Following Draw Supergirl and Supergirl Week, artist Ross Campbell started a similar endeavor to explore new costuming ideas for Power Girl, Supergirl’s alternate Earth counterpart. We were impressed by the strong showing at Draw Power Girl, and chose our favorites to review.
Introduction by Joel Priddy.
I remember the first time I saw Power Girl. It was the first issue of All-Star Comics I’d seen as a kid, and, on the front page, they had the roster of everyone who was appearing in the issue. Running down the side of the page were all of the heroes’ chest emblems: the S-shield, the bat, the green lantern… and then, incongruously, a blond woman’s head. Turning the page, I quickly learned why her chest emblem wasn’t shown: it would have been a pink oval of cleavage.
Created in 1976 as an alternate-universe version of Supergirl, Kara Zor-L was intended as an update on a character trapped in a Fifties sensibility: too prim, too polite, and too dependent on her cousin’s legacy. This Kara had a stronger sense of her own identity, and demanded that the world accept her on her own merits. She was a feminist—but a feminist in a book inked by that talented satyr, Wally Wood. Wood, the story goes, decided to draw Power Girl’s breasts a little larger every issue until someone told him to stop. By the time editorial noticed, Power Girl, was, well, extremely healthy in her proportions.
And this is the cake-and-eat-it-too dilemma of Power Girl. She is simultaneously intended to be a figure of female empowerment, and a pin-up dressed for display, thanks to what geekdom has come to refer to as the Magic Cleavage Window.
The costume is problematic. Firstly, because it is so blatantly objectifying that it contradicts (and overshadows) her personality. Secondly, it’s impractical; can you imagine what happens when she flies and all that high-velocity air whooshes down that hole? Instant leotard-parachute. But, here’s the thing: people have tried to change the costume in the past. And the results simply haven’t looked like Power Girl. The very thing that makes the costume so terribly wrong also makes it distinctive, and it’s been around long enough that that distinctiveness has gained iconic value.
Is there any way to navigate these contradictions? Can a designer remain true to Kara Zor-L’s character and her visual identity? Power Girl may be the perfect Project: Rooftop challenge.
Vito Delsante: Know what I like about this one? The fact that you can tell it’s Ross. Ross’ art and ability came through in his Supergirl entry, and definitely does here. I think that’s so important…to know that this is a specific artist and his/her work and not a cookie cutter version of a character. As for Ross’ design, I think that as a tandem with his Supergirl (both of them, really) you get a nouveau super hero sexiness. I almost want to see his entire Justice League or his entire Teen Titans roster…What would his Wonder Woman look like? Black Canary? The list goes on. Again, I defer to Ross’ abilities because he can see something in women and in drawing women that is sexy and also updated. This is a great design.
Dean Trippe: Ross’s PG is ten times tougher and more interesting than anything done with her since Amanda Connor’s stint on JSA: Classified. The Power Girl apologists often try to boil the argument about Power Girl’s depiction down to folks who think she should have big boobs and folks who don’t. I don’t have a problem with Power Girl having large breasts. I have a problem with the fact that her stories are always about that, and that her anatomy is often drawn ludicrously. Ross might seriously be the only artist I know that can draw a Power Girl with boobs this large without it being pandering fan service. His PG is nobody’s plaything. Her attitude and demeanor are a total 180 from the popular portrayals of the character.
Joel Priddy: As big a fan as I am of Ross’ depictions of superheroines (have you started that Supergirl GN, yet, Ross? Would you? Pretty please?) I’m not crazy about this costume design. The “P” medallion looks a cartoony and lacks the iconic punch of, say, the Kryptonian S-Shield. The asymmetrical slung-shoulder top is a look I’ve never been a fan of. And it seems especially unwise for a character as, um, endowed as PG. As mentioned, giant breasts and the super-powery muscles and tendons needed to support them are part and parcel of PG ever since Wally Wood decided to turn DC’s attempt at a strong, independent Supergirl into a boob joke. Ross keeps them and the distinctive Magic Boob Window, which are legitimate choices. That said, this costume is top-heavy, with it’s short cape and shorty-shorts adding even more emphasis to her chest. And there’s something weird going on with the two metal discs on her belt-line. They are nipple-sized, nipple-distanced, and even have blue lines connecting them to where her real nipples would be. It’s like they slid down her torso and came to rest at her pelvis. But, given that so many comics creators have treated PG as though her personality was “has big breasts,” spreading the mammary-fetishism around to other parts of her body just may count as character development.
