Stephanie Brown: Spoiler, Robin, Batgirl Appreciation 2020

[sifighter]

I hope for #3. It's incredibly dangerous for a non-powered human on Earth, and going there is not a mission to sign up for lightly. Damian went, but "he's Batman." It didn't work out well for Green Arrow.

Robin was not part of the Justice League, so doesn't accompany Batman on tons of missions.

Steph may be on Earth 2 which will still need it's heroes locally (unless it's a Utopia). Maybe she's now Nightwing there, leading the next generation of Titans, whoever they may be.

I mean in fairness there are plenty of heroes who are either just regulated to the background or are mentioned in passing. I mean in Dead Planet Firestorm and Red Tornado are just randomly in the background shot of issue 2, and in issue 1 it’s revealed that all the other earth bound green lanterns (John, Guy, Kyle, Simon, and Jessica) are all alive and guarding earth 2 while the Justice League go to earth.

[Tsukiakari1203]

Putting politics aside and just considering the action, I wouldn't call that kick nothing - it's at eye level, knocks the guy down and he's seeing stars. (It looks like she's wearing Wonder Girls leggings, and I can see the confusion, but no, the guy was walloped.) All Damian did was stomp on the phone.

But there are a lot of characters to serve, and it's easier to kill them off than juggle a huge number of them and manage to give them all strong moments.

The only lore I expect from this story is the possibility of heroic deaths. Judging by the cliffhanger, it's possible Steph will die saving Damian. Big sister-like. Which would actually be the second time she's saved him, as she just saved him from the phone.

If she dies saving her little brother then I'm okay with that

[millernumber1]

Welcome to the Batgirl: Stephanie Brown reread, Week 27! (Schedule starts here: https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post4916669) Today, we're on Future’s End: Batgirl #1, "Darker in the Soul", written by Gail Simone (uncredited assist by Bryan Q. Miller), pencilled by Javier Garron, inked by Javier Garron, colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr., cover by Clay Mann.



Notes: You thought this reread series was over? Nope! Just like Steph herself, it’s only over if we let it be over - and we didn’t! In 2014, during DC’s annual celebration of the event that took Steph away from us (the launch of the n52), Gail Simone ended her Batgirl run with a one shot set in a dystopian Future’s End.

And let’s face it. It’s a WEIRD story. Babs is inconsistently brilliant (taking down 70% of Gotham’s supercriminals solo through infiltration) and completely incompetent (letting her brother sneak into her wedding with guns, marrying a man who jumps off a building instead of jumping in front of her, and magically becoming as ripped as Bane without Venom after two years of intense training leave her still skinny and tiny. The art, by Javier Garron, is often very appealing, but also feels very rushed, with anatomy popping and bending all over the place.

But where it most needs to, it works. And for me, that’s the creation and portrayal of the League of Batgirls, Barbara’s trio of agents in the field, while she’s the terrifying Bete Noire in the shadows. Cass and Tiffany have some fun moments, but to me (perhaps predictably), it’s Steph who stands out - she is the lead talker in the field (understandably, given her penchant for Peter Parker-esque banter as Spoiler, Robin, and Batgirl before). She gets to use her classic gooparangs, and Babs tells her she has the heart of a lion, facing the darkness without giving in. It’s so beautifully good, my heart still fills with joy every time I read it.

To give a little historical context, in September 2014, Steph had been back for about 6 months, as Batman Eternal was in full swing, driven by the passion and energy of James Tynion IV. DC was finally allowing things like Steph and Cass showing up in alternate futures, where they had previously viciously squashed anything like that (with Smallville Season 11). But that was as Spoiler - Future’s End gave us Steph as Batgirl back, and also the key idea that I think could lead the Batgirl fandom out of the constant infighting I’ve seen for 10 years - the League of Batgirls - Babs leading, and Steph and Cass filling out their own unique slots.

Simone wrote a very nice post on tumblr about the process of writing this book, and revealed that BQM provided a little feedback for Steph’s dialogue - and BQM reblogged it https://ibmiller.tumblr.com/post/997...inally-writing

Cover: I actually have this cover signed by Clay Mann - and only the 2D, non-lenticular cover (I own the lenticular covers for Catwoman and Grayson), because I don’t like the lenticular one. Mann mentioned that he had to draw all the elements of the cover separately for the lenticular process. One of the two times I know of that Mann has drawn Steph.

