Batgirls

[Frontier]

I'm not a huge fan of the art, but it does remind me (very slightly) of Scott McDaniel or Damon Scott, just not as clean. The story (at least in the first issue) was good.

It seems like the "edgier" version of Babs Tarr to me.

[Digifiend]

The codename situation isn't resolved. In fact, spoilers:

Steph gets brainwashed at the end, and next issue promises Batgirl vs Batgirl.

end of spoilers

[Frontier]

The codename situation isn't resolved. In fact, spoilers:

Steph gets brainwashed at the end, and next issue promises Batgirl vs Batgirl.

end of spoilers

Well, that was quick.

[millernumber1]

Well, that was quick.

There's a lot going on in this series! Three major threats, maybe four, depending on how they're connected!

[Godlike13]

Comic is cute, but Babs is utterly useless in it. She’s an exposition dump machine. And she couldn’t even see that they were fighting, yikes. Cass diving the car with those shades was funny as hell though. The whole car over the scooters Babs is so proud of thing is pretty funny.

[Lady Nightwing]

I've tried 2 issues and I don't think this book is for me. I don't like Babs being relegated to a mom role, personal bias - she's my favourite Batgirl, and both Cass and Steph should be more self sufficient. I would have preferred a more serious tone to the book, it feels a bit childish and reminds me a little of Babs Burnside run. Still, for Cass and Steph fans, I hope you get a nice long run out of it

[ohfellow]

Anyone notice the variant cover mix-up?

For Batgirl #2, the solicitations are for:
CVR B: by Hicham Habchi - on a rooftop, Steph blowing a bubble and Cass drinking out of a straw
CVR C: 1:25 ratio variant by Rian Gonzales - the winter scene with the snowman etc.

It looks like the covers were mixed up, probably due to printing of the wrong UPC code.

So the Gonzales cover is now the normally priced $4.99 CVR B - bar code 00221 (which means issue #2, CVR B, first printing). Lunar Distribution fixed the listings on their web site - partially. They forgot to change all of the text, though.


Batgirls #2b Lunar.jpg

They changed the main heading from CVR C to CVR B, but in the smaller text it still says the cover artist is Hicham Habchi, the original artist for CVR B.


Their image for CVR C has the same mix-up, in reverse. That one is only visible by searching through their Search bar.

Batgirls #2c Lunar.jpg

Anyone who wants the Gonzales cover can run and get it. Anyone who wanted the Habchi cover may not be able to find or afford it.

eBay is a mess - some copies of both were pre-sold at what are now inappropriate prices, and while some current listings have been corrected, some have not been. You wouldn't want to pay a lot for the Gonzales, but if you try to grab a Habchi, will the eBay seller even actually have it on hand to sell, and will they honor the low price they are offering it for? Retailers can only have one Habchi for each 25 copies of the title they buy, so few retailers will have many (and many will have none) to sell.

Some listings specify the words "Habchi" and "CVR B" in the title, so the question is will they sell Habchi, or CVR B? They can't sell it as both.

Seems to me at this point trying to buy a Habchi for a low price would lead to a problem, at best. Either the seller would send the Gonzales, or refund the money, or there would be a dispute of some kind. If you succeeded in nabbing it, it feels like it would be taking advantage of a seller because of DC's mistake.

I'm not a speculator - I just like to own good variants when they are affordable, and fairly acquired.

[Rac7d*]

I've tried 2 issues and I don't think this book is for me. I don't like Babs being relegated to a mom role, personal bias - she's my favourite Batgirl, and both Cass and Steph should be more self sufficient. I would have preferred a more serious tone to the book, it feels a bit childish and reminds me a little of Babs Burnside run. Still, for Cass and Steph fans, I hope you get a nice long run out of it

They are being written young it’s weirder since they don’t go to school.

[Lal]

I've tried 2 issues and I don't think this book is for me. I don't like Babs being relegated to a mom role, personal bias - she's my favourite Batgirl, and both Cass and Steph should be more self sufficient. I would have preferred a more serious tone to the book, it feels a bit childish and reminds me a little of Babs Burnside run. Still, for Cass and Steph fans, I hope you get a nice long run out of it

This book is so not in sync with the Nightwing book that it's really disturbing.
In Nightwing Babs is a young adult, re-kindling an exciting relationship with Dick, suiting up to save their puppy.
In Batgirls she's a suburb mom, seems and behaves for all intents and purposes like she's over 40, making dinner for the Batgirls, speaking like she's married to Dick for decades, and saying she's "not so old".
My problem with the Batgirls book isn't that Babs isn't Batgirl, but that Babs was relegated to be the Batgirls' mom.
While not being Batgirl doesn't really hurt Babs as a character, her treatment in this book does.

