More Batfamily Books Announced From DC: Batwoman, Batgirl, Birds of Prey, & Catwoman

The Batfamily announcements roll on with four new books with female protagonists.

Batwoman #1 written by J.H. Williams III, Haden Blackman and art by Williams III and Amy Reeder

 

 

Batgirl #1 written    by Gail Simone and artist by Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes

 

Birds of Prey #1 written by Duane Swierczynski with art by Jesus Saiz

 

Catwoman #1 written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Guillem March

A couple of things of note here. The Batgirl announcement was rather conspicuous in not specifying which Batgirl she is. The rumors and the red hair would lead one to believe that it’s Barbara Gordon (and the fact that there is no Barbara Gordon in the Birds of Prey image). Could it be Stephanie Brown in a red wig? Doubtful. It’s probably Barbara Gordon and I’m fine with that.

Also, here’s your Duane Swierczynski announcement. While’s not on a Batman book like many thought (hoped), that he’s writing Birds of Prey is very interesting. Finally, note that all of the female characters seen so far in these DC announcements are wearing pants.

Update: Batgirl is Barbra Gordon. Here’s writer Gail SImone:

“Barbara Gordon is pretty much my everything. Because of the Batman TV show, she was the reason I fell in love with superheroes. Because she was a redhead who could kick ass, she is the reason I fell in love with comics. She was always forward-looking as Batgirl, a girl who was smarter than the male characters, who had class and elegance and style, as well as tough-as-nails grit. For a long time, there was simply nothing else like her in comics, and for me and a lot of other readers, her every appearance was joyful and explosive.

For many years, I got to write the character as Oracle, and there is to this day, no character who means more to me. This is classic Barbara as she was originally conceived, with a few big surprises. It’s a bit of a shock, to be sure, but we’re doing everything we can to be respectful to this character’s amazing legacy, while presenting something thrilling that a generation of comics readers will be experiencing for the first time…

…Barbara Gordon leaping, fighting, and swinging over Gotham. Now, when citizens of that city look up, they are going to see BATGIRL.

And that is absolutely thrilling.”

Make sure to check out our Definitive Guide to the DC Reboot to keep track of all the new titles.

Comments

  1. Fuck yeah. Winnick on Catwoman and Batwoman.  That makes 3 bat-related books pending who’s writing Nightwing.

  2. Also, I wonder what Brian Q will be doing now.  I’d be interested in that as well.

  3. So… Stephanie dyed her hair red, right? RIGHT!?!

  4. @vadamowens  Winick is just writing Catwoman. J.H. Williams III is writing Batwoman.

  5. I didn’t think that I would be interested in another BoP relaunch but Swierczynski + Saiz has me very intrigued. This is definitely going on my pre-order list.

  6. Love that Batwoman #1 cover.

    Also, does that batgirl have ginger hair or am I colour blind? 

  7. Oh wait, somehow missed Gail Simone was writing it. Guess I won’t be reading it anyway.

  8. @conor  I gathered that.  I just didn’t state it properly in my post. Thanks anyway though.

  9. Is that Black Canary in the Birds of Prey cover?

  10. @Bryce31  Looks like it.

  11. Regarding the pants, Catwoman is apparently on her way to NOT wearing them, based on that cover. Who are the Birds of Prey? I’m guessing that’s Poison Ivy in the back and Black Canary? Who else? Also, wouldn’t it be weird to have a Batwoman who is younger or pretty close in age to the Batgirl, if that is in fact Barbara as Batgirl?

  12. The face on Batgirl reminds me more of Stpehanie than Barbara, but who’s to say. Decent announcements. 

  13. Well, the red hair and Gail Simone’s name are leading me to believe that Babs is patrolling rooftops again.  Interesting to see how it shapes up.

  14. I’m all for DC finding their own superstars in terms of artist and writers, but these announcements, save for the Wonder Woman/JL teams are leaving me cold.

    Lots of reshuffling and no star power.

  15. I like what I see. There still seems to be a missing ‘news worthy item’ that will resonate outside the comics community. There needs to be a wildcard.

  16. I like Simone, so even though I’ll miss Stephanie terribly (if she is, in fact, getting the boot), I’ll continue reading Batgirl. If Steph isn’t Batgirl, I wonder where she’ll go? Back to Spoiler? Just disappear? I’d like to see her in the Bat books in some capacity.

