Women Rule!

I think this is a first for me, or at least, I can't remember when I've had so many female-lead or female-heavy comics on my reading list.

Right now, on my pull list, are these "must-reads":

• Catwoman
• Birds of Prey
• Wonder Woman (Yes, based on one issue!)
• Manhunter (and I know I haven't put up reviews, but I've fallen behind on my reading it)
  
• JSA (includes female characters; JSA Classified, too, but it depends on which characters are featured for the story arc)
• 52 (which is giving female characters major roles)
  

I'm also reading Supergirl, but I'm not sure how long I'll stick with it. The other female-lead book is Hawkgirl, and I'm waiting for the end of the first arc to see if I like it. I don't think it's fair to judge it yet and I am enjoying how the story is unfolding.

Other comics I'm reading:

• Aquaman (a must-read)
• Checkmate (interesting, and has strong female characters)
• Nightwing (needs to get a complete makeover to keep me reading for much longer)
• Outsiders (I'm on the fence with this one, but it does have some strong female characters and the balance between males and females on the team is fairly even.)
• Blue Beetle (a male character, but fun)
  

I'm getting, but haven't read yet:

• Secret Six
• Shadowpact
• Painkiller Jane (only one issue so far and I haven't read it yet)

I'm looking forward to sampling the new Flash and JLA, too, plus the upcoming WildCats relaunch, which has had a good mix of male and female characters in past incarnations. I'm sure I'm missing some titles, but that's all I can think of right now.

I realized why I loved the non-super-powered Diana Prince of the '70s. She reminded me a lot of Modesty Blaise. Modesty had Willie Garvin; Diana had Patrick McGuire (I think I'm remembering his name right). And both Modesty and Diana were willing to muck it up, though Modesty and Willie were less concerned about the other side having survivors than Diana and Patrick. Still, much as I love super-powered characters, it's the human ones or the mostly human ones who catch my attention. I put Codename: Knockout in this category, too. Damn but I miss that comic, as much for its outrageous humor as for its action.

Dick Grayson and Roy Harper are both so human and yet they do the noble thing. I loved Superman, but I was more a Batman fan, like my mother (my father was the one who'd preferred Superman back in the early days). And except for Lois Lane, there wasn't really a non-powered female to interest me. So I focused on Supergirl who was at least close to my age. And the Legionnaires, who of course, had super-powers.

Picked up this. Okay, so Devin Grayson wrote it, but at least I'll be able to get a Roy Harper fix. And while she's far from the best writer, she's not bad and she did well by Roy and even Dick, as far as I'm concerned.