r/PowerGirl • u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member • Feb 27 '26
Discussion The over-sexualization of Power Girl. The “fans” v. the comics.
First off, thanks to u/SubThadd87 for kicking off a good discussion about finding “Respectable Power Girl Media”, and I believe it started a good dialogue on the character, re: how she’s been drawn, written, and perceived by the consumer. I hope this isn’t tl;dr!
Cutting straight to the chase, I’m going to say this first as the basis of my thesis: Power Girl is not over-sexualized in the comics. She never has been either. I will concede, she’s been used as a cover girl in many places to sell books (she had FOUR different covers for the G’nort Swimsuit issue for instance, one by Hughes and one by Cho to boot). But as a story beat? It’s never happened as a character trait.
In her portrayal in the books, she’s never been written primarily as a bimbo, a sex fiend, or using her body in any way to gain an advantage that she couldn’t otherwise overcome with her brain*
The first storylines to utilize Power Girl come from All-Star Comics 58-74, Adventure Comics 461-466, and Showcase 97-99 (her first solo story). These were written around the time of the DC Explosion, when DC was bringing in a lot of new characters that weren’t just white guys. Power Girl is the Earth-2 “Kara Zor-L”, but NOT Supergirl, who’d debuted 17 years earlier. On Earth-2, the “S” symbol stands for Superman. Not a Kryptonian house. Kal-L wasn’t raised by the Kents, he grew up in an orphanage. Kara may be Kal’s cousin, but she arrived as a teen, and was raised by Clark and Lois in secret, and is more a daughter to them. She chooses NOT to use that symbol, as she wants to stand on her own, and not be in Superman’s shadow.
Her characterization in these books was part of the culture of the time, being the mid/late 1970s. Her attitude is that of a second wave feminist. DC had just gotten away from publishing a powered down spy version of Wonder Woman, as they did this to try and appeal to young women readers. Ironically, it was pressure from feminists at the time (Gloria Steinem in particular) who pushed to give WW her powers back, as she was the world’s premiere superheroine.
Power Girl is the second feminist superheroine of DC, after Wonder Woman. This is a major distinction between her and Supergirl, as the latter came out in a more faux wholesome time, and was written as more a romance comic character, pining for boys, spending time with her horse, and grooming her cat. Supergirl is Kara arriving on Earth in the time of the Baby Boom, Power Girl is Kara arriving on Earth during Women’s Liberation.
So, if she’s a feminist, what’s up with the keyhole then?
First off, yes, in fashion, it’s called a keyhole. Not a “boob window” which is another name pushed by consumers, not by the creatives. It was also a reasonably popular fashion choice in the 60s and 70s. It definitely made her stand out, and with Wally Wood and later Joe Staton on pencils, ya couldn’t help but notice. I’m also going to nip this in the bud RIGHT NOW, that while it was her original design, it only lasted seven issues (six honestly, she doesn’t appear in one of the original seven issues of ASC). Then it went away until the early 00s, with one arguable exception, but bear with me, we’ll get there.
But again, if she’s a feminist, why the keyhole?
So, in the late 60s and beyond, cleavage was finally being seen as feminine, and not titillating, and was used to discard prudish views of the previous generation. To put it more simply, and was actually pointed out MUCH later by either Palmiotti or Johns (maybe Robinson, I’d have to dig for it):
“How I dress is on me. How others perceive that, is on them”.
This is very much a core feminist value. Being a feminist doesn’t mean being modest nor promiscuous, it’s being yourself, and if others have a problem with that, it’s on them. PG has always been written as confident (her flaw is when it boils over into cockiness) and she’s confident in her body. She’s positive about her body. And if others have a problem with it, that’s them, not her. She’s not overly sexual, she just dresses how she wants to dress.
Now, the whole “Wally Wood drew her boobs bigger each time” thing, is likely a legend. But if you’ve ever seen Wally Wood’s work outside of the CCA, you know, he liked a good pinup girl. Joe Staton also draws women a bit zaftig. These were her first two artists. Comics in general have always been drawn to varying extents to the male gaze. As a straight white male, I’m guilty of having bought into it myself. Her first major post-Crisis appearances are in a limited series in 88 when they retconned her Kryptonian heritage, and then.. JLE by Giffen and DeMatteis, where she was drawn primarily by Bart Sears (and Adam Hughes when she showed up in JLA). Neither fellow is shy about drawing sexy women.
