Flashback Friday: Batgirl #53

I will be getting this one in just under the wire for Friday according to Eastern Standard Time.  I made up my mind at about 10:38 PM to do a Flashback Friday post, but my computer is not behaving well.  I think that Microsoft did an update to screw with Windows XP.  That is just a conspiracy theory, but why would I still get updates when they said I would no longer receive them?  Anyway, we have a tale of Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) and Robin (Stephanie Brown).  They will face off against the Penguin in this story.  

It is really just a nice action story that has much fighting and major damage.  They make the most of the martial arts and the ability of Robin to make an entrance.  The light-hearted aspect is balanced by a chilling twist that will place one little girl in the middle of the Gotham underworld.  It hits close to home for both heroines, Stephanie especially.

It is cool to see Stephanie and Barbara Gordon together and think of how one day there will be a Batgirl title for Steph and Oracle will be guiding her.  The plot is good and this is an issue that one can own and not need to have the preceding or following issues to understand things.  It stands alone.

BDS

DC Blog teases Batgirl in Birds of Prey

So the DC Blog has a tease about a status quo altering scene in Birds of Prey #4.  I get tickled by these.  Most of you that follow know I love to give guesses.  Sometimes they are ridiculous, and sometimes close to reality.  Is Babs wearing Stephanie's costume?  That stinks.  Here is the post that accompanied this image.

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

By Josh Kushins

DC Comics – The New 52 and acclaimed writer Duane Swierczynski introduced a bold new take on the BIRDS OF PREY team dynamic – and in the fourth issue, a shocking revelation is going to upset the status quo all over again. Featuring a special guest appearance by Batgirl, the explosive issue’s going to rewrite the rules – so don’t get too comfortable, because anything can happen.

“One of my favorite thrillers is Ira Levin’s A KISS BEFORE DYING, because right in the middle of the novel…well, the cliche phrase would be, ‘Levin pulls the rug right out from under you,’ but that doesn’t do his legendary plot twist justice,” said Swierczynski. “Forget the rug being pulled out from under you… when you reach that point in KISS, it’s as if someone’s rolled up that rug and proceeded to use it to beat the living crap out of you. That’s what I’m shooting for with this first arc of BIRDS OF PREY. I won’t tell you where it is (other than somewhere in issue #4) But If I’m doing my job, you’ll be relaxing, enjoying your comic, and then…”

BIRDS OF PREY #4 goes on sale December 21, but we’ve got a first look at the cover by David Finch and Richard Friend.

 What is my guess?  I think they will reveal that Barbara is either a lesbian or bisexual.  She will be in bed with a Bird.  That is my ridiculous guess and if it is close I will do a Homer Simpson D'OH and slap my forehead.


BDS

Batgirl #24 You will be missed Stephanie Brown.

Batgirl #24

It all ends here, for now.  Someday Stephanie Brown will return as Batgirl I believe.  Like her I have hope.  The cancellation of this Batgirl is a sad event.  This has been a bright spot in the DC Comics line of books.  I fell in love with this title because of the humor and light-hearted banter that was so well done in the book.  It was funny without losing the action and excellent story-telling I want in my reading.

The history of Stephanie is and always will be part of the ongoing struggle between DC (and the comicbook industry as a whole) and the segment of our group of readers known as Fangirls.  The issue of why she didn't have a memorial case in the Batcave after her death made heads ache at DC.  The character was the first in a long line of Batman's sidekicks to be a female.  She lead a long character life as Tim Drake's love interest as the Spoiler.  Then Bryan Q. Miller brought us Stephanie Brown, Batgirl.


DCnU is eliminating all this of course.  But, what Miller did here was some of the best story-telling from any comicbook producer in years.  He took years of Bat-history and boiled it down to one lone girl and her journey to become the hero she was destined to be all along.  We have a character that we can see grow and struggle with her past as she stepped into a future of helping others.  He allowed us to fall in love with her as we watched her make friends across the DCU.  Her older sister vibe with Damien was brought to a nice close here in a simple act on the annoying boy wonder's part.  We had a slumber party with Supergirl that ended up being a monster movie night.  Klarion the Witch Boy was even overcome by the magical personality.

