Women's Day: 10 female comic book heroines

Wonder Woman first appeared as a comic heroine in 1941

From Wonder Woman to Cat Woman, Newsbeat takes a look at the female comic characters who have been inspiring young women for decades.

Wonder Woman is probably the most famous of all time, no offence to Lara Croft.

Since her first appearance in 1941 in DC Comics, she's featured on many a retro T-shirt.

We take a look back at some of the others as we celebrate International Women's Day.

She Hulk

She Hulk gained super strength powers after a blood transfusion by her cousin Incredible Hulk. But she contains her temper better than him. The green lady was also a member of the Avengers and Fantastic Four.

Spider Woman

Spider Woman's back story goes like this: When young Jessica Drew suffered uranium poisoning her father injected her with spider serum. She first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1977.

Storm

Storm is a gifted hand-to-hand combatant. She was trained extensively by her fellow X-Man Wolverine, and is also an excellent marksman with handguns.

Psylocke

Psylocke is a mutant with telepathic and telekinetic powers that can focus into deadly weapons.

She is a stealthy martial artist, a former fashion model and long-time X-Man. Her first comic book appearance was in 1976.

Elektra

Elektra is an Olympic-level athlete and gymnast. She is also a superb hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist. She made her first appearance in 1981.

Cat woman

Cat woman has made countless comic book appearances since her debut in the 1940s.

She's been played by two Oscar-nominated actresses, Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns and Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises.

Supergirl

Teenager Kara Zor-el was rocketed to Earth from the dying planet Krypton. She is the ultimate new girl in school with all the powers of Superman.

Batgirl

Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, a confident young woman as committed to justice as her father, Gotham City's top cop Commissioner Gordon.

But when her overprotective dad forbids her from joining the police, she takes the law into her own hands.

Captain Marvel

Ms Marvel's powers include flight, enhanced strength, and the ability to shoot concussive energy bursts from her hands.

She first appeared in Marvel comics in 1967.

Lois Lane

Lois Lane is an investigative reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis, and Superman's love interest. She first appeared in Action Comics in 1938.

The first Women's Day was held in 1909 in the United States.

In 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was marked for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.

International Women's Day is now celebrated each year on 8 March in countries across the globe.

Who would you like to nominate as your female hero? Tweet us @BBCNewsbeat #IWD15

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