DC Comics: Amanda Conner's Power Girl deserves an Absolute Edition

In addition, Amanda Conner’s interpretation of Power Girl represents a demographic much needed in an industry that gets a bad rap as simply a “boys’ club”. Power Girl is in a class of her own as a female character with her own title and with a female artist having top billing. If you look at the Absolute Editions currently out (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics_Absolute_Edition), only three series have women as the title character: Danger Girl, Death, & Promethea. Not even Wonder Woman, one of DC’s “Big Three” superheroes, has an Absolute edition. How depressing is that?

You can search for the “needles” of female creators in the “hay stack” of male dominated credits, but I already did that for you. Of all the Absolute Editions the highest billed female creator is Lynn Varley, who is the colorist for Absolute Dark Knight and Absolute Ronin. Another colorist, Laura Martin, comes in close second working on Absolute Planetary vol. 1& 2.

With top billing usually going to the writer and artist, you will sadly find title page credits lacking female creators. Jill Thompson provided art for Neil Gaiman’s Sandman “The Parliament of Rooks” & “Brief Lives”, collected in Absolute Sandman vol. 2 & 3, yet her name is buried in a list with other artists. Absolute Death, another Neil Gaiman book, features art by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and much like Thompson, Kiernan is only listed as one of many artists. Rebecca Buchman, inker on a portion of Bruce Wayne: The Road Home is also barely visible in a list of creators in Absolute Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn.)

In terms of female editors, there are none who hold top billing by themselves in your Absolute Editions: Kristy Quinn shares co-editing credit with Scott Dunbier in Absolute League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vol. 2, Karen Berger co-edited with Schott Nybakken on Absolute V for Vendetta, and Barbara Kesel shares an editing credit with Len Wein for Absolute Watchmen.

The Absolute Editions are supposed to be the cream of the crop in terms of DC comics and they are sorely missing female title characters and creators. You would think by the current lineup that there are no female creators or characters that have a fanbase. An Absolute Edition of Amanda Conner’s Power Girl would send a message: that Amanda Conner is a top notch creator and artist, that there are female creators in the industry, and that leading publishers take them seriously and are interested in their talents and fandom. Power Girl can lead the way with introducing more readers to not only a strong female character, but a strong female artist and creator. But don’t do simply as an appeasement to female creators and fans. Do it because Power Girl is the cream of the DC comics crop and because many fans like me want an Absolute Edition Power Girl on coffee tables.