Jessica Plummer: I’ve got to agree with Joel as far as the top of this costume goes. There’s no support here for those breasts, either from the slung-shoulder of the costume or that tiny waist. Definitely experiencing some sympathy cringes over here. And though I love her attitude, something about this look seems perhaps a little too young for Peej, who is a good handful of years older than her Earth-1 counterpart.
Chris Arrant: The look that is telegraphing across the face of Ross’ Power Girl really sets this a part from any previous iterations of the character. Far from the vapid character that she’s sometimes portrayed as, the stocky and well-endowed woman we see here looks built for a fight while still retaining her femininity.
Vito Delsante: I absolutely love it! If I were running DC, I’d update to this today. The emphasis here is not on her breasts, but on her arms…her “power.” It’s so damn simple the change Joel made…it’s criminal how easily it looks to say, “Give her a sleeveless costume and you get your ’skin’ factor.” I’m also interested in the fact that the both of these designs (Ross’ and Joel’s) use the piping on the costume. I wonder why that seems to be consistent in two stellar designs. My favorite of the lot.
Dean Trippe: You know, Joel’s one of the guys that can just crank out rocking variant costumes. He’s got an eye for simplification and always manages to maintain strong character identity. This revamp is so simple and perfect, it makes you think it’s her actual costume, despite making some drastic changes. Joel’s swapped out Power Girl’s long sleeves for pants, ditched the belt, and changed the boots to thigh-highs. An perhaps most appropriately, he’s managed to close PG’s infamous Boob Window. Excellent choices across the board.
Joel Priddy: Seeing Joel Carroll’s design is what kept me from even trying to contribute to this meme. I simply had nothing to add in the face of this great redesign. Before seeing his PG, I would have sworn that you could not have an iconic PG without the peek-a-boo window. But Joel extends a trend started by the great Amanda Conner, who added construction-lines to PG’s costume. Other artist’s have taken these lines up, and they have, apparently, become such an identifiable part of the Power Girl look that we don’t even need the ridiculous cleavage-hole any more. I like the gloves, the haircut, the bare arms, and the darkened/desaturated blue. I think the thigh-high boots are way to tall, however. And I go back and forth on the cape. This is PG’s classic cape, which has a definite panache, but there’s a part of me that is always distracted by that cord going through the armpit. That just can’t be comfortable.
Chris Arrant: The tall gloves and boots really work with Joel’s version here, and going back to the classic PG cape is a good idea with the more streamlined body costume. One thing I would add is some color to the suit itself.
Jessica Plummer: Functional, striking, and elegant. I love this costume, even if I do wonder how it would translate to a Power Girl drawn with her regular cup size. I’m not wild about the seam running between her legs like that - it looks a little chafe-y - but those boots are inexpressibly fabulous.
Vito Delsante: It is so out of left field, that I can’t help but dig it! Sure, as a design, it has nothing reminiscient of Karen besides short blonde hair. And maybe it is a little too demure. But honestly, the robot in hand, the white color scheme…it’s totally Power Girl!
Dean Trippe: Yeah, other than the color scheme, it’s pretty off the map, but it’s way more in line with what I think I’d wear if I was a super-powered crime fighter. Sweet shoes and a hoodie? Totally awesome.
Chris Arrant: It brings about a totally different personality. If I wasn’t in a PowerGirl review list, I’d think it was Kara Thrace from BSG as a superhero.
Dean Trippe: That’s funny, since so many folks have made that comparison already. I wonder if Paul had that in mind at all?
Joel Priddy: Every time I look at this, I see an astronaut in a spacesuit, holding a giant helmet. I think this is because the elbows and knees look like flexible joints connecting some stiffer material. Am I correct in recalling that Power Girl was older than Kal or Supergirl when she arrived on Earth-2? In which case, a costume based on Kryptonian space-wear (rather than, what, re-sewn baby blankets?) could be an interesting direction to explore.
Jessica Plummer: Maybe this is her space-faring costume? You know, for the latest jaunt to Thanagar?
Dean Trippe: Ha!
Jessica Plummer: Batman’s got different costumes for different functions - why not Power Girl?
Please check out these other great Power Girls by LiveJournalers superleezard, thisisstar, deconcentrate, d0wn-on-paper, wootsauce, envertigo, tyrranticus, and inkboy.
19 Comments so far
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haha, sliding nipples?? how do you guys come up with that stuff? ;)
Comment by ross 04.02.07 @ 12:18 pmOh Kevin. What do want?
