DC Superhero Girls has been a highly lucrative and rather wide-reaching format since its inception. I have to say I was pretty shocked by how far this property went. From cartoons to clothes to school supplies to Hallmark Christmas ornaments, the Shea Fontana led DC Superhero Girls was a phenomenon.
I have to say that as the seasons of shorts moved forward, the stories became a bit more saccharine. The super-heroics were still present. But it was clear there were messages to the episodes. This was a way to discuss bullying, loneliness, missing people, and even therapy. Obviously I am not the target audience but there was a gentleness to the format that made it less adventurous than I am used to in my super-hero tales.
A while back it was leaked that producer Lauren Faust was taking over DCSHG. Faust had done a semi-version of the concept way back in Super Best Friends Forever. But Faust's take on Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl was a bit more physical comedy and a bit more snark than Fontana's. They 'feel' very different. Faust made My Little Pony a huge hit. And those early MLP shows had a mix of message and slapstick that just clicked.
So it seemed a bit strange to me that DC would jump rails from a creative standpoint. This is like taking characters from multiple seasons of After School Specials and putting them in Looney Tunes. Even the opening group shot seems a bit more aimed at action than ethics.
I wonder if there is room for two versions of DC Superhero Girls ...
The first DC Superhero Girls episode under Faust was just released on Youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuex1QPFTlI
There is another short, The Late Batsby, but that is just a retread of an SBFF short so I can't think of it as new.
And so we have #SuperSleeper .
We start out with Kara having a sleepover at Babs' house. Supergirl warns Babs that she sometimes talks in her sleep.
So we aren't in a dorm room. We aren't at Superhero High. Will that still be a thing here?
Also, you immediately get a sense that there is a big change in the Supergirl character. This shock of blond spiky hair. The baseball t-shirt. That awkward meekness that was a big part of the original DCSHG Kara already seems gone.
Turns out Kara doesn't just sleep-talk, she sleep flies.
Early in the evening, she crashes through the window and floats off.
Already, we have a sense that physical comedy will have a bigger part to play here.
And then the silliness that ensues shows us that we are in Toontown.
Babs dons her Batgirl gear and tries to pull Kara down. Instead she gets dragged down the street. She slams into a parked car.
That is a Tom & Jerry moment there.
Batgirl hopes tying Supergirl to a school bus will stop her from taking off but that doesn't work either. Kara ends up flying with it ... that is until Babs cuts it loose, crashing it to the ground.
And then even more physical comedy. Babs gets dragged through a skyscraper. She gets dragged through a penthouse pool. She almost gets chopped up in a bunch of wind turbines.
But then she says 'go back to bed' and somehow that gets through to the dozing Kara who turns around and heads home.
Realizing that Kara could fly off again, Babs stays up the whole night watching her friend.
Look at how exhausted she looks!
In the morning, to the dismay of the fatigued Babs, Kara says she slept great. She punctuates that statement with a wide smile and a flex of some serious muscle.
Okay, this is not the DCSHG Supergirl who was in Shea Fontana's work. This is the sassy Supergirl from the SBFF, the one ready to toilet paper Lexcorp and throw down with Solomon Grundy.
In fact, sass might be the best descriptor for this DCSHG. I know I am judging it on what little has been released but I get the sense there will be way more zing here.
I still think there could be room for both versions. Fontana's seems like a PBS Kids version of the IP. This seems more like a Cartoon Network take.
For me, this worked a little bit more. I like a fierce Kara. And I am all for slapstick.
What did you think?
"Fontana's seems like a PBS Kids version of the IP. This seems more like a Cartoon Network take."
ReplyDeleteThat's actually a really good description of the two takes.
I personally liked it, but I adored sassy, buff Kara in SBFFs & was bummed that it never went to series. I think the 2 series can co-exist together without confusing kids, since they're very different.
My only complaint is that the shorts seem to have Batgirl as THE focal character, and I think that might hinder them in the long run.
"I have to say I was pretty shocked by how far this property went."
