DC Comics’ “Super Hero Girls” Gives Young Female Fans Some Much Needed Representation

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Wait a minute, does this mean media companies and entertainment networks are finally starting to get it right?!

You may have recently heard the good news from Disney that they cast an actual Hawaiian girl, Auli’i Cravalho as the voice of their upcoming animated feature ‘Moana’ based on the life of a young Hawaiian girl. It certainly made us happy knowing that the louder our voices have become, demanding authenticity, diversity and better representation, the more the studios and networks are hearing us.

The comic books worlds of Marvel and DC have also been criticized not for the lack of female characters in their pages, but because big Hollywood studios seem to only focus on making male-driven super hero movies. How many times do we need a Spiderman, do-over, already?! Surely we are sick of seeing Batman and Superman re-born time and time again on the big screen?

Thankfully there are Captain Marvel, Black Panther and Wonder Woman movies on the horizon in the next few years, and in the meantime we are starting to see more female presence in other areas of media when it comes to super heroes.

The latest news we are happy to share about comes from the world of DC Comics, whose new animated web series Super Hero High heavily features their Super Hero Girls roster: Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, Katana, Harley Quinn, and more.

The series is aimed at girls 6-12 and features the super heroes as teenagers trying to balance their powers with every day challenges that come with been a teen.

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“At Super Hero High, iconic Super Heroes like Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Bumblebee, Poison Ivy, and Katana navigate all the twists and turns of high school. United by friendship, the DC Super Hero Girls empower kids to shine with confidence and courage, especially while they combat those overwhelming, exciting, and awesomely awkward moments of growing up (sometimes super powers can be super stressful!),” says the website description.

In the Spring of 2016 the brand will release a line of dolls, books, accessories, clothing, play sets and more. Some videos about the digital animated series can already be seen on their Youtube Channel.

A spokesperson from Warner Brothers entertainment expressed how they are trying to tap into the female-driven market right now where there is a tidal wave of popularity surrounding badass female characters in TV series and film franchises.

“It’s fun for all of us to be involved in something that’s going to play into the girl-power aspect of what kids and parents are looking for,” said Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment and president/chief content officer of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Given that they have a roster of really awesome women to play with, it’s about time they utilized them in more ways to spark the imaginations of young girls.

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“I don’t think anyone can argue against the fact that we have the best female superheroes and characters in all of comics. [Super Hero Girls] is one of the most important things that we’ll be a part of so far since DC’s been formed. It’s a huge statement and opportunity,” said Geoff Johns, DC’s chief creative officer and writer of ‘Justice League’.

Hey Geoff, we won’t argue with you, as long as you keep entertainment like this coming!

The series and subsequent roll out of merchandising was announced at New York Comic Con recently in order to generate fan excitement. And while we are probably more familiar with the grown-up versions of these characters, DC has made them more “age appropriate in order for younger audiences to relate to them.

Big Barda, a female warrior from the planet Apokolips in the comics, is the tall girl in school. Harley Quinn, a fan-favorite Batman villainess, is the class clown, while Batgirl is a brainy science whiz.

“When you’re that age, whether it’s as young as 6 or — on a more aspirational level — when you’re moving into a high school environment, you’re trying to figure out who you are, and that’s what these characters are going through,” said Diane Nelson about the way these teen super heroes will balance optimism with heroism.

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And in a move that will make many parents and young girls happy, DC have partnered up with Mattel to produce the female superhero action figures and dolls, which is going to fill a huge untapped market. Not too long ago we featured the story of Australian mom Rebecca Millar who was annoyed that she couldn’t find a Black Widow doll or figurine for her daughter after seeing the new ‘Avengers’ movie, so she decided to start a project taking old Barbie dolls and give them a makeover to look like superheroes.

She wasn’t about to wait for Marvel to make its move, but now it seems DC has taken up the call and will be offering their group of females for fans to buy. Finally!

Diane Nelson says DC and Warner Brothers’ commitment to diversity is being taken seriously so that the desires of their diverse audiences are being catered to.

“Everywhere that we are putting content out, we’re making sure that it reflects strong male and female characters. I hate to even say it’s a long-term strategy — it’s just what we should be doing. We believe our audience is getting broader all the time, and we want to make sure there’s something for everyone,” she said.

Spring 2016 may seem far away, but in the grand scheme of things where women and girls have literally waited decades for their favorite female super heroes to be given the same treatment as the men from the DC and Marvel universes, it’s about time! Check out a sneak preview of the Super Hero Girls digital series below:

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