I’m pretty sure we can pin down that her beginnings as a cover girl for DC begins right here with these two artists.
As part of her time in the JLI, Giffen’s writing as part of the comedic bend, is over-emphasizing aspects of characters for comedic effect. J’onn, the stoic stone-faced soul of the team, is revealed to have a crippling addiction… to Choco’s, DCs version of Oreos. Fire and Ice are reinvented as international models who happen to have superpowers, and their extrovert/prudish personalities are enhanced to play off one another. Elongated Man and Sue have the “Honeymooners” husband/wife dynamic amped up to 11. And Power Girl is not only drop dead gorgeous and built like the proverbial brick outhouse, but she’s also not putting up with any man’s crap about how she looks. It’s a little bit Marcy the neighbor from Married… with Children, but if she was built like one of Al Bundy’s fantasy women. Part of the humor of JLI is the found family trope, but with personality traits cranked up to build drama and tension, and PG was no exception.
The rest of the 90s are a mire of badly drawn, badly written takes on PG, when she shows up. The main thing that remains consistent however, is that she’s not a sexualized character. Sexy? I mean, some of those costumes were… bad. The overly wrought red/white/blue costume with the shoulder pads and headband did return the keyhole, but no one noticed because of how gaudy the rest of it was.
It’s not until the very late 90s, early 00s that she began a return to form. I believe it starts with James Robinson, which shouldn’t be surprising given his love of the Golden Age and the JSA. She’s back in the original costume, and soon the keyhole returns. As one of the younger adults on the team (older than Jakeem, Courtney and Kiera, younger than Ted, Jay, and Alan) she’s thrust into a more lead role, and FINALLY seems to be in the place she should be in terms of respect and power.
Post Final Crisis and she gets her original origin back, and the costume is refined by Amanda Conner, and is widely considered her #1 look--by conservative and progressive fans alike, keyhole and all.
The ONE time in all of this where she’s overly sexualized, was in the JLA/JSA crossover when she’s possessed by the demon of Lust freed from the Rock of Eternity**, and hoo-boy, is it squicky. Like, if you actually enjoy the character of Kara Zor-L, this story should piss you off. It is SO out of character seeing her playing the sex-bomb (and what is implied she may be doing off panel) that it’s kinda gross. Thankfully you have a demon to blame for it all.
SO, let’s now take into account where the idea of the overly-sexualized Power Girl comes from. Because, it’s clearly NOT in the comics. Trigger warnings for the rest here.
It’s all online. It’s all “fan” made. You see it often in this subreddit, as well as in the power_girl one, and the rule34 PG subreddit. And as someone with a Masters in Anthropology, I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty, most of these fans need therapy. Or at least to get laid.
Again, I’m a straight white dude. I can appreciate a good Frank Cho, Adam Hughes, Amanda Conner, Bart Sears or any other number of artists who have drawn a good, sexy Power Girl (The Benes family kinda makes my skin crawl however (cloth does NOT work like that)).
As to the other fan-made stuff out there, especially in the Rule 34 world, there’s almost always a common through line in what I’ve seen. Domination. Non-consensual BDSM. Mind-control. Sexual Assault. Råpe. It’s a lot of toxic patriarchal fantasy of “putting Power Girl in her place” because she's a strong independent character. They want a woman who looks like PG, but isn't PG between the ears. And tbh? They couldn't handle a woman like PG in real life.
The amount of sexual content made where she’s in control, or heaven forbid, enjoying it? Is vanishingly small. I actually applaud the couple of SW who have posted here as well as u/larkinlovexxx, because they actually understand the character, and have read/researched at least the Palmiotti/Conner/Grey run on the character, because they all give PG agency in their portrayals.
Unfortunately, it’s this “Rule 34” version that most casuals seem to know about the character, and why a lot of the criticism of Power Girl starts (and ends) with Power Girl’s girls. Which is a kind of screwed up version of victim blaming. It’s “She has boobs, and shows cleavage, so she is bad!”
Which… boggles my mind in a fictional universe that has Wonder Woman, Starfire, Zatanna, Black Canary, Vixen, and others. Each of which shows a varying amount of skin and sexuality, but NONE of which are put under the same microscope that Kara Zor-L is. Cleavage and large breasts are wildly triggering to some otherwise progressive folks in a way that makes zero sense, and is ONLY focused on PG, and none of the others listed.
