I’m a big fan of Power Girl.
I like her. I like her a lot actually. Despite the rather two-dimensional quality to her personality when she was first introduced Power Girl was still the cousin to the Earth-2 Superman and was very different from her Earth-1 counterpart. This Last Daughter of Krypton would not be secondary to her cousin. She would be her own woman, her own character.
Yeah, she was and is stacked like the library of congress, but that wasn’t the draw for me.
No really. It wasn’t.
I swear.
There are certain characters that exist in the DC Universe (I spent nineteen years calling it that and still haven’t broken the habit) that have gotten what I consider a seriously raw deal. Whether it is gross mismanagement or poor decision making on the part of the creative staff or myopic ideas that capcise the character into a sea of crap there are some heroes and villains that just get screwed over on a regular basis. Power Girl is one of those characters. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths it seemed that DC just didn’t know what to do with her. So they made her the granddaughter of Arion and then stuck her in two of the ugliest costumes ever and then she had a baby and then the baby ages rapidly and on and on and on. The only bright spot came when she joined the Justice Society in JSA. Things started to get back on track. The character was being treated with the respect she deserved. Then came the news that Geoff Johns and the very talented Amanda Conner were going to write a Power Girl story for a new title called JSA Classified and that her origin was finally going to be revealed.
And what was the real history of Power Girl?
That she was the cousin to the Earth-2 Superman and the Last Daughter of that Krypton.
Brilliant. Simply brilliant.
So you would think that after that arc and Infinite Crisis things would turn around and to a certain extent they have. Geoff Johns has continued to do great things with the character in Justice Society of America up to and hopefully including the upcoming Justice Society of America Annual that looks to be all about some awesome.
And then they announce that she’s getting her own series, which is good.
And in the same announcement they tell us that the writers on the book are going to be Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, to which I say this.
I am not the biggest fan of Palmiotti and Gray.
In fact I think they’re pretty terrible.
And now these two supposed writers are going to be in charge of Power Girl.
Sigh.
First they (DC, not Palmiotti and Gray) completely screw up Supergirl and now they’re going to do the same to the other Kara.
Oh well, Amanda Conner is doing the art, which is fantastic. And it could be good, but I am not counting on it.
More to follow…
Okay… It’s been a while since I’ve been on my soapbox about Power Girl, it’s about time to climb back up.
Power Girl is a kick ass character. Hand’s down, she should be the #2 or #3 premier female hero in the DC universe (just behind Wonder Woman and possibly Supergirl). Instead, she’s much further down the list. Heroines like Black Canary, Stargirl, and Donna Troy get more prestige and respect. And I think I know the reason why she’s not top-notch…
Every time Power Girl has had a chance to be a solo star (one-shots, mini-series, whatever), it’s gets completely bogged down looking backward (in her continuity), rather than looking forward and telling a cool new story. For example, the first run of JSA Classified (which was pretty much a Power Girl mini-series) spent all their time focused on her origin. Yawn… Instead they could have simply been telling a kick butt story in which she was the main hero.
If you want an example of a success story, look no further than Marvel’s “Ms. Marvel” comic. The Ms. Marvel character is REALLY similar to Power Girl. Both are essentially female versions of Superman, both have complex origins, and both have faltered in popularity over the years. However, a few years ago, Marvel launched a new Ms. Marvel monthly book. Instead of getting bogged down in Ms. Marvel’s origin and back story, they told new and fresh stories that Ms. Marvel happened to be the hero of. That comic totally rocks! Why the heck couldn’t they have done this for Power Girl years ago?
With all that said, I have to hope that Palmiotti and Grey will look forward (rather than backward) and create new fresh adventures for Power Girl. Other better writers would probably get caught in the trap of looking backwards. So I’ve got my fingers crossed.
The Irredeemable Shag
http://onceuponageek.com
Well then let’s get Brian Reed to write the title instead of Palmiotti and Gray.
I have no faith in the series beyond the art.
You are right, though. It would be nice to only have a little looking back before shooting forward.
we will be looking forward and respecting the past.
Dear Jimmy Palmiotti – I’m glad to hear that. I look forward to your book and wish you luck.
The Irredeemable Shag
http://onceuponageek.com
I definately agree with you Mike. I personally can’t wait to see Power Girl’s own series.