Barbara Gordon: Batgirl/Oracle Appreciation 2021

[Rac7d*]

BTW, I wonder if swinging from rooftops is actually less physically impactful than punching out low-level hoods.

Even so, it's a minor nit. I enjoyed Nightwing 79.

When she lost her baby with Bruce it was against low level thugs

[Hypestyle]

When she lost her baby with Bruce it was against low level thugs

barbara was pregnant by bruce?

[Celgress]

barbara was pregnant by bruce?

Oh, lordy, here we go lol.

[Blue22]

barbara was pregnant by bruce?

Oh, lordy, here we go lol.

Gotta love Bruce Timm

[Rac7d*]

barbara was pregnant by bruce?

In the Bruce timm verse

[Frontier]

Let's not go there...

[Badou]

So much for the people saying she would return as Batgirl in the new Nightwing issue. They are obviously sidelining her to push her as Oracle. They are basically setting up that when she finally returns as Batgirl she will hurt her back again and go back into the chair for however long that will be. That is the whole point of them mentioning the stupid chip in her back sub-plot.

The whole magic chip in her back that makes her spine work is a convoluted story anyway. It is never not going to feel like that. You have characters that can return from death, have the technology to create space stations and fly through the galaxy, but a gunshot wound to the spine is apparently too complex for them to find some solution for...

[Celgress]

So much for the people saying she would return as Batgirl in the new Nightwing issue. They are obviously sidelining her to push her as Oracle. They are basically setting up that when she finally returns as Batgirl she will hurt her back again and go back into the chair for however long that will be. That is the whole point of them mentioning the stupid chip in her back sub-plot.

The whole magic chip in her back that makes her spine work is a convoluted story anyway. It is never not going to feel like that. You have characters that can return from death, have the technology to create space stations and fly through the galaxy, but a gunshot wound to the spine is apparently too complex for them to find some solution for...

I prefer Babs as Oracle so I'm okay with this. I said it then and I'll say it now; Babs should have never returned as Batgirl rather she should have stayed Oracle, IMO. I do wish they could find a way to do it that doesn't require her being "crippled" again at this point, but, alas it is what it is.

[Rac7d*]

So much for the people saying she would return as Batgirl in the new Nightwing issue. They are obviously sidelining her to push her as Oracle. They are basically setting up that when she finally returns as Batgirl she will hurt her back again and go back into the chair for however long that will be. That is the whole point of them mentioning the stupid chip in her back sub-plot.

The whole magic chip in her back that makes her spine work is a convoluted story anyway. It is never not going to feel like that. You have characters that can return from death, have the technology to create space stations and fly through the galaxy, but a gunshot wound to the spine is apparently too complex for them to find some solution for...

Nothing is obvious
Something is gonna force her to suit up eventually, she just being mindful of her implant

[atomicbattery]

It seems obvious that DC would like to return Barbara to the Oracle role permanently, but there are more high profile projects within Warner/AT&T that are preventing that-

Barbara Gordon, as Batgirl, will be a lead in the (very expensive) Gotham Knights video game, and it only makes sense that the corporation would want and expect that customers who enjoy her character in the game be able to find her in the comics.

It’s been reported in the New York Times profile of DC Films president Walter Hamada, and at the recent AT&T investor presentation, that the Batgirl movie remains a priority at Warner Brothers. And for the last four years of this long-gestating project, it’s been consistently said to feature the Barbara Gordon version of the character (although with Warner/DC that could, of course, change at any moment).

And Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl is a lead character in the DC Super Hero Girls franchise, which apparently does well in merchandising, and reaches an audience that, while not enormous, is still larger than that for comics.

So, as much as the powers at DC would apparently prefer otherwise, Barbara will probably be at least loosely tethered to the possibility of suiting up as Batgirl for the near future.

[Badou]

Nothing is obvious
Something is gonna force her to suit up eventually, she just being mindful of her implant

And after she suits up I think she is going to get crippled again. The chip will break or something will happen, probably with the Joker. It feels like this is where the sub-plot is going as there is no other reason to spend so much time on it. I wouldn't be surprised if Tynion is saving it for some big event for his Batman run. Not saying it will be permanent again, but it feels like this is the most obvious direction. Then she will be in the chair for a while until they decide they want her to walk again.

[kjn]

It seems obvious that DC would like to return Barbara to the Oracle role permanently, but there are more high profile projects within Warner/AT&T that are preventing that-

That Babs was Oracle from 1989 until the New 52 in 2011 didn't stop Babsgirl from appearing in BTAS, or from DC publishing Batgirl Year One. I'm sure there were many more Babsgirl stories published during that time as well, some Elseworlds, some set as prequels.

So I do not buy the argument that having Babs as Oracle in the mainline comics will stop DC from publishing or promoting Babsgirl material.

[sorboares]

I've been so excited for Nightwing issue 79 coz it has the Batgirl tease on the cover. I was extremely disappointed that Batgirl was not in it. Babs has the chance and the offer from Dick but she once again chose not to coz of her spinal chip.
It's crazy, Bruce had his back broken but he recovered perfectly, other characters get shot in the head and are fine, others die and heal but Babs' chip is always faulty and that's a lame excuse.
I was so let down that this issue had no Batgirl again.
On another note, it was a nice issue overall.

[Godlike13]

It seems obvious that DC would like to return Barbara to the Oracle role permanently, but there are more high profile projects within Warner/AT&T that are preventing that-

Barbara Gordon, as Batgirl, will be a lead in the (very expensive) Gotham Knights video game, and it only makes sense that the corporation would want and expect that customers who enjoy her character in the game be able to find her in the comics.

It’s been reported in the New York Times profile of DC Films president Walter Hamada, and at the recent AT&T investor presentation, that the Batgirl movie remains a priority at Warner Brothers. And for the last four years of this long-gestating project, it’s been consistently said to feature the Barbara Gordon version of the character (although with Warner/DC that could, of course, change at any moment).

And Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl is a lead character in the DC Super Hero Girls franchise, which apparently does well in merchandising, and reaches an audience that, while not enormous, is still larger than that for comics.

So, as much as the powers at DC would apparently prefer otherwise, Barbara will probably be at least loosely tethered to the possibility of suiting up as Batgirl for the near future.

Bingo. They are leaving the possibility there so they can still claim she can still be Batgirl at any time, and appease those obligations, but the intent is clear they want her back as Oracle. Which is fine if we get more Oracle driven content then, but the motivations behind having her return to Oracle doesn’t seem to actually be Oracle driven.

[Frontier]

And after she suits up I think she is going to get crippled again. The chip will break or something will happen, probably with the Joker. It feels like this is where the sub-plot is going as there is no other reason to spend so much time on it. I wouldn't be surprised if Tynion is saving it for some big event for his Batman run. Not saying it will be permanent again, but it feels like this is the most obvious direction. Then she will be in the chair for a while until they decide they want her to walk again.

That doesn't seem like something Taylor would do. I think Tynion would get a lot of flack for having her still be Oracle, having her ease up, and then just crippling her again. This seems like a reasonable compromise.

But yeah, they've talked about her being Batgirl so I expect something in the Nightwing book will force her to suit up again.