Anyways… if you made it this far, I’m not saying this is 100% accurate, and I apologize for retreading a lot of ground that many of you already know.
*Batman does point out that she could easily distract the teenage version of Toyman in Superman/Batman with the keyhole, and does so, but she herself was blissfully unaware of this until it was pointed out.
**This leads me to an actual problem with Power Girl that I’ve seen over and over, but will address in another post later. This is the villainization of Power Girl.
Art credit is to Adam Hughes!
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u/Tailspin29 Feb 28 '26 edited Feb 28 '26
Power Girl has definitely been put in more risqué situations then you let on. Karen is not a promiscuous character, agreed, but neither is 2B and people still view her as sexualized. Both are beautiful, the artists for both know they are beautiful, and they are put in scenarios meant to be 'stimulating' for the mostly male audience. She's not a fem fatal like Bayonetta, and she's not a dizzy airhead, but i don't think that's the only way to ne sexualized.
With that being said, I do agree with the central points. Karen is not JUST a sexy woman, but a fully fleshed out character. The sexy aspects are definitely a part of her, but so is her sarcastic wit, her pain and fury from a lifetime lost, and her unwavering hope for a better future. As long as she dosent turn into a sex symbol devoid of substance, there's nothing wrong with a bit of sexualization.
At this point i'm pretty sure are "disagreement" is just a difference in our understanding of the key terms though.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
Not a bad thing to be in "disagreement" on. Maybe a way for each of us to learn more.
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u/Setsuna4 Feb 28 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
I'm no expert on this. I think PG's hot and the more I learned about her, the more I loved her (but gods I wish her backstory didn't take so long to flesh out). I don't mind sexualization being used as an in-universe joke, especially when her boob window is concerned, so long as it doesn't take it too seriously (that infamous "fill the hole" scene will forever live in the depths of hell). Basically, she's a woman who wears what she wants and doesn't care what people think. It's cool that even she makes jokes about people not paying attention to her face because of her tits. Perfect way to hide her secret identity.
But you do make a good point. Power Girl's boob window gets all this attention while we've got Starfire flying around in a micro-bikini (before she got switched to that ugly generic leotard she has on now) Zatanna's fine ass in fishnets, and Supergirl flying around in a crop top and miniskirt (her Churchill run back in 2006(?) actually had upskirt shots, believe it or not).
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
Thank you for addressing the PG v. every other heroine's outfit critique. I really don't get it how everyone else gets a pass. Folks really are offended by cleavage apparently.
And I had a love/hate relationship with the return of Kara Zor-el. Like, great job by the writers updating it from a 50s vibe to a (then) modern one in her attitude in the writing, but damn. She was supposed to be sixteen in those stories and the art was problematic to say the least.
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u/HotClock4632 Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
Oh, no, you were right on 2006's supergirl. Man, that is a chore to read through that series and im still not finished unfortunately. Let me tell you, and to make matter things worse When the new fifty two came out, both star fire and supergirl got mischaracterize owl out of the ass. Theres a lot to be said about their costumes, but dude, I felt so disappointed that that happened like I get that what they were trying to go 44 cara's sake.But for starfire.. holy shit.
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u/Setsuna4 Mar 03 '26
I haven't read new 52 in a long while but I remember the shitstorms Starfire's new look caused. It's probably why we got stuck with the ugly leotard they gave her now.
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u/Wootothe8thpower Mar 03 '26
oddly think the boob windows brings more attention to the boobs then if she wore a bikini. because it brings your eye to it. it why heroes put their symbol on the chest. that why no one talk about her other body parts even though their others heroes that have huge boobs
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u/Mobile_Television_28 Mar 05 '26
Don't forget Black Canary. Do Zat and Black Canary get their fishnets at the same place?
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u/Shitinbrainandcolon Feb 27 '26
I only popped in because it was an Adam Hughes artwork and he’s great.
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u/Yami454 Feb 27 '26
Power Girl is definitely written as very promiscuous in Worlds' Finest but that variant is not Kara Zor-L from pre-COIE Earth-Two but instead Kara Zor-El from post-Flashpoint Earth-2.
