The Supergirls cover art

The Supergirls

Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines

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The Supergirls

By: Mike Madrid
Narrated by: Colby Elliott
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About this listen

Comic book superheroines bend steel, travel across time and space, and wield the awesome forces of nature. These mighty females do everything that male superheroes do. But they have to work their wonders in skirts and high heels. The Supergirls, a cultural history of comic book heroines, asks whether their world of fantasy is that different from our own. Are the stories of Wonder Woman’s search for an identity, Batwoman and Power Girl’s battle for equality, and Manhunter’s juggling of a crime fighting career and motherhood also an alternative saga of modern American women?

©2009 Mike Madrid (P)2011 Last Word Audio Gender Studies Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences Comic History

Critic reviews

“ The Supergirls is a long overdue tribute to the fabulous fighting females whose beauty and bravery brighten the pages of your favorite comics.” (Stan Lee)
“Even as it delivers its clear-eyed critique of the way mainstream superhero comics have alternately eroticized or deified female characters, The Supergirls gleefully celebrates the medium itself, in all its goofy, glorious excess.” (NPR)
“ The Supergirls, Mike Madrid's book about the evolution of female comic-book characters, is sharp and lively — and just obsessive enough about women who wear capes and boots to be cool but not creepy. The guy clearly loves this stuff. And he's enough of a historian to be able to trace the ways in which the portrayal of sirens and supergirls has echoed society's ever-changing feelings about women and sex. ” ( Entertainment Weekly)
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I downloaded this book on a whim after browsing through a lot of titles as I thought the name and summary sounded interesting and unlike anything else I had read before. Turns out I was right about that. This book gives a very thorough history of women in comic books, covering a wide range of decades, aspects and themes. I am by no means an expert in comics, I haven't even read a great deal of them, but this inspired me to read more widely after finishing it. The only suggestion I have is maybe include more on female villains, as I'm sure they have had an equally interesting progression in comics. Well worth listening to overall.

Enjoyed this book

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"The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines" gives a better look at the history of female comic book superheroes and is a refreshing read/listen. The book looks at superheroines from the early days of comic books and all the way up until the noughties. It offers a look at how society has shaped and responded to female superheroes and how their roles in comics has evolved to fit with the times. As you might expect, more attention is brought to the more popular comic book characters but other lesser known characters, such as Vampirella and characters from Image Comics, are discussed also. There are even analyses of characters such as Lois Lane and about their role in comic books as well.
Unlike other comic book history books, this book shows female superheroes in a powerful and more impactful way than perhaps a book that focused on superheroes as whole, where male heroes would take up more of the spotlight. Here, the superheroines get their full appreciation, beyond their good looks.

I was a bit disappointed by the audio quality and noticed changes in it throughout. I didn't have trouble with it being so bad that it was unlistenable and the worst it got was at the very end with the About The Author section of the book. The narration is a bit faster than what I'm used to and it took me a while to get used that as well. That said though I found the audiobook to be an engaging listen and I soaked it all up like a sponge.

Anyone who is looking for more information on female superheroes should give this book a chance. The chapters are just the right length and there is no self-indulgence with the analysis which makes it easy to follow and understand.

A Closer Look at Female Superheroes

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