TV Review: DC Super Hero Girls (2019)
Barbara Gordon’s father, James W. Gordon, has decided that Gotham City is far too dangerous a place to raise a teenage girl. (And honestly, have you seen it?) So he’s resigned his position as Gotham City’s police commissioner and moved to Metropolis. Barbara is already missing her best friend Harleen Quinzel and the exciting nightlife, but most of all, it’s put a crimp in her plan to become Batgirl, new sidekick to Batman!
But when Babs gets to her new high school, she realizes that several of her classmates are not ordinary young women. At lunch, she manages to start a food fight that gets five other girls into detention with her. Kara Danvers (Supergirl), a Kryptonian with all the powers of her cousin Superman but none of the respect he gets, and an attitude problem relating to that; Jessica Cruz (Green Lantern), a pacifist who’s been drafted into a corps of space cops; Zee Zatara (Zatanna), a vain stage performer with actual magic powers; Karen Beecher (Bumblebee), a shy younger girl who built a supersuit to make herself a giant, but all it does is shrink her; and Princess Diana (Wonder Woman), a recent immigrant who has come to the world of man to save it, but has no clue how to navigate it.
Initially Diana’s the only one who’s receptive to Barbara’s idea of becoming a team, but they strongarm the others into joining. It doesn’t go so well, but when everything they care about is in peril, the young women band together, become at least nominal friends, and are announced to Metropolis as the Super Hero Girls!
This was an almost immediate reimagining of the same-titled webtoon series, both aimed at kids (and especially girls) in the tween and early teen demographic. The quirkier personalities (in some cases drastically different from their mainstream comics counterparts) and emphasis on wacky adventures leading to girls with different interests becoming good friends may remind you of My Little Pony. And sure enough, Lauren Faust worked on this one too.
The first 52-episode season is currently up on US Netflix, where I watched it. After the five-part opener, each 1 or 2 episode story is presented apparently as they were finished, rather than in any chronological order. The Villain Girls, for example, appear as a team before most of them are introduced as separate people and meet for the first time.
While the personalities make for some fun interactions, the very episodic nature of the series means that there’s little character growth. Bumblebee gets a little more self-confident, and Wonder Woman learns to be a bit more in tune with the society around her, and that’s about it.
There are some nifty DC history gags and funny signs to enjoy, and some of the character picks are deeper cuts, like the Cavalier. (And who could resist Dex-Starr the Rage Cat?)
Perhaps a second season could have the girls move up a grade, showing lessons learned?
Kids in the target age range are much less likely to be bothered by the static characterization, and some lapses in logic. (Star Sapphire doesn’t even go to this school! Why is she always here?)
Recommended to DC Comics fans, particularly middle school girls.