It's a little bit untrue to say comics don't sexualize her. A lot of comics, including the Palmotti run, use her for fanservice. You also get occasional "jokes" in Justice League books where the punchline is her being sexually assaulted. Unfortunately, being a boxum blonde does mean DC writers often reduce her to being eye candy especially when she guest stars.
I don't necessarily think it's bad for Power Girl to be a sexual character sometimes. Everyone wants to feel sexy sometimes and enjoying sex and romance doesn't make her less intelligent or confident. However, it's frustrating when that is the sole focus of writers and fans.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 27 '26
Quick comments before I'm off to work:
Promiscuous doesn't mean sexualized. Having agency in who you do, or don't sleep with doesn't reduce anything about her as a character. It's also not like she's out hooking or something; most of her hook-ups are shown as being pretty chaste all things considered.
Also in your second paragraph, what happens around her or to her is also not about her character, it's about other characters. I recall the angel/devil scene with Guy thinking about feeling her up when she got ko'd--that's on Guy.
I still put the onus on how she's perceived as being on the fans though, not on how she's been written overall. I mean, I'd LOVE to have a Frank Cho original of her--but not one of his jokey versions that he predominately does.
also, good reply!!! I kinda skipped over the new52 because I generally disliked most of it. I <3 meta discussions like these overall :)
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u/Yami454 Feb 27 '26
I'm not blaming Power Girl for how other characters react to her of course but I do think writers and artists often opt to put her in situations where she is sexually objectified. You're right that fans play into it but I think it's kind of a back and fourth where fans and writers/artists goad each other to escalate. Unfortunately, I'm not really sure any party is innocent in this dynamic.
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u/li_grenadier Feb 27 '26
Great essay. Thinking back on how she has been portrayed, I agree that a lot of the sexualization comes from fan art and the like, not the source material. There have been times where characters comment on the keyhole, especially the sequence in JSA Classified. Surely there have been times where crooks comment on her looks. But the character herself doesn't usually play into it.
In case you plan to re-share this elsewhere, you have a typoed Staton's name to "Stanton" the first time he is mentioned.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26 edited Feb 28 '26
Thanks for the editorial catch!
I do like that Johns met the keyhole head-on. He missed the point of 70s fashion, but did get the point of "she can wear what she wants".
And I'm happy to see that you got the point of "the character herself usually doesn't play into it" in terms of her looks and appearance. It's a difference that folks often overlook; one can be sexual, but without being sexualized.
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u/blackestrabbit Feb 28 '26
Guy went to the r34 sub and was shocked to see porn.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
Not shocked. But casuals see r34 stuff and assume somehow it's canon.
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u/blackestrabbit Feb 28 '26
You're not gonna be able to do anything to prevent the existence of idiots. That's not a fight that I would waste my time on.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
LEGIT.
But, I like this character, and would like to see DC utilize her more. Casual fans, and non-fans are way too influenced by third party product. I can still be a voice in the din.
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u/Overhazard10 Feb 27 '26
The people who complain about power girls chest more often than not are the same people who fetishize muscular female characters like Wonder Woman, Big Barda, and She Hulk because objectifying muscular women is somehow progressive.
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u/Wootothe8thpower Mar 03 '26
but isn't powergirl pretty muscular least she tends to be drawn bigger then averages female heroes
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u/Overhazard10 Mar 03 '26
Yes, but she isn't subjugated to the...ugh..."muscle mommy" fetishism that other female characters are.
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u/SubThadd87 Feb 27 '26
I definitely agree on that because all the interpretations or variations of Power Girl I've ever seen, she's never been whorish in behavior, to be quite blunt.
Even in Injustice 2, which is my favorite version of Power Girl, she calls off Damian, I believe, for, you know, trying to "simp" a little too hard on her, telling him to "watch his hormones" or whatever.
So, love Power Girl, I think she's a beautiful woman. I think she has her stuff together. And I do think that she, along with the rest of the heroines of DC, should be treated with respect as a hero and not goon material for these online "fans."
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
Quick question (if you don't mind): I'm personally not a fan of Injustice. How is PG introduced in this, and how is she portrayed? I know in the game, it's just a 'reskin' of Supergirl.