  17. My prior statement relates to the creative line-up.

  18. Red headed Batwoman AND Batgirl. Yeah, that’s not confusing for the new readers that this supposed reboot is intended for.

    So now it would seem that Tim Drake & Stephanie Brown are the only characters still in limbo? How bout a Red Robin/Spoiler team book?

  19. @j206  Two red heads is not more confusing then two blondes or two brunettes.

  20. @206jordan I can see them maybe becoming side characters in other books if the new DC mandate is to make things simpler for the audience ‘outside’ of the regular comics fanbase (i.e., us).

  21. Personally I would love to see Barbara become Batwoman and Stephanie stay as Batgirl.

    I just can’t get into this new Batwoman- nothing compelling about her to me.

  22. @conor  But it is more exciting!

  23. Man, this is killing me.  Tim Drake was my entry point into modern comics, and DC comics in general.  And Stephanie was way at the top of my favourites too.  Losing either one (or god forbid, both) of them would be very disappointing for me. 

  24. I hope Bryan Miller is still writing something in DC, I love his work in the current batgirl series.

  25. Good God, Guillem March has some of the most unashamedly cheesecake (yet admittedly pretty) art I’ve ever. 

  26. Avatar photo Jeff Reid (@JeffRReid) says:

    Occasionally, our cats will sit on the couch with their heads dangling over the side. Inevitably, their center of gravity shifts and they tumble off the couch, ass over tea kettle. What I’m saying is, maybe Selina should find a better spot to dump her diamonds on her boobies.

  27. The DCU Blog has Gail confirming it’s Barbara.

    God, I hope Tim and Dick don’t get cast aside during all of this.

  28. These seem cool.  I wish we’d find out what happens to Stephanie and Tim.  I like the suggestion of a Red Robin and Spoiler book.  If it was written by Bryan Q, I’d be even happier.  We’ll have to see what comes next.

  29. I was already down for Batwoman.  Winnick on Catwoman is a pleasant surprise so I’ll be picking that up too.  Looks like they’re mixing up the Birds of Prey team a good bit so I might also check that out as well.

  30. @j206  I would be on-board for a Tim / Stephanie team-up book, especially if DC somehow convinces Chuck Dixon to come back to write it.  I have no idea what they would call it.

  31. Updated with the confirmation that Batgirl is Barbara Gordon.

  32. Conor: “Two red heads is not more confusing then two blondes or two brunettes.”

    Obviously.

    What I was saying was that if DC really was trying to make their books and universe simpler and more accessible, they wouldn’t have two characters that are so similar. Two bat ladies is a bit much to a new reader. Let alone, two who have a similar look. I speak from personal experience, as it was a while before I got all the different Batwomen and girls sorted.

    Myself personally, I think it would have been better to make Babs Batwoman and Stephanie as Batgirl. That solves things. You got a red head and a blonde. 😉 So no probs differentiating the two. Plus it would make for a more appropriate dichotomy between the two heroes. You’d have Babs as the savvy vet, and Steph as the young up and comer. I know it’s basically semantics, but Cassandra as Batwoman while the much more established DC hero, Barbara Gordon, is Batgirl feels odd. That is unless they de-age Babs. Which would be even more weird for long time readers.

    I wonder how much JH Williams having spent so long on his upcoming Batwoman book played into keeping Cassandra in the role? I’m guessing a lot.

  33. Winnick on Catwoman looks promising…maybe the book focuses on a Bruce-Catwoman romance? Just a thought.

    I’m in on Batwoman, if only because JH Williams did such an amazing job on the Batwoman arc in Detective Comics.

    I’m a maybe on Batgirl with Simone. I’ve never been a huge fan of Simone, but I love the Batgirl character so I’ll likely pick it up.

     

  34. I seriously needed a Catwoman book back in my life. The fact that Judd Winick is writing it only makes life better.

  35. @j206  Batwoman is Kate Kane. Cassandra is one of the old Batgirls.

  36. If Batwoman is Barbara, she will have plenty of time to also be Batgirl with the six months between each Batwoman issue.

