Karen Starr: Power Girl Appreciation 2020

[SuperX]

Would ppl be cool with a Karen (PG) if she was with the JSA "slightly" in the past, maybe close to the time when they got disbanded, instead of in the present, so she is older and from a adventure into another universe in the past?

And no I like her the way she was intended, but DC needs to find ways to explain then use characters in diffenrt ways then their most iconic way for some reason

[Ascended]

Do you think those currently in the Superman family are being treated well? I worry they don't have the capacity. I mean look at Batman's family. It is ginormous and they don't seem to know what to do with half of them.

No. The Super family has definitely not been treated well. The only major "family" at DC that has gotten good treatment in recent years is Aquaman....arguably Shazam, depending on how low you set the bar.

And that's part of why I'm very okay with Karen being seen as a JSA character in DC's eyes; yeah the JSA hasn't been around for a while but as a Super, it's not like Karen would be getting quality treatment anyway.

Would ppl be cool with a Karen (PG) if she was with the JSA "slightly" in the past, maybe close to the time when they got disbanded, instead of in the present, so she is older and from a adventure into another universe in the past?

I dunno if the McCarthy hearings back in the 50's is "slightly" in the past. But I don't really have anything against the idea. Not sure I like having a Kryptonian on earth before Clark, and I think her origin works fine as it is (at least in broad strokes) but I wouldn't have a problem with Karen arriving on earth 1/main earth and falling in with the JSA, or them being involved in her arrival. As long as the "multiversal refugee Kryptonian" origin is in place I think that's the most important and the details are flexible.

[Badou]

Yeah, the problem is that if Kara is aged up into an adult then Karen kind of becomes redundant. So I wouldn't expect to see her in this Future State mini event. Also the use of Tanya complicates things more as I don't really think Power Girl is a strong enough IP to carry two characters. It is kind of bizarre that DC would want to turn it into a legacy identity when they can't even find a way to use the original Power Girl in anything. It's a bit of a mess.

Also with the JSA I do worry about it as a new book. As we have seen lately these lesser team books based on nostalgia haven't done that well. Young Justice, Legion, and even the new Suicide Squad book have kind of flopped. So with the JSA title taking forever to come out I worry that it might have missed its window if that window was even open in the first place with the current market.

[SuperX]

No. The Super family has definitely not been treated well. The only major "family" at DC that has gotten good treatment in recent years is Aquaman....arguably Shazam, depending on how low you set the bar.

And that's part of why I'm very okay with Karen being seen as a JSA character in DC's eyes; yeah the JSA hasn't been around for a while but as a Super, it's not like Karen would be getting quality treatment anyway.



I dunno if the McCarthy hearings back in the 50's is "slightly" in the past. But I don't really have anything against the idea. Not sure I like having a Kryptonian on earth before Clark, and I think her origin works fine as it is (at least in broad strokes) but I wouldn't have a problem with Karen arriving on earth 1/main earth and falling in with the JSA, or them being involved in her arrival. As long as the "multiversal refugee Kryptonian" origin is in place I think that's the most important and the details are flexible.

I like the idea of superman going to the past, being the 1st hero, then the JSA form and WW joins, then he goes back to the future. Ppl back then will marvel at the man of tomorrow lol. Karen showing up later than that would make her a instant hit with the team and ppl after superman.

[Ascended]

Also with the JSA I do worry about it as a new book. As we have seen lately these lesser team books based on nostalgia haven't done that well. Young Justice, Legion, and even the new Suicide Squad book have kind of flopped. So with the JSA title taking forever to come out I worry that it might have missed its window if that window was even open in the first place with the current market.

I blame the market. Seems like DC can't find an audience for anything but their biggest name IP's. Of course, it doesn't help that they've devalued their own B-list characters in an effort to prop up their A-list (who don't need to be propped up in the first place). After years of seeing everyone bend the knee to Batman, and to a lesser extent the other Big 5, it's no wonder that DC can't convince people to read their B-list books.