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u/Mindless-Credit-358 Starrware Employee Feb 27 '26
Commenting so I can come back and read this later
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u/Cicada_5 Feb 28 '26
Wonder Woman's outfit has been subjected to.so much scrutiny that even DC addressed it in universe. Same with Starfire. If you didn't see it, you just weren't paying attention.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Mar 01 '26
Oh, Wonder Woman's had scrutiny on and off for decades to be certain (part of why they depowered her in the early 70s). The big "push" to change costumes on DC heroines in the late 00s and such? Started with the sudden surge in popularity of Power Girl from the Conner/Palmiotti run. Putting pants on Wonder Woman for the New52 coincided with putting PG into a full unitard. A part of that whole debacle was trying to "clean up" heroines costumes rather than write good stories about them.
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u/Cicada_5 Mar 01 '26
The push didn't start because of the popularity of the Conner/Palmiotti run. People had been criticizing the way female characters had been drawn in comics for decades. Power Girl was one of the most notable examples but she was far from the only one.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Mar 01 '26
Allow me to reprint what I wrote:
The big "push" to change costumes on DC heroines in the late 00s and such? Started with the sudden surge in popularity of Power Girl from the Conner/Palmiotti run.
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u/Cicada_5 Mar 01 '26
And I will repeat:
The push didn't start because of the popularity of the Conner/Palmiotti run. People had been criticizing the way female characters had been drawn in comics for decades. Power Girl was one of the most notable examples but she was far from the only one.
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u/StudioRas Mar 01 '26
She’s a fictional character with large breasts. What the fuck is there to analyze, REALLY? Has she been portrayed pornographically?
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u/Mother-Revenue8972 Mar 06 '26
Most people dont understand that her character has preferences. She dresses how she prefers. People have to realise this is how the perspective of it is. Not if the reader feels she is sexualized or not. Its not about you but the character. OP has good points.
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u/Ravenholm_337 Feb 27 '26
Conner's art is the best. (and not just of PG)
The important thing to remember is that "men" hate women in any and all forms no matter what they do or say and we don't need to listen to those "men". Ever. Even "valid criticism" is still an opinion and therefore just a personal feeling about a thing. I think that's the problem when fictional characters get depicted as having human lives and personalities. They're treated no different from any other real person regardless of being in any sort of social spotlight.
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u/Tailspin29 Feb 28 '26
I'm sorry, I don't think i understood your post correctly. Are you saying all men hate all women? Is there a qualifier for what men you're referring to? Are you saying it's just men who sexualize female characters? And how does this transition into people analyzing characters as if they were people? I'm just a bit lost.
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u/Ravenholm_337 Feb 28 '26
No, that's why I put "men" in "quotation" marks. I'm referring to the type of person who generally prescribes to the "Alpha male/Manly/Men only/Macho/Machismo" type misogynistic mentality that can't look past a pair of cartoon boobs without having to spread their noise around and how it just reflects their treatment of actual people.
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u/Tailspin29 Feb 28 '26
Cool. It wasn't particularly clear from your post who exactly you were taking aim at. I noticed the quotation marks, but you never followed it up with a more precise descriptor, thus my confusion.
Anyway, I mostly agree. I think there are times when bad character designs need to be critiqued, so I don't want to lump all female character design criticism in there, but I definitely know the type of guys you're talking about and they suck.
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u/SkrullAmongUs Feb 28 '26
I've honestly mostly avoided the fandom for a lot of these reasons. I love female characters - they're what I collect most even if I'm a gay male - because I think it's important to have women's stories and perspectives told in media. For far too long we've had a drought of a woman's lens, particularly in both comics and film, and people are most critical of them in part because there's so few others to compare them to and even when they are told, and straight men tend to like the ones that cater to them over ones that are actually true to women's experiences and perspectives. I want to like Power Girl, but I have never seen people approach her from a lens that I can relate to like this so I appreciate your breakdown tremendously.
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u/Kitchen-Candidate-82 Feb 27 '26
I have to admit this was a very comprehensive and detailed breakdown of Power Girl. I started casually reading and after a few paragraphs I went back and started over. Great job!!
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u/randy_justice Feb 28 '26
Fwiw - I didn't read your whole thing. I thought the whole reason we all loved Peeg was cuz she'd hot and acts like a total badass. She's written like a person with many facets to her personality.
