DC Superhero Girls Special

Last Saturday, an hour long DC Superhero Girls special aired on the Boomerang channel. Prior to this special, we had met most of the main characters in shorts aired on the Superhero Girl website. This was also the introduction of the Supergirl of this universe.

Overall I thought this was a very good story with a nice message of believing in yourself and trusting in your friends.

Supergirl and Batgirl are showcased the most in this episode. Kara has arrived to Earth just weeks earlier and is still trying to figure out how to use her powers safely and efficiently. She is almost clumsy at first, falling, tripping, and smashing her way through the scenes. Luckily, she has been taken in by the Kents (voiced by Helen Slater and Dean Cain, a nice nod to the CBS show.) She is intimidated by the more polished heroes (especially Kara's idol Wonder Woman) and thinks she should quit the team until she is taken under the wing of IT expert (but not student) Barbara Gordon.

Barbara feels she is destined for something more than being a simple clerical worker but she is held down by the nastier students for being a 'nonny', a non-powered person, on campus. (I suppose 'nonny' is the equivalent of 'mudblood' in this world.) She also is being pressured by her father to quit the school and settle into something 'safe'.

And this is crucial to the story. A plot percolating in the background is that someone is trying to break into the school's boom tube room. One boom tube goes to Korugar. Another Apokolips. Long time fans can figure out the villain pretty quickly when it is revealed that the school librarian is Granny Goodness.

Meanwhile, pushing each other, Supergirl and Barbara improve dramatically in their skills and their confidence. We get a nice montage of the two training and helping each other. Babs and Kara! Together again for the first time!!

While acting sweet, we all know Granny is evil. She tricks Supergirl into opening the boom tube, allowing the Female Furies to come to Earth. Granny also uses an evil mother box to tap into the school's 'power crystal' to brainwash all the student body.

How crazy is it that we live in a world where I get to see Stompa and Mad Harriet in a cartoon!

Donning a Batgirl costume, Kara and Supergirl team up to save the day. They break the mother box's control letting the other heroes team up to capture the Furies and save the day. Brimming with confidence, Babs and Kara rejoin the school as the newest heroes.

This is a sweet story about perseverance and having faith in yourself. I like that it rekindles the Supergirl/Batgirl friendship. And it truly is nice to see all of the characters - Wonder Woman, Bumblebee, Poison Ivy, Harley, Shiva, Katana, and even the Flash and Beast Boy - working together but skewed young. Even a Trinity of sorts is made!

But the show producers must now that putting in Easter Eggs and homages will help older viewers get roped in. Giganta is robbing Eclipso's Jewelry store. Supergirl is contemplating going to Korugar for training. Gorilla Grodd is the Vice Principal. Parasite is the janitor. Wildcat is the gym teacher. Supergirl has pictures of Krypto and Comet hanging in her dorm room. It is crazy how much fun this is.

And I love that Big Barda is clearly conflicted with her Apokoliptian training when she sees how people are treated at Superhero High. Here she grabs a pamphlet about the school which she brings with her to  Belle Reve prison.

I think absolutely the best bit is, when first putting on her costume Babs saying 'I'm Batgirl' in a deep, grumbly voice. Then she says she has a frog in her throat, clears it, and says 'I'm Batgirl' normally. I laughed out loud.

Hopefully, we get more of these specials. This was too much fun.