Barbara Gordon: Batgirl/Oracle Appreciation 2021

[Frontier]

I like it. It's the best parts of the Burnside costume, but with a little bit more classic feel. I will agree that yellow boots and/or gloves might help it pop a bit more. But then I'm also one of the weirdos who likes the Burnside suit. I thought it accomplished what it set out to do really well, and was a striking visual to boot.

However, I still prefer the Murphy suit we're giving up. Unlike most of you, I'm not at all attached to the cowl (Yes, I totally get the domino mask doesn't protect her identity arguments, but it's superheroes. Clark Kent TAKES OFF HIS GLASSES and nobody recognizes him for heaven's sake.) and I thought that was the best Batgirl suit I've yet seen.

Still, this new design is still light years better than the awful New52 look. Leave the black to Steph.

I think the Burnside costume worked for what it was trying to do but it stuck around longer than it should have (as did the status quo) and it shouldn't be seen as the definitive Batgirl design.

I liked the Murphy suit too but Batgirl without a cowl is weird.

I actually liked the New 52 suit. A little clunky because of the armor, but I think it was a solid design and captures that iconography of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl well. I think people associate purple with Steph more than they do black.

[Restingvoice]

Seriously?

Now that you bring it up... I remember her first costume has an eyelet



Yeah. It's only in the first panel it debut, the rest has her eyes exposed, but this give me a general idea of what I want

Still think the cowl's gonna look better in all black. The yellow everything can stay though.

[MajorHoy]

Now that you bring it up... I remember her first costume has an eyelet



Yeah. It's only in the first panel it debut, the rest has her eyes exposed, but this give me a general idea of what I want

Still think the cowl's gonna look better in all black. The yellow everything can stay though.

And that original costume was "practical" = gasp! = too.


originally from Detective Comics #363 (May 1967)

[sorboares]

This is just a quick cut-and-paste putting the new cowl on the Murphy costume:



I could have lived with something more like that.

I really like this, I liked the Murphy suit but hated that she had no cowl. It would look so good with a cowl as we can see from your quick cut and paste.
The new suit is great, i am happy because Babs has her cowl back.
The jacket is not bad but Id prefer if it wasn't a jacket.
I still think her New 52 and Three Jokers costume were the absolute ultimate costumes for her.
I prefer babs in darker shades with the yellow on the inside of the cape.
If they made the new costume a bit darker I think it would be better but overall I like the update.
Just celebrating Babs is back as Batgirl and wearing a cowl again!
Also love the long cape, that's gorgeous.

[Restingvoice]

And that original costume was "practical" = gasp! = too.


originally from Detective Comics #363 (May 1967)

Do you have pics on what her skirt, beret and handbag look like before she changed?

This is just a quick cut-and-paste putting the new cowl on the Murphy costume:



I could have lived with something more like that.

I didn't pay attention to this. I thought grey and blue doesn't work but dark grey looks pretty good.

[Soldy]

New suit looks kinda dull. Nothing beats this

B07ND2KYZ5.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_SX500_.jpg

[MajorHoy]

originally from Detective Comics #363 (May 1967)

Do you have pics on what her skirt, beret and handbag look like before she changed?

This is all they showed on the previous page of the story:

[Marik Swift]

New costume gives too much Hellcat vibes.

Or is it just me?

[billee0918]

New costume gives too much Hellcat vibes.

Or is it just me?

Funny, Hellcat always gave me Batgirl vibes! When I was a kid I couldn’t understand why Batgirl was in The Defenders.

[Restingvoice]

This is all they showed on the previous page of the story:

Thanks.

I see the boots, but if that's the skirt then the inside of her cape would be red

Oh but... that's the exact same clothes she wears in the page I posted, and the skirt is different from the cape, though that could just because it's supposed to be for a costume party, so she's not thinking of making a flipable costume yet.

[Frontier]

New costume gives too much Hellcat vibes.

Or is it just me?

The cowl with white eyes is definitely something shared with Hellcat...well, aside from the red hair coming out of said cowl, but that's always been Babs' thing.

[MajorHoy]

The cowl with white eyes is definitely something shared with Hellcat...well, aside from the red hair coming out of said cowl, but that's always been Babs' thing.

But that wasn't the original look for Hellcat:

[Restingvoice]

New 52 is trending in Twitter so Gail Simone does a tell all about her Batgirl run

how much were creators told about what was/what wasn't canon anymore?

Oh, almost nothing, and what we were told changed a lot.
It was originally pitched to me as a YEAR ONE starting point. That meant throwing out a lot of DC’s best stuff, but I was told that stuff could be re-introduced.

Maybe the most controversial line in your Batgirl run was Bruce telling Barbara “You were always meant to be Batgirl.” It was a sentiment that a lot of Oracle, Cass, and Steph fans were pretty put off by. Could you shed some light on that?

Yeah, this is, again, a thing where our message was not conveyed. It was supposed to be Batgirl’s earliest stages. In Batgirl Year One. Those other characters hadn’t BEEN Batgirl.
But he's just telling her he approved, she was 100% worthy.

