Female superheroes, such as Wonder Woman and Supergirl, have become more talked about lately thanks to an increased interest in the world of comics. In general, comic books have seen a spike in interest in recent years. According to Business Insider, domestic comic book sales reached $870 million in 2013, which is a huge increase from $265 million in 2000.
While it’s awesome to have so many people buying comics, a new problem has arisen: Many new comic book fans do not know the origin story of these popular characters. And while movies typically have an introductory opening scene and TV shows have a pilot to catch viewers up to speed, the whole backstory cannot be shared in a handful or two of minutes.
To help bring these television and movie fans into the comic world, Marvel Comics announced back in January that they would be rolling out a new comic line known as True Believers, which began April of 2015. These comics are the first chapter of comic books in popular series and sold at the suggested cost of $1. It is a pretty sweet deal and it got even sweeter this month of September.
Marvel announced that the comics released through the True Believers series in September would focus on female superheroes. The heroines that are getting the first pages of their origin story printed once again include Black Widow, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, Spider-Gwen, Ms. Marvel, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Thor (as Thor is no longer a god, but a goddess), and Princess Leia from Star Wars. The “Women in Marvel” September promotion was announced back in June, and now these comics can be purchased online or at a comic book store near you.
Last week, I decided to accompany my brother to one of his weekly visits to the comic book store to pick up one of the True Believers comics. Good news: The comics do not disappoint.
I was able to purchase the True Believers comic book on Captain Marvel’s story, and to be honest, I didn’t really know who Captain Marvel was. I may have heard of her once or twice, but if I were a shown a picture before, I would not have been able to identify her. Now, I know she’s awesome: Captain Marvel is for sure the star, even though she did receive assistance from Iron Man. She’s strong, and independent, and she could save those around her and herself.
I’m excited to see these female superheroes getting their stories reintroduced for the newbies of the comic book world. Three years ago, women accounted for 40% of comic book readers. Now, women make up 53% of all comic book readers. As a young girl, I was taught that I can’t be dependent of a man. Seeing female heroines kick butt and be their own heroes is an inspiration to me and many other girls.
I encourage every fan of superheroes or comics, regardless if he or she has a slight interest or is the ultimate fan girl/boy, to check out Marvel’s True Believers series this month. These small comic books allow you to witness the start of these female superheroes, and for $1, they don’t even hurt your wallet!
Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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