  37. If Tim Drake is gone from the revamped DCU, then so am I. Since his solo series as Robin started, it has kept me going no matter what else happened in the DCU. Hal Jordan turns villian, then dies. No problem. Tim Drake kept me through it. Bruce dies, Dick takes over and casts Tim aside. No problem, cause Tim became Red Robin and marched on. Superboy dies in a Crisis event. No problem, cause Tim carries on.
    Tim Drake is on par with Peter Parker to me. Outside of powers, they are both similarly written characters. As Red Robin/Spider-Man go, so do I. 

    I’m already losing one Peter Parker in the coming month with “Death of Spider-Man”, let’s not lose Timmy too.
     

  38. A Gail Simone Batgirl title would definitely be worth checking out.

  39. The Barbara Gordon thing is one of the first major “reboots” to a character i’ve seen so far. Getting her out of that chair will be interesting. I wonder if it will be a story point, or if they’ll just start from “it never happened”?

  40. So, no more Stephanie. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for that Red Robin/Spoiler team-up book.

  41. Ugh, Winnick on Catwoman. I really miss the old Brubaker run, there’s no way this new book could live up to that. 

    So far in terms of the character of Batman it appears to be a soft reboot, except for Barbara as Batgirl. I figure that’s a Prof. Zoom messing up with time thing. And Tim Drake? Is he Nightwing or will there be a Red Robin book? I just hope we are done with all this Jason Todd nonsense, it worked in Hush, but not so everywhere else.

    I just hope Morrison doesn’t get screwed over in this, Batman Inc is a fantastic book.    

  42. NOOOO Why, DC? Why must u take stephanie brown away from me??

  43. so the killing joke never happened huh? bah

  44. It’s a testament to the work that Bryan Q. Miller did on Batgirl that the reaction to Stephanie not being Batgirl here is almost 180 degrees from the reaction when she became Batgirl.

  45. I like how even Gail Simone seems to think that seeing the return of a Silver Age relic is the greatest honor my generation of comic readers can hope for – as opposed to seeing the characters we’ve grown attached to in our own time being deigned worthy of existence, or even blossoming.

  46. @spacegrass I still have a hardcover copy of KILLING JOKE sitting on my bookshelf that says it DID happen.  Did your copy evaporate into thin air?

  47. I wonder what Alan Moore has to say about it.

  48. I’m in for the first two. I might try Catwoman, too.

  49. I am fine with most of these moves.  However, I really think they screwed up Birds of Prey.  The great thing about Birds of Prey since its inception was the relatioship between Barbara Gordon and Black Canary.  Looks like that no longer exists.  I believe the woman in green on Jesus Saiz’s cover is proabably Thorn and not Posion Ivy.  The lady with the sword is most likely Katanna (and the costume redesign is terrible), I am assuming the blonde is Black Canary, and the new costume is horrible.  Can’t figure out who the woman sitting is.  This also means Black Canary will probably not be in the JLA which also upsets me. I will miss Stephanie as Batgirl, but I honestly prefer Barbara. 

  50. We know the reason DC is doing this, and its marketing. Ask the average person who is Batgirl and they would say Barbara Gordan, or the Commish’s Daughter. This is why Bruce is onl Batman, Barry is back, Hal is a GL. When they sell the toys, games, clothing its the silver age that’s represented. If they do a Flash movie its going to be Barry Allen, not Wally.

    Its what most people know. But, it would be nice if DC used the multiverse. Have these character be a different earth, so if you wanted Stephanie Brown, or Babs as Oracle you can still tell those stories. 

     

  51. I guess I’m dropping Batgirl with the reboot, but I’ll be replacing it with Catwoman!  I wish comic stores had an “Add all titles by this Creator” function.  I asked at my store once, and they said it was impossible to configure.  Amusingly, though, my store owner recently dreamed I had added a book to my list because it was a Christos Gage title!

  52. I thought reboot would mean origin stories. It does not look like they are going that way.

  53. @Rchapoteau  I think you meant Red Hood, and the art on that actually looks pretty awesome.

  54. @Rbigley  A 90s multiverse series would be awesome. Major Bumme, Young Heroes in Love, Aztek and Damange anothlogy.

