2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
It's a graphic novel about a female hero who ISN'T sexualised and who DOESN'T use her sexuality as a weapon. In fact sex is barely mentioned at all. And she's portrayed like a real person!
With that out of the way, on to the review.
I love superheroes. And female-driven stories. So a superheroine comic by Faith Erin Hicks was something I knew I just had to check out.
Here's what I got:
'The Misadventures of Superhero Girl' (more fitting than its actual title, I find) has no overall plot per say. It's a collection of sort-of connected comic strips about a daft, passionate, and brooding young female superhero. She has no tragic backstory, no goals or plans (apart from looking for an arch-nemesis, since every "true" hero must have one), or even a proper superhero costume or name. She's just a girl with superpowers who chose to fight crime because she wants to. And because she is tired of living in her famous older brother's supershadow. As well as beating up random monsters and nonthreatening "villains" and ninjas (lots and lots of ninjas), Superhero Girl has real-life problems to overcome; such as paying the rent, earning money, getting her clothes clean, catching sickness, finding a hobby when the small town crime rate is low, and feeding her pet (a cat, which her roommate is apparently allergic to (this doesn't go anywhere)).
The whole comic is a metaphor for the bizarre and complicated challenges that come for a teenager who's becoming an adult. It's a lot of fun - a good superhero parody - while at the same time reflective of what actually goes on in one's life concerning jobs, family and friends. Kevin, Superhero Girl's brother, might be lonelier than she is, in spite of his fame and fanbase. He has to deal with looking good for people, who count on him being invincible and perfect all the time. Superhero Girl has no worries regarding this - the people in her town are largely ungrateful and think more of her embarrassing shortcomings than her successes, which could be a blessing in disguise.
'The Misadventures of Superhero Girl" could have done more with its parody/deconstruction element, such as showing Superhero Girl deal with property damage. And the ending is rather abrupt and inconclusive - similar to Ms Hicks' other graphic novel, 'Friends with Boys'. I also wanted Superhero Girl's roommate - simply called Roomie - to be given an actual name, especially since, unlike the many other secondary characters, she does play a major role in the comic. She is as funny and proactive as the heroine herself, and she is not a superhero; merely a normal, down-to-earth adversary. In a way Roomie is Superhero Girl's nemesis - she is more realistic but manages to keep herself in check and have a healthy social life.
Well at least the comic book, in 112 pages, squeezes in other characters with more than two dimensions to them; such as Spectacle, who is newer than Superhero Girl and is better at fighting crime than her (but who adoringly looks up to her).
A benchmark for graphic novels aimed at both genders - that focus on female relationships in their stories - 'The Misadventures of Superhero Girl' is funny, colourful, clever and a little bit sad. I'm glad I gave this one a chance.
However I think I'll take a break from comic books for a while now - too many written-word novels to get through.
Final Score: 4/5
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