As the father of a daughter, and someone who normally gets worked up about this sort of thing, I don't see the big deal. I've always viewed comics as equivalent to daytime soap operas made more pornographic to suit teenage male tastes. What value is there in trying to capture this bit of culture for girls? Is it going to lead to higher paying jobs or more equal gender roles in the home? Is it going to lead to greater fulfillment in their personal lives?
To me, asking how we can get girls more interested in comics or sci-fi is like asking how we can address the gender imbalance in ditch digging jobs.
> What value is there in trying to capture this bit of culture for girls?
You understand you're essentially saying comic books are not for girls? That seems to be the conclusion the daughter was nervously coming to when she asked her dad where the "real" comic books were. Also, there's nothing about digging a ditch that's exclusively male. The big deal might be something you can't quite see right now.
Ouch. I can't speak for comics, as the only ones I've really enjoyed are Alan Moore comics which emphatically aren't suitable for children (Discworld is good, though), but plenty of sci-fi has high cultural value, IMO, in both TV and book form.
Star Trek: TNG, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Foundation, and many more show a lot about the human condition, teach the important concept that the future may be radically different from the present and we can shape it, and they are enjoyable to boot. Typically the newer sci-fi is either barely or not at all misogynistic (although 1950s-era sci-fi certainly is).
Consider that your impression of comics is coloured by apparently (based on your description) mostly having been shown a single, very limited segment (US-style superhero segments).
Comics are no more limited to that, than TV are limited to daytime soap operas.
The value isn't in trying to get girls to read US-style male-focused superhero stories, but in pointing out that the current comics most widely distributed in the US represents a tiny fraction of what is available.
Imagine what TV would be like if all that was on was daytime soap operas. That's the US comic market. If your TV was like that, would it not be nice to get a wider selection?
> Is it going to lead to greater fulfillment in their personal lives?
Role models - even when depicted in fiction - matters:
My comment was really directed at Marvel/DC comics. My mom grew up reading Tintin (in Bangladesh!) but when an American talks about "comicbooks" that's not really what they're thinking of. I think those sorts of comics are so different you're talking about a different industry almost.
To me, asking how we can get girls more interested in comics or sci-fi is like asking how we can address the gender imbalance in ditch digging jobs.