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D.C. Flexes Diversity Powers with New Power Girl
Unless you’re a diehard comic reader, the odds are good that if you know anything about D.C.’s Power Girl, it probably has something to do with her infamously, er, revealing costume. But beyond serving as fodder for internet memes that sadly cannot be linked to here, Power Girl hasn’t really developed much of a reputation outside of her fan base. Even the D.C. comic’s mythology doesn’t do much for her: She’s a poser, an alternate-universe version of Supergirl.
But all of that is changing. Because the new Power Girl looks like she’s going to matter.
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Initially introduced last May, the new Power Girl—Tanya Spears—is a 17-year-old super-powered super-genius endowed with abilities not unlike those of the previous Power Girl: flight, super-strength, etc.) Tanya hooked up with the supergroup Teen Titans in December and, this February, will be involved in some major D.C. comics events in Teen Titans #7.
What’s more interesting than her new, much less giggle-inducing, actually quite practical outfit is the fact that she’s a black woman. It’s a sad truth that the history of mainstream comic book heroes (D.C. and Marvel) hasn’t featured a lot of non-white heroes. Before the year 2000, aside from X-Men‘s Storm, non-white female superheroes were rarer even than comics fan who unironically adore Batman and Robin.
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Recently, however, superheroes have been providing more than just general hope to humankind; they’re also starting to look a little bit more like the diverse populations they are protecting. More and more minority characters are being introduced, particularly minority women. Last year, Marvel launched a brand new version of their long-established Ms. Marvel character, this time recast as teenage Muslim girl from Jersey City named Kamala Khan. Like D.C.’s Tanya/Power Girl, Kamala/Ms. Marvel exists in the same story continuity as the “original” version of the character, but has been granted the mantle due to new circumstances. In Tanya’s case, current Power Girl Karen Starr went back to her original universe, while Kamala became Ms. Marvel because the previous Ms. Marvel—Carol Danvers—has become Captain Marvel.
In terms of being overtly progressive with a rebooted superhero, Marvel is ahead of D.C. insofar as Kamala has her own ongoing title and the new Power Girl doesn’t, yet. Still, if a cool woman like Tanya Spears can break racial barriers while sending old Power Girl (and her crazy outfit) to another universe, there may be hope yet that super heroes really will save the world.
The new Power Girl: Tanya Spears’s big issue—Teen Titans #7—drops later this month.
Which comic book character would you reboot, and how?