  55. Some one needs to give paul a hug when he shows up to this conversation. I will miss steph as bat girl, the past year I’ve tried alot more comics that I normally would have avoided and Batgirl was definitely a highlight.

    Once things settle in the dcu I will probably give catwoman a try 

  56. I think Tim is going to be Robin and I think Damian is going buh-bye.

  57. @Jagstang  Damian has already been confirmed as Robin in Batman & Robin.

  58. This is probably the best bunch of relaunches i’ve seen yet. I’m definetley going to be getting batwoman, and Catwoman. Gail Simone on batgirl is great too, and while i still want Babs to be oracle, I think she’s in good hands with Simone. However being the huge Birds of Prey fan that I am, that really doesn’t look like my Birds. I think the costumes look weird and not crazy about Simone not writing this one.

  59. So what’s the score so far?

    Two wasted Batgirls, one wasted Oracle?

  60. “This deal is getting worse all the time.” -Lando

  61. I loved that Stephanie Brown batgirl book. It is one of the books I am to pick up locally while I go to college, and not worry about missing an issue because of its one and done style. I hope Simone keeps up the quality, I’m sure she will. 

  62. Please keep Tim Drake going in some capacity!

  63. Stephanie is not “going away”.  She may no longer be Batgirl, but I am convinced that she will still exist in the DCU.  Look at it this way.  If your mentor (i.e., Barbara Gordon / Oracle) were to resume the mantle that she created, the same mantle that you now wear, you would graciously step aside too, wouldn’t you?  

    To my way of thinking, the only question now is whether Steph will become Spoiler again.  Personally, I hope not.  I think she has moved beyond that persona, kinda like Tim has moved beyond being Robin to being Red Robin. 

  64. DC would have had a perfect opportunity to stick Stephanie – hell, even Cassandra – into Birds of Prey. They are conspicuous in their absence. I will be surprised if there’s anything better than obscurity in store for them.

  65. Conor: “ @j206 Batwoman is Kate Kane. Cassandra is one of the old Batgirls.”

    Dangit! I knew that!

    See. That’s exactly what I’m talking about with all the Batgirls and women. It’s confusing. Lol.

  66. Finally, Batwoman.

  67. Count me in with all the people who are going to miss Bryan Q Miller’s Batgirl. That was a fun book. Filled the void that Palmiotti, Gray, and Conner’s Power Girl left.

  68. Ugh Batgirl is my favorite DC book right now. Blegh.

  69. On the Birds cover, who’s that directly below Poison Ivy?

  70. @sphinx69  Don’t forget Huntress. Without Helena in there, I have my doubts. Not sure who all these ladies are, seen some guesses. Wonder if the seated one is Rose Tattoo from Wildstorm?

  71. The new Black Canary costume is interesting…she’s not pantless, but the lower half of her costume gives off the illusion of her old dance tights/fishnet stocking combo.
  72. I am not a bat fan at all so I think the only bat book I will possibly be picking up is a cat book.

  73. I could see where the current Gotham City Sirens storyline ends with the team breaking up, with Poison Ivy going to another team(BIrds) and Catwoman going out on her own.

    I’m hoping Winick can still write Power Girl.  Fingers crossed for more announcements tomorrow.

  74. @OwlyFan  He’s not even writing Power Girl now.

  75. Honestly, i want to what Winick will do with Catwoman.

  76. Great article on Barbara becoming Batgirl again from someone in a wheelchair:
    http://www.newsarama.com/comics/oracle-is-stronger-than-batgirl-110606.html

  77. Just had a thought regarding Barbara as Batgirl again. Since the bat-books seem to be sticking with current storylines, maybe Barbara IS still in the wheelchair. And maybe her spine isn’t healed, so she hasn’t lost all the chacter depth she’s developed (not to mention the hacker skills). Clearly DCU technology could have gotten her out of the chair by now — maybe she’s always turned down whatever tech or treatment was offered.

    The more we learn about this relaunch, the less it feels like anything is getting swept away completely, especially as it relates to Batman.

    Makes me hope some of the posters from this morning take the metaphorical guns out of their mouths and realize the sky is pretty much in the same place it was last week.

  78. Gah, never finished my point. Barbara could be using some kind of tech to be Batgirl again, while keeping her cover as Babs by remaining in the chair when out of costume. I think Tim did something like this a little while ago?

