Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 52 (click to see context) from:
** Lana mentions she has been unable to track Steel down. A footnote suggests readers to read ''Superman (Volume 1)'' #690.
to:
** Lana mentions she has been unable to track Steel down. A footnote suggests readers to read ''Superman (Volume 1)'' ''ComicBook/Superman1939'' #690.
Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
** Insect Queen casually flashes back to her earlier battle with Superman in ''Superman'' #671-673.
to:
** Insect Queen casually flashes back to her earlier battle with Superman in ''Superman'' ''Superman (1939)'' #671-673.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear: While Lana speaks on the phone with her boss, she confirms that, yes, she is aware that she has gone to the doctor three times this week, yes, she knows her attendance has been spotty, yes, she likes her job...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* PlotTriggeringDeath: The murder of a woman at the Silver Banshee's hands kicks off the plot when Inspector Henderson asks Supergirl to help him out.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Inspector Henderson has a corkboard set up with information on Silver Banshee, which includes pictures of her past appearances in panels and covers. Kind of odd, since one of them includes the prominent sound effect behind her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* IncrediblyObviousBug: the bug-shaped tracking devices built to infiltrate the Insect Queen's hive are visibly shiny and metallic-looking, and have a very conspicuous spherical head from which sprout red-glowing lenses.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Baleful Polymorph was renamed per TRS
Deleted line(s) 34 (click to see context) :
* BalefulPolymorph: Siobhan [=McDougal=] was transformed into a banshee ageless spirit, to her everlasting chagrin.
Added DiffLines:
* ForcedTransformation: Siobhan [=McDougal=] was transformed into a banshee ageless spirit, to her everlasting chagrin.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 74 (click to see context) from:
* FearfulSymmetry: After the spirits of the McDougal Clan possess and transform Kara, Silver Banshee and the Banshee-fied Supergirl have a literal screaming match where they shoot sonic screams at each other.
to:
* FearfulSymmetry: After the spirits of the McDougal [=McDougal=] Clan possess and transform Kara, Silver Banshee and the Banshee-fied Supergirl have a literal screaming match where they shoot sonic screams at each other.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 114 (click to see context) from:
* MythologyGag: One of the victims of Silver Banshee is found in the Suicide Slum, corner of Austen and Byrne. John Byrne was Silver Banshee's co-creator (and, ironically, a firm opponent of Kara Zor-El's existence).
to:
* MythologyGag: MythologyGag:
** One of the victims of Silver Banshee is found in the Suicide Slum, corner of Austen and Byrne. John Byrne was Silver Banshee's co-creator (and, ironically, a firm opponent of Kara Zor-El'sexistence).existence).
** The "I'm Kara Zor-El of Kandor, Queen. I'm a super-hero. I don't scare easily" line was uttered almost verbatim by the ''Film/Supergirl1984'''s version of Kara Zor-El.
** One of the victims of Silver Banshee is found in the Suicide Slum, corner of Austen and Byrne. John Byrne was Silver Banshee's co-creator (and, ironically, a firm opponent of Kara Zor-El's
** The "I'm Kara Zor-El of Kandor, Queen. I'm a super-hero. I don't scare easily" line was uttered almost verbatim by the ''Film/Supergirl1984'''s version of Kara Zor-El.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 167 (click to see context) from:
* {{Timeskip}}: Issue #50 begins two days after the ending of issue #49.
to:
* {{Timeskip}}: TimeSkip: Issue #50 begins two days after the ending of issue #49.#49.
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Dr. Light decides to use the newest S.T.A.R. Labs' spy bot prototype to infiltrate into Insect Queen's lair and scout the place. Fortunately, it goes without a hitch.
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Dr. Light decides to use the newest S.T.A.R. Labs' spy bot prototype to infiltrate into Insect Queen's lair and scout the place. Fortunately, it goes without a hitch.
Deleted line(s) 171 (click to see context) :
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Dr. Light decides to use the newest S.T.A.R. Labs' spy bot prototype to infiltrate into Insect Queen's lair and scout the place. Fortunately, it goes without a hitch.
Changed line(s) 176,177 (click to see context) from:
* ZergRush: Nobody was able to successfully break into Insect Queen's hive before rescuing Supergirl because her swarms of giant insects outnumbered and overwhelmed any attacker.
to:
* ZergRush: Nobody was able to successfully break into Insect Queen's hive before rescuing Supergirl because Queen protects her hive-like lair by overwhelming hostile forces with huge swarms of giant insects outnumbered and overwhelmed any attacker.
insects.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Silver Banshee appears, has a brief fight with Supergirl, and teleports away after getting what she was looking for. Her actions are completely unrelated to the real BigBad's scheme and have no effect on the main plot.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: After encasing Supergirl in a cocoon for the second time, Insect Queen tells Kara how she managed to take over Lana Lang, and reveals her master plan: harvesting Kara's Kryptonian DNA to breed even more powerful insect mooks.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deathandthefamily.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:2010 Edition]]
''Death and the Family'' is a ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' storyline published in ''ComicBook/Supergirl2005'' #48-50. Sterling Gates plotted and wrote the story and Fernando Dagnino, Matt Camp and Jamal Igle shared art duties.
Supergirl has found out that her surrogate aunt Lana Lang is dying from an unknown, incurable illness. Before she can do more than berating Lana for keeping such a secret from her, Kara is called to help deal with Silver Banshee's latest murder spree.
Kara has just solved the case when she finds out Lana has been taken to a hospital. Supergirl flies to the hospital hurriedly, but she is apparently too late, and Lana is declared dead. When Supergirl enters the morgue to see her deceased friend, though, she notices her body has been encased in a mysterious cocoon. And something is bursting out of it.
This storyline has been collected in two different trades: "Death and the Family" (2010) and "The Hunt for Reactron" (2019).
----
!!Tropes:
* TenMinuteRetirement: After saving Lana Lang from Insect Queen, Supergirl is still angry at being lied to "for her own good" during one year by someone whom she trusted implicitly, so she decides to leave Earth and go back to Kandor. She was back three months later.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Metropolis' sewers are wide enough to allow two persons to walk upright and side by side. And then fighting a swarm of giant bugs.
* AcousticLicense: Inverted when Supergirl is struck by Silver Banshee's sonic scream. So that readers understand Supergirl has become temporarily deaf, everybody's speech bubbles become blank.
* AngerBornOfWorry: Kara gets angry when she finds out Lana has been hiding her sickness from her for one year.
-->'''Supergirl:''' (thinking) Thara-- Flamebird-- revealed to me that something was wrong with Lana. Lana was sick. And she had been keeping it from me.\\
'''Lana Lang:''' Honey, I understand you're angry--\\
'''Supergirl:''' You're damn right I'm angry, Lana! What were you thinking?!
* AngryCollarGrab: As interrogating Inspector Henderson, who is at the time kneeled on the floor, Silver Banshee grabs his collar and lifts him up.
* ArbitrarySkepticism: When Dr. Light informs Supergirl that they have analyzed tissue samples of Insect Queen's giant critters, and their genetic makeup seems to be insect DNA hybridized with something else, Kara asks if it could be partially human. Dr. Light finds it unlikely, but Gangbuster points out they are dealing with alien insects who have erected a hive in the middle of Metropolis.