ReplyDeleteCrazy, right? When the comics set in your children youtube cartoon universe are selling better than Watchmen and The Killing Joke...
It may be a dangerous move, changing so radically such a successful IP, but... the last DCSHG season was losing steam, IMO. And the old universe got a good three-year-long run: five seasons and over 120 episodes, six movies, several comic series and six children book. Maybe it is time to give it a rest (well, maybe a "Graduation Day" final movie by Shea Fontana is missing)
Anyway, on "Super Sleeper":
"So we aren't in a dorm room. We aren't at Superhero High. Will that still be a thing here?"
No, press kits have made clear that the six girls are attending a normal school -Metropolis High School- and they have secret identities. James Gordon and his daughter have just moved to Metropolis, which is... interesting. I guess he very appositely decided Gotham City isn't a good place to raise your only daughter (Let's remember Batman Year One: He requested a transfer because his wife was expecting and they needed the money, but he did NOT want to move to Gotham)
"Also, you immediately get a sense that there is a big change in the Supergirl character."
I was somewhat worried about Lauren Faust's versions since new Supergirl's rebellious nature was highlighted very prominently. Pre-Crisis Kara was a sweetheart with a lively temper, and I have the feeling that modern writers struggle to find a balance between the kind, nice girl and the reckless, fierce teen. And more often than not, they go too far in the "fierce" direction and we have to suffer "angry brat" Kara for a while.
So I was afraid that they tried too hard to make her "edgy". So far, though, she hasn't been. Kara looks cocky but not obnoxious.
And her sleeping face is the cutest expression ever.
It looks like Kara and Babs are once again close friends, which I approve of.
It was a very funny short, and it's nice a Bat isn't crazy prepared to deal with a Super for once.
I'm sorry for poor Babs but I admit seeing her slumped all over Kara in the way back home got a smile out of me.
"I still think there could be room for both versions."
There should be room for both. But DC hasn't known how to handle two ongoing continuities since 1985.
"What did you think?"
Good, so far.
Generally I love the new series. I will follow it every week. Keeping Kara and Babs as best friends is a really good choice.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that I love it, there is not only good news though. In a choice between this and the previous series, this would lose every time for me.
While the show is great and there is great heart, I don't feel like we are actually seeing the DC characters. These are other characters dressed as DCSHG. If you replaced these characters with the Powerpuff Girls it would work just as well.
I have read and watched every iteration of Supergirl and this doesn't feel close to any of them except for SBFF for obvious reasons.
The old DCSHG understood the DC roster. This in my opinion doesn't. It's great, but it's noisy wild messy Cartoon Network characters cosplaying the DC Universe.
It's too noisy and too little DC to fill the shoes of the greatness before it. It's great but, ultimately it just isn't great enough to replace Shea's version.
Very slapstick indeed. Especially when Babs gets stretched like Turkish taffy.
ReplyDeleteWhere you wrote "the opening group shot seems a bit more aimed at action and ethics" do you mean "than ethics"?
I wonder why this wasn't titled "Batgirl and Her Super Friends." So far, that seems more fitting.
There are a few more shorts besides The Late Batsby. Getting to Know Batgirl, Getting to Know Wonder Woman, and #BatCatcher. All of these, and Super Sleeper, are Batgirl-centric - even the Wonder Woman short is narrated by Batgirl.
That said, I do like it that this Batgirl can produce any gadget at any to fit any need. Perfect for a cartoon.
Tara Strong as Batgirl doesn't sound like the Barbara Gordon in my head, but she did a terrific Harley Quinn in the Super Fontana Girls.
Haven't heard enough of Supergirl's voice in this yet to have an opinion.
T.N.
Well the continuity has radically shifted, that seems obvious. But... Supergirl "sleep flying" is a slapstick engine worthy of Buster Keaton at High Noon...this short was utterly hilarious to me, and I never ever defy the Gods of Mirth.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued going forward.