I look at Joel Carroll’s design and it screams Power Girl. Who is Power Woman again, right? Or at least should be?
Anyway, Carroll’s look incorporates the very Karen broach-and-rope red cape over a white tunic. The proportion of significant colors is spot on. The short blond hair. It’s Karen Starr, Power Woman. It’s the colors that sell it so easily. DCU supersuits have such history that they’re absolutely dependant on the delicate arrangement of their colors. For instance: what’s Superman in a blue cape and red tunic? Valor.
Now granted, she has no “logo” - which is a very DCU idea about superheroes, but she’s the kind of hero that’s between universes. Literally.
Perhaps that’s a good place to continue the competition? Design a logo/insignia that is distinctly Power Woman —that belongs on the back of her cape as well the back of her chair in the JLA.
Comment by Chad Raymond 04.03.07 @ 12:58 pmI was intrigued by one of the Supergirl entries that had a white S-shield. Does anyone else think Powergirl could incorporate a very subtle S-shield? Just because she doesn’t want to be called “Super Girl,” doesn’t mean she’d ignore her Kryptonian (2) hertitage.
What about a white-on-white shield? Placed asymmetrically somewhere? What if it were tweaked enough to not instantly read as an “S?”
Comment by Joel Priddy 04.03.07 @ 4:24 pmI actually really like envertigo’s (one you linked) the best. It’s feminine and looks like it would be comfortable and easy to wear, which seems like it would be important to a no-nonsense gal like Kara. And the slimmed down window is more a result of how the top piece fits than an intentional flaunting.
Comment by Alex Burns 04.03.07 @ 6:42 pmjoel: i like the idea of PG having her own kryptonian shield thing, and maybe i don’t know enough about DCU stuff, but do all kryptonians have to have the S? like maybe PG could have the same shape as the shield with with a P in it? i don’t know. i think i saw somewhere that the “S” shield isn’t necessarily an S and that it’s some kryptonian symbol that coincidentally looks like an S. i don’t know about that, that seems pretty lame, haha. but if that isn’t the case, then PG could have a P symbol. or it doesn’t even need to be a letter, it could be some other symbol like Batman has. a symbol inside the S-shield diamond shape?
i sketched a new Power Girl a while ago and initially i thought a star would be cool/cute, but then there’s Stargirl, so now i’m thinking maybe a sun-shaped symbol or something. something “powery.” heh. sun = power, right? a sun symbol would tie into the sun-absorbing qualities of kryptonians and also suggest the blowing-up aspect of krypton itself, heh. and it would lend itself well to retaining the boob window. ~_^
Comment by ross 04.03.07 @ 7:50 pmI’ve got a certain respect for Ross’ artistry, his chunky punky girls. But whenever I see his interpretation of a mainstream character, I don’t think that it’s Supergirl or Powergirl, but rather one of Ross’ chunky punks playing dress up.
Comment by joseph 04.03.07 @ 8:24 pmFirst of all let me say I just found this place and I love it. I dont nomaly post comments on blogs (I generally find someone else has made my point more eloquently than I could already) but as a huge PG fan I cant let this line go without comment.
“I don’t have a problem with Power Girl having large breasts. I have a problem with the fact that her stories are always about that”
I have never read a Power Girl story that was “about” her breasts. Never.
Comment by Ben Weldon 04.05.07 @ 4:04 amHi Ben! Glad you dig the site. And thanks for your comment. I’m a PG fan as well. While it may have been a bit of overstatement on my part, her chest is referenced QUITE a bit more than I’d call reasonable.
Her breast size is all writers seem to want to talk about, as if it’s her core defining trait. Batman has to talk about his parents’ murder, Spider-Man recites his uncle’s mantra, and Power Girl deals with her enormous cup size. You’re right, the stories aren’t ABOUT her breasts, generally, but if they had agents they’d be credited as co-stars. I would like to point you to the following, in case you think I’m overstating the matter:
And that’s just the SPECIFICALLY boob-related stuff. If we expand the parameters to remarks about her whole body (though I think this stuff stems from her breast size) we get more evidence:
And then there’s this one, which just seems wrong:
My personal feeling is that all this crap is a way for male writers to have their fun with a supposedly feminist character. Anyway, my point is, I’m not just making stuff up.