-->'''Supergirl:''' Doctor, could the tissue you've been unable to identify be partially human?\\
'''Dr. Light:''' Human? That seems unlikely--\\
'''Gangbuster:''' Says the lady who watched alien insects erect a hive in the middle of the city in a matter of days.
* AttackDrones: Dr. Light sends bug-like drones armed with plastic explosive to blow up a chunk of Insect Queen's hive.
* BackFromTheDead:
** Lucy Lane, who had died in battle with Supergirl, is reborn thanks to her suit changing her DNA.
** Lana Lang comes back from the dead, too; ironically thanks to Insect Queen restoring her body when she takes over.
* BadassBoast: When Insect Queen states she can frighten Kara by mobilizing her full army, Kara sneers it will not happen.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"I'm Kara Zor-El of Kandor, Queen. I'm a super-hero. I don't scare easily."''
* BadassInDistress: Gangbuster breaks into Insect Queen's hive to rescue Supergirl, who was caught by surprise and imprisoned when the villainess emerged out of her shell resembling Lana.
* TheBadGuyWins: Silver Banshee gets away with murdering people to find her clan's hidden heirlooms.
* BalefulPolymorph: Siobhan [=McDougal=] was transformed into a banshee ageless spirit, to her everlasting chagrin.
* BeatTheCurseOutOfHim: Supergirl lays a brutal beatdown on Insect Queen to force her to get out of her friend's body.
* BigBad: Insect Queen takes over Lana Lang's body and tries to conquer Metropolis with her army of giant insects.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Insect Queen's bug minions are larger-than-a-human mutated insects (mostly ants and wasps).
* BlessedWithSuck: The [=McDougal=] Clan turned Siobhan into the Silver Banshee, granting her immortality and powerful magic so she was able to undergo her clan's leadership test. Siobhan herself simply considers she has been cursed into becoming an ugly, restless wandering wraith.
* BloodFromEveryOrifice: When Lana finally succumbs to her mysterious illness, blood flows from her mouth, nose and eyes, forming a red pool under her collapsed body.
* BoomHeadshot: An ant-like monster is about to sting Gangbuster when Supergirl's heat-vision blows its head up.
* BoundAndGagged: Insect Queen imprisons Supergirl in a crystal prison, and an insect mook slaps on her mouth a glob of crystalline material to keep her quiet.
* BreakingTheBonds: Kara flexes her muscles and shatters Insect Queen's imprisoning bindings when she gets angry.
* BrokenPedestal: Kara feels so hurt by Lana keeping important secrets from her that decides to leave her mother figure for a while. Subverted in ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'', when she apologizes to Lana for being too harsh.
* BrokenTears: Kara starts sobbing uncontrollably when her surrogate aunt Lana passes away.
* CameBackStrong: Superwoman dies, but her body is regenerated and altered at the genetic level by her suit's {{Magitek}}, giving her Kryptonian powers in the process.
* CharacterWitness: After dispelling her clan's spirits temporarily, Silver Banshee notes that, thanks to Inspector Henderson's efforts, she has now five of her clan's relics, and has bought herself time to find the remainder ones without her family interfering. Before teleporting herself away from Supergirl, Banshee acknowledges she is indebted to Henderson, and assures she will repay him someday.
-->'''Silver Banshee:''' You found my family's heirlooms.\\
'''Inspector Henderson:''' It wasn't easy. I had to use all of my resources--\\
'''Silver Banshee:''' Then I thank you. With five heirlooms present, my cry dispelled those spirits. They'll recover, but it will take time. Time I can use to search for the rest of my family's treasures. You've given me a great gift, Mike Henderson. I owe you a debt, it seems. One day, when you need it the most-- you'll hear my true song.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Averted. Supergirl and Gangbuster are quickly swarmed and beaten by the legions of giant bug mooks commanded by Insect Queen.
* ContinuityNod:
** Lana did not want Supergirl to know about her sickness due to Kara being hurt when she failed to cure Thomas Price's cancer in ''ComicBook/WayOfTheWorld''.
** Lana mentions she has been unable to track Steel down. A footnote suggests readers to read ''Superman (Volume 1)'' #690.
** Supergirl's inner monologue reminds readers that she met Inspector Henderson previously in ''ComicBook/WhoIsSuperwoman''.
** Supergirl and Inspector Henderson talk about Supergirl being framed in ''ComicBook/TheHuntForReactron''.
** Insect Queen casually flashes back to her earlier battle with Superman in ''Superman'' #671-673.
** Supergirl also remembers how her father cured her Kryptonite poisoning in ''Supergirl (2005)'' #34
* CrystalPrison: Insect Queen imprisons Supergirl in an amber-like, drop-shaped orange gem.
* CurbStompBattle: As soon as Supergirl cuts Insect Queen off from her minions, it becomes obvious the villainess cannot beat the Kryptonian hero in one fair fight. Kara pounds on Insect Queen to her heart's content, and is not even fazed by the only punch Insect Queen throws during their duel.
* DemonicPossession: When Supergirl touches the [=McDougal=] Clan's heirlooms, her body is taken over and transformed by the deceased spirits of Silver Banshee's clan.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Inspector Henderson calls the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan "Irish demons" who should "go back to whatever Hell [they] crawled out of", before breaking one of their heirlooms.
* DoYouTrustMe: When Gangbuster and Supergirl are being overwhelmed by a swarm of giant bugs, the former expresses doubt regarding the latter's plan. Kara asks him is he trusts her, and Gangbuster admits he does...but only because he trusts her cousin.
-->'''Gangbuster:''' ''"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea!"''\\
'''Supergirl:''' ''"You trust me, don't you?!"''\\
'''Gangbuster:''' ''"Lady, the only reason I trust you is that "S" on your chest!"''
* DrivenToSuicide: Captain Jonathan Tanner hang himself after finding one ancient coin belonging to the [=McDougal=] Clan. Although the exact circumstances of his death remain unclear, it is known that said haunted heirloom's discovery led to his suicide.
* DungeonCrawling: Supergirl and Gangbuster must sneak into Insect Queen's giant hive-like lair, navigate dark, damp winding corridors and fight massive insect-like bugs until finding the villainess and kicking her out of Lana Lang's possessed body, thus stopping her attempted invasion.
* DynamicAkimbo: Kara puts her closed fists on her hips while she scans Lana Lang, sporting a grim, determined face.
* DynamicEntry: Silver Banshee is attacking Inspector Henderson when Supergirl suddenly bludgeons her from behind with a chunk of wall, demanding Banshee puts her friend down.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: When Kara becomes possessed by the evil spirits of Silver Banshee's Clan, her Supergirl suit transforms into a sinister, tattered, white-and-black version. To drive the point home, her hair becomes black and white and her face chalk white.
* EvilOverlooker: The cover of the first issue features Silver Banshee's giant head looming over Supergirl and using her sonic scream to shatter her eardrums.
* EvilPlan: Insect Queen spends one year stealthily and gradually bonding itself to Lana Lang until she is finally ready to take over her body and start a full-scale invasion of Metropolis, taking advantage of Superman being off-world-.