  79. @KenOchalek – Yes. That is very true. The more things seem to “change” the more they’re really for the most part staying the same.

    I too wonder how their going to give Barbara legs again. Maybe something bad happens to Stephanie Brown (who we have yet to hear about in all these new books), and coinciding with Babs getting her legs fixed, leads to her taking back her old mantle?

  80. I’m trying to keep an open mind about all this, but these announcements are a mixed bag for me. I don’t like the idea of Oracle walking again (up until recently, I could barely walk, and though I’m improving, I like having Oracle as an intelligent handicapable character) but I do love Gail, so I’ll be checking it out. The lack of a Stephanie book is very much upsetting though. I hope there will be some clarification on this soon.

  81. @Suicidalkangarooz  This was an excellent article. Thanks for the link.

  82. @ ResurrectionFlan . I never read any of those titles.I’m an old school DC fan that started reading back in the 70’s. Didn’t care much for the 90’s so much. Stuck with JLA, Batman and Vertigo stuff. 

    But This start over gives them the perfect excuse in not explaining anything. Zap, Babs was never shot by the Joker, ZAP Wildstorm is now apart of DC, Zap Superman and Wonder woman can be slightly different.

    And,  Roy has his arm back and never beat anyone to death with a deadcat. Some stuff is going to be changed, but other stuff not so. I bet Aquaman picks up right from Brightest Day. Green Lantern titles will just gloss over anything that might be inconvienant. Batman? Well it seems to be the same, after all I doubt he was made younger (Like Dido suggests happened to characters) Because Dick Grayson is around, Jason Todd is around (Dammit) and Daimen is around. what is he 12, 13? So he’s done the Batman thing for awhile. So Zoom altered a timeline and Babs walks. I bet Morrison doesn’t use her in finishing his Batman arc when Batman Inc and Batman Leviathan gets back on schedule next year. He might not be able to explain so leave her out.

    Plus Dido said some chgaracters will not come back. It’ll suck if that happens to Tim Drake, or even Huntress in Birds of Prey. Hell I’ll miss Zinda too. But DC will have a problem with the JSA, as Marvel will have with Nick Fury. The 40’s is so long ago. Do the JSA now take place in the 60’s or even the 70’s (like in Smallville).

  83. @Rbigley  There’s no problem with the JSA. They were de-aged with magic and magic knows no time limitations.

  84. I am *very* happy that Batwoman will finally be coming out and will happily support it with my dollars.
     

  85. Excited for the single 6 issue deluxe HC of Batwoman I’ll see sometime in 2014, that’s about it. 

  86. @Conor. Yeah, but in long term say in ten years, it gets awkward time wise. I’m not saying I dislike them for being old, I’m not. I love the JSA, more than JLA. I was facinated by them in the late 70’s with the art of Wally Wood on All Star. In 10 to 20 years when these characters will be 110 or 120 years old it gets tricky. I think DC is well aware of that. 

  87. Well they aren’t the sexiest announcements (which is ironic) but still some interesting titles in the bunch. I’m especially surprised by the huge talent involved for Birds of Prey. Duane S. and Jesus Saiz is enough for me to give it a shot.

    As for Barbara being able to walk again, it doesn’t bother me at all. My entire life with comics I’ve seen her in a wheelchair except in BTAS and in flashbacks. So her being able to walk again doesn’t bother me in the slightest. 

  88. Forgot to ask. Who is the one with the sword in Birds of Prey? That a wildstorm character or maybe Katanna redesigned?

  89. @Noto, your welcome. I found it fascinating, and it made me really not like barbara walking again. I hope more people check out the article.

  90. @Rbigley  Got to be Katana (unless Judo Master has picked up a sword, lol). The Rising Sun mask is so played out though, what a joke. JUST IN CASE YOU FORGET THE ASIAN GIRL WITH THE SWORD WAS JAPANESE

  91. @ctrosejr  Wait … I thought Damian was the new Batgirl!

  92. No wonder Batwoman was delayed. Can’t wait. After Justice League.GL I will follow Judd Winick any where.  My only question is  Where is Stephanie Brown and Where is Bryan Q . Miller ?

  93. “I have, thus far, not been approached to write any of the September relaunches.”
    – Bryan Q. Miller on Twitter.