Comment by Dean Trippe 04.05.07 @ 7:05 amThe JSA Classified story was at least as much about her breasts as it was her origins. I think it’s a story with pretty good characterization, and most of the breast-musings worked (I think we’ll all fondly remember the Jimmy Olsen page years from now), but I got tired of the constant attempts to explain the magic Cleavage Window.
“It’s a strategic distraction!”
“It’s why I don’t need a mask!”
“It’s a symbol for my missing identity!”
“I use it to open beer bottles!”
A few minutes ago you would have had a hard time convincing me that I could like a new Power Girl costume (especially considering the hideous results of her previous redesigns) but Joel Carroll’s design is amazing! It’s PG, only better. Even without the boob window.
Comment by Captain Infinity 04.05.07 @ 8:33 pmInteresting that Kara Thrace’s name should come up. That recent bit of statuary design by Adam Hughes put me somewhat in mind of Thrace’s expression in the scene from the pilot mini-series for Battlestar Galactica where she rubs Col. Tigh’s face in all of his losses at the card table(and elsewhere). Katee Sackhoff would, I think, make an idea voice actress for Kara(!) Zor-L(?) if a JSA Animated series were ever done.
Comment by Dwight Williams 04.06.07 @ 2:12 pmYeah, the back-&-forth on the “big boobs” thing can definitely swing into boobs-are-personality-traits, but in a visual medium, i think you can possess traits that become integral to your character. PG & her big breasts are co-joined. I don’t think for a second you have to focus there, but I think it should be a costume design factor.
Kara Thracing Powergirl, though? Could only be a good thing.
Anyhow! I mostly came here because my pitch for the next costume design bender is: Hydra. Man could those guys use a facelift!
Comment by mordicai 04.06.07 @ 10:00 pmI meant no disrespect to the design that is getting all the love. It is sharp, but not something that changes things a lot of things about the original. I guess it does drive home the point of how great a difference a few little tweaks can make.
Comment by Kevin Huxford 04.08.07 @ 9:06 pmOooo… Hydra!
Comment by Joel 04.08.07 @ 10:15 pmI may be wrong, but I believe upon review of the comics in question you’ll find that Wally Wood didn’t really incrementally increase PG’s chest. It’s a good story, but I think It’s an urban legend.
Comment by Phill 04.12.07 @ 5:02 amthe “boob window” has become iconic. (too late to change that)
If you want to get on a soap box and protest and make statements… you may have to move on to another character to do it. Other than that, just make POWERGIRL fully aware and proud of her assets… (like some busty women are) You don’t have to have a silly explaination for her costume or make her appear ditzy and nieve about her own appearance after that.
Adding to the love for the second one, but I’m wondering about the colors. The main bodysuit looks a little on the grey-blue side, and it might look more like Power Girl if it were unmistakably white. Also, there might be a way to evoke the boobwindow without actually taking scissors to the costume- I was thinking you could have the middle construction line make a circle there, so it looks a bit more like Peej’s costume while keeping the gorgeous, tough, kickass feel it has.
Personally, I haven’t really got a problem with the boobwindow, because it’s **Power Girl**, who’s the kind of stubborn, confrontative, weird-sense-of-humor woman who might honestly decide she felt like wearing that. I’ll forgive a lot if it makes sense for the character- there’s no way I’ll ever believe Ma Kent sewed up a four-inch miniskirt for Kara, but I can buy that Karen Starr put on a holey bathing suit to fight crime.
(Really, the thing to do is to add a guy in an equally sexy costume. If we’ve got a problem with exploitative misogyny, and we can’t fix the exploitative, we might as well fix the misogyny- get Power Girl a ripped, buff teen sidekick in shorts and a muscle tee. With a big circle cut out over the pecs. Fair’s fair. I wasn’t following the Power Boy thing- maybe he’s got a twin brother who could come to Peej looking to be mentored?)
Comment by Ahayweh 04.21.07 @ 8:23 pmThis one is my favourite. The Adidas stripes are probably overdoing it a bit but the overall effect somehow just screams “Power Girl” to me.
This design works not because PG having her legs and boobs looks bad, but because it shows she doesn’t neccessarily have to have her legs and boobs out to look right.
Comment by Juisarian 03.31.08 @ 9:11 amLeave a comment
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There are definitely some strong designs here. I have to say I disagree with all the love given to the second costume. If you subtract all the huffing and puffing people do about Power Girl’s breast size and costume cleavage hole…then look at this redesign…there’s nothing really dynamic or iconic about it.
Comment by Kevin Huxford 04.02.07 @ 10:29 am