* EyeScream: Gangbuster gets rid of an ant monster by throwing his baton right into its right eye.
* FearfulSymmetry: After the spirits of the McDougal Clan possess and transform Kara, Silver Banshee and the Banshee-fied Supergirl have a literal screaming match where they shoot sonic screams at each other.
* FetalPositionRebirth: When she is reborn, Lucy Lane is found naked and lying on her left side with her eyes closed. Her legs are folded against her body, her chin is nearly touching her knees, and her arms are folded across her chest.
* FightingFromTheInside: Supergirl tries to fight the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan who have taken over their body. When Inspector Henderson manages to hurt them by damaging their clan's relic, Kara manages to expel them out.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"This— is— my BODY!"''
* FightingYourFriend: Kara is forced to fight Lana as she is possessed by Insect Queen.
* {{Flashback}}: As she observes the gigantic hives raised by Insect Queen, Supergirl flashes back to different scenes: Flamebird warning that something foul was taking over Lana, Lana confessing something strange was killing her, and Kara finding Insect Queen's cocoon.
* FlashyTeleportation: Silver Banshee gets engulfed in blinding light and thundering lightning bolts when she casts a teleporting spell.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: A black woodlouse may be seen crawling over Lana's phone after she has collapsed, hinting that her mysterious illness is somehow connected to bugs. Later, the culprit is revealed to be Insect Queen.
* FunWithAcronyms: S.T.A.R. Labs has built a miniaturized termite-like spy robot. It is called a '''B'''atesian '''U'''niversal '''G'''round retcon unit.
-->'''Dr. Light:''' ''"In the thick of things, we released this. A Batesian Universal Ground recon unit. "B.U.G." for short.
* GemTissue: One ancient, cursed metallic coin belonging to the [=McDougal=] Clan becomes embedded in Inspector Henderson's hand.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Supergirl's eyes give off a menacing, eerie red glow while she shatters her crystalline prison, blasts one giant critter attacking Gangbuster, and demands answers.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Kara gives Insect Queen an ultimatum: leaving Lana's body willingly or being punched, purged and blasted into oblivion. Insect Queen laughs at her threats, so Supergirl carries out all of them.
* GottaCatchThemAll: In the first half of the story, Silver Banshee is trying to gather her clan's seven heirlooms with the purpose of undoing her curse.
* GottaGetYourHeadTogether: Kara clutches her head with both hands when she is hit by Silver Banshee's ear-shattering wail.
* GrandTheftMe: Insect Queen gradually bonds with Lana Lang's blood cells until taking over her body.
* HandshakeRefusal: After being rescued from the Insect Queen's lair, Supergirl is introduced to Dr. Light. The latter extends her hand for a handshake, but Supergirl is still too confused, so she declines the handshake and asks to what is going and where she has been brought.
* HowWeGotHere: After Supergirl has been rescued from Insect Queen's hive and brought to S.T.A.R. Labs, a flashback narrated by Dr. Light explains what happened between Supergirl finding Lana's cocoon, and Gangbuster sneaking into the hive and breaking her out.
* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Insect Queen controls her insect mooks through Authority: she is their creator, their queen, and is smarter than them.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: As endeavoring to beat Insect Queen out of her host's body, Supergirl desperately tries to reach Lana out.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"Lana, if you can hear me-- SAY something! Lana! I KNOW you're IN there! Let her body Go, you insect FREAK! Get OUT!''"
* ImagineSpot: As observing Insect Queen's lair through a window, Kara imagines Lana's face reflected in the window.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Lana Lang was often coughing or vomiting blood. She managed to keep it from Kara for one year until the Girl of Steel finally found out thanks to Flamebird. A quick X-Ray Vision scan indicated a strange organism was mixing with the cells around it, and later it was revealed that [[spoiler:Insect Queen was taking over Lana]].
* InsectQueen: The eponymous villain possesses Lana and attempts to invade Metropolis with an army of genetically-altered giant insects.
* KarmaHoudini: Silver Banshee murders several persons while looking for her clan's relics, gets what she wants, and teleports away before nobody can stop her. And since she was not seen again in Post-Crisis continuity, she ''did'' get away with it.
* KilledMidSentence: A doctor is smothered by Insect Queen's bugs as he is breaking up with his girlfriend over the cell phone.
-->'''Unnamed Doctor:''' ''"Do you get it, Emma!? That's it! We're over— Mmmph-!"''
* LegoGenetics: Insect Queen intends to breed super-powerful bugs by modifying their genetic makeup with human and Kryptonian DNA.
* LiteralSurveillanceBug: S.T.A.R. Labs sends a spy robot into the Insect Queen's hive to gather information. It is called a Batesian Universal Ground retcon unit (or "B.U.G."), is modeled after a termite, and it fits in the palm of one hand.
-->'''Dr. Light:''' ''"In the thick of things, we released this. A Batesian Universal Ground Recon Unit. "B.U.G." for short. A branch of S.T.A.R. Labs has been developing these to mimic the qualities of South African termites and infiltrate their mounds. I co-opted one of the prototypes and sent it in to get whatever information it could."''
* LogicalWeakness: When the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan take over Supergirl's body, Inspector Henderson reasons that, since they are bonded to their family's heirlooms, said relics can be used to hurt them. Henderson quickly stabs one coin, causing the spirits pain and letting Supergirl throw them out of her body.
* MagicalDefibrillator: As Lana is dying, a surgeon uses a defibrillator to restart her heart, even though he would obviously know that is not how defibrillators work. Unusually, the defibrillator fails to revive Lana.
* MarriedToTheJob: After solving the case which caused the death of Captain Tanner, Inspector Henderson ponders that his friend sadly became so obssessed with finding the real culprit which he let his job destroy his and his family's lives.
-->'''Inspector Henderson:''' I can't change what happened to Captain Tanner. Am I sad my friend is gone? Absolutely. But he let the job overtake him. He let it destroy himself and his family, and then left us to pick up the pieces. We have to watch ourselves, Supergirl. As keepers of the peace, we shouldn't let what we do distract us from our own families.
* MiscarriageOfJustice: Inspector Henderson tells the story of the Zeiss case that his old superior Captain Tanner was never able to solve: a young boy named Hiriam Zeiss was mysteriously murdered. There were no witnesses except for a teenage girl who claimed she watched a woman sucking Hiriam's soul out of his body. She was innocent, but Hiriam's grandparents were baying for blood, so they used their wealth to make sure that she was arrested, charged, put on trial and found guilty.
* MotiveDecay: The leadership test of the [=McDougal=] Clan and the quest for the seven hidden heirlooms are retconned into Silver Banshee's backstory to correct her severe, decades-long motive decay (originally, she had come to Metropolis from Scotland to retrieve a book that was payment for her powers. Eventually she got the book, was dragged into the underworld, brought back, and promptly vanished. Since then, she had been causing random problems for no real reason).
* MyParentsAreDead: Linda Lang has been said her "aunt" Lana has passed away. When a doctor asks about the rest of her family, she sobs they aren't around anymore.
-->'''Doctor:''' Are counselors on staff if you'd like to talk to someone, and I'm sure the rest of your family is worried about you--\\
'''Linda Lang:''' No. They're not around. Lana is... was my family here. I have no one else right now. Not after...not after all I've been through.
