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Superhero Smash Season IV—Audio Issue #56: The Summer of Supergirl

Original Air Date

  • May 14th, 2026

Part 1 Begins

Super Show ID 1: Superhero Smash (0:30)

  • Yes, WIUP FM 90.1 listeners, the long wait is over!
  • Superhero Smash: Season IV has finally arrived!
    • A musical force for good!
    • Featuring “The Best in Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore”
  • I’m your host, Dr. Gian Pagnucci, but you can call me The New Professor X
  • All summer long, I’ll be playing great music about superheroes as well as music that is featured in superhero movies and shows
  • I’ll also be talking about comic book history and heroism
  • And I’ll have plenty of great guest stars this summer, too
  • But no matter what cool stuff I discuss, you don’t have to worry because this is a NO SPOILERS show
  • Contact me, the New Professor X, via email: SuperheroSmash3000@gmail.com
  • I love to hear from the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans!

Issue Theme

  • Growing Into Who You Are

Heroic Spotlight: The Summer of Supergirl (0:20)!

  • Last summer, DC Comics rebooted its cinematic universe with the movie Superman
    • I know not everyone liked the movie, but I thought it was fantastic
    • It returned Superman to his roots as a hero fighting for good
    • And it also gave us Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl in the Justice Gang, though Guy kept insisting that was not the official team name
    • Of course with Superman on the big screen, Superhero Smash was right there to cover the event with the opening show of Season III
    • If you didn’t get to watch the movie, you should check it out because among other great moments, it features a fun cameo by Supergirl
  • And now Supergirl is getting her own blockbuster movie, scheduled to premier on June 26
    • Supergirl (2026) - IMDb
  • Along with this cool looking movie, there are some fun Supergirl songs, and I’ll be featuring a bunch of them on today’s show
  • So let’s get it started with this one…

Heroic Opening Song for Supergirl (2:59)

  • “SuperGirl” by Saving Jane

Super Show ID 2: Superhero Smash (0:20)

  • You’re listening to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
    • A musical force for good!
    • Featuring “The Best Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore” in the DC Cinematic Universe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and our U-niverse too!
  • To learn more about the show, visit my website, pagnucci.org, and click the big Superhero Smash button

Superman’s Cousin (2:00)

  • Supergirl is Superman’s cousin
  • Like Superman, she comes from the planet Krypton
  • Her Kryptonian name is Kara Zor-El
  • Kara’s father was named Zor-El and was the brother of Jor-El who was Superman’s father
  • Supergirl’s mother was named Alura In-Ze
  • Kara’s name matches the Kryptonian custom where women take as their last name their father’s first name
  • Women do not take their husband’s name although they may adopt their husband’s family emblem or crest
  • Since Superman is the world’s first superhero and first appeared way back in 1938’s Action Comics #1, writers have had a lot of time to fill in all kinds of background details about Superman!
  • Kara was a teenager when Krypton exploded
  • Her parents sent her to earth to watch over baby Superman, who’s Kryptonian name is Kal-El
  • However, Kara’s rocket was thrown off course and so by the time she arrived on earth, Kal-El had grown into an adult, with the earth name Clark Kent, while she was still a teenager
  • There’s a lot to sort out when it comes to Kryptonian naming rules, but both Superman and Supergirl have great theme songs
  • The theme for the new Supergirl movie hasn’t been released yet, though, so I’m going to play the theme song from the CW Supergirl show that starred Melissa Benoist
    • Supergirl Season 3 Episode 22 Review: Make It Reign - TV Fanatic

Heroic Instrumental Theme Song (1:14)

  • “Theme from Supergirl” TV theme song by Blake Neely
    • So what's everyone's unbiased opinion on the Supergirl series? : r/supergirlTV

Supergirl the Wild Teenager (3:00)

  • As I mentioned, because her spaceship got thrown off course, Kara arrived after Superman had grown up
  • So instead of protecting baby Superman, the grown Superman ended up having to watch over Supergirl
  • And, of course, since Supergirl is a teenager, she has a tendency to be a little wild and rebellious and get into trouble, like a lot of teenagers
  • Superman’s motto is “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” a motto that became well known when The Adventures of Superman was broadcast on the radio back in the 1950’s
  • The new Supergirl movie has the tagline: “Truth. Justice. Whatever,” showing Supergirl is probably not going to be a typical superhero
  • Even in the Superman movie, you could tell when she came crashing into the Fortress of Solitude that’s Kara is going to be a little bit reckless
  • This should make her a pretty interesting character
  • The film has been written by Ana Nogueira
  • And Supergirl will be played by Milly Alcock
  • Milly has been a bit reckless and controversial herself, so she seems well cast for the role of Supergirl
  • And since I’m talking about rebellious teenagers, here’s a classic song about a teen girl who’s “over-bored and self-assured”
  • And here’s a song to capture some of that rebellious teenage spirit

