Module 11: Supergirl and the Search for Life in the Universe

 

 
The Blonde Spike We Absolutely Knew We Needed

Supergirl—AKA Kara Zor-El—embraces and subverts space western tropes by being characterized as a strong, law-dodging, not-so-lone ranger with a sticky past, a distinct and deeply ingrained sense of justice, and a lesson or two to learn about vulnerability. In many ways, Kara reminds me of a blonde female version of Spike Spiegel, the protagonist of 1998 space western anime Cowboy Bebop (カウボーイビバップ). Mostly because both pieces of media embody the blend of genres that compose "space westerns"; both characters have vices associated with difficulties maintaining relationships because of the things that caused their loneliness in the first place; and because they travel the cosmos and kick ass with a small crew that includes a dog (at least in the first issue, in Kara's case).


The similarities between Spike and Zara end, though, with their motivations. While Spike Spiegel does have an internal sense of right and wrong, he is largely guided by monetary gain because of his occupation as a "cowboy" (a government-hired bounty hunter that tracks down interplanetary criminals). Kara's sense of right and wrong, of justice, is what guides her primarily. For example, if Krem—the unhinged and homicidal loser that killed Ruthye's father and shot Krypto—had come across Spike's assignment lookup for a certain price and he had to travel to Maypole only to discover that a planet full of Blues and Purples had become suspiciously Blue, he would have minded his business and kept his focus on finding Krem and finding Krem only. Obviously, Kara did not let this stand.


I think the reason I draw so much comparison between Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Cowboy Bebop is because of the scientific half of our discussions: the blend of primitive and advanced technologies in the space western genre. In Cowboy Bebop, it's normal to see hovercars zoom above busy intersections full of automobiles and motorcycles, or for Spike, Jet, and their crew to step out of their spaceship, Bebop, only to start shooting with handguns. Bright lights and laser beams cutting through pollution and smog. In Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, an excellent example is when the public transit that Kara and Ruthye take makes a stop in the second issue at a station; the setting is obviously something out of science fiction for us, the reader, but washing hands in the bathroom is not—with running water and soap (not acid) and everything. Some things are common between alien cultures, it seems.






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