BadAss Girl
By: Chris Everheart / Art: Brann Garvey
Badass Girl is a loner teen who lives a harsh life in the post-apocalypse wild. She is alone in the world kicking ass no help needed.
Chris Everheart author of BadAss Girl has published more than 20 action and fiction graphic novels for children and young adults. As a child, Chris never imagined he would be a writer. As a child art was his love and he later received an art degree. Chris decided to take up writing as a creative outlet when his child was young. When asked if he was a feminist he replied “I’m a feminist, I have to be. I grow up with girls who punch back.” Growing up Chris saw no difference between girl being tough and getting things done and their male counterparts. His mom was tough and his sister was tough.
BadAss Girl was inspired by several things including the 2017 Wonder Woman film, the author’s feminist opinions and the women in his life. Chris loved to see a kick ass women having a big profile and not being a side story. “I really wanted to create something that featured a kick ass girl on her own.” Based on his history with writing youth fiction he decided to make his hero a teen and to have her set in a post-apocalyptic world, the harshest conditions he could imagine. The world was destroyed by aliens who have stripped the Earth of its resources and life. BadAss Girl is alone with no parents, on a lawless Earth.
Chris says the title of the series is what came first. Badass Girl is described as a cross between Katness Everdeen and Clint Eastwood’s character in Man With No Name. She is a full character on her own. During the process of creating BadAss Girl Chris spoke with female comic readers to see what they wanted in a hero. Their number one response was they were tired of a romantic interest. They wanted a badass hero who wasn’t worried about boys. They wanted a female figure that didn’t need a male to help or save her. This is definitely an opinion I can get behind. They also were tired of female heroes having to ask for permission or for help. They wanted an independent female who was bad enough and tough enough to kick ass all on her own.
One thing that stood out to me about this character was the attire. BadAss Girl wears a hoodie, full length pants and boots ‘Without a heel!!’. For me personally the attire of female heroes has always been an issue. How is a leotard and knee high 6 inch boots functional for fighting. Why do the female character have to be so hyper-sexualized? When asked about this decision Chris revealed that the attire was influenced by the women around him. He didn’t see the women in his life wear outfits like you see on female heroes, even when doing everyday things let alone fighting.Chris wanted the character to be realistic, something a woman and her situation would actually wear.
Chris hopes for BadAss Girl to become a TV series to influencer young girls all over. To show the world a female as both a real person and a real hero. BadAss Girl is a real woman. She is confronting the same obstacles and emotions we all must confront at some point. A girl who identifies with the audience reading about her.
If have a teen boy or girl into comics this is definitely a read you should pick up.
Badassgirlworld.com