[ohfellow]

This book is so not in sync with the Nightwing book that it's really disturbing.
In Nightwing Babs is a young adult, re-kindling an exciting relationship with Dick, suiting up to save their puppy.
In Batgirls she's a suburb mom, seems and behaves for all intents and purposes like she's over 40, making dinner for the Batgirls, speaking like she's married to Dick for decades, and saying she's "not so old".
My problem with the Batgirls book isn't that Babs isn't Batgirl, but that Babs was relegated to be the Batgirls' mom.
While not being Batgirl doesn't really hurt Babs as a character, her treatment in this book does.

Yes.

But there actually has been some of this new characterization of Barbara in Nightwing too.

Redondo's designs and art, and Jamal Campbell's variants, have been recognizably Babs as Batgirl. In his interiors, she's still young and dynamic.

But Rodriguez's depictions of Barbara - in the debut of her new look - were horrible.

He drew his Batgirl as if she was somewhat deformed, in awkward postures where she seemed to have a hip misalignment - in the final, reveal panel of Nightwing #84, she supported herself with her stick as if she could barely stand straight.

Not only that, but something I think no one has noticed or remarked upon, in two of the "airborne" panel in Nightwing #85, Barbara was not swinging under her own power - Nightwing was CARRYING HER.

She did run in some panels. And she looked normal on the covers. But Rodriguez's art was very suggestive of where things are in Batgirls.

Maybe the new suit is supposed to fit more loosely - Dick even refers to that in "The Bats of Christmas Past" in Urban Legends #10, where a much younger-looking Batgirl appears to him in his hallucination and he says "Babs won't wear that outfit anymore - I've asked."

But Rodriguez took this all very literally, and it looked pretty strange on a superhero. It was more like a hastily constructed and poorly fitting cosplay outfit, yet we know Barbara can do much better. She put together the Burnside costume and the Murphy design which followed.

Nightwing and Batgirls have the same DC editor. So I can't pin all of this on Rodriguez. His work was supervised. Covers are one thing, so DC is having it both ways. Put a dynamic Batgirl on the Nightwing covers, which helps sells the book, but put a baggy-pantsed, deteriorating, physically and emotionally aging one inside. The bait and switch will sell at least some books, and may get some sales for Nightwing, then the readers hopefully stick around because of Taylor's writing and Redondo's art.

I'm sure it's an ace up their sleeve that Barbara's chip can be replaced at any time they want to write that story. So it won't take a universal reboot to reset her.

We'll have to see if things sync up by making Nightwing more like Batgirls.

[Godlike13]

My problem with the Batgirls book isn't that Babs isn't Batgirl, but that Babs was relegated to be the Batgirls' mom.
While not being Batgirl doesn't really hurt Babs as a character, her treatment in this book does.

Exactly. I honestly don’t even care if she suits up as Batgirl, but even for Oracle, and just in general this is a poor showing. She’s the straight man. The lame duck old lady or mom. And like I said before, just an exposition dump machine. She’s functionally useless. Physically it’s nothing but “bad days”, but even on her computer she can’t even see what they are doing. Oracle can’t see a big fight in the middle of the street. Or that they pretty much do the opposite of whatever she says. She an authority figure with no actual authority. As they don’t listen to her at all. I like that she’s kind of a dork, I like dorky Babs that’s why the scooter thing really tickles me, but she’s the butt of the joke here. In all her forms. They are so proud of recognizing her disability, but at the same time they completely disabled her. I don’t think it’s intentional, but they are using her her disability as a means to exclude her and have the others dismiss her. That’s not really okay.

[Galerion]

I've tried 2 issues and I don't think this book is for me. I don't like Babs being relegated to a mom role, personal bias - she's my favourite Batgirl, and both Cass and Steph should be more self sufficient. I would have preferred a more serious tone to the book, it feels a bit childish and reminds me a little of Babs Burnside run. Still, for Cass and Steph fans, I hope you get a nice long run out of it

Same. Mainly checked it out for Cass but Im not a fan of the tone at all. In terms of art style and writing. Unfortunate but of course tastes are different.

[Hypo]

Batgirls #3 Preview (Unlettered)
Writers: Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad
Artist: Jorge Corona

[Lady Nightwing]

Same. Mainly checked it out for Cass but Im not a fan of the tone at all. In terms of art style and writing. Unfortunate but of course tastes are different.

That kind of sucks, that you wait so long for a book with one of your favourite characters and it's not your cup of tea. Out of curiosity, do you plan on continuing with it?

[Frontier]

Batgirls #3 Preview (Unlettered)
Writers: Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad
Artist: Jorge Corona

That reporters' earrings...

Dang, Babs in that dress! Although some of her facial expressions in certain panels look...off.