Barbara Gordon:Oracle or Batgirl

[9th.]

I think she'd get better stories as Oracle, her solo hasn't been interesting in a long time.

[the nomad]

I think she'd get better stories as Oracle, her solo hasn't been interesting in a long time.

To be fair her stint as Oracle was hit or miss too. I found her incredibly boring as 'The voice' in heroes ears. She's more than that and better than just being intel. She's Batgirl, yesterday, Today, and Hopefully tomorrow. LOL!

Her Solo series does need more interesting plotlines but you know that's all on the writer, not the character. She needs better writers.

[km_sus]

At this rate I'm going to be known as the anti-Babs poster, but **** it.

Everyone has to stop clinging to Barbara as Batgirl at some point. Reading these responses, I'm almost convinced that none of you have actually read her post-Flashpoint Batgirl stories. She's a discount Steph on her best days, a Frankenstein caricature of what writers think Barbara Batgirl was most of the time, starring in Scooby Doo mysteries that are as interesting as snails in slow motion.

You can like Barbara as Batgirl, you can hate Killing Joke, you can hate Oracle, but you cant look at me in the eye and say that the past ten years of stories was worth trampling over Cass, Steph and Barbara's characters to get them.

[the nomad]

At this rate I'm going to be known as the anti-Babs poster, but **** it.

Everyone has to stop clinging to Barbara as Batgirl at some point. Reading these responses, I'm almost convinced that none of you have actually read her post-Flashpoint Batgirl stories. She's a discount Steph on her best days, a Frankenstein caricature of what writers think Barbara Batgirl was most of the time, starring in Scooby Doo mysteries that are as interesting as snails in slow motion.

You can like Barbara as Batgirl, you can hate Killing Joke, you can hate Oracle, but you cant look at me in the eye and say that the past ten years of stories was worth trampling over Cass, Steph and Barbara's characters to get them.

It's not so much as people clinging to her being batgirl its more a preference because you know that's what this thread asks of us. What is our preference. I prefer her as Batgirl why because yes, I grew up with her as Batgirl and I just find her more interesting as Batgirl than Oracle or any other identity she should choose.

There are plenty of good stories with her as Batgirl and I'm thinking what your issue might be is that, her stories for the past 10+ have been hit or miss. It's not such much Barbara as Batgirl being at fault for that but DC not putting writers on her title that can bring up good, interesting stories.

And Steph as Batgirl was okay at best in my opinion.

Cass has potential but I like her being her own thing, forging her own identity instead of taking up anothers.

[km_sus]

It's not so much as people clinging to her being batgirl its more a preference because you know that's what this thread asks of us. What is our preference. I prefer her as Batgirl why because yes, I grew up with her as Batgirl and I just find her more interesting as Batgirl than Oracle or any other identity she should choose.

There are plenty of good stories with her as Batgirl and I'm thinking what your issue might be is that, her stories for the past 10+ have been hit or miss. It's not such much Barbara as Batgirl being at fault for that but DC not putting writers on her title that can bring up good, interesting stories.

And Steph as Batgirl was okay at best in my opinion.

Cass has potential but I like her being her own thing, forging her own identity instead of taking up anothers.

Rereading my post, I realize I came on a bit too strong. Sorry about that.

I just get frustrated when people want Barbara to stay as Batgirl even with the mistreatment she's received from DC. The same editorial that so desperately wanted her back as Batgirl is the same editorial that holds her back at every opportunity. Simone, the best Barbara writer DC has, was forced to write the Batgirl series with one hand tied behind her back. In more recent times they drew away Mairghread Scott, the best Babs writer in recent memory, because they didn't think Barbara as Batgirl was worth enough to include in their plans for the Bat line. The people who had grown up with Babsgirl wanted her back so bad, but never let her grow or explore out of the pre defined box they had set for her. Which is why it baffles me when people say they want to keep her in that box. The Barbara Batgirl you remember is not the Batgirl of today. The Batgirl title is a containment book for Barbara, in my eyes. Sure she might not be in the spotlight if she was no longer Batgirl, but who needs popularity when you have the possibility of being a well written character for once.

[the nomad]

Sorry double post.

[the nomad]

Rereading my post, I realize I came on a bit too strong. Sorry about that.

I just get frustrated when people want Barbara to stay as Batgirl even with the mistreatment she's received from DC. The same editorial that so desperately wanted her back as Batgirl is the same editorial that holds her back at every opportunity. Simone, the best Barbara writer DC has, was forced to write the Batgirl series with one hand tied behind her back. In more recent times they drew away Mairghread Scott, the best Babs writer in recent memory, because they didn't think Barbara as Batgirl was worth enough to include in their plans for the Bat line. The people who had grown up with Babsgirl wanted her back so bad, but never let her grow or explore out of the pre defined box they had set for her. Which is why it baffles me when people say they want to keep her in that box. The Barbara Batgirl you remember is not the Batgirl of today. The Batgirl title is a containment book for Barbara, in my eyes. Sure she might not be in the spotlight if she was no longer Batgirl, but who needs popularity when you have the possibility of being a well written character for once.

No worries lol! all I saw was you caring loudly as Leslie Knope would say.

I completely understand where you're coming from about Barbara kinda being kept down, however I'm thinking opposite of you LOL! I feel like why put her back as Oracle. I kinda feel Oracle is a way to hold her back. They made her oracle as a way to keep her around after DC decided to make Killing Joke Canon. SO it's like well she can't really be mobile and we don't have anyone that can write a book feature a DIsabled superhero so we can make her Oracle, a person that brokers information to other Heroes.

Oracle to me represeants a very painful time in her life, I really think it's time for her to move beyond that because she has been oracle since like the 90s or early 2000s or something like that. It's time for her to go back to who she was before Oracle and Killing Joke. Batgirl. The badass.