JSA would likely do better in a OGN format, or digital if DC can figure out how to unlock digital success. The hierarchy doesn't matter as much in those places. But I agree, the JSA isn't likely to set the sales charts on fire...but really, it's been a mid-level seller for a long time and has required big names like Johns to get above that point. Which is fine, those consistent, mid-tier titles are like DC's bread and butter. If they could manage to reach that point again I'd call it a win.

I like the idea of superman going to the past, being the 1st hero, then the JSA form and WW joins, then he goes back to the future. Ppl back then will marvel at the man of tomorrow lol. Karen showing up later than that would make her a instant hit with the team and ppl after superman.

Oh I do like the idea of Clark going into the past to be the first hero. Ties in nicely with the old, pre-Action Comics idea of Superman being a time traveler too. Makes a good story for Clark, keeps a version of the real history in play....I could see it. They did with with Diana during Byrne's run and it ended up being kind of awkward but I think a quality editor and writer could make it work for Clark.

[Stanlos]

Did anyone else find it weird that Magog was leading JSA All Stars instead of Peege?

[Robanker]

Did anyone else find it weird that Magog was leading JSA All Stars instead of Peege?

I mean she sorted him out eventually, but yeah. PG leading the JSA/All-Stars and Dinah leading the JLA sadly were a bit in name only. It got brought up at a panel at the time and DC noted that over in JSA vs. Kobra, PG was leading there (because Trautman actually cared).

I think a Black Canary led Justice League would be rad if she ever actually got to call the shots. Ditto PG on the JSA.

[achilles]

Did anyone else find it weird that Magog was leading JSA All Stars instead of Peege?

No, because he wasn't. For about a few issues, All-Stars had them as bickering co-leaders, though Magog quite quickly quit. After that, which amounted to the majority of the run, PG alone was leader, and for the most part, actually was treated as such by the others.

[achilles]

I mean she sorted him out eventually, but yeah. PG leading the JSA/All-Stars and Dinah leading the JLA sadly were a bit in name only. It got brought up at a panel at the time and DC noted that over in JSA vs. Kobra, PG was leading there (because Trautman actually cared).

I think a Black Canary led Justice League would be rad if she ever actually got to call the shots. Ditto PG on the JSA.

PG did call the shots, and not just in JSA vs Kobra, where PG actually more followed Holt's lead. Could they have done a better job in that respect? Sure, and if they revive that plot point, I hope they do. For the supposedly feminist character, PG sure does get the short end by mostly male writers quite a bit, I've noticed.

[Stanlos]

Thanks, fellas!! I look forward to the next delivery then. This first set had me scratching my head a lot on that dynamic.

[Agent Z]

Assuming you were trying to convince WB to adapt Power Girl, what arguments would you use?

[Robanker]

Assuming you were trying to convince WB to adapt Power Girl, what arguments would you use?

Don't. They'd put Berlanti and Guggenheim on her and I would argue they don't get the character at all. Especially keep Guggenheim's reverse Midas touch away from Karen.

[achilles]

Assuming you were trying to convince WB to adapt Power Girl, what arguments would you use?

I'd point out that she has all the upside of Supergirl, without the downside of being too closely connected to Superman, or having an unwieldy backstory. They can do a lot of different things with her that they really couldn't with SG, including setting her story in space, maybe as the above posts indicate a slight period piece, (my preference would be to put her in 1950s Vegas), put her with the JSA, the League, or perhaps a space team. She can do comedy, drama, horror, noir, really anything, while SG is stuck by expectations doing straight up superhero stuff.

[juan678]

https://www.cbr.com/harley-quinn-pow...l-new-52-team/

[achilles]

Don't. They'd put Berlanti and Guggenheim on her and I would argue they don't get the character at all. Especially keep Guggenheim's reverse Midas touch away from Karen.

Eh, for a movie or HBO Max series, they could go with Gunn or someone like that. I'd actually like to see what he could do with her. Especially since apart from her basic story, her character and physicality...pretty much everything else is tabula rasa, perfect for someone like Gunn, (I agree about Berlanti and Guggenheim), to put his stamp on.