The use of the Mercy Flower to give Stephanie and us a glimpse of what might have been was a nice way to end the series.  It also allowed Pere Perez to have seven pages to give us some wonderful images through his art telling a decades worth of Batgirl stories.  It is a nice farewell.  I have lost many a title to cancellation or company implosion (CrossGen) and I can say that even though I am sad, I am satisfied with the good-bye the creative team gave me.

So long for now Purple Gal.  I will miss your bright and shining stories in a dark and grim world of comicbooks.

BDS

Oracle's Importance

Added Link of an interview between Jill (the Nerdy Bird) and Gail Simone (Writer Extraordinaire)

http://www.the-gutters.com/

Sometimes characters grab hold of our imagination and allow us to be inspired.  The tag of Superman was always "You will believe a man can fly."  Captain America is the collection of all that was ever good about the ideals America was founded upon.  Spider-Man is the everyman that we all can feel a connection to as we live our lives.  None though have the impact of a character that really represents true adversity.

The character of Barbara Gordon is within the comicbook fan community a legendary character.  She was the first Batgirl.  We know her as the love interest of Dick Grayson the first Robin.  The major contribution was what became of the character after her most tragic event.  For those that do not know, Babara was shot by the Joker.  The bullet paralyzed her for life.  She became an even stronger force to the super hero community of the DCU.  From her Wheelchair she fell back on her intellect and became Oracle.  Oracle is the technological genius that knew everything, could hack any system, and kept the heroes informed.  She would even gather her own team of women and a few men that needed a second chance into her Birds of Prey.  

Yet, it is not the Oracle that really made her important.  It is the fact that she was a comicbook representation of a person with a disability (I hope that if that is not PC I will be forgiven) seen as capable of great things.  It saddens me that this reboot will erase that representation.  Well, The Nerdy Bird has written a better column on the impact of this loss.  Please go read the links I am placing below.  Also the comic strip I added in images.

BDS

ORACLE Is Stronger Than BATGIRL Will Ever Be

Nerdy Bird 1

Nerdy Bird 2

  Nerdy Bird Interview With Gail Simone

Birds of Prey #6

            I was so glad when this title returned.  I knew I would like the book because I like Gail Simone as a storyteller.  Still, I admit that the restart has been bogged down some.  I wonder if Simone asked for Hawk & Dove, or if they said that the duo had to be placed in BoP because they needed somewhere to tell there Brightest Day tales that are out of the main title?  So the story of the return of the Birds gets a heavy handed treatment because we have this dual layer.  Simone does a good job of weaving her tale in with these two characters. 

            The payoff comes in this issue.  So much  been done in the life of Dinah Lance when the BoP was dissolved to carry the larger DCU pail of water.  She had to give the adopted daughter, Sin up to protect her, She got married, her husband died by her hand, her husband was alive and she had to rescue him, her husband’s son gets shot and brain drained,  Arsenal loses an arm, Ollie kills Prometheus, and she leaves Ollie.  Oh, Dinah also lead the Justice League as well.  Simone had to bring these characters back to the strength she had given them.  Dinah and the rest were not treated as well as we might think they would have been.

            A story carried from the previous run of Gail Simone on the title is continued here.  The only girl of a group of martial artist that Dinah had defeated and humiliated is manipulating things.  This White Canary has back both the Black canary and Lady Shiva into a match to the death.  Sin’s life is hanging in the balance.  The events lead Helena and Zinda to follow Dinah to Bangkok and they immediately get a surprise as they are facing her with a group of fighters.

            This is where the story begins for this issue.  Helena realizes that she has to do something that only she can do.  You miss this if you do not read carefully.  It leads to a fight between Huntress and Lady Shiva.  There is a great scene where Helena screws up the plan White Canary was forcing by using what she knows of honor and stuff because of her mafia background.  Her actions also bring us a new name for Lady Shiva, Drippypants.

            Drippypants was just a small bit of humor in this deadly serious fight between Huntress and the DCU’s deadliest women.  Never would you give Huntress a chance to get in one good moment, but she does.  It is great reading the fight, but the emotional stuff Helena is going through during this part of the story really hits her roots excellently.