  94. @BornIn1142  That’s shocking to me and a little depressing.

  95. I’m just not really excited about Barbara leaving the role of Oracle for multiple reasons. I’m not trying to overplay this but I appreciated Barbara’s role as Oracle. It was unique and interesting. Also the idea of Barbara not confined to a wheelchair SEEMS to cancel out one of the greatest Batman stories – The Killing Joke.

    Also not a big fan of Guillem March’s art do I’m not sure about Catwoman.

  96. @keith7198

    Does Barbara becoming Batgirl again *automatically* mean she cannot also be Oracle? I’ve never followed Birds of Prey, but I always thought Oracle was just a voice in an earpiece to a lot of characters. And with today’s wireless tech (in the real world, who knows what the DCU could have), who’s to say she can’t be Batgirl and Oracle at the exact same time — kicking ass as Batgirl while running an operation as Oracle.

    They say women are better multi-taskers than men, right?

    And again, there are many organic storytelling beats that can overcome her injury without undoing all the devlopment she’s had over the last 20+ years. 

    This isn’t directed at you Keith, but it’s been really disappointing to me to see so many fans that seem to be searching for something to justify a negative position on all this. I guess I just don’t understand why you’d want to approach comic books of all things with that kind of pessimism.

  97. No Bryan Q. Miller (unless DC still has books to assign writers to) and how many JT Krul books? Not to mention all the books where the artists are doing the writing as well. DC better get it’s head out of it’s ass. Batgirl was a great book.

    @keith7198 – I’m with you. Oracle was a unique character with a rich backstory. Batgirl on the other hand is one of dozens of female crime fighters who are more or less the same character type. There has been a handful of Batgirl’s and one one Oracle. For a reason.

    As for canceling out The Killing Joke. As required by this site, “Your book isn’t going anywhere!” But I get what you’re saying. It could potentially be wiped from Babs’ current history for her character. Which does change a lot of who she grew into as Oracle. I’m curious how it’s going to be handled. Will Gail Simone explain a reason for her getting out of the wheelchair in Birds of Prey prior to the relaunch? Or will it just be as if nothing every happened in issue #1? Isn’t the current arc on BoP titled ‘Death of Oracle’? I guess that sort of makes sense now. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. 

  98. @BornIn1142  AMEN.  Gail Simone’s main rationale for making the switch to Barbara was simply that she liked the character as a child.  Totally ignores the momentum with fans Stephanie has attained. The re-boot is supposed to be about building the business.

    Barbara built a unique identity as Oracle and there she should have remained.

  99. Haden Blackman…is it the same Blackman behind the Star Wars Force Unleashed games?

  100. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @RahUniQue  Yes. 

  101. Very happy about Cat & Bat Woman.

  102. @KenOchalek  I think you miss my bigger point. I also think you miss a bigger character dynamic…the wheelchair and her disability. Sure Batgirl can swing around and kick butt, but Barbara not surrending to the limitations of her disability is such a stronger concept to me. The Oracle we have known has so many layers but also offers a character with a strong, inspiring story.

    So my reservations/pessimism isn’t based on a paper thin concern.

  103. Oracle overcoming her limitations is inspiring yes, but it’s also fucking stupid that she would refuse the ability to walk again. You need some suspension of disbelief to take the character semi-serious and that’s impossible in a world where a character can lose an arm and be given another robot one the same day, or Batman can recover completely from a broken back in a few panels etc etc

  104. @Cormac  I am not disagreeing with anything that you are saying, but this is supposed to be a ‘more diverse’ DC.  Having someone with Barbara’s condition who is more than just a bit player in DC is a good thing.

    By your same reasoning Matt Murdock should get his sight back, and Echo gets her hearing back.  I do not want these things because they are something of a positive role model, not just for those who share the same physical aspects but as something of an ‘eye opener’ for the public.

  105. Diversity is good, for sure. The role-model aspect is positive, yes. Super-librarianship and Super-google-fu are more interesting superpowers to me than energy blasts or wall-crawling, at this point.