I like Gail Simone writing Barbara and maybe they did subdue her a bit in her writing but that's DC's blunder. I'm not trying to change your mind or opinion but I am just saying that Her being Batgirl is not necessarily the problem it's the writer not being creative enough to do anything with her. Or it's DC's fault for wanting to keep her in whatever sandbox. Honestly though, if she's oracle she's stuck in a box of obscurity. If she's batgirl she's stuck in a box of uninteresting stories. So it's like damned if you do damned if you don't.

I've been waiting for a writer to explore Barbara's darker side or her grandiose big scale side. All sides really lol. It maybe or maybe not happen this year but we can only hope.

[Godlike13]

Rereading my post, I realize I came on a bit too strong. Sorry about that.

I just get frustrated when people want Barbara to stay as Batgirl even with the mistreatment she's received from DC. The same editorial that so desperately wanted her back as Batgirl is the same editorial that holds her back at every opportunity. Simone, the best Barbara writer DC has, was forced to write the Batgirl series with one hand tied behind her back. In more recent times they drew away Mairghread Scott, the best Babs writer in recent memory, because they didn't think Barbara as Batgirl was worth enough to include in their plans for the Bat line. The people who had grown up with Babsgirl wanted her back so bad, but never let her grow or explore out of the pre defined box they had set for her. Which is why it baffles me when people say they want to keep her in that box. The Barbara Batgirl you remember is not the Batgirl of today. The Batgirl title is a containment book for Barbara, in my eyes. Sure she might not be in the spotlight if she was no longer Batgirl, but who needs popularity when you have the possibility of being a well written character for once.

What indication is there that it’d be any better for Oracle though.

[RedQueen]

I like Babs as both, but with Oracle and no active BoP book, it would be easy for Babs just to be a side character and just be tech support. I'm more in favour of Batgirl just because it would mean seeing Babs consistently, but I do think the Batgirl mantel is also something she should not be having forever.

[prepmaster]

Yeah Oracle is something that is not "Bat" related. Dick becomes Nightwing, Jason becomes Red Hood. A strong standalone character would not need a name that is associated with another character. Being Oracle is more unique than being another Bat vigilante.

[Frontier]

No worries lol! all I saw was you caring loudly as Leslie Knope would say.

I completely understand where you're coming from about Barbara kinda being kept down, however I'm thinking opposite of you LOL! I feel like why put her back as Oracle. I kinda feel Oracle is a way to hold her back. They made her oracle as a way to keep her around after DC decided to make Killing Joke Canon. SO it's like well she can't really be mobile and we don't have anyone that can write a book feature a DIsabled superhero so we can make her Oracle, a person that brokers information to other Heroes.

Oracle to me represeants a very painful time in her life, I really think it's time for her to move beyond that because she has been oracle since like the 90s or early 2000s or something like that. It's time for her to go back to who she was before Oracle and Killing Joke. Batgirl. The badass.

I like Gail Simone writing Barbara and maybe they did subdue her a bit in her writing but that's DC's blunder. I'm not trying to change your mind or opinion but I am just saying that Her being Batgirl is not necessarily the problem it's the writer not being creative enough to do anything with her. Or it's DC's fault for wanting to keep her in whatever sandbox. Honestly though, if she's oracle she's stuck in a box of obscurity. If she's batgirl she's stuck in a box of uninteresting stories. So it's like damned if you do damned if you don't.

I've been waiting for a writer to explore Barbara's darker side or her grandiose big scale side. All sides really lol. It maybe or maybe not happen this year but we can only hope.

But isn't Oracle a disabled Superhero, though? I feel like Oracle was her trying to move on from the pain after what happened to her. It wasn't that being Oracle was that painful.

[the nomad]

But isn't Oracle a disabled Superhero, though? I feel like Oracle was her trying to move on from the pain after what happened to her. It wasn't that being Oracle was that painful.

Yeah when Babs was Oracle she was disabled or handi-capable superhero if you will. And Oracle was, at least I think, a way for her to make lemonade out of lemons. She was down but not out. But currently she's able to use both legs, so her going back to being Oracle just doesn't totally sit well, especially with her skill set. I would just think it is a painful time for her bc she was confined to a chair and forced to just pray that her teammates would be alright since she wasn't out in the field with them.

However I am willing to give this run a chance and see where it goes. Maybe she dons the cape and cowl again for dire situations or once this whole Ghostmaker thing blows up in Bruce's face.

[Tsukiakari1203]

babs can keep oracle, give batgirl to someone new

AND DC USE BETTE KANE ALREADY!

[Frontier]

Yeah when Babs was Oracle she was disabled or handi-capable superhero if you will. And Oracle was, at least I think, a way for her to make lemonade out of lemons. She was down but not out. But currently she's able to use both legs, so her going back to being Oracle just doesn't totally sit well, especially with her skill set. I would just think it is a painful time for her bc she was confined to a chair and forced to just pray that her teammates would be alright since she wasn't out in the field with them.

However I am willing to give this run a chance and see where it goes. Maybe she dons the cape and cowl again for dire situations or once this whole Ghostmaker thing blows up in Bruce's face.

I think with Oracle, Joker took away her legs but he didn't take away her mind, and focusing on that led her to achieve stuff she wouldn't have as Batgirl (and depending on the continuity she was thinking of hanging up the tights anyway).

She's going to be Batgirl in Nightwing (as well as Oracle).

[MajorHoy]

With 52 people having voted, we're currently at:

* Oracle = 24 votes
* Batgirl = 16 votes
* She can keep both = 9 votes
* Depends = 3 votes

No votes for "It doesn't matter" at present.