgown. The outfit is completely blue, with draping sleeves and extended, almost floating shoulder extensions. It's clearly a long-gone style from Krypton's glory days - and clearly extremely fancy, as Power Girl calls Supergirl out: "You must think pretty highly of yourself, huh?"
Supergirl's Mindscape Reveals Her Damaging Perfectionism
Supergirl has only approached Power Girl and Omen because she can feel something wrong with her mind - when she tries to speak, an incomprehensible language comes out. This obviously troubles Kara, but she admits herself later in the story that she tried to bury the problem instead of confront it, which makes sense, given how her character has been depicted in recent years. Kara Zor-El may technically be younger than Superman, but she's also one of the last survivors of Krypton, and the only person who actually remembers Krypton as it was. As Power Girl calls her out here - and as Kara all but admits - Supergirl feels the pressure to not only be the perfect role model of a super-heroine, but also the perfect representation of Krypton.
All of that pressure is perfectly (and gorgeously) represented in this new costume design by Marguerite Sauvage. Typical of Sauvage's designs - who has given unique looks to characters across the DC Universe, from Wonder Woman to Barbara Gordon's Oracle - the costume looks like it's ready as much for a modeling runway as it is for fighting crime. But what's unique about this outfit is how it represents Kara's state of mind - and her dangerous arrogance, at least according to Power Girl. Supergirl designs this look for herself inside of her "perfect" mindscape, seeing herself as a pristine, almost royal figure. This is Kara as she feels she has to be - an idea Power Girl lays bare by attacking the fake world Supergirl has accidentally constructed.
She may be an inspiration to those around her and the unimpeachable model of an alien hero, but Supergirl is also a normal person who struggles with the expectations of a world that needs her help, and a fallen planet only she can keep alive.
Check out Action Comics #1052, available now from DC Comics!