Dear Rowan, I Love Girl Superheroes Too
Dear Rowan,
My name is Ali and I am 35 years old. I also love superheroes and have been reading comics and watching superhero cartoons and movies for a really long time. I’m also a lady who’s upset because there aren’t very many girl superheroes or movies and comics. And it’s bothered me since I was your age.
I don’t collect the Justice League Chibis, but I really like LEGO and the only Wonder Woman Invisible Jet they have is part of a set with The Flash. It’s frustrating because Batman is in every DC LEGO set, but Wonder Woman is only a small part of one set. And this is the first time the Invisible Jet has been available in LEGO. I know how you feel, is what I’m saying.
But it’s not all bad. There is stuff for comics fans who are girls; my friend Caroline made a list. I like the Funko POP figures. They have a bunch of girl heroes and are always coming out with more. The boxes are all the same color, so no pink and purple.
And there a lots of comics. Lots and lots of comics. Here are some of my absolute favorites that I think you might like:
DC Comics
It sounds like you’re a DC fan so I’ll start with those.
1. Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures of the 8th Grade by Landry Q. Walker and Eric Jones
2. Gotham Academy by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl
Olive and Maps are students at Gotham Academy, a fancy private school in Gotham City. They’re not technically superheros (unless you count Olive’s amazing hair as a superpower) but they’re trying to solve a mystery and have some great adventures.
Marvel Comics
You probably already know that Marvel has some great superheroes, but here are two of my favorite girl superhero books.
3. Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
THIS COMIC BOOK IS SO GOOD!!!! Kamala Khan is a teenager who lives in Jersey City (that’s where I live too!) and she loves superheroes. Like, really loves them. Her favorite is Captain Marvel. So when she gets a shape-shifting superpowers, she takes up the mantle Ms. Marvel and keeps her town and friends safe from an evil bird-man.
4. Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez
I like this one because not only is Captain Marvel and lady, there are a bunch of other ladies in the comic. I like it because usually you get one girl in a team of boys, and here it’s like one boy in a team of girls. Also, Marvel is making a Captain Marvel movie! And you can find some great Captain Marvel stuff for sale around the internet.
Other Comics
And there’s more! Some of these girls aren’t technically superheros. But they have cool adventures and save people, so I think it counts.
5. Lumberjanes by Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, and Brooke Allen
Lumberjanes is right next to Ms. Marvel in my list of favorite comics. It’s an all girls summer camp full of supernatural monsters, ancient gods, and dinosaurs. Ripley and April are my two most favorite Lumberjanes, but the rest of the crew are still awesome in their own unique ways.
6. Takio by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
Sisters Taki and Olivia get superpowers when their friend’s mad-scientist dad goes a bit cuckoo. So clearly they need to become superheros. There’s some awesome action of the kung fu telekinesis variety.
7. The Hildafolk Series by Luke Pearson
This is my favorite!! Look, I have a lot of favorite books. Hilda lives in the fjords and has adventures with wood people and giants, elaborate birds and giant dogs. She also have a floating foxtelope that follows her around. There are 4 books in the series so far and I really live the art.
8. Cleopatra in Space #1: Target Practice by Mike Maihack
Ray guns! Talking cats! SPAAAAACE! If you like those things, you will probably love this book. Cleo is a lot of fun, and I love the way she interacts with her guardian Khensu (the talking cat). It’s Cleo’s job to save the galaxy from some evil aliens.
There are a bunch more waiting for you when you get older. (There IS a DC Wonder Woman cartoon movie and it’s awesome. But there’s beheading and stuff so I don’t know how your parents feel about that). There are a bunch more I didn’t put in here; the folks in the comments section will have some recommendations for you too.
Most importantly, I wanted to say thank you for writing your letter. Because of girls like you, I think there will be a lot more comics and movies and cartoons and figures with girl superheroes in the future. So don’t stop writing letters. Don’t stop asking for more superheroes. Don’t stop telling people girls read comics too. (Also don’t stop reading comics, because they’re awesome).
Sincerely,
Ali
