Thursday, April 28, 2016

DC Superhero Girls 'New Beginnings'


DC Superhero Girls is starting their 'second season' of shorts over on their website. The site and line seems to be a success with toys selling out at Target, multiple pics of little girls showing up at cons in costume, and more chapter books in the pipeline.

The second season premiere short is titled 'New Beginnings' and introduces Supergirl to the series. It really feels like a prequel to the DC Superhero Girls Special where Supergirl joins the campus and helps stave off an Apokoliptian invasion. Given that the special was only on Boomerang and not everyone may get it, I suppose this episode was needed to get Supergirl into the website show.

I was glad that it wasn't just a rehash of the special. Folks who saw the special will see this as new material, getting the background of Supergirl heading off to the school. For those who didn't, it gets Kara there.

We start out at Superhero High where Principal Amanda Waller asks her star student Wonder Woman to recruit Supergirl to come to the school. At first it seems like Wonder Woman might be a little jealous. Waller calls Supergirl 'one of a kind' and Diana thought that phrase applied to the Amazon. (Happily, this isn't a lasting plot. Diana doesn't remain envious, instead realizing her own worth.)

I like Waller's file on Supergirl. That is a cool looking rocket ship. But the key photo is that shocked one. While there are shots of a heroic, iconic Supergirl, that is a better representation of this Kara. She is sort of clumsy and still learning her powers.


Wonder Woman 'facetimes' with Kara, telling Supergirl about the school and Superman's legacy there. Wondering if she will ever be accomplished to get a statue erected like her cousin, Kara loses control of her heat vision and sets her room ablaze. In fact, her room is pretty much trashed by the end of the short.

Wonder Woman's alarm goes off and she decides to continue to face time while she faces whatever threat is out there.

We get a brief fight between Diana and Giganta, all with Wonder Woman carrying her tablet.

The fight shows just how skilled Wonder Woman is. She saves a falling citizen, avoids a thrown car, and hog ties Giganta with the magic lasso ending the threat. I love how Supergirl's face is always on the tablet throughout the battle.

It is clear that Wonder Woman has received an excellent education at Superhero High. Diana ends the interview hoping Supergirl will join the class.

Back at the school, the student body has assembled to congratulate Diana on her first super-villain arrest. A shocked Diana says 'o my Hera'! How cute.

For a continuity wonk like me, I will note that Barbara Gordon is there as Batgirl, a costume she doesn't don until Supergirl has arrived in the special. But this is supposed to be the global introduction to Supergirl as well as the whole cast of characters.

Katana cuts the cake. Bumblebee plays some tunes. Flash chats with Killer Frost. It is all good fun.


Supergirl peruses all the school pamphlets she has. It includes some fun little nods for longstanding fans. Skartaris High School?? Apokolips Magnet School! Korugar Academy! How great are those Easter eggs?

But it is clear, after witnessing Diana in action, Kara decides to head to Superhero High.

I don't mind Supergirl being a little clumsy but I hope she doesn't become a longstanding punchline.

As for superhero girls, this is a pretty safe, non-threatening, and fun short and site. I think this is a perfect sort of entry into comic books and superheros. It is squarely in the 'My Little Pony'/'Monster High' niche. It is pretty cool to see all these characters newly envisioned.

What did you guys think?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Two Words : LOVED IT!! Personally I was rather annoyed that it took to the second season to
introduce Supergirl to DCSHG, but after the reveal in the Boomerang special -- too bad it's
STILL not available via legitimate or illegitimate means :( -- and this episode I'm hoping
Supergirl will play a greater part in episodes this season.

Supergirl's clumsiness was rather endearing this episode -- her comment about her superpowers
being "best viewed from behind 6 inches of bulletproof glass" had me rolling in the aisles!
Can only see how she's portrayed in future episodes, but so far the head and the heart is in
the right place with this interpretation, akin to Cosmic Adventures in 8th Grade and the time
Linda had to write lines after class :)

Two "easter eggs" I'm scratching my head about is a) the reference to "Griffen Avenue" and
b) the Korugar reference -- the references to Skartaris and Apokolips I can see from a
historical Supergirl perspective (Justice League Unlimited and the 2004 comics reintro).

Can't wait till the next ep!


Regards

Uncle Screensaver said...

I don't think the Easter Eggs were so much a nod to Supergirl history but just DC history as a whole. However, if one did think exclusively Supergirl, Korugar could be in relation to Kara's history as a 'Lantern. I'm afraid I don't even get the Griffen reference.

DC Super Hero Girls admin on Facebook told me to "keep checking their social news" or something to that effect regarding an international or physical copy of "Super Hero High" coming out. Hopefully that means the Special will be available eventually. There are plenty of parents wanting to know when it will be available, not just fans.

On that note, DCSHG merchandise, including both action figures and "action dolls" will be released internationally in July!

As for the episode itself, I like that Wonder Woman is impressed by Supergirl's power levels, and that DC's "female trinity" will be depicted as best friends. Kara was close to Diana Pre-Flashpoint, and they were briefly buddies in the Silver Age, so it'll be nice if we get to see them here as friends and mentors.

I wonder if we'll get to have Sg with a secret identity or if this show, sans Baba, will be like "Teen Titans/ Teen Titans Go".

Also of note is that Supergirl is considered "the most powerful teen in the universe," on the DCSHG website's description of the action doll, while nothing like that is said about Wonder Woman, thereby once again hinting that Supergirl is eclipsing WW again after all this time! Here's hoping that at least in this universe, like Pre-Crisis, Supergirl is DC's second most powerful character. :)