To make your mark on the future, it helps to take stock of where you’ve been. 2017 promises to be an exciting year for DC and its fans, but before we celebrate the new year, we thought we’d look back on 2016 and consider some of the places we’ve been. DC made some bold choices in the worlds of comics, film and TV, and many of them set our course for the months and years ahead. The past year was full of memorable moments, but some of these moments held real significance. Some of them really mattered. So as we do every year at this time, we thought we’d discuss a few of them. These are DCComics.com’s “Ten Moments that Mattered” for 2016.
 

If you searched the DC Super Hero Girls hashtag on social media the week of the toy release, you were treated to photos of dozens of kids hugging the likes of Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy and Bumblebee tight to their chests while smiling from ear to ear. Those grins spoke volumes. You could just imagine the children taking their new toys home and plotting the right way to respond to a Save the Day alarm.

The launch of DC Super Hero Girls made an impact on fans of all ages, but especially young girls. Once the action figures, action dolls, and role playing accessories inspired by the animated shorts arrived in toy aisles, they flew off of shelves.

Shea Fontana, a writer for the animated shorts, original graphic novels and digital first comic series, told us she's received a tremendous response to DC Super Hero Girls from fans. "Everything that I've heard back has been so positive. I get tweets from strangers saying, 'My daughter is watching this, and she just loves it.' It's been really fun to see how girls are responding to it, and it's fun to see how much the girls are into the mythology and the action," she said.

DC Super Hero Girls is clearly having an impact on fans. It’s reaching a previously untapped corner of the market and expanding the footprint of female super heroes in toy stores. The toy line has grown beyond the initial offering of action figures and action dolls to include accessories such as Wonder Woman's invisible jet and entire LEGO playsets. Fans have been using these toys to get their literal and figurative capes on; they put their imaginations to work and immerse themselves in a world of heroics and friendship.

DC Super Hero Girls' success didn't stop in the toy market. Young reader books written by Lisa Yee starring Wonder Woman and Supergirl continued the story and reach of Super Hero High. Original graphic novels, FINALS CRISIS and HITS AND MYTHS, by writer Shea Fontana and artist Yancey Labat explored the students' extraordinary adventures alongside their more "normal" tasks, such as prepping for exams. A digital first comic series has been taking the super heroes-in-training on a trip through time.

And we can't forget about the first DC Super Hero Girls DVD release, Hero of the Year. The feature length animated movie broadened the scope of the world by bringing in characters such as Dark Opal from Gemworld. The students' limits were tested as they pushed their powers and resourcefulness to extremes to stop nefarious and powerful villains

That's thing about DC Super Hero Girls. The heroes are always pushing themselves. Though they have abilities such as super strength or speed or possess gadgets that allow them to fly or shrink, they're also human. Even if they're not quite biologically human. Harley Quinn, Katana, Supergirl—all of Super Hero High's enrollees—have fears, worries, and struggles. Think about experiences you went through in your school years. You've felt anxiety about not knowing every answer on a quiz and so have they. You've felt awkward around someone you like like; they've been there as well. You freaked out about being the new kid; they know exactly what that's like.

The extraordinary characters in DC Super Hero Girls have ordinary problems we can all relate to. We watch them rise up to confront their issues head on and realize maybe we can muster the courage to do the same. It's an important message for the thousands of kids engaging with DC Super Hero Girls through the animated shorts or through all the toys and products available. They're seeing themselves in these characters and getting inspired.

Be sure to check DCComics.com again tomorrow for another moment that mattered in 2016.