Super Song 1 (5:01)

  • “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvanah

Part 1 Ends (@15 minutes)

Part 2 Begins (@15 minutes)

Super Show ID 3: Superhero Smash (0:30)

The Superhero Smash Comic Book Vault (3:00): First Appearance of Supergirl

  • The Comic Book Vault Sound Effect (0:12)
  • Supergirl First Comic Book Appearance: Action Comics #252
    • Action Comics #252 [1959] 1st SUPERGIRL DC SILVER AGE KEY! VG 4.0 - Picture 1 of 11
    • Publication Date: May 1959
    • Publisher: DC Comics
    • Writer: Otto Binder
    • Artist: Al Plastino
    • Value on eBay today: $2100 (CGC graded 3.5 on a 10-point scale)
  • On the cover, Superman is shocked that a girl can fly, which seems pretty ironic
  • In Smallville, Season 10, Episode 3 which is called “Supergirl,” Kara actually tries to teach Clark how to fly
    • Smallville always had a motto of “no tights, no flights”
    • But he did not actually master flying until the end of the series
    • All of which makes for a good reason to play this next song

Super Song 2 (4:02)

  • “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Learning to Be Super (2:00)

  • While there have been different iterations of who taught whom how to fly, in the comic books, Superman was much more the teacher for Supergirl
  • He taught her how to use her powers and how to be a superhero
  • Supergirl also tended to second guess herself, which was true on the CW show as well
  • This has made her a relatable character, since she often makes mistakes
  • She can also be seen growing into being a hero in the excellent Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited animated series, even getting mentoring from Green Arrow and the Question
  • There is also a great moment in the GraphicAudio retelling of Crisis on Infinite Earths in which we get a little insight into this mentorship of Supergirl by Superman
    • “When Supergirl recovered from Luthor’s trap, she was certain that Kal [Superman] was going to somehow send her back into obscurity because of her stupid mistake, but he just smiled: ‘Always do your best. The rest is learning’”
    • As a teacher, I love that quote
  • Crisis on Infinite Earths is famous for showing the death of Supergirl
    • Issue #7 has a cover showing a weeping Superman holding the body of his cousin
      • Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
    • Fortunately, in 2004’s Superman/Batman #8, Supergirl returned
      • Superman / Batman, No. 8: Jeph Loeb: Amazon.com: Books
  • And this summer, Supergirl is coming back again, in a style all her own, sporting her blue top and red skirt, and, most importantly, a long leather jacket, like in this next song

Super Song 3 (4:02)

  • “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” by CAKE

Part 2 Ends (@35 minutes)

Part 3 Begins (@35 minutes)

Super Show ID 4: Superhero Smash (0:30)

Super Romantic Interlude 1: Supergirl & Jimmy Olsen (4:00)

  • We’ll have to see if Supergirl gets a boyfriend in the new film
  • But in the comics, she often dated Superman’s friend Jimmy Olsen
  • In fact, in one “imaginary story,” Supergirl was exposed to red kryptonite which caused her to lose her powers and memories
  • In that story, which appeared in the comic Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #57, Jimmy and Kara get married
  • In the regular comics, though, they just dated and really became very good friends
  • On the CW Supergirl show, they tried dating during Season 1, but then decided they were better off being friends
  • It actually isn’t that easy to be a superhero and date, as this next song shows us

Super Song 4 (4:06)

  • “Supergirl” by Reamonn

Super Romantic Interlude 2: Supergirl & Jimmy Olsen (0:30)

  • Since he had trouble dating Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen had to try his luck elsewhere
  • In this next famous song, he pines for Lois Lane
  • It’s not too easy to steal Superman’s girlfriend, but in this song, Jimmy tries his best to woo her

Super Song 5 (4:38)

  • “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues” by Spin Doctors

Part 3 Ends (@45 minutes)

Part 4 Begins (@45 minutes)

Super Show ID 5: Superhero Smash (0:30)

Superhero Smash Super Shout-out: To Fox Empson (2:00)

