Women's Media Nation | Social, political, and cultural issues relating to women

New Spider Girl kicks butt

posted by Pretty Tough | Girls Who Are Fun Fierce & Feminine
Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 4:48pm CST

Pretty Tough is the premier brand and media property providing high-quality, specialty content, products and services for girls who are fun, fierce & feminine.

A new Spider-Girl hits stores next week. And apparently she will be a multi-dimensional female superhero, whose power is about more than her cupsize.

Anya “Arañita” Sofia Corazon already existed in the Marvel universe, but is now officially rebranded as Spider Girl. She’s the daughter of a Brooklyn investigative journalist, no relation to Peter Parker.

The last character called Spider-Girl was May “Mayday” Parker. According to Wikipedia, the character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If (vol. 2) #105 (February 1998). She later acquired her own ongoing comic book, Spider-Girl, which was the longest-running superhero book with a lead female character ever published by Marvel before being relaunched as The Amazing Spider-Girl.

The new Spider-Girl is being marketed as an empowering female figure. Anya is meant to be a normal sixteen year old girl. She doesn’t have any special powers, beyond being highly athletic and having undergone combat training at the hands of some Marvel’s best fighters.

Writer Paul Tobin explains “Sometimes it’s time to explore new characters and set off a few new explosions.” Tobin also says “When I was growing up there were so few well-written female characters in comics (and most other media) and that bothered me. It definitely was all about the sexuality, rather than the individuality, and I’m now proud to be a writer during a time in comics when a lot of writers, both male and female, are putting those old one-dimensional writing styles to rest.”

In a nod to contemporary culture, the newest superheroine will act independently – not as Spider-Man’s sidekick. She even has her own Twitter feed. Her costume is also a positive sign for anyone interested in strong female role-models – it is as skin-tight as Spider-Man’s, but no more revealing.

Comic fans might also want to check out two other characters new to the superhero universe. Both portray courageous, interesting, complex young women:

Marvel’s “Nomad,” an alternative universe version of Captain America’s sidekick Rikke Barnes (but female), is a great character. Striking but modest uniform, thoughtful, confused at having switched between worlds, dogged, and of course kick ass.

DC’s new Batgirl is also a completely new young women who is physically talented and trained (having been various other comics characters including a brief stint as Robin) and working on all the detective skills.

Who would you cast as the new Spider Girl?