* MythologyGag: One of the victims of Silver Banshee is found in the Suicide Slum, corner of Austen and Byrne. John Byrne was Silver Banshee's co-creator (and, ironically, a firm opponent of Kara Zor-El's existence).
* NakedOnRevival: Lucy Lane is fully naked when she is revived. Justified, since her suit exploded after being torn to shreds.
* NeckLift:
** Supergirl, while possessed by a Banshee-like evil spirit, grabs Inspector Henderson's neck before lifting him and slamming him into a wall.
** Supergirl grabs Insect Queen's neck and lifts her off her feet as punching her face over and again.
* NecktieLeash: After knocking Inspector Henderson off his feet, Silver Banshee grabs his necktie and yanks upwards to force him to look into her eyes while she interrogates him.
* NeverMyFault: When he ascertains that his daughter Lucy has gained alien powers, Sam Lane complains that "the Kryptonians weren't satisfied with killing [his] daughter", so "[they] had to go and make her one of them." It never crosses Sam's mind that Lucy got killed because the {{Magitek}} suit which ''he'' talked her into wearing malfunctioned, and her cells' genetic makeup was altered by said malfunctioning suit.
* NewhartPhonecall: Lana phone calls Perry to explain why she must take a leave of absence... and reiterate that, yes, she would like to keep her job.
-->'''Lana Lang:''' Perry, I understand... No, I told you, I had a doctor's appointment.... Yes, I know it's the third one this week. Look, can I talk to you about this when I get there? No, I know my attendance has been spotty... Yes, Perry, I like my job...
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Enraged by Insect Queen's manipulations, Supergirl smashes the villain through several walls, rips her wings off, pummels her into the ground until her face is bleeding, and then drains her out of Lana's body.
* NothingIsScarier: When Kara rushes into the hospital, she desperately notices she can hear every single sound in the building... but she cannot hear her surrogate aunt Lana Lang's heartbeat and breathing.
* OhCrap: Supergirl whispers "Oh... Rao!" when she barges into the hospital's morgue and finds Lana's body encased in a cocoon and covered by a swarm of little black bugs...and something is bursting out of the cocoon.
* OurBansheesAreLouder: It is revealed that Siobhan [=McDougal=] was transformed into an ageless banshee by her clan as part of a leadership test. When facing Silver Banshee, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} touches her clan's heirlooms, is possessed by the spirits of the [=McDougals=] and turned into another banshee.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"The [Silver] Banshee is supernatural in nature. She has a sonic scream that's loud enough to hurt even me, and if she says your name— your true name— you die."''
* PeopleJars: When Gangbuster breaks into the Insect Queen's hive, he finds Supergirl encased in a jewel-like pod and floating in an orange liquid.
* PercussiveTherapy: As confronting Lana about her hiding her sickness from her, Kara angrily smashes a fruit bowl to pieces as demanding to know what her flat mate was thinking.
* PowerGlows: The seven magical heirlooms of the [=McDougal=] Clan give off a silver-blue glow when they are close to each other.
* PreAsskickingOneLiner: Supergirl gives Insect Queen ''one'' chance to set her host free before beating her out of Lana Lang's body personally.
-->'''Supergirl:''' '''Insect Queen'''. I'll give you '''one''' chance-- Get '''OUT''' of Lana's '''BODY'''!
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Supergirl smashes Insect Queen through several chambers of her lair.
* PutOnABus: Last storyline to feature Post-Crisis Silver Banshee and Insect Queen.
* RelativeButton: While pummeling Insect Queen, Supergirl angrily states the dumbest thing she could have done was to hurt someone whom Kara considers family.
-->'''Supergirl:''' You made a huge mistake, Your Highness. Lana Lang is more than just a friend. She's family.
* RuleOfPerception:
** After telling Kara no doctor has been able to identify her illness, Kara stands still in front of Lana for several seconds. Readers can see two conical beams of bluish light erupting from Kara's eyes and bathing Lana, who has to guess Kara is using her microscopic vision.
** After Supergirl has been struck by Silver Banshee's sonic scream, the dialogue bubbles become blank to show Supergirl has become temporarily deaf.
* RuleOfSeven: Silver Banshee believes she can undo her curse if she assembles the seven relics of the [=McDougal=] Clan.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: The spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan tell Silver Banshee her curse (being turned into an ageless banshee and forced to wander the Earth until finding her clan's seven hidden heirlooms) was really a test to find out if she has what it takes to be one of her clan's leaders.
-->''[=McDougal=]:''' For generations, the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan have hidden these artifacts all over the world and sent prospective clan leaders in search of them. Gave them powers so they could accomplish that task. What we did to ye wasn' a curse, Siobhan. It was a test. A test you failed time and again.
* SeeYouInHell: Inspector Henderson angrily tells the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan to go back to Hell before hurting them by stabbing one of their heirlooms.
-->'''Inspector Henderson:''' ''"Your "test" took one of my friends, you Irish demons. I'm not going to let you take another one. Go back to whatever Hell you crawled out of."''
* SensoryOverload: When Silver Banshee's sonic scream strikes Supergirl, Kara becomes totally deaf for several instants.
* ShoutOut: The title is a homage to ''Batman'' storyline ''A Death in the Family''.
* ShutUpHannibal: Upon defeat, Insect Queen swears she will return and make Kara and her family's life Hell. Kara flatly replies that is her mother's job.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"Remember, Queen, I gave you the option to leave peacefully."''\\
'''Insect Queen:''': ''"I'll make you and your family ssssuffer, Sssssupergirl! I'll make your life Hell--"''\\
'''Supergirl:''' ''"No, thanks. My mother does that enough."''
* SoftGlass: As searching around the Insect Queen's hive for Supergirl, Gangbuster crashes through one building's double glass doors without incurring damage.
* SssssnakeTalk: Insect Queen talks with a noticeable hiss after taking over Lana.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Subverted. Supergirl grabs Silver Banshee's arm to push her away from Inspector Henderson. Banshee does not try to fight back, but she casts one teleporting spell.
* StartToCorpse: The story begins when Inspector Henderson finds one woman killed by the Silver Banshee and asks Supergirl help him find and capture her.
* StormingTheCastle: Supergirl and Gangbuster sneak into the Insect Queen's hive lair to defeat her and rescue her victims.
* SupervillainLair: After bursting out of her cocoon, Insect Queen quickly builds a huge, green hive around Metropolis General Hospital. The walls are indestructible, and the interior of the lair is a maze of narrow, dark and waterlogged winding corridors patrolled by giant, aggressive insects. On top of that, the hive is gradually growing and sprouting secondary hives.
* TeaserOnlyCharacter: The story opens with Silver Banshee murdering an innocent, unnamed woman.
* ThatLiarLies: Supergirl does not for one second believe Insect Queen when the villainess claims Lana got close to Kara because she was subtly influencing her.
-->'''Supergirl:''' I don't care what you say you did to Lana. I don't care if you think you were controlling her. I know you weren't.
* ThereWasADoor: Silver Banshee shouts a hole through Inspector Henderson's office to attack the man and seize her Clan's relic.