  • This is a good time to give a Superhero Smash Super Shout-out to Fox Empson
  • Fox just graduated from IUP with a degree in Communications Media
  • He also gave a fabulous address at the IUP 2026 Spring Commencement Ceremony
  • In his speech, Fox talked about always being different and never quite feeling like he fit in
  • Until he found his home right here on WIUP FM 90.1
  • During the regular semester, Fox hosted a radio show called “For Fox’s Sake” right here on Thursday mornings
  • I’ve grabbed part of his time slot now that we’re into the summer radio season on WIUP FM 90.1
  • Fox has graduated, and I want to wish him the best of luck, so let me give his tagline one more time:
  • “Get the rocks out of your sock and listen to Fox.”
  • Best of luck to Fox and all the students who just graduated from IUP

PSA: Visit the IUP Kathleen Jones White Writing Center (1:00)

  • And since I’m talking about IUP students, this seems like a good for a Public Service Announcment (PSA) for the…
  • IUP Kathleen Jones White Writing Center
  • The Writing Center is open all summer long, and the Writing Center tutors will help IUP students with any writing challenge, no matter how formidable
  • You can get help from the Writing Center remotely this summer, both on Zoom so you can talk directly with a tutor or asynchronously to get feedback on your papers

Superhero Smash Super Shout-out: To Dr. Dan Weinstein (0:10)

  • And let me also give a Superhero Smash Super Shout-out to Dr. Dan Weinstein, the Director of the Writing Center and LLW Associate Professor
    • Dan doesn’t have superpowers, but he’s a hero in his own right!

Super Good Deed of the Week: Thank a Teacher! (3:00)

The Superhero Move

  • Since I’ve been talking about IUP’s graduation, this is a good time to think about all the teachers out there, working hard to teach all of us

Super Examples

  • So, let me encourage you to send an email to a great teacher you had to thank them for their hard work
  • Or maybe write a note of thanks and have your child take it to their teacher at school: That would really be meaningful
  • The truth is, we have all had great teachers in our pasts who taught us so much, but most of them never get thanked
  • So please just take a few minutes to thank one of them this week
  • I know they will love that gesture and that one small step will help make our world better, even super, if you will

That’s this week’s Superhero Smash Move: Thank a teacher. Super good deed!

Super Song 6 (1:37)

  • “Teacher Appreciation Song” by Ben Honeycutt
    • The Teacher Appreciation Song (FREE DOWNLOAD!)
  • Fabulous song writer
  • You can find him on YouTube
  • n super, if you will

Super Song 7 (4:53)

  • “Woman with the Strength of 10,000 Men” by Peter Himmelman

Super Show ID 6: Superhero Smash To Be Continued Next Issue! (1:00)

  • Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel: The Dark Detectives!
    • If you are enjoying today’s show, you can catch more Superhero Smash on Thursday mornings at 11:00 a.m. all summer long on WIUP FM 90.1
    • Batman, Jessica Jones, & Harry Dresden: Next issue I’ll be featuring a bunch of cool superhero detectives!
  • Listen to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
    • A musical force for good! 
    • Featuring “The Best Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore” in the DCU, the MCU, and our U-niverse too!
  • Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
  • Or email the New Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash3000@gmail.com
  • And remember, while Superhero Smash is about the exploits of amazing individuals,
    • “You don’t need superpowers to be a hero. The only thing it takes to be a hero is the courage to do what’s right when someone needs your help.”–Gian Pagnucci

Super Friends! (2:00)

  • Now, I know I’ve played this song a few times before on Superhero Smash, but this is the Summer of Supergirl
  • And that means, there’s really only one song I can possibly finish today’s show with
  • The song was featured…
  • That’s right, the CW show The Flash actually did an episode that was a musical
  • It was called “Duet” (Season 3, Episode 17) and in that episode, the Flash and Supergirl get transported into an alternate reality where they must sing and dance to escape from the evil Music Meister
  • Which means we got to hear Supergirl sing
  • So her she is, using her super powerful voice

Heroic End Credits Song for Supergirl (2:15)

  • “Super Friend” by Melissa Benoist and Grant Gustin who stared as Supergirl and the Flash respectively
    • OTP <3 Barry Allen #Flash (Grant Gustin) and Kara Danvers #Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) #SuperFlash crossover.
  • I know I’ve played this song before on Superhero Smash, but where else are you going to get to hear amazing music like this!

Four Color Television - Supergirl Season 1 Recap — The ARK of E

Part 4 Ends (@60 minutes)

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