JF
These short cartoons seem like they're over and done before they get started. But overall, I liked it. It's difficult to think of this as a DC Superhero Girls cartoon, but Kara sleep flying out the window and over the city was funny, as were Batgirl's actions.
ReplyDeleteThe idea was similar to the 1934 Popeye cartoon "A Dream Walking". Olive Oyl sleepwalks out of her apartment over to a construction site. Popeye and Bluto each want to be the one to "save" her. Naturally, they end up fighting each other.
Truth be told, this Kara is more reminiscent of a certain Kara Zor-L than Kara Zor-El...
ReplyDeleteSeems like Faust basically used SBFF as her creative template for this iteration of DCSHG. It'll probably lose some fans of the Fontana era, but probably will gain new ones who'll appreciate the advancement of slapstick energy on display here. Definitely has the Cartoon Network vibe all over it, which could inevitably lead into a crossover with Teen Titans Go.
ReplyDelete"DC Superhero Girls has been a highly lucrative and rather wide-reaching format since its inception."
Yeah, but its Fontana era merchandise has mostly run its course, with product now showing up on department store clearance shelves. The IP needs a renewed boost of consumer activity at this point in the sales cycle.
KET
"I have read and watched every iteration of Supergirl and this doesn't feel close to any of them except for SBFF for obvious reasons.
ReplyDeleteThe old DCSHG understood the DC roster."
Interesting point of view, although I dont think I can agree. This Supergirl doesn't feel dissimilar to other incarnations such like "Unbound". And original Kara was also feisty and fierce.
On the other hand, the former DCSHG Kara was lovely, but... they played her naivete and clumsiness up a bit too much. And I hated how she passed out as soon as Kryptonite came into play. Or how she forgot to use her brains just so Batgirl could outsmart her and everyone.
I can't agree either with the idea that the old webseries understood the characters better whereas the new cartooon has CN characters cosplaying as DC characters. Not when Amanda Waller is a nice and incredibly understanding high school principal, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Lady Shiva are heroes, Lena Luthor is a female Lex, Trigon decides to change his ways after a stern talk or the Anti-Monitor is a bunch of electronical devices gone mad. Both series make plenty of changes.
That, and a large number of DCSHG episodes revolved around wacky hijinks rather than fight super-villains. Supergirl and Batgirl racing other each for a piece of cake isn't less silly than Batgirl chasing after a sleep-flying Supergirl.
"Truth be told, this Kara is more reminiscent of a certain Kara Zor-L than Kara Zor-El..."
I have heard that before, although such a statement usually is uttered by those who feel the need to put SG down in order to build PG up. Original Kara was also hot-headed, brash and confident, no matter how much the "PG has a personality unlike SG" crowd claims otherwise.
Regarding the "CN characters cosplaying DC characters" argument, Lauren Faust stated her versions are based on the Silver Age DC Universe, especifically.
ReplyDelete"A big goal for us on this show to boil our characters down to their most iconic versions. A lot of our characters we went back to Silver Age which is their purest and simplest incarnations and better for an 11-minute cartoon and easier to get the ideas across"
Source: http://www.comicsbeat.com/sdcc-18-talking-humor-heart-and-heroics-with-the-cast-crew-of-dc-super-hero-girls/
Heh.
ReplyDeleteThe voice actor for Supergirl is Nicole Sullivan.
In the series Corporate, episode "Remember Day" Ms. Sullivan played the role of Linda Lee.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7289574/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_11
"A big goal for us on this show to boil our characters down to their most iconic versions. A lot of our characters we went back to Silver Age which is their purest and simplest incarnations and better for an 11-minute cartoon and easier to get the ideas across"
ReplyDeleteThe immediate problem on display in this quote is that Silver Age doesn't really translate well for a modern young audience, who simply have no familiarity with the Mort Weisinger era, for example. So this reads more like a dodge to stave off fans of the original conception.
KET
I sat down with my great granddaughter and her friends who love the current version and showed them these. They giggled a bit, but when I asked them what they thought they just shrugged and said they were “loud”, They weren’t interested in watching them again, which surprised me because they want to watch the older episodes over and over.
