My So-Called Supergirl

I have mixed feelings about this month's Supergirl, I really do. On one sense, I actually like that they're giving Kara a personality. Sure, she's being an angsty, angry, self-absorbed little twit, but she's also a teenager. And I remember my own teens regretfully well enough to be stuck acknowledging that she's a pretty natural example of a teenager.

Getting Kara out of Kandor was probably a good idea. I still haven't forgiven Kelly for the whole Kal-El thing, mind control or not. I still don't believe the plot needed to have gone there. But now she gets to be free of that, and seems to be actually developing a personality suiting her age.

Though, NO, awake in stasis or not, she's STILL only got sixteen years of life experience and thus is NOT an adult.

Supergirl this month was interesting enough in establishing a screwed-up teen hero in a way that I could buy and even sympathize with as she makes her idiot mistakes. It's a good sort of character to have, a good perspective for storytelling.

I have one problem with it though.

This isn't some new edgy teenage girl superhero that's free to explore these sorts of issues with no baggage. This is Supergirl.

I was always a little shaky concerning arguments against Cassandra Cain and Kara saying that Batgirl and Supergirl should be characters for kids. I despised Kara for her very male-reader oriented lolita-characterization that seemed to lack any sort of recognizable depth. But I don't mind Cass in general (though I've never connected with her).

I have argued for Supergirl to be written with teenage girls in mind because that's the natural audience, and thus certain elements should be toned down. But she's got an interesting angsty dynamic that I think would appeal to teenage girls right now.

I've never agreed with censorship, and I do think mature topics can be handled in a way to make them suitable for young adults.

But there's something I was missing, something that I only understand now. Because now I work in a toy store.

At the very large toy store chain where I work, we have a lot of comics related goods. Among them, we have Supergirl. Supergirl lunchboxes, Supergirl skates, Supergirl bike helmets. And the girls that light up seeing them, the girls that convince their parents to buy this stuff for them...

Well, they're not teenagers. They're nowhere near teenagers. They're little girls ages 5-10. They're little girls who like pink and they like sparkly and they like the thought of Superman as a pretty blond girl that can fly.

Their moms like her too. I've seen mothers and grandmothers light up seeing those lunchboxes, thrilled to see something sparkly and pretty that their little girls would like that doesn't involve something like Barbie or Bratz dolls. They think, "Well, Supergirl is a step up."

As a sales associate, it isn't my place to tell guests what I really think about their purchases. I can sometimes (depending on customer mood) strike up a conversation, make some recommendations, but that's about it. Critiquing is out of the question, of course. Guests just want to shop in peace.

But I keep seeing the mothers pick up the lunchboxes with interest, and I wish I could say "Oh! Supergirl! You know, the comic book is really good right now!" Sure some parents are against comics in general, but a lot of parents are always interested in ways to get children interested in reading. A lot of mothers are looking for role-models and cute idols for their young girls that don't involve the distorted body image and fashion obsessed mindlessness of the usual fare. (Speaking of, what happened to being able to dress Barbie as an astronaut or airline pilot? It seems a lot of the career doll costumes have gone out of style!)

I'm not saying that I think the series should be written for five-ten year olds. I don't think it's a bad thing to have mature topics in comics. Subjects like grief and loss, action and horror always make good stories. And children are quite capable of dealing with them. Supergirl could easily be a book like that. One that does occasionally deal with adult subjects, but manages to keep it on an accessible level for young people.

It'd be nice to be able to tell interested parents, "Well, the series does cover some mature topics, so it would be a good idea to read it ahead of time to decide if your little girl is ready for it."

I can't do that with this Supergirl though. Pre-Crisis Kara, definitely. Peter David's Linda, possibly, with a warning that it might be a bit complex in scope for a young one. This Kara? With her cigarette masochism, inappropriate relationships, and over-sexualization? No.

It's possibly a good story, sure. She could be a really interesting character, definitely. But Supergirl's supposed to be more than that. Supergirl's an icon. Supergirl's recognizable to even non-comic fans. She's got a decades-old reputation for wholesome, child-friendliness. She's a young girl with special powers that can inspire little girls to be proud of their own abilities and strengths, while still being non-threatening and sweet enough to appeal to both mom/dad and child.

Times change. Characters change. That's a good thing, in general I think. But when it comes to Supergirl. As interesting as this new angry, edgy adolescent is, she's not one that can be recommended toward kids anymore. And I can't help but think we've lost something important in the trade.