    But there was an actual scene (possibly multiple versions of it exist) where she refused to have treatment. It made no sense. Anyone who went through something like that would take whatever treatment they could get rather than going ‘Screw you universe, I’m gonna ice skate uphill for the rest of my life and like it!’. The logical underpinnings of the character just fell apart at that point for me. (I realize this is absurd…all these characters are absurd, as is the world they live in. But you either accept that or you don’t have a discussion at all…)

     

  106. So glad to see Babs back as Batgirl. I hate that DC has been handcuffed to some awful would-be gospel that Alan Moore regurgitated and then stuck them with for years and years. Kudos to Gail Simone for rescuing THE Batgirl from the fridge and putting her back in action. Lord, I hate “The Killing Joke”. The ONLY good thing to come from that book is it paved the way for other writers to take Batman to darker (yet still story logical and non-exploitative) places. What an awful book and piece of hack writing. This from the guy who wrote “Watchmen”? Uggh.

    (Yeah, that should do it. Totally serious, by the way.)

  107. @kieth7198

    I see where you’re coming from, and I agree that – given history – Barbara as Oracle is stronger from a conceptual standpoint than Barbara as Batgirl.

    All I’m saying is that just because she’ll be Batgirl again doesn’t necessarily mean everything she went through as Oracle will be erased from existence. We’re still not very clear as to what (if anything) is being rebooted/retconned, so it’s possible we’ll end up with an even more developed Barbara Gordon — she’s out of the chair and on her feet again, but she hasn’t forgotten her experience. 

  108. Barbara Gordon’s recovery (whatever form it takes) is definitely necessary from a new/non-comic reading perspective. We’re all, for the most part, used to the idea that Oracle exists in the ‘non-powered’ section of the DCU and thus is limited to real world medical care. And thus we suspend disbelief accordingly. For the same reason that no one mocks Batman for not bringing in a bunch of alien technology borrowed from the Justice League and making an Arkham Asylum that not even Darkseid could effectively escape. What irritates me more is the name. Barbara Gordon is in her thirties. Thats an adult woman, not a girl, last time I checked. I don’t automatically hate the idea; but honestly Gail Simone is the only reason I’m excited for this book.

  109. @Cormac  Up dude, we’re talking about people dressing up as Bats swinging across rooftops. Suspension of disbelief shouldn’t be a problem.

  110. @KenOchalek  That’s a very valid point. And since we don’t have the whole picture regarding DC’s intentions I’m probably jumping the gun a bit.

  111. If this were a poll about Barbara Gordon, I’d be ticking the “Oracle” checkbox along with many others.  I think it’s kind of a bummer. 

  112. @keith7198  Can I just quote myself here to answer that? 

    (I realize this is absurd…all these characters are absurd, as is the world they live in. But you either accept that or you don’t have a discussion at all…)’

  113. No Oracle, No Huntress, no sale on BoP for me…

  114. With an entire year head start, I think it is safe to say that Batwoman is going to rock. The split between J.H. Williams drawing Batwoman and Amy Reeder drawing Kate Kane in the zero issue was inspired. I’ll miss Red Robin less knowing I get to look forward to Batwoman …

  115. I’m paranoid, I like the Bat U the way it is and think it’s doing fine. Hope it stays good.

  116. Barbara Gaordon as batgirl and Jason red hood Todd around means Joker is absolved. Maybe he will stop killing altogether. lame.

  117. @gaelian  Seems unlikely.

  118. What, Joker never killed anybody else?

  119. I know, what I’m saying is that part of waht makes Joker Batman’s adversary, nemesis, thorn in his side is what he did to this character and the fact that batman could not stop him. Now that both of them have primary roles in the reboot makes what the joker meant to bruce/batman a little less personal or important.

  120. Thanks DC. You ticked me off some years ago by replacing Kyle Raynor as the Green Lantern. Now, they lose Stephanie just as she’s coming into her own as Batgirl. Ditto with Supergirl. I’m glad they’re givng Catwoman and Blue Beetle their own books again, but gee… I’m serioulsy going to re-think what I have on my standing order at the local comic store. As for the numbering, didn’t we put up with enough when Marvel did it, before resuming where they left off?

  121. i stumbled across this gem, found it to be hilarious… mostly because a kid is reading comics

    http://www.the-gutters.com/comic/147-ron-chan

  122. I wonder how Barbara got un-paralyed.