Barbara Gordon: Batgirl/Oracle Appreciation 2023

[Primal Slayer]

I notice more and more people feel Babs should be paralyzed without the joker's involvement do you all agree o


I'm curious if you had to write your favorite batgirl writers for Babs who would you rank the highest and who would you rank the lowest

Personally I think she should be paralyzed due to the Joker. It adds weight to what these heroes are doing every day battling villains. There will be causalities. Also drives home the importance of secret identities.

[Primal Slayer]

Do you mean more successful of ALL Batgirl runs (including Cass' original series?) or just for Barbara-as-Batgirl?

What's this from (besides i.redd.it ) and any idea what it's suppose to be for?

She's supposed to be appearing as Batgirl in Batman 89 Echoes

[WebLurker]

I notice more and more people feel Babs should be paralyzed without the joker's involvement do you all agree o

Maybe it's not the Joker being responsible, but that the Killing Joke version that's usually plugged in as the backstory is the issue, e.g. Barbara's loss being the plot device for another character's story. More recent adaptations of her losing the use of her legs have rejigged it so that it was the result of her own actions (that Oracle Code YA graphic novel had her getting shot when she chose to spy on a crime scene, the Young Justice cartoon had it be the result a battle injury she took for someone else's sake, etc.)

[Konja7]

Personally I think she should be paralyzed due to the Joker. It adds weight to what these heroes are doing every day battling villains. There will be causalities. Also drives home the importance of secret identities.

The thing is Barbara being paralized by the Joker in the Killer Joke isn't related to her superhero life at all.

The Joker shot Barbara to emotionally destroy her father. It wasn't related to her being Batgirl (she was even retired at that point).

[Frontier]

I still wish Young Justice had come up with a better reason for it or executed their take better.

[Rac7d*]

The thing is Barbara being paralized by the Joker in the Killer Joke isn't related to her superhero life at all.

The Joker shot Barbara to emotionally destroy her father. It wasn't related to her being Batgirl (she was even retired at that point).

That’s the problem she is a tool in somone else’s story. DC is trying to best reinvent it so it belongs to her.

[Primal Slayer]

The thing is Barbara being paralized by the Joker in the Killer Joke isn't related to her superhero life at all.

The Joker shot Barbara to emotionally destroy her father. It wasn't related to her being Batgirl (she was even retired at that point).

Even that is still a good story imo.

[Frontier]

Even that is still a good story imo.

Thanks to John Ostrander and Kim Yale!

[signalman112]

Steve Rude color sketch.

RudeBG.jpg

[Frontier]

Steve Rude color sketch.

RudeBG.jpg

Classic Batgirl .

Interesting shading of the suit.

[Fergus]

That’s the problem she is a tool in somone else’s story. DC is trying to best reinvent it so it belongs to her.

Why is that a problem? Why is that a problem only for Babs and not for Jason?
why do some fans [on particular those if the other Batgirls insist on Babs not over coming the physical effects of Jokers actions while Bruce and Damian are allowed to walk there briken spines off?

Heck Jason got better after Joker took his life.

There's a double standard to Babs and this need or preference for her to remain Oracle. A role which is honestly busy work because lets face it, the Bats can do their own tech support.

Even her own team, Birds of Prey doesn't need Oracle. The new lineup opting to not include an Oracle type sums up just how superfluous the position is.

Barbara should go back to being batgirl.

[Frontier]

Why is that a problem? Why is that a problem only for Babs and not for Jason?
why do some fans [on particular those if the other Batgirls insist on Babs not over coming the physical effects of Jokers actions while Bruce and Damian are allowed to walk there briken spines off?

Heck Jason got better after Joker took his life.

There's a double standard to Babs and this need or preference for her to remain Oracle. A role which is honestly busy work because lets face it, the Bats can do their own tech support.

Even her own team, Birds of Prey doesn't need Oracle. The new lineup opting to not include an Oracle type sums up just how superfluous the position is.

Barbara should go back to being batgirl.

I wouldn't say Thompson's BoP has reached the heights of the old BoP enough to say they don't need Oracle.

She never even stopped being Batgirl.

[twiztor]

Why is that a problem? Why is that a problem only for Babs and not for Jason?

because they're completely different situations. Babs was out of costume, alone and at home, and she was shot was because she was Jim Gordon's daughter. The fact that she was Batgirl was not even mentioned in the issue IIRC.

Jason being killed by Joker was DIRECTLY due to his own actions. Robin/Jason directly defied Batman's orders, went his own way, made some bad choices, and got himself killed for it. And again, Joker killed Robin- in costume and all.

i agree with the rest of your post- Oracle worked in the time, but really they were just making the best of a bad situation. Batgirl is by far the better character and i prefer Babs as that character.

[Aahz]

Jason being killed by Joker was DIRECTLY due to his own actions.

Actions that imo all the other Robins would have also done in the same way.

[Rac7d*]

I didn’t really want a vampire queen Babs sequel. With the way it ended I’d assume humanity wins.
For Babs to have a chance she would have to turn all her girls. Dinah Huntress Cass Steph