Granny Goodness Knows Best in DC Comics’ Female Furies From Cecil Castellucci & Adriana Melo

DC Comics’ discourse-dominating Mister Miracle series doesn’t wrap up until this Wednesday, but the publisher announced today where readers can next expect to see Jack Kirby’s Fourth World creations. Female Furies, launching February 6th, 2019, is a six-issue mini-series coming from writer Cecil Castellucci (Shade, The Changing Girl) and artist Adriana Melo (Plastic Man). The story takes a big step back in the history of the Apokolips/New Genesis conflict, spotlighting Big Barda’s tenure as a Female Fury under the iron thumb of Granny Goodness.

“Female Furies takes place smack in the middle of Jack Kirby’s original Fourth World,” Castellucci said in a statement, “so if you know Kirby’s New Gods well you’ll have a familiar understanding of the key players and their motivations. However, you don’t need prior knowledge of Apokolips to enter this story; just remember that there are often terrible people in power…and then there are the people who are being held down by them.”

The Female Furies are raised since birth to stand among Apokolips’ most intimidating warriors, enduring trials by (often literal) fire to represent Darkseid on the battlefield. In Castelluccii and Melo’s series, Granny Goodness and the Furies find themselves fed up with being left behind while the men (and Parademons) go to war.

Female Furies #1 Interior Art by Adriana Melo

“I’m playing with the core elements of female relationships within the ranks of the Furies,” Castellucci continued, “but I’m also aiming to deconstruct their relationships and look at how systemic misogyny and harassment contribute to some storytelling stereotypes. While you can see infighting and power struggles in some stories about the Female Furies, the fact is that the Furies are kept down by the circumstances of where they live and who is in power. Naturally, these women are strong and capable, so this story is meant to try to blow up some of those stereotypes and look at them with a new view, especially in this moment of time.”

This roster of Female Furies—Big Barda, Aurelie, Mad Harriet, Lashina, Bernadeth and Stompa—attempt to beat the bad boys at their own game, but the odds on Apokalips are rarely fair. Castellucci indicated that she and Melo won’t be going easy on the crew, but that Apokalips’ other icons shouldn’t expect an easy go of things either.

“My best advice going into Female Furies? Remember the classic phrase ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,’” Castellucci concluded. “Jack Kirby’s over-the-top type of comic book characters are like our modern-day myths and fairy tales. They’re flexible and able to withstand different kinds of interpretations of their story. In fact, shaking it up actually enriches and deepens those characters. Just as the Furies and Granny are more complex in my story, so are Darkseid and his Elite. Darkseid and his henchmen can withstand a little harsh light shed on them.”

Female Furies #1 from Castellucci and Melo, featuring a cover by Mister Miracle’s Mitch Gerads, hits stores and digital retailers on February 6th, 2019. For more on the series, as well as DC Comics’ other 2019 announcements, stay glued to Paste.

Female Furies #1 Cover Art by Mitch Gerads