Discussion Questions: What’s your favorite Steph moment in the title? Which line do you think BQM asked Simone to change? My own guess is: “You haven’t lived until you’ve covered some sketchy guys with goop. I know what I said.”

[ohfellow]

I'm now one story behind, typical, but looking forward to re-reading Future's End.

Some thoughts about "The Symbol":

First, I love what Lafuente and Hi-Fi did here. Lafuente drew mostly bold outlines, and let Hi-Fi use color to provide all the definition. The minimal inks and pastels done with a semi-watercolor effect give Steph and Cass a nearly transparent, ethereal look. Meanwhile, the cartoonish quality suits the buddy-comedy action.

Regarding the story, for one thing I actually think Cluemaster's Batsignal might not have been previously cracked, but was smashed by pieces of the broken door and/or Hench Man's body. Ooops! Hard to be sure, though - and it's unclear what the debris is in the air around the lens. Could be flying glass, but doesn't look quite like it.

Moreover, I wonder if Steph's and Cass's actual accomplishment was overshadowed, or even lost, thanks to the dramatic and even distracting reveal of the new costumes on the final splash page. What Steph wanted, and they set out to do, was project the Batsignal into the sky to instill hope in the citizens of Gotham, not necessarily to change costumes, though that's a bonus. Does anyone else think we are meant to imagine that their adjoining capes, backlit by the fire, are indeed casting the shadow of a bat across the sky? If so - they pulled it off.

Of course the story is "The Symbol," not "The Signal." So, it's both - it's in the sky, and it's theirs.

Now I wonder where Steph buys purple tinted tires!

[Tsukiakari1203]

I'm now one story behind, typical, but looking forward to re-reading Future's End.

Some thoughts about "The Symbol":

First, I love what Lafuente and Hi-Fi did here. Lafuente drew mostly bold outlines, and let Hi-Fi use color to provide all the definition. The minimal inks and pastels done with a semi-watercolor effect give Steph and Cass a nearly transparent, ethereal look. Meanwhile, the cartoonish quality suits the buddy-comedy action.

Regarding the story, for one thing I actually think Cluemaster's Batsignal might not have been previously cracked, but was smashed by pieces of the broken door and/or Hench Man's body. Ooops! Hard to be sure, though - and it's unclear what the debris is in the air around the lens. Could be flying glass, but doesn't look quite like it.

Moreover, I wonder if Steph's and Cass's actual accomplishment was overshadowed, or even lost, thanks to the dramatic and even distracting reveal of the new costumes on the final splash page. What Steph wanted, and they set out to do, was project the Batsignal into the sky to instill hope in the citizens of Gotham, not necessarily to change costumes, though that's a bonus. Does anyone else think we are meant to imagine that their adjoining capes, backlit by the fire, are indeed casting the shadow of a bat across the sky? If so - they pulled it off.

Of course the story is "The Symbol," not "The Signal." So, it's both - it's in the sky, and it's theirs.

Now I wonder where Steph buys purple tinted tires!

Probably Harper gave her the tires

[millernumber1]

I'm now one story behind, typical, but looking forward to re-reading Future's End.

Some thoughts about "The Symbol":

First, I love what Lafuente and Hi-Fi did here. Lafuente drew mostly bold outlines, and let Hi-Fi use color to provide all the definition. The minimal inks and pastels done with a semi-watercolor effect give Steph and Cass a nearly transparent, ethereal look. Meanwhile, the cartoonish quality suits the buddy-comedy action.

Regarding the story, for one thing I actually think Cluemaster's Batsignal might not have been previously cracked, but was smashed by pieces of the broken door and/or Hench Man's body. Ooops! Hard to be sure, though - and it's unclear what the debris is in the air around the lens. Could be flying glass, but doesn't look quite like it.

Moreover, I wonder if Steph's and Cass's actual accomplishment was overshadowed, or even lost, thanks to the dramatic and even distracting reveal of the new costumes on the final splash page. What Steph wanted, and they set out to do, was project the Batsignal into the sky to instill hope in the citizens of Gotham, not necessarily to change costumes, though that's a bonus. Does anyone else think we are meant to imagine that their adjoining capes, backlit by the fire, are indeed casting the shadow of a bat across the sky? If so - they pulled it off.