I think people should realize I would never disrespect Cass and Stephanie, I love them both."

I remember there being a lot of regular, coordinated events between the Bat books, especially while you were writing Batgirl.
What were those like to plan? And how did they affect your own storylines for Batgirl?

For the most part, those things were originated with the core Batman titles. I love writing crossovers, but we usually weren’t asked for input, we were just given the concepts. I always liked the challenge.

The exception is @Ssnyder1835, he always makes everyone feel included.

Were you given any explicit instructions for your titles?

Yeah, as I said, Birds of Prey was just two paragraphs that made no sense, so I turned that down.

Batgirl had all kinds of stuff turned down, she couldn’t wear glasses, she couldn’t be a librarian, we had a cool hideout, she couldn’t have that. Lots.

How much creativity were you given? Like did you come up with how Barbara could walk again? Or was that set in stone?

We were given lots of edicts, I put my foot down on the original idea I was given for Barbara coming out of the chair.

I said I wouldn’t write it, period. They kept talking like I’d agreed, and I said, I am not doing this book if she gets ‘healed’ by magic. We won that one.

You've mentioned before Alysia Yeoh would have become Bat-Family. Can we get any details on what you would have had in store for her?

Well, Barbara was going to be injured in the fight with Nightfall, and she confides in Alysia, who decides to wear the suit for a while.

It would have made the book more of a neighborhood patrol, only the neighborhood is the worst part of Gotham.

I would be interested in the discussion around Batgirl and removing such a great character like Oracle in a wheelchair who is central to the line and was there thought of how to replace Oracle? Or how to have both?

I wanted there to be an Oracle.

But we were supposed to be going back to year one. So my thought was ALWAYS that she starts as Batgirl, and becomes Oracle. That was always my map.

How did people at DC feel about fitting everything into that 5 year timeline, particularly with the Bat family? Was it taken seriously or just kind of "oh yeah, that's a thing."

I think different editors had different understandings of what we were supposed to do. Like, Batgirl was sent back to Year One, but Nightwing went out with very little changed (great run, though!). If there was a clear plan, it was not conveyed.

[Frontier]

New 52 is trending in Twitter so Gail Simone does a tell all about her Batgirl run

how much were creators told about what was/what wasn't canon anymore?

Oh, almost nothing, and what we were told changed a lot.
It was originally pitched to me as a YEAR ONE starting point. That meant throwing out a lot of DC’s best stuff, but I was told that stuff could be re-introduced.

Maybe the most controversial line in your Batgirl run was Bruce telling Barbara “You were always meant to be Batgirl.” It was a sentiment that a lot of Oracle, Cass, and Steph fans were pretty put off by. Could you shed some light on that?

Yeah, this is, again, a thing where our message was not conveyed. It was supposed to be Batgirl’s earliest stages. In Batgirl Year One. Those other characters hadn’t BEEN Batgirl.
But he's just telling her he approved, she was 100% worthy.

I think people should realize I would never disrespect Cass and Stephanie, I love them both."

I remember there being a lot of regular, coordinated events between the Bat books, especially while you were writing Batgirl.
What were those like to plan? And how did they affect your own storylines for Batgirl?

For the most part, those things were originated with the core Batman titles. I love writing crossovers, but we usually weren’t asked for input, we were just given the concepts. I always liked the challenge.

The exception is @Ssnyder1835, he always makes everyone feel included.

Were you given any explicit instructions for your titles?

Yeah, as I said, Birds of Prey was just two paragraphs that made no sense, so I turned that down.

Batgirl had all kinds of stuff turned down, she couldn’t wear glasses, she couldn’t be a librarian, we had a cool hideout, she couldn’t have that. Lots.

How much creativity were you given? Like did you come up with how Barbara could walk again? Or was that set in stone?

We were given lots of edicts, I put my foot down on the original idea I was given for Barbara coming out of the chair.

I said I wouldn’t write it, period. They kept talking like I’d agreed, and I said, I am not doing this book if she gets ‘healed’ by magic. We won that one.

You've mentioned before Alysia Yeoh would have become Bat-Family. Can we get any details on what you would have had in store for her?

Well, Barbara was going to be injured in the fight with Nightfall, and she confides in Alysia, who decides to wear the suit for a while.

It would have made the book more of a neighborhood patrol, only the neighborhood is the worst part of Gotham.

I would be interested in the discussion around Batgirl and removing such a great character like Oracle in a wheelchair who is central to the line and was there thought of how to replace Oracle? Or how to have both?

I wanted there to be an Oracle.

But we were supposed to be going back to year one. So my thought was ALWAYS that she starts as Batgirl, and becomes Oracle. That was always my map.

This explains how topsy turvy working in the New 52 era was. I'm amazed Simone weathered it as well as she did.

"she couldn’t wear glasses, she couldn’t be a librarian, we had a cool hideout, she couldn’t have that." - Huh, so they wanted nothing associated with Oracle or even classic Batgirl stuff. Weird.

[Primal Slayer]

Wow Dido, im not surprised but...no glasses? No librarian? What were they afraid of?