SRS

The poor characterization and absence of critical self-review are both evident in ALIAS #28. While Jessica is supposed to be triumphing over Killgrave’s domination of her, the actual content, viewed critically,is nothing of the sort. In the situation shown, the Avengers can take out Killgrave at will. Iron Man and the Vision aren’t vulnerable to Killgrave’s power (Thor shouldn’t be), and the other Avengers had plenty of time to protect themselves (see http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/staff/jacob/teaching/sensory/pherom.html ). Jessica doesn’t *need* to do anything at all to be freed from Killgrave’s control. What she does is ridiculous: invoke a “psychic defense trigger” Jean Grey implanted in her mind. The trigger isn’t activated by the pheromones themselves, Killgrave’s orders to her, or Killgrave’s evil actions. In fact, the trigger isn’t automatically activated by anything. Jessica has to tell herself to break Killgrave’s control. The trigger might as well not exist, except that Bendis needed to justify, somehow, Jessica’s breakout moment, given Killgrave’s inexplicably potent power.

Given the “trigger” plot device, Jessica’s lack of reaction to Killgrave’s manipulation of the civilians, etc., Jessica’s triumphal moment is much more akin to someone pointing out to a docile, broken slave that if there’s no one watching her, she can leave the house. “You–You mean I can just open the door and walk out?! Wow! I hadn’t realized–” If Bendis isn’t giving the readers a cow, he’s giving them something far less than an actual heroine.

I wonder how much of the trouble writers have with Supergirl, and teenage characters generally, has to do with finding opponents? Age-matched opponents will lack the dramatic motivations and abilities that adults have, or will be artificially enhanced. Subjecting teenage heroes and heroines to psychological stresses that adults would have trouble coping with is blatantly unrealistic.

SRS

How many solo series about heroines have actually been successes, in terms of the quality of the writing? No Marvel series come to mind. Reed’s Ms. MARVEL has been a monumental disaster. SHE-HULK has had repeated failures. SPIDER-GIRL has committed fans, but too few for commercial success.

Anyway, here’s an excerpt from a 2006 blog post, specifically on the subject of writing Supergirl for girls:

The thing about Supergirl that no one seems to get, not even Peter David, though he was much much closer, is that she’s supposed to be for *girls*. She’s the character that little girls think of when they tie a towel around their necks and climb up jungle gyms. Or at least that’s what she should be. I’m not saying that Supergirl should have only very sanitized content and never deal with mature issues. But there’s a difference between dealing with mature issues and what’s going on right now.

Hell, if you read any young adult literature, you’d quickly realize that the big difference between YA and Adult fiction is in subtlety. The horror, the sexuality, the death is a bit less overt. That dosn’t make their themes any less substantial. (Read Lurene McDaniel for drama or Christopher Pike for horror, for example, you’d see that the scope of YA literature doesn’t stop at Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High, or whatever you fogeys think young girls read*)

And by the way? get rid of the midrift. Its a fashion trend that has had its day, and it is still making her look cheap.

BAKER: What the hell’s a five-year-old girl supposed to do? When you make Wonder Woman a book that appeals to grown men, what the hell are you doing? Supergirl, same thing. I keep looking up Supergirl’s skirt. I shouldn’t know about Supergirl’s panties, I really shouldn’t. But I do. And so do you. What’s that about?

FARAGO: You should have to guess, you should have to use your imagination.

BAKER: I’ve seen Supergirl’s ass. She’s like fourteen. (laughs uproariously) We’ve really gone off on a tangent this time.

(The whole interview’s here, if you’re interested: http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/resources/interviews/2251/ )

He also gave her a longer skirt, an ankle length cape, and a body type and body language that made her seem like a teenager. The sketch of her just sitting around clutching bunches of cape is my favorite.

Sorry, I’m tired, and this may turn out to sound stupid but, what dose IMHO stand for?

I do think it would be a good idea for the people drawing Supergirl to actually SEE what teenage girls are wearing and base her costume on that. I don’t mean what the teenage girls on MTV are wearing.

It’s all a bit sleazy really. Haven’t followed the comic but isn’t this Supergirl only 15 or something? (I may be mistaken. I hope I am!)

While I like the change over to the shorts (it’s practical and makes more sense than fighting crime in a mini-skirt, especially when you can fly), it doesn’t fix the underlying problem that this costume is just plain bad. I’m not the type of person that gets all worked up over gratuitous T&A or makes a big to do about how women are generally objectified in comics all that often, but Supergirl’s costume just plain does not work for me. It’s trashy and deliberately sexed up for an underaged, teenage girl. To fight crime in it is just plain ridiculous and I shake my head everytime I see her in a comic.

If Supergirl’s stories were written for teenage girls, I wouldn’t buy them, of course, but I’m not going to buy stories about a teenage girl that are written for men, either.

BTW, artist Bob Oksner had a sense of humor. See this cover for ADVENTURE COMICS #420, featuring Supergirl.

SRS

http://www.comicspace.com/tintin/comics.php?action=gallery&comic_id=6799

I’d love to see a similar treatment of Supergirl. I say, let the fanboys have their monthly issues of “Upshot Supergirl,” but how’s about a separate digest-type Manga-type book, that say, my daughter could read?

Ray

From time to time, yes, but not as often as she should be, which it to say, all the time. I don’t want to see Super-Girl in that other way. I want to see her as a well rounded stable, “human being.” I’m a guy and I want to see her that way. I’d buy Super-Girl comics if she was always that way.

I think that DC honestly believes they are appealing to two demographics:
Pubescent teenage boys with super hero fixations, and girls. I would assume they’re hitting the first for sure, but the second? Does anyone truly think that stuffing an unattainable barbie-like plasticine nymph into a revealing costume sells merchandise?
There is a third demographic that DC is making sales to: lonely virgins ages 30 - 55 who teeter on the verge of pedophilia.

From Rachelle Goguen:

Shut up, Eddie. I’m not reading Supergirl for the same reason I don’t read the new Flash comics, Batman Confidential, or the Martian Manhunter series: they suck ass. I don’t care that this comic is MADE for ladies so therefore I SHOULD like it. I don’t. It doesn’t interest me and I am busy spending money on and reading the comics that you actually bother to put good writers and artists on. Because, and maybe I shouldn’t speak for all women here because I don’t know, I think that we appreciate…quality. You know, good stories, good art, good characters, and costumes that don’t make you throw up in your mouth.

From Mark Sable:

Then there’s a separate issue of how her proportions are depicted. Without commenting on specific artists, not everyone has the same grasp of anatomy (some artists can’t draw, say…feet). And comics is often cartooning more than it is illustration - meaning certain features are exaggerated for effect, not realism. I agree that this exaggeration is used far too often for titilation, and as a result drives female readers away.
As far as what Supergirl wears, personally I don’t know that I’d choose that outfit. But, in real life, if I told a girl she looked like a stripper because she chose to expose her midriff I’d get slapped and rightly so.

There was considerable online response to a piece from Eddie Berganza in DC NATION #45, in which he apparently asked female readers to buy Supergirl comics, but I couldn’t find the actual piece online.

SRS

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35841030@N00/2035778871/sizes/o/in/set-72157603198440926/

That looks like an actual, human-proportioned, age-appropriate, human girl,

The “lets turn every woman in comics into a plastic simulacra of Megan Fox” is not drawing female readers in drove y’knos.

But it IS Igle.