Power Girl Appreciation 2023

[MajorHoy]

But does she really want to rebuild a company?
Maybe she wants to try something new?

How important to her identity has that company been in the past . . . oh, let's say twenty years?

It at least seemed relevant during the New 52.

But that's not the current version of Power Girl, is it?

I thought the New52 version had gone back to (the replacement) "Earth 2" and was going by the name Supergirl or Superwoman now?

[achilles]

But that's not the current version of Power Girl, is it?

I thought the New52 version had gone back to (the replacement) "Earth 2" and was going by the name Supergirl or Superwoman now?

For all I know, this could be an entirely new version of PG. There are certainly things that would suggest it in how she's written.

[MajorHoy]

For all I know, this could be an entirely new version of PG. There are certainly things that would suggest it in how she's written.

But Geoff Johns seems to have tied her to the 1970s JSA in his The New Golden Age / Justice Society of America.

[achilles]

But Geoff Johns seems to have tied her to the 1970s JSA in his The New Golden Age / Justice Society of America.

Johns and others have done a lot of different things with PG lately.

[Robanker]

If they were getting rid of the Karen name, they would have to do Bumblebee too.
I think they’re just differentiating her more from Kara Zod-El. As Supergirl in current continuity uses Kara as both her Kryptonian name and her Earth civilian name.

Explaining the differences with Supergirl and Powergirl for a newbie is difficult enough. And Karen/Kara causes more confusion.

For what it's worth, the Karen stigma also includes white women with strong opinions and usually a bob cut. Bonus points for blonde. It does cut to PG somewhat but her strong opinions are usually justified as opposed to the "Karens" usually being referred to.

So it is a bit different from Bumblebee but still a very stupid reaction to a trend that itself is dying in favor of the current blanket term "boomer," which itself is also losing steam.

As always this came across as "hello, fellow kids" rather than prescient and I'm eager for it to stop.

[signalman112]

Art by KIT.

PGKit.jpg

[Frontier]

Art by KIT.

PGKit.jpg

Cuter PG than I'm used to...noticed her boots have heels too.

[Thor-Ul]

For what it's worth, the Karen stigma also includes white women with strong opinions and usually a bob cut. Bonus points for blonde. It does cut to PG somewhat but her strong opinions are usually justified as opposed to the "Karens" usually being referred to.

So it is a bit different from Bumblebee but still a very stupid reaction to a trend that itself is dying in favor of the current blanket term "boomer," which itself is also losing steam.

As always this came across as "hello, fellow kids" rather than prescient and I'm eager for it to stop.

Do you know why , in the incredible Hulk tv series with Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby, the name of the main character was changed from "Bruce" to "David"? Because in the 1970s, Bruce was a gay name and they don't want the character to be associated with homosexuality.

So, there you got it. These things always happens and pass. Now Karen has bad press but is going to pass and another name will be reviled. Would be ironic if "Paige" becomes the next mocking name.

[The Frog Bros]

I thought they were referencing fan tendency to refer to Post Crisis League Kara as Peege (like reading "PG" as a word--"peejh") and just changing the long E sound to a long A sound

Ah. Yes. Well... to quote one of my favorite sources Jerry Seinfeld, "that doesn't make it right."

[achilles]

Ah. Yes. Well... to quote one of my favorite sources Jerry Seinfeld, "that doesn't make it right."

You know, I've never seen that show. I'm going to have to watch it, it sounds good.

[Robanker]

Do you know why , in the incredible Hulk tv series with Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby, the name of the main character was changed from "Bruce" to "David"? Because in the 1970s, Bruce was a gay name and they don't want the character to be associated with homosexuality.

So, there you got it. These things always happens and pass. Now Karen has bad press but is going to pass and another name will be reviled. Would be ironic if "Paige" becomes the next mocking name.

Didn't know that, but I'm not surprised. I don't think Paige will stick either, not forever, but as long as people love the current take. I guess we'll see how long that is.

I thought they were referencing fan tendency to refer to Post Crisis League Kara as Peege (like reading "PG" as a word--"peejh") and just changing the long E sound to a long A sound

That's precisely what it is. But like calling Clark Supes, it's a nickname. Or should be.

