Done right.

Garth made a post to Facebook the other day about female superheroes.  It said something like, “Everyone likes to talk about superheroines being mishandled, yet no one seems to talk about the ones done right.”  He said he knew of one and he was lucky to be drawing her, which was a very nice thing to say about Star Power.  But it got me thinking about the female characters in comics that I’m currently reading, and how I think they’re handled.  I don’t read many comics nowadays (I despise reboots) but the few I do read have, as Garth said, excellently-handled female characters.

Red Sonja.  If you’re not reading Gail Simone’s take on the She Devil With A Sword, you are missing out on something amazing.  I’d never been interested in Red Sonja until I learned that Gail Simone was going to be writing her, and since she’s been at the helm of this highly entertaining title I can’t get enough of her.

Every single character in SAGA.  Female or male, this cast of characters is enthralling.

Captain Marvel.  This is the sci-fi superhero space adventure I love.  It’s the kind I try to write here at Star Power!  Captain Marvel herself is a great, fun character and a classic superhero in every sense.

Mera, Aquaman’s wife and Queen of Atlantis.  Her superpowers are awesome and she’s an interesting character on her own, not simply “the hero’s wife.”  I’m also a big fan of Aquaman and Mera’s relationship.  This is a loving, devoted couple whose need for one another is equal and believable.  The two are so deeply entwined that it’s hard to imagine one without the other, and to separate them would lessen them both.

One a side note, Garth also mentioned that he’s done with the term “superheroine” and will be replacing it with “fem fantastique.”  I don’t know if it’ll ever catch on, but I think it’s neat.