Of course the story is "The Symbol," not "The Signal." So, it's both - it's in the sky, and it's theirs.

Now I wonder where Steph buys purple tinted tires!

Lafuente's been doing that type of art for the last year, at least - we saw it in Pennyworth RIP (the Babs short story), Venditti's Man of Tomorrow #13, and now here. It's very pretty! And he's got a decent sense of storytelling, so it works pretty well.

I actually also thought there was a chance that Hench Master's fall broke the signal - but I think that wasn't supposed to be the case, as it seems pretty far away from the door, and it doesn't have any action lines or similar signals that it was hit by the debris.

I don't know if we can really say that even if they intend to make the Bat-symbol on the sky with their capes, it could realistically be for more than a second, due to trajectory and light sources.

[Tsukiakari1203]

Lafuente's been doing that type of art for the last year, at least - we saw it in Pennyworth RIP (the Babs short story), Venditti's Man of Tomorrow #13, and now here. It's very pretty! And he's got a decent sense of storytelling, so it works pretty well.

I actually also thought there was a chance that Hench Master's fall broke the signal - but I think that wasn't supposed to be the case, as it seems pretty far away from the door, and it doesn't have any action lines or similar signals that it was hit by the debris.

I don't know if we can really say that even if they intend to make the Bat-symbol on the sky with their capes, it could realistically be for more than a second, due to trajectory and light sources.

Science stays out of comics. Maybe Cluemaster just got pissed and smashed it?

[Digifiend]

[millernumber1]

That's EXACTLY what I was hoping for with the costume evolution! Where did you find that?

[ohfellow]

That's EXACTLY what I was hoping for with the costume evolution! Where did you find that?

I checked the signature, and found it here - a commission.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFzT2SKAa9Q/

The utility and thigh belts are sleek but probably not sufficiently functional.

The black fabric almost looks like a soft velvet. And the bat looks much better with the darker colors.

[ohfellow]

Lafuente's been doing that type of art for the last year, at least - we saw it in Pennyworth RIP (the Babs short story), Venditti's Man of Tomorrow #13, and now here. It's very pretty! And he's got a decent sense of storytelling, so it works pretty well.

I actually also thought there was a chance that Hench Master's fall broke the signal - but I think that wasn't supposed to be the case, as it seems pretty far away from the door, and it doesn't have any action lines or similar signals that it was hit by the debris.

In the second panel it looks further, but in the first panel, pieces of the door, and Hench Master's hand, seem very close, and in both panels there's some kind of rectangular debris flying above and adjacent to the lens. Hench Master has tumbled over entirely, arms ending up outstretched. (The guy is massive, twice as tall as and with quadruple the girth of Steph, so her takedown of him is pretty damn impressive. Look at that - her entire hand is smaller than one of his finger joints.) But from the perspective, it's hard to tell what happened, nor does the dialog yield any clue. The only sound-effect is "Thuk!" which may be the sound of the iron door being bent - but seems inadequate for the action, whether or not the lens cracked at this time. There's not enough here for me to be sure, and perhaps your conclusion that it didn't happen is supported by the absence of a "crash" sound effect.

I don't know if we can really say that even if they intend to make the Bat-symbol on the sky with their capes, it could realistically be for more than a second, due to trajectory and light sources.

A few very long, slow, consecutive swings might prolong a moving image. But yeah, maybe that image of the moment in time is meant only for us.

[millernumber1]

I checked the signature, and found it here - a commission.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFzT2SKAa9Q/

The utility and thigh belts are sleek but probably not sufficiently functional.

The black fabric almost looks like a soft velvet. And the bat looks much better with the darker colors.

Very good observations! Especially about the darker colors - I think the bat really needs them to make her black main bodysuit really dark, so the contrast is clear and appealing. I think Tomue Morey, who is coloring Batman, will do that - that's how Batman #99 was mostly colored in her two panels.

[Frontier]

The symbol looks much better here than it does in the comic.

(I'm not budging on that mask just making her look angry).

[Tsukiakari1203]

DROP DEAD GORGOEUS! Exactly what the Spoiler suit with the Bat should look like

[Digifiend]

That's EXACTLY what I was hoping for with the costume evolution! Where did you find that?

On another forum.