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt they’ll want the dolls when they come out though, which is probably one of the reasons for the change.
Show is great but if the characters are inspired by the silver-age version I can't see it.
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't strike me as the same Kara who read stories to orphans, was afraid she wouldn't be good enough, desperately wanted a beau, struggled with heartache about wanting to be the beloved daughter for two sets of parents - someone who was deeply in contact with her feelings and caring for everyone.
This strikes me more as the Kara who would snort and call someone a nerd. Then punch someone because frankly, the rebel inside her enjoys it.
While Silver-age Kara had a demeanor change towards the end of the silver age and was more likely to lash out at the face of injustice, I don't remember her being the type who would talk to Babs like she did in the Great Babsby.
We haven't seen much of this Kara yet, but I wonder if we are going to see a Kara in touch with her feelings or if this facade will be who she is underneath as well.
What I have seen so far feels like another person wearing a Kara face, or a Kara putting on a facade.
The previous DCSHG version was much more reminiscent of Silver-age Kara. She carried those raw emotions that has always shaped who she is. The loss and caring that is at the very core of her being.
Different Kara's have been shaped differently by these emotions, but for this Kara it feels like the base paint isn't really there.
Maybe I will be proven wrong and Lauren has made her like this for a reason. That this facade is something that the hurt has made her build up, and the facade will be torn down by her friends as the series progresses.
I would like that very much.
"This strikes me more as the Kara who would snort and call someone a nerd. Then punch someone because frankly, the rebel inside her enjoys it."
ReplyDeleteLauren Faust described her Kara as someone who "stands up for the little guy". So, no, she will not be calling anybody names or punching people because she enjoys hurting them. She will be in fact protecting them from those who do.
And, to be honest, nothing in this short indicates that she is the sort of person who likes hurting or putting other people down. I mean, what does she ever do to create that awful impression? All she does is to fall asleep, wake up and ask Barbara if she did sleep well.
Actually, I think the fact that she has befriended the new girl in the school who IS a nerd proves she is the opposite of the kind of person that you believe her to be.
The only way I can see her punching someone and enjoying it is if they are bullies and assholes who deserve to be punched. And both Golden Age Superman and Silver Age Supergirl and Earth-Two Kara enjoyed putting bullies in their place.
Thanks for great comments and discussion.
ReplyDeleteObviously, Super Best Friends Forever is the template. So I don't think Supergirl is a bully as much as headstrong and proactive. And that word sassy or maybe fresh would be adequate descriptors. In SBFF, she wants to TP Lexcorp and gets grounded. She is the first to want to fly in. That sort of impetuousness can work with Supergirl if she has a mentor to help her. I guess Diana will fill that role here.
And I think that all IPs eventually get a reboot. I suppose my sense of how well the old DCSHG was doing might have been off.
Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
I think Mattel was hit really hard in earnings this year due to the national closing of all of the Toys ‘R Us stores. From their annual report:
ReplyDeleteFor the fourth quarter, worldwide gross sales for Mattel Girls & Boys Brands were $1.1 billion, up 1% as reported, and down 2% in constant currency, versus the prior year's fourth quarter. Worldwide gross sales for the Barbie brand were up 9% as reported, and up 6% in constant currency, versus the prior year's fourth quarter, as a result of shipping aligning with strong POS. Worldwide gross sales for Other Girls brands were down 35% as reported, and down 36% in constant currency, versus the prior year's fourth quarter, primarily driven by declines in Monster High and DC Super Hero GirlsTM, partially offset by initial sales of Enchantimals. Worldwide gross sales for the Wheels category were down 7% as reported, and down 10% in constant currency, versus the prior year's fourth quarter, primarily driven by declines in Hot Wheels. Worldwide gross sales for the Entertainment business were up 21% as reported, and up 18% in constant currency, versus the prior year's fourth quarter, primarily driven by increases in CARS sales, offset by declines in Dinotrux and Minecraft.
