Batgirl

• Title: Batgirl #3
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Gail Simone
• Artist: Ardian Syaf

I still miss Stephanie Brown, I’ll freely admit that. Of all the comics that went away in favor of DC’s New 52 Bryan Q. Miller‘s Batgirl was the most consistent and showed promise to get even better with time.

Stephanie was a Barbara Gordon Batgirl for a new generation. Strong, opinionated, quirky, intelligent, kick-ass, and always wearing her heart on her sleeve. Why would we need Babs back in the Batsuit when Steph was honoring her so well?

I also miss Oracle, and her partnership with Black Canary, Huntress, Zinda Blake, and the rest of the Birds of Prey. It’s in her years in the wheelchair, not before, that Barbara became a real fleshed out character that was one of the most inspiring in all of comics.

Barbara Gordon’s return as Batgirl has been underwhelming, even with Gail Simone at the helm. The latest issue sees Batgirl go toe-to-toe with Nightwing, and, if only for a moment, we see what this comic could be is Simone wasn’t so intent on isolating Babs from the rest of the Bat-Family.

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• Title: Batgirl #1
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Gail Simone
• Artist: Ardian Syaf

Of all the comics slated for the DC Reboot Barbara Gordon‘s return as Batgirl created the most heated debate. DC was cancelling Stephanie Brown‘s popular version of the character in favor of putting Barbara back in the Batsuit for the first time since 1988 when the character was paralyzed by the Joker in Alan Moore‘s Batman: The Killing Joke.

Forgetting for the second that this first issue is far inferior to Bryan Q. Miller’s stellar Batgirl run, and the debate whether or not Barbara Gordon is a more intriguing character as Oracle rather than Batgirl (the answer is Oracle, by the way), this first issue has a great many problems.

I love writer Gail Simone, I’d just rather see her penning Secret Six. The writing her feels rushed, Barbara Gordon’s paralysis is fixed by a “miracle” off-panel, and her time as Oracle isn’t even hinted at (did it even occur in this vesrion of the DCU?). The villain of the piece (who basically appears to be some guy who has seen Final Destination way, way too many times) is also troubling. And don’t even get me started on the costume that looks like someone spray-painted Witchblade.

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