Your diabetes type three.” DC fans are swept up in such a rage that they seem to have forgotten correct grammar and the fact that “diabetes type three” does not exist. One comment below the video reads, “‘I am not Starfire’.

Many DC fans have begun sinking as low as to call Mandy, the fictional character who in no way greatly impacts these people’s lives, “dumpsterfire” and claim that because her appearance doesn’t line up with their expectations of a woman, the entire book must be a poorly written, pandering piece of garbage. “That’s the worst part about it! You self-inserted yourself as a superhero! That’s just cringe!” says Youtube commentator, TheQuartering. Slews of Youtube videos and comments concerning Mandy’s weight and goth fashion began to circle the internet, many people going so far as to insult the creator for her appearance and her physical similarity to her character. The backlash began as early as the revelation of the book’s cover on December 7th of 2020. For this article, I’ll be taking off my critical book-reviewing glasses and looking more at the culture surrounding women in comics both in the past and present. Despite this, backlash over the unreleased book is rampant on the internet-not for any story-related reasons, but for the physical appearance of the main character. Tamaki is known for writing emotional stories, so it is no doubt that the mother-daughter relationship between Mandy and Starfire will be the focus of the novel. Tamaki’s next novel, I am not Starfire, stars Mandy, daughter of Teen Titan’s Starfire, as she navigates high school under the shadow of her mother’s fame. Mariko Tamaki, Eisner Award-winning author of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with me, as well as many other graphic novels has announced her newest project for DC comics. Bella Tiner, Art Editor, News and Features Co-Editor-In-Chief

I am not starfire