Hello, my name is Ms. Anthrope, and I’m a DVD-aholic. But I’m not addicted to just any ol’ DVD — sci-fi shows with kick-ass female leads are my crack. (You know you have a problem when you already own each individual season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and still couldn’t resist buying the pricey complete-series box set.) I’ve been clean since Christmas when I did some major Battlestar Galactica damage, but I’m about to fall off the wagon — big time. The reason for the relapse? Too many DVDs featuring supernaturally hot TV chicks are hitting shelves this summer! Take a peek at these upcoming cult favorites.

Birds of Prey: The Complete Series
Release Date: Tomorrow

A Plot Refresher: Based on the DC comic, the show centers on three crime-fighting superheroes who are — get this — all women. Even the main villain (Mia Sara) is female! (Uh, why didn’t this show last longer than a season? I blame the totally dull Dinah character; she’s way more culpable than, say, the lowly network.)

Anyway, the biggest bad-ass of the trio is Huntress, the lovechild of Batman and Catwoman. But more importantly, she’s played by a brooding, raven-haired Ashley Scott (think Angelina Jolie’s character from Foxfire, only with superpowers). Her mentor in lesbian subtext is the former Batgirl, who’s now known as the wheelchair-bound Oracle (Dina Meyer).

The DVD Lowdown:

BOP fans have been pushing for the release of the complete series ever since it was canceled way back in 2002. While the wait is finally over, don’t get your hopes up for a big production: The penny-pinching studio didn’t even bother to buy the rights to the original theme song. They did manage, however, to include all 13 episodes and two bonus features. The first one is the complete web series of Gotham Girls, which is probably great if you’re into animation (I’m not). But I did like watching the un-aired pilot extra, mainly because it’s interesting to see how Sherilyn Fenn played the recast role of Dr. Harleen Quinzel. … continue reading

Consider, if you will, the dearly departed Michigan J. Frog's network, the WB.

Did you sort of zone out? Me, too. A mere year and a half after the network — in combination with rival UPN — morphed into the CW, the WB is a vague memory. But in its heyday, the network aired some of our favorite soapy series: Charmed, Popular, Roswell, Gilmore Girls, Smallville and … let's see, what am I forgetting? Oh, yeah — a little show about a vampire slayer.

The WB was something of a guilty pleasure for me. I never admitted to watching Felicity or Dawson's Creek, but magically knew every detail of every story arc. … continue reading

As a long-time reader of Birds of Prey, I was disappointed when writer Gail Simone left the series. Her love for the characters showed — and she was one of the few female comic book writers working on a superhero title. But soon after, DC announced that Simone's next project would be none other than the story of Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman.

Shortly after the announcement, Simone summed up her feelings about Wonder Woman. "This book is about the best goddamned warrior planet Earth has ever known, and she happens to carry a mystical arsenal around just for the hell of it. If a writer can't make that interesting and fun, they really shouldn't be writing superheroes."

Do I hear an amen? … continue reading

What do Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Huntress, and Black Canary have in common? They are sexy, sultry DC comic super heroes—perfect entertainment for AfterEllen.com readers.

I first got into super heroes as a kid when I was hooked on the Super Friends (1973-74). I thought Wonder Woman was so cool! Yes, between that and playing basketball endlessly, I should have had a big “L” on my forehead.

Needless to say, this set the course for my love of female super heroes today.

Today, I subscribe to Justice League Unlimited, JLA Classified, Wonder Woman, Amazon Attacks, Countdown, Hawkgirl, Birds of Prey, and Manhunter to get my fix of super hotties. I read Justice League Unlimited and JLA Classified for the Super Friends, and the JLA Classified comic is a great, gritty read with adult story lines.

I’m a Wonder Woman fan so the Wonder Woman Volume 3 and Amazon Attacks comics are my favorites on this list. Diana Prince (Wonder Woman’s secret identify) has a sister named Donna, and Wonder Woman’s mother, Queen Hippolyta, has been resurrected from the dead, turned evil, and is hell-bent on ruling the United States (which still might be an improvement over George Bush, frankly). The dramatic conflict between Wonder Woman and her mother is awesome. Not to mention that even Queen Hippolyta is a hottie. Her power and authority over even Wonder Woman is awesome. Read more about this series on Wikipedia here and here.

Countdown is a weekly comic that’s published weekly for one year, crossing over all the DC super heroes, which is frankly confusing for me at times. I read it for Donna Prince and the “multiverse” storyline. Can you imagine a world where there are numerous alternate universes? It’s science fiction with super heroes. … continue reading