            I recently purchased the entire Dennis O’Neal run of Huntress back in the late 1980’s.  Simone captures that essence of the character.  This was a Huntress that was just beginning and finding her feet.  All that was wiped out as reality was adjusted and readjusted.  We forget that Huntress was and is a strong woman that is not a shadow of Batman.  That is the best thing Gail Simone has done, bring Huntress to a level she should be at as a character.

BDS

Bruce Wayne The Road Home: Batgirl #1

            While reading this story that is a part of the larger Return of Bruce Wayne story I had an odd thought.  Was Bryan Q. miller trying to make a statement?  The Fangirl cry for a Stephanie Brown case memorial in the Batcave was the rallying point of a much larger concern with the treatment of female characters.  Stephanie was the first female Robin.  She ends up tortured and then murdered.  Yes, they retroactively brought her back and covered the whole mess up in a comicbook cliché way.  The bosses and creators from that period have sarcastically mentioned and very crudely talked about those wasting energy over the Death of Stephanie.  It has been a poorly executed meeting of corporate company and the fans that buy the product.  I just wonder if Miller is telling us he gets it and his Batgirl will treat Stephanie as a character to be respected.  That has been the tone in the series so far and it certainly is a strong tone here in this one-shot.

            Stephanie Brown as Batgirl has been a wonderful story to see unfold.  I have been reading the regular series since the beginning.  Batgirl is one of my enjoyable reads.  I make sure I savor it.  Sometimes I read it first and others I leave it to the end of the pile when I have slowed down my devouring of the stack of books.  It is one that I would hold on to if I had to start purging the pull list at the local shop.  From her costume to the witty thoughts and dialogue she has I just love this character.  She is very much like the kids I work with, slightly scattered, but so good hearted.  Each issue of her book has been a slow build of how the characters that knew her as Spoiler are seeing the growth of this amazing young crime fighter.

            She does something in this issue I have seen Black Canary do and that is slap Bruce.  It was just a well written scene.  Stephanie responds with shock at herself as she realizes she just slapped Batman.  It was deserved though.  Bruce has always treated her so hard and with an edge he never had with any of the others.  I even feel he treated Huntress better.  To see Stephanie stand her ground against him is wonderful.  It also is why I wonder if Miller is signaling something to Steph’s fanbase.  A promise maybe that as long as he is in control the girl will be the hero we love and treated as a true part of the Batfamily and the DCU.

I know I have rambled for a bit.  The thing I guess I will leave you with is that this book and the next Issue of Batgirl, number 15 are great jumping on points for a reader to try Batgirl out.  Stephanie is worth a read for a true fan of comicbook stories.  So try out Batgirl #15 and this book as well.

BDS

Bat Family History, Stephanie Brown Style

 This was posted on the DCU Blog the other day and I wanted to post it to make sure it was seen.  I was lazy until Rich Lovatt saved me the time in gathering it up easily.  I really think this is a funny retelling of the Bat Family history.  Stephanie Brown has been my one bright spot in my buying and reading this year.  Issue #15 is probably a good jumping on point if you want to see what all the fuss is about.  This history is a follow up to Stephanie feeling Wendy needs to know the background on what she is stepping into as Proxy.  Wonderful tease here in these panels.

BDS

Birds of Prey #4

Birds of Prey #4

I did go to the comic shop last week because of a doctor's appointment in the area.  I have been debating the listing of what I got for a reason I will explain soon.  Still, I wanted to write a review on Birds of Prey (BoP) #4.  The cover image is worthy of a poster I believe and I went to the DC Comics site to snag a text free image.  This is a Brightest Day themed book because of Hawk and Dove.  The thing is that Gail Simone is back and it is like she never left.

I was sad to see her left BoP when she went to Wonder Woman.  I was sad to see her leave Wonder Woman, but it is so nice to have her and the BoP title back and in fine form. Things are bad for the Birds.  Their secrets are being exposed, Oracle has been captured, a White Canary has them dying, and Lady Blackhawk is bleeding.  It is bad.

In this issue we have the Black Canary figuring out who the White Canary is and taking her on.  The battle is awesome.  She has to use her wits and her smart mouth to get a good shot at the foe.  The last page gives a very BIG hook for next issue.  It is wonderful that BoP is once again showing excellent female heroes and just kicking butt.  I really am glad this old friend is back.

Read this book.

BDS