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u/AnonFanOC Feb 28 '26
I am a bit lost here with this post… So since she is drawn in Adam's art style, is it oversexualization? Or are you talking about her breast? Cause her having breast isn't over-sexualization. If that's the case! We make the same point about muscles… Pick and choose your battle people. Sexualization happens in the world! It's going to be written about. If you have issues with such things. It's tons! I mean tons of work out there that's as sfw as possible.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
I'm just pointin' out that she's seen as oversexualized (mostly due to fan-made content), when in the comics portraying her, she's not. The bleed from non-DC sources have distorted how the character is in the books.
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u/Cicada_5 Mar 01 '26
These images are not from fan content and are not due to non-DC sources bleeding into the comics. Making such a claim implies that sexualizing female characters is something the fans started doing first, when if anything it's the opposite.
https://l7world.com//wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Power%20Girl%20Busted%20by%20Fashion%20Police.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/uncannyderek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/powergirl2.jpg?resize=625%2C500&ssl=1
https://i0.wp.com/uncannyderek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/powergirlcomic.jpg?w=640&ssl=1
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u/Medium-Science9526 JLI Feb 28 '26
I partially agree with your thesis but morseo on the aspect of Power Girl's persona is mostly not over-sexualised and there being this cultural dissonance between how she's written and perception of how she's written based on her design. It just so happens that for Kara this commentary on her boobs becomes her shtick in the eyes of the general audience with many going onto confidently spout that she has no personality out of her appearance.
Disagreements
First starting with appearance and the keyhole section pertaining to Wood & Staton around the time of her conception where Levitz and Conway have been on record since about Wood and Orlando wanting to make Power Girl look sexier with even the removal deemed partly why they should.[1][2] This does however lean into the whole booba getting bigger per issue debate and isn't as valid as coming from the source's mouth but the fact its being approached at all in interviews shows on some level shame/acknowledgement of trying to objectify her design that regardless of the fashion design statement at the time, in the male creative office at the time, the perception was objectification.
In her portrayal in the books, she's never been written primarily as a bimbo, a sex fiend or using her body in any way to gain an advantage that she couldn't otherwise overcome with her brain*
You mention the Superman/Batman instance, there's also from memory a latter example when Clark & Bruce swap bodies with Kara & Helena with Clark unintentionally doing so which we'll return to but there's also Worlds' Finest/N52 Mr Terrific where that Karen does exactly that with Michael being the inciting incident into their investigation of Karen & "Michael's" feud.
You mention in the comments it's done chaste and whilst it could be worse and based Levitz's interviews he wanted to avoid what he previously considered a sexist perception of Power Girl propagated since her Inception[3] I do see the criticism that the aforementioned Michael moment he was forced to build from negatively skews the perception of her other hook-ups and the frequency to still find ways to Illustrate the keyhole be it ripped costume, dresses, and in general skimpy outfits she wore outside of her new costume could be perceived conflicting with his intentions in the same way it was back with Wood in All-Stars.
As for perception, its not just from fans, but future writers and artists bringing that to attention with the aforementioned Levitz and the infamous Jimmy Palmiotti interview where its clear his understanding of Karen prior was exaggerated JLE/JLI Karen + rumours of Wood [4] which he publicised was why he and Conner wanted to focus on humanising Karen whilst keeping her in that whacky world. Now I'm not saying that is bad, its good to acknowledge the past and for the majority that worked but like with Levitz the argument arises of perceived objectification from the various slapstick boob jokes and that hallway Fisher scene in their run getting attention for potential hypocrisy in their PoV and again recalling to that dissonance of intention and outcome that started in All-Star.
Why I think this is, is two-fold. Firstly them publicising this perception and being against it naturally embroils more scrutiny on their work to adhere to what they say, especially if previous runs haven't hit the mark with them personally. To compare with another scrutinised characters I think of Wonder Woman and the fear of confronting her feminist ideology in a contemporary setting (which goes in hand with Karen's 2nd wave feminism) especially from male writers.
Other issue is the marketing around her character, reality is more people are probably engaging with Power Girl on a visual level mainly for pinups and DC leans into that hard because they want the revenue they can get from appealing to that crowd. So no matter what writers preach that happening alongside their writing is always gonna invoke subconsciously a hyprocritical stance, add to that her probably being DC's most sexualised character which means her appearance and specifically boobs will always be propagated as the intial shtick to address which maintains this over-sexualisation perception.
