Profile: Big Barda

Big Barda
First appearance: Mister Miracle #4, Vol. 1, October 1971. A most interesting twist Jack Kirby gave when creating her is that she is physically stronger than her husband, and is very protective of him.

Current status: apparently dead.

Was subjected to the following acts of discrimination: during John Byrne’s run on Action Comics, in issues #592-593, a evictee from Apokalips named Sleez (getting the picture?) captures her and uses mind control to enslave her and also Superman when he comes to rescue her, subsequently pimping both of them out to a porn producer! Later, in 2007, in one fell swoop, she was killed in the first issue of the Death of the New Gods miniseries.

What’s wrong with how this was done? Does Byrne’s weird little story in Action Comics sound exploitative? You don't even know the half of it. As for Death of the New Gods - no fight till her last gasp, no nothing. She just turned up dead on the floor of hers and Mister Miracle's suburban house in Connecticut, and whether it was one of Darkseid’s minions who did her in is not important, it’s that DC editorial turned her into yet one more sacrifice for the sake of pointless “events” that is. A grave disservice was done to an excellent warrior.

I don’t what is to come of Final Crisis, and I honestly do not care. This is just one more death being done in advance to a crossover that was uncalled for.