* ThirdPersonFlashback: As Supergirl tells the history of the Silver Banshee, a montage shows scenes of Banshee's past which Kara never witnessed.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Supergirl and Gangbuster are trying to sneak into the hive through the sewers when Kara's super-hearing detects they are about to be intercepted by one swarm of insects. Both heroes react by calmly stating they are about to go down fighting.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"Wait! I hear them. Rao. They know we're here."''\\
'''Gangbuster:''' ''"Okay. Here we go. You ready to get the crap kicked out of you in order to save the world?"''\\
'''Supergirl:''' (smiling) ''"Always."''
* {{Timeskip}}: Issue #50 begins two days after the ending of issue #49.
* VillainExitStageLeft: Silver Banshee has no reason to stay around and fight Supergirl after getting her clan's heirlooms, so she flees before Kara can stop her.
* VillainTeleportation: After getting her clan's relics, Silver Banshee casts a spell and teleports away before Supergirl can stop her.
* VillainousFaceHold: After encasing Supergirl in a cocoon of amber-like material, Insect Queen strokes Kara chin, stating she missed her. Feeling unamused, Kara suggests her to let her go now.
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Dr. Light decides to use the newest S.T.A.R. Labs' spy bot prototype to infiltrate into Insect Queen's lair and scout the place. Fortunately, it goes without a hitch.
* WakingUpAtTheMorgue: After being killed by an unknown illness, Lana wakes up in the morgue; though, her mind has been subdued by Insect Queen, who was making her ill as taking over her body.
* WakingUpElsewhere: As trying to sneak into Insect Queen's hive, Supergirl and Gangbuster are ambushed by a swarm of insects. Despite fighting fiercely, Supergirl is overwhelmed and knocked out. When she awakens, she has been dragged into the lair and encased in a super-tough crystalline substance.
* WhatTheHellHero: After saving Lana, Supergirl says she is moving out of her home because Lana lied to her for one whole year, and people -including Lana herself- died because of it.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"When you started...mentoring me, the whole goal of it was to teach me more about being human. We built a trust. For a year, I told you everything. You knew all the stuff that was wrong with my life. [...]But you lied to me, Lana, that entire year. You didn't trust me, and people in that hospital died because of it. You died because of it. I saw you die. Because you were scared to tell me something was wrong."''
* ZergRush: Nobody was able to successfully break into Insect Queen's hive before rescuing Supergirl because her swarms of giant insects outnumbered and overwhelmed any attacker.
----
[[caption-width-right:350:2010 Edition]]
''Death and the Family'' is a ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' storyline published in ''ComicBook/Supergirl2005'' #48-50. Sterling Gates plotted and wrote the story and Fernando Dagnino, Matt Camp and Jamal Igle shared art duties.
Supergirl has found out that her surrogate aunt Lana Lang is dying from an unknown, incurable illness. Before she can do more than berating Lana for keeping such a secret from her, Kara is called to help deal with Silver Banshee's latest murder spree.
Kara has just solved the case when she finds out Lana has been taken to a hospital. Supergirl flies to the hospital hurriedly, but she is apparently too late, and Lana is declared dead. When Supergirl enters the morgue to see her deceased friend, though, she notices her body has been encased in a mysterious cocoon. And something is bursting out of it.
This storyline has been collected in two different trades: "Death and the Family" (2010) and "The Hunt for Reactron" (2019).
----
!!Tropes:
* TenMinuteRetirement: After saving Lana Lang from Insect Queen, Supergirl is still angry at being lied to "for her own good" during one year by someone whom she trusted implicitly, so she decides to leave Earth and go back to Kandor. She was back three months later.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Metropolis' sewers are wide enough to allow two persons to walk upright and side by side. And then fighting a swarm of giant bugs.
* AcousticLicense: Inverted when Supergirl is struck by Silver Banshee's sonic scream. So that readers understand Supergirl has become temporarily deaf, everybody's speech bubbles become blank.
* AngerBornOfWorry: Kara gets angry when she finds out Lana has been hiding her sickness from her for one year.
-->'''Supergirl:''' (thinking) Thara-- Flamebird-- revealed to me that something was wrong with Lana. Lana was sick. And she had been keeping it from me.\\
'''Lana Lang:''' Honey, I understand you're angry--\\
'''Supergirl:''' You're damn right I'm angry, Lana! What were you thinking?!
* AngryCollarGrab: As interrogating Inspector Henderson, who is at the time kneeled on the floor, Silver Banshee grabs his collar and lifts him up.
* ArbitrarySkepticism: When Dr. Light informs Supergirl that they have analyzed tissue samples of Insect Queen's giant critters, and their genetic makeup seems to be insect DNA hybridized with something else, Kara asks if it could be partially human. Dr. Light finds it unlikely, but Gangbuster points out they are dealing with alien insects who have erected a hive in the middle of Metropolis.
-->'''Supergirl:''' Doctor, could the tissue you've been unable to identify be partially human?\\
'''Dr. Light:''' Human? That seems unlikely--\\
'''Gangbuster:''' Says the lady who watched alien insects erect a hive in the middle of the city in a matter of days.
* AttackDrones: Dr. Light sends bug-like drones armed with plastic explosive to blow up a chunk of Insect Queen's hive.
* BackFromTheDead:
** Lucy Lane, who had died in battle with Supergirl, is reborn thanks to her suit changing her DNA.
** Lana Lang comes back from the dead, too; ironically thanks to Insect Queen restoring her body when she takes over.
* BadassBoast: When Insect Queen states she can frighten Kara by mobilizing her full army, Kara sneers it will not happen.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"I'm Kara Zor-El of Kandor, Queen. I'm a super-hero. I don't scare easily."''
* BadassInDistress: Gangbuster breaks into Insect Queen's hive to rescue Supergirl, who was caught by surprise and imprisoned when the villainess emerged out of her shell resembling Lana.
* TheBadGuyWins: Silver Banshee gets away with murdering people to find her clan's hidden heirlooms.
* BalefulPolymorph: Siobhan [=McDougal=] was transformed into a banshee ageless spirit, to her everlasting chagrin.
* BeatTheCurseOutOfHim: Supergirl lays a brutal beatdown on Insect Queen to force her to get out of her friend's body.
* BigBad: Insect Queen takes over Lana Lang's body and tries to conquer Metropolis with her army of giant insects.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Insect Queen's bug minions are larger-than-a-human mutated insects (mostly ants and wasps).
* BlessedWithSuck: The [=McDougal=] Clan turned Siobhan into the Silver Banshee, granting her immortality and powerful magic so she was able to undergo her clan's leadership test. Siobhan herself simply considers she has been cursed into becoming an ugly, restless wandering wraith.
* BloodFromEveryOrifice: When Lana finally succumbs to her mysterious illness, blood flows from her mouth, nose and eyes, forming a red pool under her collapsed body.
* BoomHeadshot: An ant-like monster is about to sting Gangbuster when Supergirl's heat-vision blows its head up.
* BoundAndGagged: Insect Queen imprisons Supergirl in a crystal prison, and an insect mook slaps on her mouth a glob of crystalline material to keep her quiet.
* BreakingTheBonds: Kara flexes her muscles and shatters Insect Queen's imprisoning bindings when she gets angry.
