DC Super Hero Girls: Message Received

UPDATE (7-7-15): The official website for DC Super Hero Girls is now up and running with full character bios! Head on over to dcsuperherogirls.com to check it out!

DC couldn't have picked a better time to make this announcement. Whether it was planned to do it now, or they saw an opportunity and seized it; it's genius.

On the heels of fans raging about the lack of Black Widow on Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron merchandise, DC announced they would be creating an entire line of merchandise and media dedicated to young girls.

DC Super Hero Girls is a new effort to nurture the growing female audience and invest in the future of their strong female characters.

Why am I writing about this when it's been shotgunned all over the internet and picked up by every media outlet that has room for it on their website?

Because DC Super Hero Girls is awesome and it deserves all the attention it's getting.

As a comic book nerd, I'm always looking for ways to share my love for comic books with the kids in my life. My two sons were an easy sell but there is a LOT of competition out there for a girl's attention. Disney Princesses mainly. But between Monster High and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, there is a small but fierce market.

Because of my daughter, a God-daughter, 5 nieces and several other young girls in my life, DC Super Hero Girls is huge for me. All-ages comic books have existed, but they don't have a very long shelf-life. They lack the support of additional media and fade then away with poor sales.

So what makes this effort any different? The partnership with Mattel.

This will not be an easy market for DC to break into, but they deserve high grades for bringing on a strong merchandising partner who has had a lot success with Barbie, Ever After High and Monster High. Between toys, Netflix and straight-to-video movies, they know how to get merchandise in front of young girls.

This is something they put a lot of thought into. A lot of times we see complaints that diversity isn't taken into account. This was not overlooked by DC. In addition to creating a kid/teen friendly universe, aimed specifically for the girl audience, is the diverse cast of characters.

Let's take a look at the lineup release by the promo image:

Wonder Woman - The Queen of all female Super Hero's, she's the role model for which all young girls should aspire to grow into strong women.

Supergirl - A young girl who is alienated and feels out of place because of her heritage.

Batgirl - A smart girl who uses her intellect to solve problems.

Katana - A girl of Asian descent who embraces her culture.

BumbleBee - An African American scientist who is highly skilled and assertive; excellent qualities for a young girl to look up too.

Poison Ivy - Conscious about the environment around her, she's sure to deliver positive messages to girls regarding the care of our planet.

Harley Quinn - A fun-loving, free spirit who enjoys laughter; how could you not enjoy having her around?

Each one brings with them something special and unique that girls of all types can to relate to.

Sure, there'll be 'haters' out there complaining about the 'separation of girls and boys' but I don't think that's a fair argument. This is a step in the right direction. Boys have plenty of things to keep them occupied and no one is telling you they can't be enjoyed by young boys as well. No different than My Little Pony inspiring male fans to become 'Bronies'.

So to the complainers, I offer this advice: Being angry changes nothing but your blood pressure.

There are a lot of things to like about this first group of girls released by DC. And while there are popular characters missing (Catwoman), we should be quick to point out that supporting DC Super Hero Girls is the only way to encourage DC/Mattel to expand the roster.

With the right support, this effort should find early success and enjoy long-term growth as our girls find new ways to love these characters.

Bravo DC, you support girls reading comic books. Message received.