Well, looks like Kara gets a S.I.

[Daughter of Krypton]

She and Powergirl are currently in Kandor. Red Sun enviroment and their powers are waining. So, probably standard needles and ink.

Doesn't make sense, because according to the plot summary, Kara still had all her superpowers.

And I still think her tattoo will last about as long as Superman's  1970s long-sideburns did - which was even less time than his mullet!

[Permanus]

If I've understood this correctly (and I probably haven't), there are two Supergirls now, one with and one without a tattoo; one evil and one good; one in the future and one in the ghetto that passes for Kandor these days. So which one gets the secret identity, or are they going to merge into one individual again -- in which case, what happens to the tattoo?

[DBN]

She and Powergirl are currently in Kandor. Red Sun enviroment and their powers are waining. So, probably standard needles and ink.

Doesn't make sense, because according to the plot summary, Kara still had all her superpowers.

And I still think her tattoo will last about as long as Superman's  1970s long-sideburns did - which was even less time than his mullet!

DC is still using the solar battery explanation for Kryptonian powers, Post-IC.

Meaning that while Kara still has all of her abilities, those abilites get weaker and weaker in power due to the red sun enviroment and the lack of any yellow solar energy.

With her invunerability not being up to normal levels, she was able to get the tatoo.

Funny thing is, once she leaves Kandor and comes back under the rays of a yellow sun, the tatoo should fade due to her body's natural healing process.

After all, the current Superman has never sported any sort of scars from his many fights. Even the particurally bloody fights he had with Doomsday.

[DBN]

If I've understood this correctly (and I probably haven't), there are two Supergirls now, one with and one without a tattoo; one evil and one good; one in the future and one in the ghetto that passes for Kandor these days. So which one gets the secret identity, or are they going to merge into one individual again -- in which case, what happens to the tattoo?

The two version of Kara were merged back together in issue 5.

Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) and Powergirl (Kara Zor-L) are the two operating as Nightwing and Flamebird in Kandor during this story arc.

[Permanus]

Well, that makes sense. Or does it? Is it just me, or does it strike you as odd that people just don't understand what's happening any more if they haven't read every single blessed issue? I'm this close to giving up on DC's mainstream stuff because I'm just not prepared to read 8,000 comics to get the continuity straight.

[ShinDangaioh]

Is it just me, or does it strike you as odd that people just don't understand what's happening any more if they haven't read every single blessed issue?  I'm this close to giving up on DC's mainstream stuff because I'm just not prepared to read 8,000 comics to get the continuity straight.

DC wants you to buy every single comic of what they produce.   Joker's Last Laugh proved that, by shoving a Batman story into comics that had nothing to do with Batman.  

As to what is going on with the two Supergirl titles, there was no need for this back pre-Crisis.    The titles just interacted however they wanted and didn't bother with continuity

[DBN]

Well, that makes sense. Or does it? Is it just me, or does it strike you as odd that people just don't understand what's happening any more if they haven't read every single blessed issue? I'm this close to giving up on DC's mainstream stuff because I'm just not prepared to read 8,000 comics to get the continuity straight.

With this Supergirl you don't have to. The only books you need to pick up are Superman/Batman: Supergirl trade, Supergirl: Power trade, and the latest issue. Though, she is also appearing in the LOSH title.

This isn't like the Linda Danvers Supergirl (who I happened to like) where you had to know the backstory of the Matrix Supergirl along with picking up every title of that series to understand what was going on.

The backstory of this Supergirl is just as simple as that of the Pre-Crisis Supergirl.