* BrokenPedestal: Kara feels so hurt by Lana keeping important secrets from her that decides to leave her mother figure for a while. Subverted in ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'', when she apologizes to Lana for being too harsh.
* BrokenTears: Kara starts sobbing uncontrollably when her surrogate aunt Lana passes away.
* CameBackStrong: Superwoman dies, but her body is regenerated and altered at the genetic level by her suit's {{Magitek}}, giving her Kryptonian powers in the process.
* CharacterWitness: After dispelling her clan's spirits temporarily, Silver Banshee notes that, thanks to Inspector Henderson's efforts, she has now five of her clan's relics, and has bought herself time to find the remainder ones without her family interfering. Before teleporting herself away from Supergirl, Banshee acknowledges she is indebted to Henderson, and assures she will repay him someday.
-->'''Silver Banshee:''' You found my family's heirlooms.\\
'''Inspector Henderson:''' It wasn't easy. I had to use all of my resources--\\
'''Silver Banshee:''' Then I thank you. With five heirlooms present, my cry dispelled those spirits. They'll recover, but it will take time. Time I can use to search for the rest of my family's treasures. You've given me a great gift, Mike Henderson. I owe you a debt, it seems. One day, when you need it the most-- you'll hear my true song.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Averted. Supergirl and Gangbuster are quickly swarmed and beaten by the legions of giant bug mooks commanded by Insect Queen.
* ContinuityNod:
** Lana did not want Supergirl to know about her sickness due to Kara being hurt when she failed to cure Thomas Price's cancer in ''ComicBook/WayOfTheWorld''.
** Lana mentions she has been unable to track Steel down. A footnote suggests readers to read ''Superman (Volume 1)'' #690.
** Supergirl's inner monologue reminds readers that she met Inspector Henderson previously in ''ComicBook/WhoIsSuperwoman''.
** Supergirl and Inspector Henderson talk about Supergirl being framed in ''ComicBook/TheHuntForReactron''.
** Insect Queen casually flashes back to her earlier battle with Superman in ''Superman'' #671-673.
** Supergirl also remembers how her father cured her Kryptonite poisoning in ''Supergirl (2005)'' #34
* CrystalPrison: Insect Queen imprisons Supergirl in an amber-like, drop-shaped orange gem.
* CurbStompBattle: As soon as Supergirl cuts Insect Queen off from her minions, it becomes obvious the villainess cannot beat the Kryptonian hero in one fair fight. Kara pounds on Insect Queen to her heart's content, and is not even fazed by the only punch Insect Queen throws during their duel.
* DemonicPossession: When Supergirl touches the [=McDougal=] Clan's heirlooms, her body is taken over and transformed by the deceased spirits of Silver Banshee's clan.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Inspector Henderson calls the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan "Irish demons" who should "go back to whatever Hell [they] crawled out of", before breaking one of their heirlooms.
* DoYouTrustMe: When Gangbuster and Supergirl are being overwhelmed by a swarm of giant bugs, the former expresses doubt regarding the latter's plan. Kara asks him is he trusts her, and Gangbuster admits he does...but only because he trusts her cousin.
-->'''Gangbuster:''' ''"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea!"''\\
'''Supergirl:''' ''"You trust me, don't you?!"''\\
'''Gangbuster:''' ''"Lady, the only reason I trust you is that "S" on your chest!"''
* DrivenToSuicide: Captain Jonathan Tanner hang himself after finding one ancient coin belonging to the [=McDougal=] Clan. Although the exact circumstances of his death remain unclear, it is known that said haunted heirloom's discovery led to his suicide.
* DungeonCrawling: Supergirl and Gangbuster must sneak into Insect Queen's giant hive-like lair, navigate dark, damp winding corridors and fight massive insect-like bugs until finding the villainess and kicking her out of Lana Lang's possessed body, thus stopping her attempted invasion.
* DynamicAkimbo: Kara puts her closed fists on her hips while she scans Lana Lang, sporting a grim, determined face.
* DynamicEntry: Silver Banshee is attacking Inspector Henderson when Supergirl suddenly bludgeons her from behind with a chunk of wall, demanding Banshee puts her friend down.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: When Kara becomes possessed by the evil spirits of Silver Banshee's Clan, her Supergirl suit transforms into a sinister, tattered, white-and-black version. To drive the point home, her hair becomes black and white and her face chalk white.
* EvilOverlooker: The cover of the first issue features Silver Banshee's giant head looming over Supergirl and using her sonic scream to shatter her eardrums.
* EvilPlan: Insect Queen spends one year stealthily and gradually bonding itself to Lana Lang until she is finally ready to take over her body and start a full-scale invasion of Metropolis, taking advantage of Superman being off-world-.
* EyeScream: Gangbuster gets rid of an ant monster by throwing his baton right into its right eye.
* FearfulSymmetry: After the spirits of the McDougal Clan possess and transform Kara, Silver Banshee and the Banshee-fied Supergirl have a literal screaming match where they shoot sonic screams at each other.
* FetalPositionRebirth: When she is reborn, Lucy Lane is found naked and lying on her left side with her eyes closed. Her legs are folded against her body, her chin is nearly touching her knees, and her arms are folded across her chest.
* FightingFromTheInside: Supergirl tries to fight the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan who have taken over their body. When Inspector Henderson manages to hurt them by damaging their clan's relic, Kara manages to expel them out.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"This— is— my BODY!"''
* FightingYourFriend: Kara is forced to fight Lana as she is possessed by Insect Queen.
* {{Flashback}}: As she observes the gigantic hives raised by Insect Queen, Supergirl flashes back to different scenes: Flamebird warning that something foul was taking over Lana, Lana confessing something strange was killing her, and Kara finding Insect Queen's cocoon.
* FlashyTeleportation: Silver Banshee gets engulfed in blinding light and thundering lightning bolts when she casts a teleporting spell.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: A black woodlouse may be seen crawling over Lana's phone after she has collapsed, hinting that her mysterious illness is somehow connected to bugs. Later, the culprit is revealed to be Insect Queen.
* FunWithAcronyms: S.T.A.R. Labs has built a miniaturized termite-like spy robot. It is called a '''B'''atesian '''U'''niversal '''G'''round retcon unit.
-->'''Dr. Light:''' ''"In the thick of things, we released this. A Batesian Universal Ground recon unit. "B.U.G." for short.
* GemTissue: One ancient, cursed metallic coin belonging to the [=McDougal=] Clan becomes embedded in Inspector Henderson's hand.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Supergirl's eyes give off a menacing, eerie red glow while she shatters her crystalline prison, blasts one giant critter attacking Gangbuster, and demands answers.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Kara gives Insect Queen an ultimatum: leaving Lana's body willingly or being punched, purged and blasted into oblivion. Insect Queen laughs at her threats, so Supergirl carries out all of them.
* GottaCatchThemAll: In the first half of the story, Silver Banshee is trying to gather her clan's seven heirlooms with the purpose of undoing her curse.
* GottaGetYourHeadTogether: Kara clutches her head with both hands when she is hit by Silver Banshee's ear-shattering wail.
* GrandTheftMe: Insect Queen gradually bonds with Lana Lang's blood cells until taking over her body.
