We don't yet know if "JSA: Classified" heralds the return of Kara Zor-L as "Superman's Cousin", since the final part of this four-issue arc hasn't arrived yet. And we'll probably learn more in "Infinite Crisis #2" since Power Girl was featured on a promotional cover (though it's possible that we won't actually see this particular artwork when the issue is ultimately released). But all indications strongly hint that Karen Starr IS what she once WAS Pre-Crisis -- the Earth-2 counterpart of Supergirl.
Clues have slowly accumulated in "JSA" for over a year. First, the ghost of Arion admitted to Power Girl that he lied about her Atlantean origin. Later there was a crytic palm-reading by a fortune-teller who warned that Karen was "living her life backwards". Then after going back in time to fight Per Degaton (who mentioned Huntress -- and he was probably referring to the lost Helena WAYNE), Power Girl experienced SOMETHING as Rip Hunter's Time Sphere encountered unexpected turbulence... in 1985! :shock:
And when Karen Starr and the new Kara Zor-El finally met, Power Girl suffered a bizarre reaction -- perhaps in the merged Single Earth you can't have two incarnations of THE SAME PERSON in close proximity anymore?
But now the Psycho-Pirate is apparently trying to break down Power Girl's mental resistance before revealing the "Truth". It's probable that the Psycho-Pirate needs Power Girl's assistance in unlocking the Multiverse, and supplying her "real" origin as "Kal's Cousin" (and her innermost desire -- vindication that she wasn't a fraud and acceptance by the superhero community) may gain Karen's cooperation. Whether Karen's memories of Earth-2 are really restored or merely another illusion inplanted by the Psycho-Pirate is beside the point (for now, at least).
It was interesting to see how the Psycho-Pirate wore poor PeeGee down. First he confronted her with an old enemy of Arion -- a nod to her already-discarded Atlantean origin. Then the "Legion of Super-Heroes" appeared, claiming she was actually Laurel Gand, aka "Andromeda". (That was a nice nod to the fact that Laurel was created Post-Crisis as a replacement for the "non-existent" Supergirl in Legion history.)
Later the Psycho-Pirate bombarded Karen with a bewildering array of possible "true identities" -- Ultraman's cousin from the Crime Syndicate's "Qwaard Universe Earth-2", the future daughter of "Titans Tomorrow" Superboy and Wonder Girl (referring to a recent "Teen Titans" issue), the daughter of Captain Marvel and LUMA LYNAI (a "hidden tribute" to Captain Marvel/Supergirl writer and Luma Lynai creator Otto Binder?), Ursa from the Phantom Zone (from the Christopher Reeve movies continuity -- they even show the "windowpane" Phantom Zone), and finally the Kandorian MOTHER of Nightwing and Flamebird!
The factual absurdities and inconsistancies abound -- how could Captain Marvel mention the wizard Shazam without transforming back to Billy? How could Luma Lynai survive under a yellow sun? Ursa and the "windowpane" Phantom Zone NEVER appeared in the mainstream DC comics continuity, while Nightwing and Flamebird weren't brothers. But this confusing rapid-fire overload of possible "parents" succeeded in emotionally overwhelming Karen Starr. And for fans it was wonderful seeing some "old friends" once more -- Luma looked particularly nice in her cameo.
By next month, we should know whether Power Girl is indeed "Superman's cousin from Krypton".
But the REAL question is whether Power Girl will survive Infinite Crisis. :cry: