It’s always fun to recommend books, and when the folks at Booklisti asked me to make a list doing just that, I jumped at the chance to talk up some of my favourite characters of all time. I decided to take a broad, historical perspective, as I am wont to do, and the result is a fun list spotlighting some amazing female superheroes!
I went decade by decade, picking a heroine from each era that I thought best captured the time period. I started with Wonder Woman in the 1940s, of course. It’s kind of my thing. Batwoman was my choice for the 1950s, and I stayed in Gotham for Batgirl in the 1960s. Similar names, extremely different characters! I switched publishers in the 1970s and went with the original Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, then returned to Marvel for the 1980s with Storm. The 1990s were a bit of a cheat because I picked an entire team, the Birds of Prey, and I returned to Batwoman in the 2000s but I think that’s a fair move since it’s basically a completely different character and also Elegy is SO good. Finally, I chose the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, for the 2010s, because I love her so dang much.
The 2020s aren’t over yet so I didn’t do a pick there. Now that I think about it, though, who would be the front runner at this stage? Tough question. Hindsight helps so much in these situations. I might pick Dreamer at this stage, actually. The move from TV to comics is unique, and I love how Nicole Maines has stayed with her character. Man, I’ll be pondering this for days now.
Head on over to Booklisti to see the full list of recommendations, including various Omnibuses and Masterworks and the like! You can also check out the list of my own books, though if you’re on my website you’re probably familiar with them already. Also, explore the website! It’s a fun time.
TIM HANLEY 