* HandshakeRefusal: After being rescued from the Insect Queen's lair, Supergirl is introduced to Dr. Light. The latter extends her hand for a handshake, but Supergirl is still too confused, so she declines the handshake and asks to what is going and where she has been brought.
* HowWeGotHere: After Supergirl has been rescued from Insect Queen's hive and brought to S.T.A.R. Labs, a flashback narrated by Dr. Light explains what happened between Supergirl finding Lana's cocoon, and Gangbuster sneaking into the hive and breaking her out.
* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Insect Queen controls her insect mooks through Authority: she is their creator, their queen, and is smarter than them.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: As endeavoring to beat Insect Queen out of her host's body, Supergirl desperately tries to reach Lana out.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"Lana, if you can hear me-- SAY something! Lana! I KNOW you're IN there! Let her body Go, you insect FREAK! Get OUT!''"
* ImagineSpot: As observing Insect Queen's lair through a window, Kara imagines Lana's face reflected in the window.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Lana Lang was often coughing or vomiting blood. She managed to keep it from Kara for one year until the Girl of Steel finally found out thanks to Flamebird. A quick X-Ray Vision scan indicated a strange organism was mixing with the cells around it, and later it was revealed that [[spoiler:Insect Queen was taking over Lana]].
* InsectQueen: The eponymous villain possesses Lana and attempts to invade Metropolis with an army of genetically-altered giant insects.
* KarmaHoudini: Silver Banshee murders several persons while looking for her clan's relics, gets what she wants, and teleports away before nobody can stop her. And since she was not seen again in Post-Crisis continuity, she ''did'' get away with it.
* KilledMidSentence: A doctor is smothered by Insect Queen's bugs as he is breaking up with his girlfriend over the cell phone.
-->'''Unnamed Doctor:''' ''"Do you get it, Emma!? That's it! We're over— Mmmph-!"''
* LegoGenetics: Insect Queen intends to breed super-powerful bugs by modifying their genetic makeup with human and Kryptonian DNA.
* LiteralSurveillanceBug: S.T.A.R. Labs sends a spy robot into the Insect Queen's hive to gather information. It is called a Batesian Universal Ground retcon unit (or "B.U.G."), is modeled after a termite, and it fits in the palm of one hand.
-->'''Dr. Light:''' ''"In the thick of things, we released this. A Batesian Universal Ground Recon Unit. "B.U.G." for short. A branch of S.T.A.R. Labs has been developing these to mimic the qualities of South African termites and infiltrate their mounds. I co-opted one of the prototypes and sent it in to get whatever information it could."''
* LogicalWeakness: When the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan take over Supergirl's body, Inspector Henderson reasons that, since they are bonded to their family's heirlooms, said relics can be used to hurt them. Henderson quickly stabs one coin, causing the spirits pain and letting Supergirl throw them out of her body.
* MagicalDefibrillator: As Lana is dying, a surgeon uses a defibrillator to restart her heart, even though he would obviously know that is not how defibrillators work. Unusually, the defibrillator fails to revive Lana.
* MarriedToTheJob: After solving the case which caused the death of Captain Tanner, Inspector Henderson ponders that his friend sadly became so obssessed with finding the real culprit which he let his job destroy his and his family's lives.
-->'''Inspector Henderson:''' I can't change what happened to Captain Tanner. Am I sad my friend is gone? Absolutely. But he let the job overtake him. He let it destroy himself and his family, and then left us to pick up the pieces. We have to watch ourselves, Supergirl. As keepers of the peace, we shouldn't let what we do distract us from our own families.
* MiscarriageOfJustice: Inspector Henderson tells the story of the Zeiss case that his old superior Captain Tanner was never able to solve: a young boy named Hiriam Zeiss was mysteriously murdered. There were no witnesses except for a teenage girl who claimed she watched a woman sucking Hiriam's soul out of his body. She was innocent, but Hiriam's grandparents were baying for blood, so they used their wealth to make sure that she was arrested, charged, put on trial and found guilty.
* MotiveDecay: The leadership test of the [=McDougal=] Clan and the quest for the seven hidden heirlooms are retconned into Silver Banshee's backstory to correct her severe, decades-long motive decay (originally, she had come to Metropolis from Scotland to retrieve a book that was payment for her powers. Eventually she got the book, was dragged into the underworld, brought back, and promptly vanished. Since then, she had been causing random problems for no real reason).
* MyParentsAreDead: Linda Lang has been said her "aunt" Lana has passed away. When a doctor asks about the rest of her family, she sobs they aren't around anymore.
-->'''Doctor:''' Are counselors on staff if you'd like to talk to someone, and I'm sure the rest of your family is worried about you--\\
'''Linda Lang:''' No. They're not around. Lana is... was my family here. I have no one else right now. Not after...not after all I've been through.
* MythologyGag: One of the victims of Silver Banshee is found in the Suicide Slum, corner of Austen and Byrne. John Byrne was Silver Banshee's co-creator (and, ironically, a firm opponent of Kara Zor-El's existence).
* NakedOnRevival: Lucy Lane is fully naked when she is revived. Justified, since her suit exploded after being torn to shreds.
* NeckLift:
** Supergirl, while possessed by a Banshee-like evil spirit, grabs Inspector Henderson's neck before lifting him and slamming him into a wall.
** Supergirl grabs Insect Queen's neck and lifts her off her feet as punching her face over and again.
* NecktieLeash: After knocking Inspector Henderson off his feet, Silver Banshee grabs his necktie and yanks upwards to force him to look into her eyes while she interrogates him.
* NeverMyFault: When he ascertains that his daughter Lucy has gained alien powers, Sam Lane complains that "the Kryptonians weren't satisfied with killing [his] daughter", so "[they] had to go and make her one of them." It never crosses Sam's mind that Lucy got killed because the {{Magitek}} suit which ''he'' talked her into wearing malfunctioned, and her cells' genetic makeup was altered by said malfunctioning suit.
* NewhartPhonecall: Lana phone calls Perry to explain why she must take a leave of absence... and reiterate that, yes, she would like to keep her job.
-->'''Lana Lang:''' Perry, I understand... No, I told you, I had a doctor's appointment.... Yes, I know it's the third one this week. Look, can I talk to you about this when I get there? No, I know my attendance has been spotty... Yes, Perry, I like my job...
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Enraged by Insect Queen's manipulations, Supergirl smashes the villain through several walls, rips her wings off, pummels her into the ground until her face is bleeding, and then drains her out of Lana's body.
* NothingIsScarier: When Kara rushes into the hospital, she desperately notices she can hear every single sound in the building... but she cannot hear her surrogate aunt Lana Lang's heartbeat and breathing.
* OhCrap: Supergirl whispers "Oh... Rao!" when she barges into the hospital's morgue and finds Lana's body encased in a cocoon and covered by a swarm of little black bugs...and something is bursting out of the cocoon.
* OurBansheesAreLouder: It is revealed that Siobhan [=McDougal=] was transformed into an ageless banshee by her clan as part of a leadership test. When facing Silver Banshee, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} touches her clan's heirlooms, is possessed by the spirits of the [=McDougals=] and turned into another banshee.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"The [Silver] Banshee is supernatural in nature. She has a sonic scream that's loud enough to hurt even me, and if she says your name— your true name— you die."''