[achilles]

Wow, there's a bit on the front page about Connor and Karen, (I refuse to call her that other name). It actually applauds what it refers to as her teaming with Omen to...er, not punch the bad guys, but help heroes with their trauma, as she's been doing. Yeah, missing the entire point of the character, I'm thinking. No one but the writer and perhaps the editor wants to see Paige Whatever, former awesome superhero, now yet another attempt by DC to explore hero's trauma, a subject no one but them really wants explored. Give the most aggressive and active hero imaginable a totally passive power, (at least as she seems to be using it). Change her name for no good reason. Change her costume to "brand" her. I think fans could tolerate the latter in order to give PG more page time. The others...a bit harder to justify.

[Digifiend]

Part of the problem may be a question of how long has it been (in the comic book stories) since Power Girl was active as "Karen Starr" and is her company still in existence in this universe?

Maybe she feels it's time for a new identity rather than try to resurrect the "Karen Starr" persona from the past?

Not saying I think that's what should happen, but . . .

New 52 Karen basically usurped her identity. Since New 52 is still canon, her company probably closed when she went back to Earth-2. When the pre-Crisis Power Girl came back, she found that her identity had been taken by an AU doppelganger, and I'm guessing was declared dead?

But that's not the current version of Power Girl, is it?

I thought the New52 version had gone back to (the replacement) "Earth 2" and was going by the name Supergirl or Superwoman now?

You have that backwards. She was Supergirl and Huntress was Robin before they came to Earth-0, they did eventually return to Earth-2 - but would still have kept their codenames. Though it was at this point that Karen allowed Tanya Spears to take over as Earth-0's Power Girl (Future State renamed her to Powerhouse, likely due to pre-Crisis PG's return, but Tanya's not appeared in main continuity since then so we don't know if that name change has happened in main continuity).

[OBrianTallent]

New 52 Karen basically usurped her identity. Since New 52 is still canon, her company probably closed when she went back to Earth-2. When the pre-Crisis Power Girl came back, she found that her identity had been taken by an AU doppelganger, and I'm guessing was declared dead?
.

Didn't she give her company to Tanya Spears (as well as her Power Girl name) before she went back to Earth 2? If that's the case, shouldn't Tanya still own Starr? Whether or not she currently owns Starr would be an interesting question to have answered. Whether or not she changes her name, she still looks like Karen Starr, (former) owner of Starr Industries. Could she go claim her company back, could she initiate a hostile takeover? I would love to see that kind of storytelling brought into Power Girl. She's this amazing genius level intellect...she founded and ran a technologies company but we rarely get to see that kind of storytelling with Karen/Power Girl. Not just boob jokes and bad guy beatings....She should be a rival and peer of Lex Luthor, John Henry Irons, Michael Holt...

[achilles]

Didn't she give her company to Tanya Spears (as well as her Power Girl name) before she went back to Earth 2? If that's the case, shouldn't Tanya still own Starr? Whether or not she currently owns Starr would be an interesting question to have answered. Whether or not she changes her name, she still looks like Karen Starr, (former) owner of Starr Industries. Could she go claim her company back, could she initiate a hostile takeover? I would love to see that kind of storytelling brought into Power Girl. She's this amazing genius level intellect...she founded and ran a technologies company but we rarely get to see that kind of storytelling with Karen/Power Girl. Not just boob jokes and bad guy beatings....She should be a rival and peer of Lex Luthor, John Henry Irons, Michael Holt...

For some reason, they are very reluctant to show her as being smart, much less possessing an alien intellect with knowledge of science and tech far beyond human. They've done it a few times, then forget it for five to ten years before they mention it again. And they always have her being reluctant to show anyone that side of her. What?!?! That is so NOT her. She's not the type to hide her smarts...or any other aspect of her personality. Boy, DC really don't understand their own characters.

Weirdly, they've never combined the two ideas that she owns a big tech firm, and she knows Kryptonian level science and tech---which, like Supergirl, she could leverage commercially. SG wasn't that interested, so she simply sold one thing to Bruce, but Karen would absolutely use it as a product or products for her company---but they've never had her do that.