Sales of toys and merchandise are the drivers these days, and Mattel wants more visibility to push the toys out there. Enter Cartoon Network, who prefers lots of crazy high energy activity, loud audio tracks, and constant motion a la Teen Titans Go. That’s the Lauren Faust model.
> I wonder if there is room for two versions of DC Superhero Girls ...
ReplyDeleteI'd like there to be, but since Faust's DCSHG (nee SBFFs) is around, methinks TPTB won't see it that way. After watching
some of the clips, I don't hate Faust's version, but I can't help missing Fontana's version already. Again, I'd argue that
Fontana had built up a good set of characters, universe and continuity, and I can only see how this version goes.
I'm still getting used to this version of Batgirl, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Zatana, and Bumblebee, and the
shorts introducing each character will be interesting to watch. And at least they didn't waste any time bringing Supergirl
into the mix; one thing that irked me was Supergirl's conspicuous absence from S1 of Fontana's DCSHG. The Supergirl/Batgirl
friendship is there... though I'll see how it's handled in future eps.
> It may be a dangerous move, changing so radically such a successful IP, but... the last DCSHG season was losing steam, IMO.
> And the old universe got a good three-year-long run: five seasons and over 120 episodes, six movies, several comic series
> and six children book. Maybe it is time to give it a rest (well, maybe a "Graduation Day" final movie by Shea Fontana is
> missing)
I still think there's alot to explore in the Fontana version, especially alot of the 2ndary / background characters. I won't
knock the focus on the trinity of Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Supergirl, but I admit some other characters I wish they'd given
more airtime to include Miss Martian, Cat Woman, Frost, Cruz / Green Lantern, etc. That being said, I TOTALLY agree a final
"Graduation Day" full length video would be a GREAT sendoff for Fontana's version!
> Haven't heard enough of Supergirl's voice in this yet to have an opinion.
Nicole Sullivan is voicing Supergirl, and IIRC she goes back to the Bruce Timm days of Kara In-Ze.
@previous anon
Thanks for that... and yeah, can't help but get a cynical sense that this "reboot" is less to do with a property's percieved
popularity by the fanbase than motivated by the quarterly financials statement.
Regards
"The immediate problem on display in this quote is that Silver Age doesn't really translate well for a modern young audience,"
ReplyDeleteYou are basing this assumption of yours on... what, exactly?
There're zero problems in that quote. You are so obsessed with lambasting the Pre-Crisis Era, despite clearly knowing nothing about that period, than you are seeking to find problems where there are none.
"who simply have no familiarity with the Mort Weisinger era, for example."
The Silver Age versions are the ICONIC versions. People who has never read Action and Detective Comics backup strips still know Supergirl is Superman's cousin and Batgirl is James Gordon's daughter. This is what Faust is referring to.
"So this reads more like a dodge to stave off fans of the original conception."
Those fans who you have just claimed have no familiarity with the Silver Age, ergo they shouldn't care about it?
Would you mind stopping pretending you possess inside information, and stopping presenting your unsupported, biased assumptions as objective facts, please?
Supergirl sitting at the bullies table in the latest Zatanna short and throwing food on Bumblebee seems to verify that they are starting out Kara as a bully. It makes me sad. Good thing is that starting her so far out on the spectrum all but guarantees that we will see her develop through the show, and hopefully becoming more like the classic Kara.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that they won't fix her completely though, she is probably going to be left with some temper issues and rebelliousness to represent those kids in school who had a rough upbringing that left them jaded. Few have had as a messed up childhood as her. Being put alone in a rocket through space as everyone you know dies would leave anyone at least borderline on the spectrum.
That should be the latest Green Lantern short, not Zatanna. I got them mixed up.
ReplyDelete"Supergirl sitting at the bullies table in the latest Zatanna short and throwing food on Bumblebee seems to verify that they are starting out Kara as a bully."
ReplyDeleteNo, it didn't. She wasn't sitting at the bullies table and nothing made think she was. She threw at Bumblebee only because there was an ongoing food fight. You were only jumping to conclusions.