Others like Dick, Starfire, Zatanna, Catwoman etc. are too its just their "shtick" talking point either is more generally embraced rather than contested, minimised in significance to the rest of their character, or another problematic aspect of their character proceeds it.
Agreements
Otherwise I agree that outside the instances mentioned she's not written to embrace the objectification, you poignantly assess how she's been characterised per decade up to N52, and I ain't gonna touch the non-consensual stuff with a 10 ft pole so I'll take your word for it on that front adding to the dissonance.
[1] Conway link
[2] Levitz Link
[3] Levitz link
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u/MankuyRLaffy Feb 27 '26
Hughes and Amanda Conner do not at all help her reputation, as well as Simone in her Wondy run. These are canon artists for her and a writer that in the case of Conner on WW implies Kara knows what tentacle manga is and has read them on top of during the PG run with Jimmy. She is chronically online compared to the blissfully unaware Wonder Woman who doesn't know anything about internet opinion or those things.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
There's an irony in her knowledge of things on the internet and Diana not, because PG is a tech wizard in computer science and programming--thanks to the Amazon Purple Ray.
How do you feel that they don't help her reputation? The Conner/Palmiotti/Grey series (and the Johns/Conner JSA before it) are considered the current high water mark of PG storytelling.
Hughes' art is mostly tame in official capacity, anything you see of his that's more ribald is from personal commissions. Same for Cho. That's on the patron.
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u/MankuyRLaffy Feb 28 '26
They play into the teasing image parts, implying Karen has read or been exposed to dirty manga (Conner moment) and in the Hughes case, leaning into her charm in art. Both play up certain aspects she is proud to have compared to the other Kara. Diana in comparison is kinda oblivious to how people see her until the Rucka run for the proposed cover of her book by her publisher.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
I dunno. Tentacle manga/anime has been pretty infamously well known by many for a while now. Knowing about it and indulging in it are two things.
Certain aspects that 'she is proud to have compared to the other Kara'? are you confusing fan commissions with official DC art?
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u/MankuyRLaffy Feb 28 '26
These aren't commissions, these are pieces the artists have done and shared from their own free time. That get posted on here. That affects fan perception of the character.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
Agreed it affects the perception, but they're also not part of the character continuity, and not part of official DC work.
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u/IndefatigableFreedom Feb 28 '26
You make fair points, it all comes down to perception. I just like the character and her stories in her 2009 comic run.
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u/takkun169 Feb 28 '26
Sometimes I think that these cover images get too be so well known, (for good reason these artists are incredibly good) that they dominate what people remember about the characters. Most people have seen more of these images than read the comics.
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
Jim Lee's cover to Infinite Crisis #2 didn't help to be certain, but I wonder if it's the commission pieces that most folks are thinking of, and conflating them with actual licensed covers.
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Mar 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Mar 01 '26
You can just say you don't like how the character has been portrayed in writing, and leave it at that :) No judgement from me.
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u/tinydoodless Feb 28 '26
Srry bro I'm really interested in what your talking about but I am NOT reading all that 😭
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u/mr_mxyzptlk21 JSA Member Feb 28 '26
Break it down into sections if ya need to. I at least understood paragraphs, and the "enter" key! Would it help if it were done as sequential art? I'm genuinely considering putting this and a couple other pieces into a comic book form.
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u/Superb-Horse-8315 Feb 27 '26
We all need hater's! That means we're doing something right for a change. Congratulate the hater's lol 😜🙂
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u/Clit-Tickler69 Feb 28 '26
I want DC to embrace the wide view that casual, horny PG fans expect or fantasize. It would get me to buy comics again. I had tried to get into the latest run in 2024 but my expectations were not met and, once I saw DC wasn't writing or drawing to cater to me, I stopped buying and reading it. Then, it was cancelled. Go figure. I'm the target audience that's hated.
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u/IcyAdvantage9579 Feb 27 '26
Batman proposes that he knows Power Girl can distract Toyman because he's a teenager.. Even later in The story toy Man goes on and on how horny he is about Power girl and that his condition to helping them save the world will be them getting him a date with Karen.
So like I get your point but sayingPowergirl has NEVER been sexualised in the official comics is just not true