* PeopleJars: When Gangbuster breaks into the Insect Queen's hive, he finds Supergirl encased in a jewel-like pod and floating in an orange liquid.
* PercussiveTherapy: As confronting Lana about her hiding her sickness from her, Kara angrily smashes a fruit bowl to pieces as demanding to know what her flat mate was thinking.
* PowerGlows: The seven magical heirlooms of the [=McDougal=] Clan give off a silver-blue glow when they are close to each other.
* PreAsskickingOneLiner: Supergirl gives Insect Queen ''one'' chance to set her host free before beating her out of Lana Lang's body personally.
-->'''Supergirl:''' '''Insect Queen'''. I'll give you '''one''' chance-- Get '''OUT''' of Lana's '''BODY'''!
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Supergirl smashes Insect Queen through several chambers of her lair.
* PutOnABus: Last storyline to feature Post-Crisis Silver Banshee and Insect Queen.
* RelativeButton: While pummeling Insect Queen, Supergirl angrily states the dumbest thing she could have done was to hurt someone whom Kara considers family.
-->'''Supergirl:''' You made a huge mistake, Your Highness. Lana Lang is more than just a friend. She's family.
* RuleOfPerception:
** After telling Kara no doctor has been able to identify her illness, Kara stands still in front of Lana for several seconds. Readers can see two conical beams of bluish light erupting from Kara's eyes and bathing Lana, who has to guess Kara is using her microscopic vision.
** After Supergirl has been struck by Silver Banshee's sonic scream, the dialogue bubbles become blank to show Supergirl has become temporarily deaf.
* RuleOfSeven: Silver Banshee believes she can undo her curse if she assembles the seven relics of the [=McDougal=] Clan.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: The spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan tell Silver Banshee her curse (being turned into an ageless banshee and forced to wander the Earth until finding her clan's seven hidden heirlooms) was really a test to find out if she has what it takes to be one of her clan's leaders.
-->''[=McDougal=]:''' For generations, the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan have hidden these artifacts all over the world and sent prospective clan leaders in search of them. Gave them powers so they could accomplish that task. What we did to ye wasn' a curse, Siobhan. It was a test. A test you failed time and again.
* SeeYouInHell: Inspector Henderson angrily tells the spirits of the [=McDougal=] Clan to go back to Hell before hurting them by stabbing one of their heirlooms.
-->'''Inspector Henderson:''' ''"Your "test" took one of my friends, you Irish demons. I'm not going to let you take another one. Go back to whatever Hell you crawled out of."''
* SensoryOverload: When Silver Banshee's sonic scream strikes Supergirl, Kara becomes totally deaf for several instants.
* ShoutOut: The title is a homage to ''Batman'' storyline ''A Death in the Family''.
* ShutUpHannibal: Upon defeat, Insect Queen swears she will return and make Kara and her family's life Hell. Kara flatly replies that is her mother's job.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"Remember, Queen, I gave you the option to leave peacefully."''\\
'''Insect Queen:''': ''"I'll make you and your family ssssuffer, Sssssupergirl! I'll make your life Hell--"''\\
'''Supergirl:''' ''"No, thanks. My mother does that enough."''
* SoftGlass: As searching around the Insect Queen's hive for Supergirl, Gangbuster crashes through one building's double glass doors without incurring damage.
* SssssnakeTalk: Insect Queen talks with a noticeable hiss after taking over Lana.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Subverted. Supergirl grabs Silver Banshee's arm to push her away from Inspector Henderson. Banshee does not try to fight back, but she casts one teleporting spell.
* StartToCorpse: The story begins when Inspector Henderson finds one woman killed by the Silver Banshee and asks Supergirl help him find and capture her.
* StormingTheCastle: Supergirl and Gangbuster sneak into the Insect Queen's hive lair to defeat her and rescue her victims.
* SupervillainLair: After bursting out of her cocoon, Insect Queen quickly builds a huge, green hive around Metropolis General Hospital. The walls are indestructible, and the interior of the lair is a maze of narrow, dark and waterlogged winding corridors patrolled by giant, aggressive insects. On top of that, the hive is gradually growing and sprouting secondary hives.
* TeaserOnlyCharacter: The story opens with Silver Banshee murdering an innocent, unnamed woman.
* ThatLiarLies: Supergirl does not for one second believe Insect Queen when the villainess claims Lana got close to Kara because she was subtly influencing her.
-->'''Supergirl:''' I don't care what you say you did to Lana. I don't care if you think you were controlling her. I know you weren't.
* ThereWasADoor: Silver Banshee shouts a hole through Inspector Henderson's office to attack the man and seize her Clan's relic.
* ThirdPersonFlashback: As Supergirl tells the history of the Silver Banshee, a montage shows scenes of Banshee's past which Kara never witnessed.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Supergirl and Gangbuster are trying to sneak into the hive through the sewers when Kara's super-hearing detects they are about to be intercepted by one swarm of insects. Both heroes react by calmly stating they are about to go down fighting.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"Wait! I hear them. Rao. They know we're here."''\\
'''Gangbuster:''' ''"Okay. Here we go. You ready to get the crap kicked out of you in order to save the world?"''\\
'''Supergirl:''' (smiling) ''"Always."''
* {{Timeskip}}: Issue #50 begins two days after the ending of issue #49.
* VillainExitStageLeft: Silver Banshee has no reason to stay around and fight Supergirl after getting her clan's heirlooms, so she flees before Kara can stop her.
* VillainTeleportation: After getting her clan's relics, Silver Banshee casts a spell and teleports away before Supergirl can stop her.
* VillainousFaceHold: After encasing Supergirl in a cocoon of amber-like material, Insect Queen strokes Kara chin, stating she missed her. Feeling unamused, Kara suggests her to let her go now.
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Dr. Light decides to use the newest S.T.A.R. Labs' spy bot prototype to infiltrate into Insect Queen's lair and scout the place. Fortunately, it goes without a hitch.
* WakingUpAtTheMorgue: After being killed by an unknown illness, Lana wakes up in the morgue; though, her mind has been subdued by Insect Queen, who was making her ill as taking over her body.
* WakingUpElsewhere: As trying to sneak into Insect Queen's hive, Supergirl and Gangbuster are ambushed by a swarm of insects. Despite fighting fiercely, Supergirl is overwhelmed and knocked out. When she awakens, she has been dragged into the lair and encased in a super-tough crystalline substance.
* WhatTheHellHero: After saving Lana, Supergirl says she is moving out of her home because Lana lied to her for one whole year, and people -including Lana herself- died because of it.
-->'''Supergirl:''' ''"When you started...mentoring me, the whole goal of it was to teach me more about being human. We built a trust. For a year, I told you everything. You knew all the stuff that was wrong with my life. [...]But you lied to me, Lana, that entire year. You didn't trust me, and people in that hospital died because of it. You died because of it. I saw you die. Because you were scared to tell me something was wrong."''
* ZergRush: Nobody was able to successfully break into Insect Queen's hive before rescuing Supergirl because her swarms of giant insects outnumbered and overwhelmed any attacker.
----
